<p>I’m sure this has been well debated numerous times, but like many others, I’d like a nice fresh debate that is more personal to my criteria in a school.</p>
<p>My only criteria is:
-Good marching band (Guess that = good football program?) Which probably goes hand in hand to what is next…
-Good athletics
-Good academics (I’m going into Electrical Engineering)
Good student body/social life ( I’d like things beside clubs/bars to do outside of campus since I don’t plan on drinking and I’m hardly a party person.)</p>
<p>The key part is which is better with merit aid (which i think is Pitt if I’m not mistaken) since I live in NY and the OOS needs to be cut down significantly.</p>
<p>Pros and Cons with explanations for them would be nice as well.</p>
<p>(I posted this question in a couple other areas, for a more unbiased view)</p>
<p>When you say Penn you mean Penn State, right? Penn is usually used to refer to UPenn.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pittsburgh/595644-pitt-vs-penn-state.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pittsburgh/595644-pitt-vs-penn-state.html</a></p>
<p>Pitt is way better with merit money if you have high SATS. Pretty much count on paying full OOS costs at Penn State.</p>
<p>Athletics? Depends on which teams you like.</p>
<p>Social life is probably better at Penn State, if you like drinking. Party scene there is legendary.</p>
<p>Electrical engineering better at Penn State.</p>
<p>Penn State, sorry guys.</p>
<p>I’d agree with Pitt being better with merit money than Penn State. I applied to Penn State too back in high school (OOS) and they accepted me, but heard nothing afterwards. So I got no scholarships from PSU but got full tuition from Pitt. Though I suspect PSU’s envelope may have gotten lost in the mail but I really didn’t care at that point. </p>
<p>As for social life, there are a lot of things to do in Pittsburgh other than party and go to clubs. Many Pitt students go to museums (free) or just explore the city. IIRC Pitt is also more diverse than PSU.</p>
<p>Sorry, but I gotta disgree with the Penn State lovers.</p>
<p>Pitt’s better all around.</p>
<p>My dad went to Pitt for electrical engineering and loved it. He got a great job after graduation, too. And, people there at Pitt are really smart. I know a few kids from my high school that turned down Ivies for Pitt… :D</p>
<p>^ Penn State lovers? Where?</p>
<p>marching band: PSU’s Blue Band is bigger and considered probably better than the Pitt Band, but Pitt’s isn’t bad.</p>
<p>athletics: PSU gets bigger football crowds as they have 100,000 attend their games, but Pitt is still a top 20 program and has a pretty good history. Pitt will probably start the season ranked ahead of PSU this coming season. Pitt also has a top ten basketball program whereas PSU’s program, to be generous, is quite poor. Pitt also has the advantage of being located in a city with three professional sports franchises.</p>
<p>academics: Pitt has better admissions stats, but PSU’s engineering school, overall, is ranked higher in US News. You’ll find an equal number of rankings picking one school over the other regarding their overall academic rankings, but they’re essentially the same. Pitt just spent close to $100 million expanding and overhauling their primary engineering facilities so that may be a consideration. You might considering contacting and visiting the electrical engineering programs at both schools for more specific information on the advantages of each.</p>
<p>social: PSU is known for its fraternity and party scene. Pitt, like many schools, has aspects of that too, but it is not nearly as prevalent. Pitt is urban, and has access to all the cultural amenities available that major cities do: major museums, an art scene, professional orchestras and performance groups, etc. Pitt also has a program called Pitt Arts that gives free and reduced admission to many of these programs, and all public transportation is free for Pitt students. The major museums and parks in the city are essentially right on campus. You might want to check those programs out, they are excellent. PSU is a college town, not a bad one, but otherwise in the middle of nowhere. If you like cities and cultural/social aspects that aren’t largely dependent on drinking/partying, Pitt is easily your choice in this category.</p>