<p>Hi guys! I'm having a really tough time deciding between Oberlin and Pitt. With financial aid Oberlin is actually going to cost about the same as in-state tuition for Pitt. Pitt is about 3 hours from home and Oberlin is about 5.5 hours away. I want to study biology and math with hopes of going to get a masters in public health, so I'm wondering which school will allow me to get into a good MPH program?? Also I'm concerned about student life because Pitt students seem much more into sports, school spirit, etc. and I'm wondering if Oberlin has a similar atmosphere or if I won't fit in. Anyway thanks for your opinions! </p>
<p>Oberlin definitely doesn’t have the typical high school pep-rallies and cheerleaders type of school spirit. There is still a lot of love for the school, you’ll just see a lot more kids with Oberlin nalgenes at an improv show than with Oberlin tee-shirts at a football game. It’s a pretty unique, but really cool, environment and I would try to visit if you could!</p>
<p>Oberlin’s bio department has a pretty limited selection of courses, especially compared to Pitt, so I would check out course catalogs to make sure you would be okay with the courses offered here. We do have a separate Neuroscience department, which is really popular so that could offer a few more courses if you are interested in that. Oberlin’s math department is also very good. I also know of someone who just designed their own public health major here, so there is probably enough courses to fit your interests, but there are about 32,000 less students here, so there just are less courses available. Although there are fewer courses, they are kept relatively small, professors all know your name, and you will get into the courses you want/need. </p>
<p>Oberlin has an AMAZING pre-health careers advisor who will help you out with applying to a MPH program. There is also a public health organization, so you could definitely get involved with that on campus. I’m sure Pitt has good things too but you’ll have to post on their forum for that info, haha. Overall these are great choices, congrats and good luck deciding! </p>
<p>My son transferred from Pitt to Oberlin. He appreciated Pitt, but he loves Oberlin. He realized early on that he wanted a more challenging, customized college experience. For an LAC, Oberlin is strong in the sciences; its graduates do very well getting admitted to graduate schools. Oberlin is a unique place - if you could see yourself there, it’s hard to imagine you’d be happy at Pitt (and vice versa). In some ways you’re comparing apples and oranges. Do you want to go to a large, urban university or would you rather go to a liberal arts college in a small town? </p>
<p>Oberlin had three recipients of the very prestigious Goldwater award this year. This honor is awarded annually by Congress to the country’s highest achieving science, math and engineering undergraduates. It’s not common to have three winners from one school. For comparison, this year Stanford and Cal Tech also had three winners, while Harvard, Princeton and MIT each had two. These are all much larger schools. I think this is a testament to the strength of the sciences at Oberlin and the caliber of the student it attracts.</p>