that would be great… if they were accepted :((
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OP-I disagree somewhat that “where you go doesn’t matter” for a psych degree.
Neighbor of mine is a police captain. He regularly complains that his department can spend oodles of money on “tactical training”- new equipment, latest in technology, etc. but he is constantly begging for psychological training for the force- how to recognize subtle signs of domestic abuse, why some victims of domestic violence refuse to file a police report, why rape survivors refuse a rape kit, then go home and shower, and then a few days later change their minds (when the evidence is gone), etc. More than half of the front line police work in his town involves family/partner/addiction/ suspicious death which turns out to be suicide, etc. type work. He’s got the fire power of a small army, but lacks the expertise to provide what the force really needs- psychological and social work type skills.
So I think that if your son is interested in front line law enforcement (vs. cyber crime, money laundering, etc. which is a different skill set) he should identify the “right fit” college- and then assuming there are a few choices in that group, figure out which psych major is going to lean more to the counseling side of things vs. Cog Sci “let’s explore the implications of visual stimuli in language acquisition”.
I agree that Hofstra is the outlier here- fine institution, but not on par academically with the three others. U Conn is not a suitcase school- CT is indeed a small state, but the U is located in the sticks, away from the population centers, and the in-state kids have so much going on every weekend that shlepping home is not an attractive proposition. Rutgers NB has both kids who go home frequently and kids who are largely campus based on weekends… but you’d hardly go to brunch on campus on Sunday and wonder “where is everyone”.
I think a few semesters at college will likely change or modulate his professional goals- which is of course- fantastic. Pitt, Rutgers and U Conn all offer enough depth, breadth, and opportunity that it wouldn’t be a problem no matter which direction he goes.
But I’m all for having well educated police officers. So much policing is “Community Policing” and not the typical “Arresting the head of a major drug cartel”. My synagogue has strong relationships with the community team of our own police force (a few incidents, some threats, a guy with an arsenal of weapons in the trunk of his car parked in front of the Jewish Community Center nursery school- that sort of stuff) and they are really a special breed. A LOT of work with kids- in the schools, in after school programs, etc.
Good luck!
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Out of this list, I’d say only Hofstra is a suitcase school (live an hour away, have family on LI close by). There are lots of NJ students at Rutgers who go home, and lots that don’t. There are also NJ students at other colleges who come to Rutgers for games, parties, concerts… My nephew at Pitt loves it. My kids applied to all except Hofstra, plus UMASS and others. Ended up at UDel and Clemson due to fit (two at Rutgers too). UCONN, UMASS and UDel gave good merit.
Agreed Hofstra is the outlier. It’s the smallest and has the average smallest class size - not sure about the major but overall.
It really depends on what OP seeks.
All will get to law school.
Hofstra has a Criminology major.
Rutgers Criminal Justice.
Pitt has Law, Criminal Justice and Society but thriugh it’s school of general studies which is for non traditional students.
UConn Urban and Community Studies.
I’ll disagree Hofstra is inferior in this sense - kids from any of these schools will outperform the others in life - like any school.
But again, I’d visit all and talk to kids. I’m not prefacing one vs the other and none of these four ensure success or failure.
But what do you seek smaller class size ? Urban vs rural ? Football / big time sports or not ?
And if you might want study in Criminal matters - check the curriculums - Hofstra is Criminology - which will be interdisciplinary. Rutgers is Criminal Justice.
They are not the same. Classes will be different.
I think OP should educate themselves on the schools, environments, and possible courses of interest vs just dismissing a school on a U.S. News ranking which will literally means nothing with the path OP proposed.
Thanks
Kid wants a psych degree- what’s wrong with that?
Nothing. Others brought up police. They might want a double or minor or kids change so I brought up how those curriculums can be different. That might be of interest to OP - additional study in Criminology or Criminal Justice as a supplement .
Just showing the OP there are angles to study that too.
There’s nothing wrong with psych or any of the four schools mentioned.
There may be something wrong relative to OP’s ultimate desires but nothing else.
That’s why they should dig in.
That I want my student to go to a respectable school which is what OP has said - is not really a way to choose between these 4 IMHO. They are all respectable- yet different.
Thanks
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This should be an easy choice. UConn has the best basketball teams - women and men. One of them is sure to win a championship in any given year. What else is there to consider? 
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I believe I already pointed to the minors in most of the departments you mention. Personally, I would not steer a kid who isn’t already intent on a criminal justice type major away from a broader academic major like psych; criminal justice is more limiting, and one is more likely to end up working as a probation officer, correctional officer, or similar, vs. higher-level competitive opportunities like the FBI.
The Urban and Community Studies major at UConn, which I already mentioned up-thread, could be a happy medium - more practical/applied than a general psych degree, but not exclusively focused on the criminal justice system. That might hit the sweet spot if the psych major doesn’t turn out to be all that the OP’s kid hopes for… and IMHO the availability of a strong lateral move within the same academic unit is a significant point in favor of UConn. I would try to identify a solid back-up major at each of the other schools as well, and see how the options compare.
I would also look at the internship info for psych in particular, and see what kind of practical, community-based opportunities are available to students in that department. Again, UConn stands out to me here - the psych internship page shows a whole category of opportunities in the “law and law enforcement” sector. Internships | Department of Psychological Sciences It may be that Pitt and Rutgers have similar opportunities if you dig, but I have to say that on every front, UConn makes options that seem like a good fit obvious on the first pass.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it doesn’t matter where you go for a psych degree, or for pre-law. It is fair to say that no school on this list will close doors, but that doesn’t mean that the ease of opening the desired doors will be equal across the board. Certainly, students from anywhere can get into top law schools or can get jobs with the FBI, but that doesn’t mean that a “well worn path” at a given school can’t make it easier. Look for precedent, established recruiting relationships, and support structures that fit the student’s interests.
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Not steering at all.
Someone mentioned police. I simply noted the offerings schools have.
As you know some pivot.
I don’t understand the attacks.
I provided the links for OP to review.
There is a difference between Criminology and Criminal Justice.
I have repeatedly told OP that all will be good - but different as schools - and they need to do their homework.
But if I had interest in criminal study, I would likely remove Pitt - unless I’m missing something, they don’t have it.
UConn is light weight in it.
That leaves small Hofstra which may clear out and Rutgers which may require a bus - one has Criminology and one Criminal justice.
Not saying OP should study it. But it is ALWAYS good to know what other majors/minors your school has should you like to expand or eventually want to change.
I see nothing wrong with letting someone know they should look deeper under the hood of each and providing what may be helpful links.
All four schools will have successful interns. But alas, it will ultimately fall onto the hustle of the student.
If you have an opinion, state it and move on. CC is not a debate society and debating is not permitted. Thank you for your understanding.
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Thank you all so much, I am reading through all the comments, it’s very helpful! Our kid is first generation going to college in the USA (we graduated from colleges in a different country - free 
) so we are completely clueless how to choose. In our traditional minds - we should pick the one with the best ranking 
But I understand it’s not always the case.
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You have small, suitcase, 25 miles from NYC. Smaller classes.
Rutgers - large outside of NYC - train to there. Some on here talk about needing to take a bus from one class to another. I don’t know if that impacts you.
UConn - more rural.
Pitt - in a big city.
Rank assures zero.
What you need to do is visit the four. Walk campus. The surroundings. Stop and talk to kids.
You need to go see. Meet a professor in the department, etc. maybe ask to speak to a student in the department.
After you visit all four, you will know.
In my belief, the where does not matter. The where he feels best is all that matters.
Since he will be on campus four years, the time and expense of visiting is crucial.
Good luck.
Large differences in rank may matter. But the incremental differences in rank between three highly-regarded state flagships like Rutgers, UConn, and Pitt are really not meaningful. UConn, for example, dropped in USNews rankings from 58th to 70th (tied with Pitt) in a single year. Did their reputation actually decline? No. Does it mean anything that Rutgers outranks both, at #41? No. These gradations don’t reflect real differences in reputation; the schools are all in the same reputational category, and the differences are “in the noise” - no employer, grad program or reasonable individual is going to think less of a student for attending any one of these vs the other two. Trying to rank specific departments at the undergrad level - particularly “plain vanilla” academic majors like psychology - is even less meaningful. There isn’t one program among these that’s across-the-board better for all students, but there may be fit factors that make one better for a particular individual, and that’s what to look for.
(Is it meaningful that Hofstra ranks quite a bit lower than the other three, at #196? Perhaps so, but it’s still reputable, and if a student has clear reasons for preferring the school, it could still be the right choice.)
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Honestly any of those schools would provide a decent education for the major, so I’d base it on which campus best matches the student. Have you visited any? UConn is in the middle of nowhere (I’m close). Hofstra is in a somewhat icky area and is more of a suitcase school than the others. Rutgers is huge. Dd loved Pitt (and would’ve committed but couldn’t get housing) as did I, but it’s a long boring trip across PA. It’s really up to what your child prefers.
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