<p>I just got accepted into the University Of Pittsburgh and am most likely going to be accepted by Virginia Tech (not sure about Clemson though).</p>
<p>I really like the city environment of Pittsburgh but unfortunately I want to major in civil or environmental engineering and Pitt is strong in bioengineering and not many other engineering fields. Clemson and Virginia Tech have very strong programs but are in the middle of nowhere (which can be annoying) and is farther away from home.</p>
<p>Do you think in this case I should go with the college I like the most as a whole (Pitt) or go with the strongest academic program (Clemson/Virginia Tech)?
What other schools do you suggest that I apply to that can give me more of an urban feel, have a strong engineering program and is in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region? (farthest south: Virginia, farthest west: michigan/ohio).</p>
<p>My dad is a civil engineer (more managerial now) and was heavily involved with recruiting for his former employer in Charlotte. They hired a ton of Virginia Tech grads, and also quite a few from Clemson and Penn State. I don't claim to be an uber-expert on engineering schools, but I think Va Tech would be worth going to over Pitt. Blacksburg isn't quite as tiny as Clemson and sounds like it is closer to home for you (I'm guessing you're from Pennsylvania).</p>
<p>A few other ideas for schools would be Case Western or Ohio State... maybe also Villanova or U of Maryland depending on your admissions stats.</p>
<p>Most people change their major several times after actually taking college classes. I would suggest that you go to the school that offers you the most long-term alternatives and that appeals to you the most overall.</p>
<p>It seems to me that Pitt offers the most diverse set of academic strengths of the three schools in question.</p>
<p>Have you qualified for their Honors College?</p>
<p>I have looked at Georgia Tech, however I have heard that it is very demanding, and I'm not certain that I can succeed there. I actually want to get a good education and have new experiences in and out of the classroom, not work 24/7. Don't know if this is exactly true about Georgia Tech (someone can correct me on that)</p>
<p>Just because Pitt's not particularly known for civil engineering, it doesn't mean they are bad at it. And I agree with consolation regarding the folly of picking a school based on its strength in a particular department instead of the overall quality of the school.</p>
<p>I have looked at Drexel, Case, SUNY Buffalo and Penn State.</p>
<p>The co-op program was nice at Drexel but I heard that the campus is ugly, and that the teachers and administration sucks. I don't really want a really technical school also so Case and Drexel were eliminated (I want to maybe minor in a liberal arts field). SUNY Buffalo isn't that great of a school, I have a full-tuition scholarship to UMass so I'd rather go there.</p>
<p>Penn State is still sitting there in the back of my mind but it's a major party school (not like they're the only ones, every school has parties) but I don't want to go to a school where everyone is drunk, also PSU is kinda in the middle of nowhere</p>
<p>Apply to Penn State. You got into Pitt, which is a good school, but you should definitely see if you can get into Penn State University Park. It's engineering is top notch and if you visited the campus it really does not have a middle of nowhere feel. I have been to Virginia Tech, it has a gorgeous campus, but it felt very isolated. Penn State does not feel like that, as State College is the quintessential college town. I know Penn State University Park already been recommended by others and they may be onto something. I am biased because I went there, but I would suggest you give it a look.</p>
<p>well Penn State is kinda isolated too and a little too big for me, Virginia Tech at 20,000 so students is as big as I probably want a school to get. Also, there are outdoor activities in the mountains which is nice compared to University Park</p>
<p>I'd have to pick Virginia Tech over Penn State personally.</p>
<p>Any suggestions for schools other than Penn State?</p>