Need Help Deciding a School! [Pitt $43k vs Drexel $56k vs CU Boulder $58k vs UMass Lowell $43k for Finance]

Compare College Acceptances
1

Hello people!
I am in a bit of a dilemma as I have some nice schools that all sound quite nice to go to. However price and education and also specialties are difficult for me to formulate.

Currently I have received offers from Drexel, Pitt, Umass Lowell, and CU Boulder for a degree in Finance.

Net price per year at each college, after applying scholarships and financial aid grants.

Pitt: 43k per year
Drexel: 56k per year
Cu Boulder:58k per year
Umass: 43k per year

Maximum parent contribution per year.
50k

Major/division admitted to at each college, if applicable to the college. Also, any special programs like honors programs or combined degree programs (e.g. BA/BS->MD).
All admitted for finance.
Pitt: None
Drexel: None
CU Boulder: None
Umass: Honors college + 3k for internships or study

Desired major and post graduation goals (including if pre-med, pre-law, etc.).
Desired major is finance, however accounting is a major that i am interested in also.

International or domestic student (and state of residency if domestic).
Domestic Student from PA

Student preferences beyond the above (including weather, class sizes, campus culture, college demographics, fraternities/sororities, distance from home, etc.).
CU Boulder probably has my favorite weather but the rest are basically the same kind of meh weather.

Distance from home would be nice but not a deciding factor.

Above all else I care most about education and how cost effective a school is in getting a path towards a stable career.

Why did you apply to each college you are considering?
CU Boulder: interesting business program + weather and area
Pitt: Local, close to home, cheaper option, nice education
Drexel: Local, close to home, Co-Op.
Umass: Safety, scholarships, area.

1 Like
2

If any more info is needed please do ask!

3

None of these are head and shoulders above/below each other in finance, so my gut says Umass honors with internship. It’s saving you a solid $75k over four years.

4 Likes
4

Are you ok going far from home?

Are you including loan costs in your costs?

Obviously, CU and Drexel will require more from you - summer earnings, etc. CU will likely cost you more when you move off campus.

So I’d remove them.

UMASS Lowell is not going to give you the four year experience of Pitt. It’s more a local school.

So seems to me, Pitt is the right choice.

Best of luck.

8 Likes
5

OP said Lowell, not UMASS which is Amherst.

2 Likes
6

I think Pitt is the best choice here.

3 Likes
7

Congrats on the acceptances!

Personally, I love Pitt and graduating with no debt is a gift!!

Be sure you don’t discount the value of a college because it is close to home. You can always do a semester study abroad or with a domestic partner school to have a change of scenery.

A personal anecdote…after looking at colleges up and down the East Coast the best fit (academics, campus feel, and finances) for my son turned out to be a school very close to home. He was nervous about being so nearby so we sat down to discuss. We agreed (parents) to never pop by and to not expect him home other than school vacations. He (son) agreed to not use being close to home as a crutch – no coming home for laundry, shopping, etc. It worked out great. He dormed for 4 years and was totally immersed in campus life. And yes, we did make a few exceptions (not many) over the four years, but it was always his call.

4 Likes
8

My understanding is Pitt and Boulder are comparably good for Finance (and very solid choices). Among those two, I certainly get the lifestyle appeal of Boulder, but that is a big cost difference.

Very personal decision in general, but ultimately you said what mattered to you most was education and cost effectiveness in terms of furthering a career. I think Pitt and Boulder are very close in terms of benefits in those areas, but then Pitt has a significantly lower cost, so to me that makes it notably more cost effective.

2 Likes
9

Since COA is a consideration, U Pittsburgh is the easy choice.

However, if you are passionate about snowboarding/snow skiing, then CU-Boulder is the most attractive option.

1 Like
10

I’m jumping on the Pitt bandwagon. Why have student loans if you don’t NEED to? That’s an additional cost when you graduate and can limit your options in terms of what jobs you take (because you will need to pay back those loans). And it’s not like Pitt isn’t a great school so yay!

9 Likes
11

Have you investigated the other benefits of the Honors College at UMass Lowell, which is an R1 Research University just like Pitt? They appear to include percs like honors housing and preferential course registration among others.

Have you talked to the Admissions Offices at both Pitt and UMass Lowell to see if you can negotiate the cost down? Often a college will improve an offer just for the asking - especially at this point in the process, which is before the regular admits have gone out. The fact that you have 2 offers which are so close gives you leverage. In talking with Pitt, I would simply sat that your other office is from UMass and leave off the campus location.

2 Likes
12

This is not a good idea in my opinion.

2 Likes
13

I think it would be disingenuous to not mention the campus and could be embarrassing if asked for a copy of the letter. IMO UMass Lowell is not a peer institution for Pitt.

6 Likes
14

OP – have you visited any of the campuses? A school can look good on paper but you can step onto the campus and hate it. If you can attend the “admitted students days” for these schools, that might give some insight as well.

1 Like
15

Hi, so far I have visited Pitt and done virtual tours for the rest of the schools. I honestly think I could get used to living in any of the four campuses.

16

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the responses. A lot of the info given has been super helpful.

17

Given your interests and budget, I’d give the nod to Pitt. UMASS Lowell has solid engineering and CS programs but it is more of a commuter school and won’t provide a traditional residential experience (although some kids do live on campus).

3 Likes
18

Pitt!! There are also great local internships.

I totally understand wanting to go away. Maybe you can look at some study abroad programs – especially with the $ you are saving – to have a different experience.

4 Likes
19

Pitt is affordable, direct admit for business and has smaller classes. Take Pitt for the win. Good luck.

5 Likes
20

Just to provide information on this point about UMass Lowell being a commuter campus. According to their common data set, 69% of their freshmen live on campus and 39% of their total students live on campus. I doubt that the 30% difference is the result of a large number of students move back home after freshman year and become commuters. In an old mill town like Lowell, which no longer has the jobs it once had, it is more likely that there is a lot of private housing stock which has been converted to multi-unit dwellings and that a lot of students move off campus after freshman or sophomore year. I expect that 69% on campus number for freshman year is a good but minimum estimate of the number of students who live on or near campus all 4 years.

As well as engineering and computer science, UML offers both the finance and accounting majors which this student is interested in.

4 Likes