<p>I want to go into bio and I know that Pitt has a better bio program. The only thing is that JMU gave me a full ride and I will have to pay 6,500 per yr at Pitt. Does anyone know which school is better? Should I take the full ride or pay for a better bio program?
Thanks</p>
<p>It’s hard to turn down a full ride, but it also seems you are getting a pretty decent discount at Pitt. It should come down to where your heart is…where you feel the most comfortable and see yourself most enjoying the next four years, as well as your overall financial situation. I’ve said this before, you can never really duplicate you undergrad experience, but it is up to you to figure out what is the most important factors in making your decision. </p>
<p>Pitt and JMU are essentially the same size for undergrad population, but Pitt has a large graduate component, including one of the nation’s largest bio and medical science research complexes right on campus. In comparison, there is very little research being conducted at JMU as the school provides up to Masters level training. Pitt is 5th in the amount of National Institute of Health (NIH) funding it receives (behind Harvard, John Hopkins, UPenn, and UWashington). This is the major mechanism by which bio research is funded and is therefore a direct reflection on the amount and quality of bioscience research being done. Since biology is a research discipline, Pitt will offer you a greater opportunity to find lab(s) conducting cutting-edge research that you may be interested in and in which you can engage in undergrad research (which I would advise trying to do as early in your career as possible). As a former Neuroscience major at Pitt (who went on to get a PhD in the same field), most of your learning about science will come in the lab (not a classroom associated lab, but rather in a lab conducting its own original research). Don’t get me wrong, the classroom is important for background material, but even that is greatly enhanced when you are doing actual lab work.</p>
<p>Pitt and JMU are also very different settings. Pitt is very urban (but with parks and lawns right on campus) in a major city and has major sports teams. It is rather untraditional in its setting compared to the classic view of the collegiate village. This will be very different than the experience at JMU’s suburban setting that has a more traditional campus layout.</p>
<p>In the end, though, you need to decide where you feel more comfortable, and how that money will impact you financially. If you haven’t done so already, you should try to visit both schools. You’ll be in good shape no mater what you decide.</p>
<p>Thank you. The research opportunities were what really made me want to go to Pitt. The only problem is that my parents can’t help me with tuition, so I wanted to take the best financial offer possible. It is a really hard decision.</p>