DD got scholarships at both Pitt and BU (tuition exchange program for faculty kids). Majoring in biomedical engineering, likely eventually interested in research, but could change to pre-med. Can afford both schools, though of course the 19K is more comfortable! She thinks both are great, likes the vibe/campus/lifestyle at Pitt more. But also loves Boston. Housing also a little more stressful at BU. Likely leaning Pitt, but thought I’d throw it out there for any thoughts!
One of my kids is a BU grad, but in this situation, I would advocate for Pitt. Lots of medical facilities nearby, great city, great college, and the cost will allow you to save some money in case medical school is in the future.
7 Likes
BU is well known in the space. But if the $120k delta helps and she likes Pitt, it’s great.
3 Likes
Sounds to me like she prefers the vibe of Pitt, Pitt is more affordable, and Pitt has no housing stress. Plus Pitt is strong in her major. Seems time to buy a Pitt hoodie and celebrate her success in the college admission process.
11 Likes
We see Pitt and BU juxtaposed on these forums quite a bit. The undergraduate population size is about the same. The urban setting in a fun student city is similar. Reputationally, while BU has an edge in the USNews rankings, it isn’t a terribly meaningful one; both are very well-respected and neither is uber-elite. (To triangulate for comparison, Rutgers is essentially tied with BU in the rankings, yet many kids - especially New Jersey kids - would pick Pitt over Rutgers in a heartbeat. My point is, the true reputational differences in this range are debatable - all are excellent and what’s better for a given student will depend on individual preferences, specific programs, etc.)
I’m a BU grad, and in the [redacted-'cause-it’s-painful, lol] years since I attended, I’ve been both admired and looked down upon for going there, depending on who’s doing the looking. Most reactions are in between - it’s respected, but not idolatrous, Ivy-level respect. And I think Pitt is the same way.
So IMHO, it comes down to preference and cost. If costs are similar, preference wins the day. But for a 2.5x increment in cost? And not even a clear, strong preference for the more expensive school? Save the money!
The out of pocket can vary so much. There are students in the opposite situation - a kid who’s eligible for need-based aid and doesn’t live in PA could pay much less for BU than for Pitt, and in that case I’d say, go to BU! But for your situation, why?
All of which is a long-winded way of saying, you’re not missing anything; your student can get a top-notch education and have a fantastic experience at either one, and there’s no reason to pay more than double for one over the other. The fact that your daughter is actually “feeling” Pitt slightly more only makes the decision that much easier. Congrats!
5 Likes
Thank you for this super helpful analysis! That’s what my daughter and I are thinking, but just kind of wanted to float it out there to see if anyone thinks we’re missing something! This has been a very validating thread! Thanks to everyone for your helpful and encouraging insights!
H2P!
3 Likes
Sounds like you don’t need it, but I thought I would toss in some additional validation. Whenever the topic of field-specific research comes up, I like to look at Edurank, which is really focused just on research measures. Not that this is necessarily definitive, but it is an empirical approach at least.
Anyway, here is their study of Biomedical Engineering:
And Pitt was ranked #5 in the US, and in fact the world (US universities are quite strong in this area).
Now BU was ranked #40 in the US (#78 in the world), and honestly that is plenty good enough for undergraduate purposes. So if it was some combination of less expensive and/or strongly preferred for other reasons, I think it would be fine to choose BU.
But in your circumstances? I mean, with Pitt you are truly talking about one of the strongest research universities in the world in this area. So that’s pretty cool.
1 Like
Oh wow, that’s really cool! Thank you.
I’ve emphasized that ALL of these lists have flaws in methodology, but it’s hard when there is so much talk of USNWR rankings. So it’s nice to see a different methodology re-orders things. It’s all in what you prioritize in the formula!
2 Likes
P-I-T-T Let’s Go Pitt!
2 Likes
Can Pitt students take CMU courses? Some years ago they could but I’m not sure if they still can or to what extend.
Pitt and CMU have a joint graduate program for future medical scientists. I know a kid started there last year and is having a great time absorbing all he could learn.
1 Like
2 Likes
So true. To me, every “ranking” is just a collection of data, and I can and should feel free to pull them apart, discard factors I don’t think are important, add factors I do think are important, and balance them against each other however I see fit.
So I like Edurank for certain purposes because the data is so focused, but that definitely does not mean I think people should start using it as their sole source of information. It is just one thing they can consider, or not, as they see fit, and to the extent they see fit.
2 Likes
As another poster pointed out, that program does indeed still exist, and in fact it includes other Pittsburgh colleges and universities, although my understanding is CMU is by far the most popular choice for Pitt students.
It is all laid out, but executive summary, you can only do up to one course per term, and you need advisor approval. In practice, I understand most students use it either if they need a certain class and it isn’t working with the rest of their schedule, or if CMU has an upper level class not available at Pitt. But those are both common enough scenarios that a decent number of kids end up using the program at some point (and others not at all).
2 Likes
I’m on the side of Pitt. There’s really nothing that BU offers that you can’t already get at Pitt for cheaper. Save the money and renovate your bathroom 
5 Likes
We have a first year honors engineering student at Pitt. Was high stats, didn’t get TE but got enough merit OOS to make Pitt affordable.
Across the spectrum of what college is all about, it has been fantastic so far. Our kid is excelling academically and socially and we couldn’t be happier with the school. Pittsburgh is fun to explore.
Congratulations to your student!
4 Likes