<p>I am having a really hard time deciding between Pitt and duquesne. I come from a full 13 years of private school education and that's why I feel more comfortable at duquesne, but I love Pitt too. I am going into physician assisting and was wondering if anyone was pursuing that major at either school or has insight into the programs.
Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m astounded that Pitt is in the top 20 in Princeton Review’s rankings for “Happiest Students” and “Best Quality of Life.” Stanford and Dayton are the only other large universities to have the distinction. I wonder why Pitt’s so popular?</p>
<p>That is great to know! I wasn’t aware of that fact… Do you know about either of the schools physician assisting programs? The main reason I am leaning toward duquesne is that they have a 5 year entry level masters degree which includes internships</p>
<p>Duquesne’s 5 year program seems better for you because you will be guaranteed admission to the PA program as long as you satisfactorily complete the prerequisites. Pitt’s PA program is a 2 year graduate degree and you would not be guaranteed admission to the program as an undergraduate.</p>
<p>Yes that’s exactly what I was thinking. I am from Minnesota so my college research is hard since nobody from around here knows much about either school</p>
<p>most of the information you need is on the school’s websites if you look in the right place. while Duquesne’s program seems good for you make sure you compare its tuition to other programs you are considering
Pre-Pharmacy (years 1-2) $28,544
Pharm D (years 3-6) $36,452</p>
<p>I know. I have looked online a lot. But I think its more important to hear from people who have actually gone through the program… The Internet and school websites glamorize the programs, rightfully so, but then you don’t have any honest and unbiased opinions.</p>
<p>Well I just visited Pitt last weekend and I thought it was amazing, the people were really nice and friendly, the campus was pretty especially the cathedral of learning and Oakland is a very nice looking and safe town that Is 5 mins away from the city and you get free bus transportation. I don’t know much about duquesne but the people that apply to Pitt from my school are a much higher caliber group of kids then the few that apply to duquesne.</p>
<p>I think your best bet would be to try to visit and sit in on some of the classes at Duquesne and talk to students who are actually in the program.</p>
<p>Thanks for your opinion invader- I have yet to take a trip to visit. As I mentioned I have been enrolled in a private school since pre school and my biggest worry is trying public school the first time in college since I am in no way accustomed to the huge student body</p>
<p>I think there’s about 16000 students at Pitt while that number sounds Like a lot when I visited I must have seen way less then half of them. Everyone is in class or doing something else so it’s not like all 16000 are walking around at the same time luckily. I also believe that the size of the campus will make the student body look a bit smaller. But the campus size isn’t to big or overwhelming. I think college will be a big change from any high school private or public.</p>
<p>Regarding size, Duquesne has a student:faculty ratio of 14:1, while Pitt’s is 16:1. Overall, not that much of a difference. You’ll likely have some bigger intro classes at Pitt than Duquesne, but once you start getting into your major, there won’t be much of a difference.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the help. If I do not get into duquesne’s PA program I would want to go into nursing. Does either of the schools have a better nursing program than the other? I am taking a trip to pitt the beginning of April so I can tour both, I am kind of worried because the only thing I like about duquesne is the PA program, but so far I like everything else better at Pitt…</p>
<p>I am not sure that you can switch into nursing if you don’t originally apply for the nursing school. have you already applied or are you a junior this year?</p>
<p>I am a junior this year so no I have not applied anywhere yet and I am still trying to sort out what I want to do. Like I said the only thing I like about duquesne through my research is their PA program, so if I do not get into that there it is doubtful I would go there to pursue a different major. For all other PA programs you need a bachelors degree in something in the medical field. I would probably go with nursing or psychology because they intrigue me most, must I believe there is a better chance of acceptance if you pursue nursing first?</p>