He is going in as a transfer student wanting to do Political Science and Philosophy. Anyone have experience with either of these schools?
1 Like
I don’t have a lot to offer (my son is considering Pitt but for a STEM major), but I can tell you that Pitt has one of the best philosophy departments in the world. See Overall Rankings 2021 – The Philosophical Gourmet Report.
2 Likes
My S attended Fordham (loved it) – I expect those departments are strong but neither was his major.
One thing to consider/research is the fact that Fordham has a large core curriculum so be sure he can complete all of the graduation requirements in his remaining years of college.
Other than that, assuming both are comfortably affordable, look at the differences such as (but not limited to): what size of school is preferred, what location is preferred, is there a desire to be around big time sports and Greek Life, is a Catholic university a positive or negative, etc.
2 Likes
All three of my sons had Fordham in the final mix. Been there many times. One should have gone there for PoliSci but went elsewhere. One went to Pitt for science. S24 is headed to UMd. Cost was ultimately the barrier.
As mentioned above, Philosophy at Pitt is top rated. My S18s honors dorm floor all took some intro philosophy course together and it was not the easy A they thought it would be. Don’t know about PoliSci. However other humanities at Pitt are solid (e.g. languages) which we did not know. Thought it was all science but it’s more than that
Fordham has excellent humanities and is well known for it. But, it has a core curriculum that is unusually large and difficult to work around though better for humanities majors like yours. However, ypu will have to see how the credits transfer. They are notorious for not giving credit for the core.
The area around Pitt is fantastic for students, food, culture, parks and museums. CMU and several smaller colleges are nearby so you have double the college stuff near Oakland. The Shadyside and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods aren’t far and are great hang outs. The area around a Fordham has great Italian food (Arthur ave), the Bronx zoo and the Arboretum, but you are probably going into Manhattan for things to do while you don’t have to got Downtown at Pitt. Fordham has the Ram van and the subway station right there which helps a lot. And it’s Manhattan. 
The cost is also very different. Pitt is an expensive public but Fordham is one of the most expensive private around with tuition fees plus R&B next year around $89,000.
3 Likes
Thank you!
Thanks!
Is there a significant cost difference?
Otherwise, as others are saying it is hard to beat Pitt if you are interested in Philosophy. And in fact it also has a pretty strong program in Political Science. These are more directly relevant to grad school, but US News has them as a top 40 program, Edurank as a top 30 program, and so on.
So academically, Pitt seems like the more obvious choice. Now, of course some people really want to be in NYC, and if so then Fordham is great! Not just because it is in NYC, but it is a very solid Jesuit college which will give you a great overall education AND is super plugged into the NYC community.
But unless being in NYC was the overriding concern, or Fordham had a big cost advantage, I would be thinking Pitt given what you told us.
1 Like
Would the Politics & Philosophy major through the Honors college be an option for him at Pitt? (Students do not have to be in the Honors College to do the major.) That would be a draw for a student with his interests.
Agreed that it’s important to find how how much backfilling of Core/GE requirements he would need to do at each school. I’m sure that at this point, he wants to be moving forward in his areas of interest, not checking boxes to meet the new school’s requirements.
1 Like
I have a rising junior at Pitt and live about an hour away. Almost everyone who attends seems to really enjoy the experience. Here are some things I would consider in your situation:
-What would the travel from California be like? Pittsburgh is no longer a hub for any airlines, so does that make flights cumbersome? If he is only coming home once or twice a semester, this is probably not an issue, but he may want to compare on that metric.
-Was he accepted at Rose Hill or to Lincoln Center? Those are different experiences.
-My understanding is that Fordham has a rather high (maybe 40%) number of commuter students. Many students at Pitt live off campus, in houses/apartments in Oakland and other neighborhoods (Shadyside, South Side, Squirrel Hill, etc.), but not that many are commuting from their homes. Will that make a difference to him and his experience?
-The cost of living in Pittsburgh is wwwaaaayyyy lower than in NYC. My daughter interned in NYC last summer and it was so hard to find anything remotely affordable. Part of the problem was that she was looking for a short term situation, but even so, housing, transportation (within the city), food, and just about everything else is much lower in Pittsburgh.
-Does he want to live in the ultimate big city or in a smaller city? Pittsburgh has a ton to offer, a flourishing restaurant scene, museums, an interesting history, and sometimes lively politics (since that might appeal to him). He will get everything that Pittsburgh has X10 or even X100 in NYC. That can be good or bad. For some, something smaller is more manageable and less intimidating; for others, it might be limiting.
-I don’t know the stats so you would need to dig in a bit to find this information, but my sense is you will have a little more geographic diversity at Fordham than at Pitt. there are students from all over the country at Pitt, but there is more of a regional saturation of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio students. On the other hand, Pitt certainly has more religious diversity (though Fordham is only 1/3 catholic) and may have more economic/ethnnic/other diversity.
Let me know if you have any specific Pitt questions!
2 Likes
Thanks so much. My concern as a parent and living in CA-- so far away-- is that he’d have support from family (in NY). You’re right about the expenses of flying. If he was at Pitt he might be able to come home once a year. My daughter went to college in Missouri and she’d come home only at Christmas and during the summer. Everyone I know talks about Pittsburgh being a lovely place to live so I’m sure the campus (the surrounding area) is A LOT nicer than the surrounding area of Fordham which is kind of horrible. That said, I live near USC in Los Angeles and for a while that are was equally as awful. Fordham did offer him housing and Pitt said he’d have to find his own place --so many considerations and so little time to decide! I grew up in NYC so I’d agree that people in PA are nicer than people in NYC 
2 Likes
My S graduated from Fordham a while back. I would not classify the area surrounding Rose Hill as "horrible.’ Students quickly learn where to go (Arthur Avenue area is great), to go off campus in groups late at night, etc. Many students also take advantage of Manhattan.
Sounds like you are more comfortable with Fordham due to family being close and the availability of housing (which is helpful for sure). Does your S have a preference?
Really no right or wrong answer here. Two reasonable people could make two different choices.
Please come back and let us know the decision.
2 Likes
It now comes down to housing. He has no guarantee of housing as a Sophomore transfer student at Pitt-- and there appears to be few options close to campus. At Fordham there is on-campus housing BUT it’s expensive and trying to find an affordable place off-campus when we are across the country has been challenging. Our stress is growing.
Yes, true!
I assume you have found this office and their associated listing service, but just in case:
One general tip is a lot of people live a bus ride away from campus, and this is not a problem if there is a short direct bus route.
1 Like
My son got about the same about of money from both Fordham and University of Pittsburgh. He’s a Political Science major - transfer student - with a minor in Philosophy. Even though we are from CA, we have family in New York and don’t know too much about Pittsburgh. He is unsure which to choose. Any help would be great!
Did your son visit both universities? Does he want to live closer to home? What are some traits your son likes to see in a college? It wouldn’t matter what he chooses, but what does matters is where he will be happy at.
1 Like
Different sizes, different vibes. Has he visited? I know people who have loved both colleges.
Some considerations:
– Is he interested in Greek Life (Pitt has it and Fordham does not)?
– Is he interested in big time sports (Pitt has it and Fordham does not)?
–Does he like the idea of a Catholic college or not?
–Does he prefer to be closer to family in NY?
One more thing to look at as a transfer is the fact that Fordham, as a Jesuit college, has a large core curriculum. Your S should be sure he can complete the core as well as all classes in his major and minor during his remaining years of college.
5 Likes
Pitt’s Philosophy department is world class.
1 Like
Just to clarify, does this mean they would have the same cost of attendance, or the same discount off full cost of attendance? I ask because I believe Fordham starts over $30K/year higher as compared to Pitt (Dietrich).
Anyway, I would say overall Pitt is maybe a bit stronger in those areas, and a lot of people like the city of Pittsburgh and Pitt’s location within it. It is a fairly unusual city with a distinct history, generally friendly, with a lot to do both inside the city and then nearby if you are into outdoor recreation, but not too expensive or hard to get around.
But of course some people really want to be in NYC, or at least have the experience for a few years when in college, and Fordham is a well-regarded Jesuit college where he would get a very good fundamental education. As another poster noted, though, he should probably make sure he understands how that would work as a transfer.
3 Likes
He knows NYC but doesn’t know Pittsburgh. He was wondering more about the professors, classes, and overall friendliness on campus.