<p>I have recently been accepted into Boston University and the University of Pittsburgh. My major is molecular biology and I was wondering which school would be the best choice. I was accepted into the college of arts and sciences at Pitt and the college of general studies for the first two years at Boston. I would then move into the college of arts and sciences my last two years. I have been leaning toward attending the University of Pittsburgh, but some people have told me Boston University has better academics. What should I do? What are the pros and cons of choosing one university over the other?</p>
<p>I don’t know BU. I know Pitt is very good in this field and in biological and medical science in general. I’m sorry I cannot be more helpful about the academics.</p>
<p>what are the comparative costs to you?</p>
<p>First, this is both a tough choice, but also a great situation to be in. Both schools are excellent and in great cities.</p>
<p>That said, I do think that BU is better academically. It also has a more diverse student body, because Pitt is a state school dominated by Pennsylvania residents (about two thirds).</p>
<p>Yet, I personally like the city of Pittsburgh a little more than Boston. Pittsburgh has a mixture of Mid-West and East Coast attitudes which is very interesting. Plus, Bostonians can be more than a little full of themselves (and be insular too).</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is also just as good of a sports town as Boston, if you like professional sports. I love Fenway Park (very close to BU) but the Pirates’ stadium is my favorite among the new baseball stadiums in the country. Patriots fans have nothing on Steelers’ fans.</p>
<p>I would have a hard time turning down Boston University, personally, but you can hardly go wrong with Pitt.</p>
<p>Pitt is the better school. It is particularly better than the general studies program at BU which is largely made of the bottom of the class admits and not considered very prestigious. </p>
<p>That seems unlikely. Besides, no one is going to know you were in General Studies your first two years after you graduate. In reality, most people are in General Studies their first two years anyway, even if you are in a specific program.</p>
<p>This will come down to quality of the specific program, personal preference, and affordability, like every other choice out there, even Harvard vs. SEMO.</p>
<p>Forbes magazine ranks BU at #85 in the nation, with Pitt at #193… based on outcomes like getting into graduate school and career earnings; not prestige. Rankings are not everything, and often tell you very little, but that gap indicates BU is doing some things better than Pitt.</p>
<p>See the rankings here:
<a href=“Forbes America’s Top Colleges List 2022”>Forbes America’s Top Colleges List 2022;
<p>This choice is “win-win” and you can hardly make a mistake, unless one is too expensive for you. Both are excellent schools in great cities.</p>
<p>I’m a BU alum, and my son was just accepted into the College of Engineering there. I can’t speak to the biology program (because I was a communications major–and also because it was a long time ago!), but I can tell you that I loved my experience there. Boston is a great place to go to college! And as Mr.Mom62 said, once you get out of CGS and move on to CAS, nobody knows or cares where you started–just where you finished. Your diploma says CAS.
I don’t know anything about Pitt, so I’m not an objective opinion. </p>
<p>Pitt is ranked #6 in the nation in NIH research funding - which means research is easy to get in the medical sciences/bio fields. I have 2 at Pitt, ChemE and BioE, and both have had great opportunities from freshman year up in getting involved in research - during the school yr, not just as a summer experience. My BioE daughter also got into BU but chose Pitt because of that research and also the COA was lower. Boston is a wonderful college city but it is also much more expensive than Pittsburgh in living off campus. My ds pays about $400/mo for 1 br in a 3 br apt. A few of my friends’ kids are in Boston and rents are at least double that. Rankings by dept. might be more useful to you than overall. USWNR ranks the graduate school - biological sciences, Pitt is #42 and BU is #84.</p>
<p>Pitt is the better school. It is particularly better than the general studies program at BU which is largely made of the bottom of the class admits and not considered very prestigious. </p>
<p>Informative, you’re just copy/pasting your comment from March 25…
Can you explain what General Studies at BU is, if not a sort of college for freshmen who haven’t declared a major?</p>
<p>CGS is not a college for undeclared freshmen. It’s a specialized program that students can either apply to directly or be offered when denied at another BU college. Its core curriculum is prescribed. After two years, admission to one of the other colleges for the remaining two years is guaranteed for students with a 2.0 GPA. I believe this option is similar to NYU’s LSP program. I can’t comment on BU’s version, but I do know that some at LSP dislike the limited curriculum and that some allege (though most disagree) that LSP students are considered second class citizens by their NYU peers. Again, no idea if either of those are issues at BU’s CGS, but I do think this type of program isn’t for everyone and should be give careful consideration when comparing BU to Pitt.</p>
<p>The FAQs for BU CGS include the following Q and A:</p>
<p>Why was I referred to CGS with guaranteed continuation?</p>
<p>Boston University receives about 53,000 applications for a freshman class of approximately 3,800. There are many more qualified students for our schools and colleges than we can accommodate. The undergraduate admissions office selects a limited number of highly qualified students from the pool of applicants to refer for admission to Boston University through CGS. CGS is another opportunity for highly qualified students to attend Boston University by entering CGS as freshmen, with guaranteed continuation into the undergraduate programs of their choice.</p>
<p>I would go to Pitt over CGS at BU. </p>
<p>Another thing to consider is Pitt has a bit more of a campus and BU is more integrated into the city. No right or wrong, just personal preference.</p>