Notre Dame vs. UPitt

ChicagoLad116
Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:33:08 +0000

I am a high school senior, and I am trying to decide between the University of Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh. I am a prospective Bioengineering (UPitt) or ChemE (ND) student. I have aspirations to attend medical school, but they are not as strong as they were two or three years ago. I would like to remain in the health field, though, even if I do not attend medical school.

I will be visiting Pitt for the first time this weekend, and have heard nothing but great things about it. I have visited Notre Dame three times, as it is only about 90 minutes from my house; UPitt is about 7 hours. Distance, although less is better, is not a determining factor for me.

At UPitt, I received a full tuition scholarship, meaning costs of ~$15k/yr. At ND, I am still awaiting need-based aid, but expect to be paying ~$40k/yr.

Notre Dame has been my dream school, but I believe taking out close to 100k in loans, whereas at UPitt I would leave debt-free would not be the best decision. Can anyone speak to the education at Notre Dame or Pitt and how they might compare?

Thanks in advance