@hzhao2004 Herein lies a big problem I have with such advice. Only in very rare circumstances is any school worth $X more than another as a blanket generalization. The answer is almost always it depends. Earlier posters are giving the OP good advice on the various considerations for his particular situation. Blanket statements like yours are not helpful to anyone, imo.
Vandy for 15K is a fantastic deal. I wouldn’t be lured by a free ride since Vandy is affordable. The resources at your disposal will be much greater there, as will support and opportunities. Vandy is a resource-rich school, Pitt is a public university, they don’t have the same “budget” for their undergraduates.
It really depends on the context of your family’s financial situation. To some families, $15 k per year is really just pennies, but to others it is a lot of money that makes a difference in what they have to sacrifice to pay it. If the $15k doesn’t have much impact on your family’s lifestyle or cause them to make much sacrifice, I would go to Vandy – BUT ONLY IF UPON HAVING VISITED BOTH INCLUDING SAT IN ON AT LEAST ONE CLASS AT BOTH, you clearly feel you fit better and prefer Vandy. If, on the other hand, it represents a financial impact that they will really feel, then I would go to Pitt.
@itsgettingreal17 That’s why I qualified my statement by “personally”. And I do feel that, unless you are from a family hovering around poverty line, most middle class people can afford $15k a year for college.
@hzhao2004 My post totally went over your head.
@ChiliLL Touring will probably yield best results. If you got to Mosiac and determine that you like Vandy, then it’s probably worth going there. If you do get Full tuition at Washu, then you’ll probably want to go there. In the end, there isn’t much difference between Vandy and Washu premed to argue one or another. Either way, good luck with your choice.
NIH research funding report for fiscal year 2017 lists $14 million for Vanderbilt and $50 million for Pitt.
https://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm?ot=&fy=2017&state=TN&ic=&fm=&orgid=&distr=&rfa=&pid=#tab1
https://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm?ot=&fy=2017&state=PA&ic=&fm=&orgid=&distr=&rfa=&pid=#tab2
Since the student has indicated that his family can afford the $15k per year at Vandy, then super. If he visits and likes it more than UPitt then he’ll know where to enroll.
Earlier in the thread, we didn’t know what his situation was except that earlier he was looking for free rides, so it did appear that money was an issue. Even if some here think that $15k per year for Vandy is THE way to go, if that had meant his family co-signing $60k of undergrad loans for him, then that wouldn’t have been best.
There’s really no argument here. The OP will visit and decide.