Alright, here is my situation. I am only able to apply as a transfer to one of these schools. I’m doing this behind the scenes (my parents don’t know). I can only afford to apply to one. I intend on majoring in information systems.
Things I am considering/things I need to know
- Maryland’s business school is highly ranked
- I do not know which school is more “mature” in a sense that I am not the biggest partier - pretty much, where will I go to school and not feel discriminated against? That is what I am currently facing at my current university
- Pittsburgh is farther away
- Maryland is right next to D.C. (internship opportunities, jobs, etc.)
- Maryland’s information systems program is very well respected
- Maryland might be harder to get in, but Pitt requires my SAT information (1640) - this was back in high school
My stats
Current School: Virginia Tech
Credit Hours Completed: 34 (just finished freshman year)
Overall GPA: 3.70 (first semester = 3.54, second semester = 3.83)
- In a fraternity
- In a living learning community
- Dean’s List both semesters
- Varsity captain in high school
**what I think is most important to me, though, is where I will feel like I fit in better. I mean, I’m transferring for a reason. I got a lot of hate for who I was, which irks me because I was the student who worked hard and didn’t see partying as priority.
The University of Pittsburgh is right in the heart of a vibrant area of Pittsburgh, with the buildings almost blending in with the surrounding parts of the city. By comparison, UMD is a large, true “campus” that is in the suburbs of Washington, DC in a not so very nice neighborhood, and you have to take a subway train to get to DC. Try going to www.googlemaps.com and looking up these universities, then using street view to “walk” through the campuses and surrounding areas and see which one feels right to you. Both universities are large and in or near large cities, so you should find a much wider variety of people with varying interests and extensive opportunities to get involved in things other than drinking. I think there will be plenty of “mature” people at either of these universities. That said, I think you will find drinking rampant no matter which fraternity/Greek system you get involved in, so you may reconsider whether that’s the right activity for you. I don’t know how many transfers either program lets in, but you have a great track record with your grades and are coming from a very highly regarded university, not a community college, so my guess is you have a good chance of being accepted.
Thank you very much for your help, I really appreciate it.
As for the greek life, I completely forgot to mention that I do not plan on continuing wherever I go. I believe I can do without it. So in that sense, greek life is irrelevant in terms of my decision.
Why transfer at all? Why not just depledge and change your living situation (apartment with a friend or alone?), unless you are being harassed in class, which seems unlikely. Are you instate for VA Tech? If so, can your parents afford Pitt or Maryland?
At V tech do you have a merit scholarship? OOS cost for Pitt Arts and Sciences (where computer science is, not in school of engineering), is about $40,000 a year. UMD is probably similar.
Transfer students can’t expect much in merit aid.
How are you going to pay for your new school? Your parents don’t even know you are applying?
I agree that leaving the fraternity and maybe finding a living community that agrees better with your values would be a good idea.
Yes, these are all things I have thought about. The problem is, I really do not feel at home at school. I feel trapped, and I’ve gone a whole year facing excess stress and things that have explicitly distracted me from reaching my goals.
I know this is inconvenient, and I’m aware this isn’t ideal. Just the thought of returning makes me cringe, and it’s a real shame I’ve felt like this about a great institution.
I think a more urban setting is what will help, because a town like Blacksburg is ONLY the school, and I almost felt like I wasn’t part of the world anymore. With UMD in a suburb and Pitt in a big city, both are ideal locations.
As you’ve stated, out of state tuition is my holdback, but I can’t even consider this unless I apply, which is what I’m doing. Applying as a transfer isn’t determining my enrollment, it’s just a possibility, which is a step forward from where I am today.
FWIW, Pitt and Maryland’s Information Science schools are currently tied at 10th in the nation by US News. Maryland’s undergrad business is 21st in US News while Pitt’s undergrad business is ranked 39th. Internships are probably a wash unless you want to get into government work, where UMD may have an advantage.
As far as transfer admissions, last year UMD-CP accepted 51.5% of transfer applicants, Pitt 50.4%, so essentially the same.
UMD is quite a bit larger than Pitt, student population wise…about 8K or more undergrads. Greek life is bigger at UMD…about 1/4 of undergrads in the greek system compared to about 10% at Pitt. Greek activities are available at Pitt, but obviously not critical to life at the university.
The campuses / environment are quite different. UMD-CP is a large, grassy park-like suburban setting. It is about 20-30 min on the metro to downtown DC. It is more like VT than Pitt. Pitt is very urban…less urban than somewhere like NYU in that Pitt has some lawns and is next to a big wooded park, but it is bisected by two major streets and sits in the midsts of a commercial district where the campus blends into the fabric of the neighborhood. Pitt sits adjacent to the city’s major museums (which are free to Pitt students) and other universities and institutes. Public transportation in the city is also free to Pitt students. So Pitt provides a much more immersive urban experience, UMD-College Park affords a more traditional closed-wall college environment.
But if you are going it Info Sciences, you should contact the respective school/college at each university and inquire about transfer policies specifically for those schools/colleges because it may vary from regular “arts & sciences” transfer policies.
You make some wonderful points. I am also curious to know if Pitt has a strong sense of school spirit. Do people wear Pitt attire regularly? In the end, it really doesn’t matter, but it just gives me an idea of how well respected the school is in Pittsburgh. I know the basketball games are big, but I am coming from a university with a large football program, which Pitt doesn’t necessarily have. That is the one thing I really did enjoy.
If you may, do you know which university generally provides more aid than the other? It may very well come down to which school would be cheaper in the long run. This could include which would help me out more and which would end up giving me a better salary right out of college.
I agree with the characterizations of Pitt and UMD posted. We live in MD and are very familiar with UMD’s location and surrounding areas. DS’s final decision was between UMD and Pitt and he went with Pitt, preferring the urban atmosphere and all the activities, cultural opportunities and interesting neighborhoods just 10 mins away, with a free bus pass. He’s in Bus and will double major in math. I’ve never heard anyone refer to the town of College Park as a positive. It’s mostly fast food places, bars and definitely not a “walk around” town. DC is a metro ride away, but metro is a few dollars each way and it takes just long enough that students don’t seem to go into DC all that often, from what I’ve heard, but I’m sure that varies by student.So most of the social life is on-campus at UMD. DC is definitely a plus for internships, though Pitt has internship opportunities in Pittsburgh.
I’m assuming cost is a consideration, as you say you can only afford to apply to one of these schools. If that’s the case, have you thoroughly explored all the public options in VA? UMD and Pitt are expensive for OOS and my impression is that neither is very generous with financial aid.
I think I have made the decision to apply to Pittsburgh. After reading various perspectives of Maryland, it sounds like the social scene is the biggest thing at the school. For me, it is not, and being around people like that constantly is half the reason I am transferring. Pitt is in a setting I enjoy. City life is great, and the cathedral looks beautiful.
Now, this isn’t official, as many of you have noted that out of state tuition is not in favor. I am aware, but like I said, applying is just a possibility. I hesitate to tell my parents because I want to get in before I make a big fuss about the situation. They trust me and I know they want what is best for me. It’s just hard to think that I am turning away Maryland’s business school.
If any of you know about the Business Information Systems program at Pitt, I would really appreciate some statistics in terms of starting salary out of college. Maryland’s is around $50-$60k for what I plan to major in.
@SpicyPickle, I suggest contacting the Bus Info Systems Program for the placement stats.Good luck to you.
Does Pitt have a lot of school spirit, yes… at and within the school. Remember, Pittsburgh, the city, has a tremendous amount of pride, but it is a city with 6 universities in its city limits (and multiple more in the suburbs) and three beloved professional sports teams. It is a completely different dynamic than Blacksburg where VT is the center of life for the entire area (yes I’ve spent time there). Pitt sports, football and basketball, decidedly play fourth fiddle after the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates… and nothing is likely to change that. It’s both a bonus and a negative to have historic professional franchises playing 10 minutes from campus, because it is like you get additional teams to cheer for, but at the same time, they overshadow the university’s own teams.
Now that said, Pitt football has inflicted most of its own problems by fielding bad to mediocre teams, largely due to poor coaching hires and fires over the past 30 years, and that, more than anything, has depressed recent attendance to an average in the 40Ks as the frustration of failed expectations has rankled the fan base. If Pitt has expectations of winning, attendance will move up into the mid-50Ks. The scene is quite different from Blacksburg with Pitt being in an urban environment with the stadium 3 miles from campus, but there is a significant student following and the atmosphere can be good if Pitt is winning. A new coach this year has the fan base renewing its hopes, but they have to prove it on the field before you get consistently fuller crowds. But with Pitt, you are talking about one of the all-time historic college football programs with 9 national championships, top 20 in all-time wins, and a top five standing in the number of hall-of-fame caliber players that have spent time wondering the halls of the Cathedral of Learning. Pitt’s total football history, not just recent history, makes VT’s and UMD’s tradition look anemic. In any case, Pitt has beaten VT 5 of the past 6 times the teams have played, so I’m not sure what being a “large” football program, whatever that means, has actually done for the Hokies.
In hoops, Pitt had a disappointing NIT year this past season, but Pitt has been to the NCAA tournament 12 of the past 14 years, so it is night and day with VT.