these 2 schools come up against each other a lot, I assume based on geography and probably a similar academic level. but I’m going to ask it again anyway…which would you choose? This is for a non-STEM girl, who currently thinks she likes poly sci and government. out of state for both. applied for Scholars at OSU and for Honors at Pitt. Already has her acceptance at Pitt (and a 10K/year award), but we can afford either. she likes urban settings with options to do things off campus, and she is not shy or afraid of big schools.
the discussion will be moot if she gets into her top choices, probably. but still…
Thoughts?
I am curious to see responses to this post. Both are on my D’s list as well, and she has been accepted and received merit at Pitt too. We visited both in August, and while she liked them, she felt a much stronger sense of school spirit at OSU and currently says that would be her preference. It also seems slightly stronger for her intended major, but there’s a strong possibility that will change.
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Ok…I’m from Ohio but I lived not all that far from Pittsburgh.
These cities are different.
Columbus really IS the Ohio State. And the state Capitol. There is an airport but I don’t view it as a major one. Columbus has no major league professional sports teams. OSU is way bigger than Pitt (I think). I really love Columbus for all tOSU has to offer. But really Columbus is all about tOSU.
Pittsburgh is a smaller major metro area. The airport is a major one although has had some bumps in the road since Delta pulled out as a hub. The city has ML baseball, football, hockey, and a world class orchestra for starters. Lots to do in Pittsburgh, and there are other colleges there. But the town isn’t just the colleges. Very nice walking downtown.
I think either one would offer a first class college education. But the differences in Columbus and Pittsburgh aren’t about the quality of the education…they are about the other things those cities have to offer…or not.
My opinion.
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To me, Ohio State, while in Columbus, is not urban like Pitt is. It’s really like a suburb. While I’ve not been to Pitt, Ohio State is sprawling. First school, after a visit, my daughter removed. Just too big. My son removed too. At the time was looking at aviation. And just didn’t feel it. Everyone is different. Your kid loves the spirit !! And they have that in bundles.
I just think the geographic contrast is large. From what I read / hear about Pitt, it’s much more urban / compact.
Congrats on getting merit to Pitt. Not easy.
My daughter was offered auto entry into Pitts MPA. Not sure if stuff like that is a gimmick (like these kids would get in anyway) but if you are offered that, it might be appealing as well. She applied as an International relations major in the Poli sci group.
Pitt is a fraction of the size of Ohio State too population wise.
Good luck.
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Pitt is up the hill from downtown Pittsburgh. Frankly, it feels more suburban…like a near suburb to a larger city.
tOSU is smack in the middle of Columbus…it IS the city in many parts. It’s is very urban.
But the towns of Pittsburgh and Columbus are not the same.
I’ve been to both towns numerous times.
I guess our take was we had to go Nw off the I71 to an outlier intersatatw highway. And it did not feel that way. Especially for my son as we visited the school airport as well which was driving not through an urban area. For my daughter just too large. For us, it did not feel urban. To each his own.
And if the student is seeking ‘spirit’ then as long as tOSU football is high so will be spirit.
OP has two solid choices.
I can’t imagine calling Pitt suburban. Yes, it’s not in the downtown area, but it has two major city streets (Fifth and Forbes) running right through the middle of it. There are wide city streets with city buses and crosswalks. Also,the campus is integrated into the city. Their are several hospitals in the area so you get sirens and helicopters. My kids say that after awhile you just don’t notice the street noise anymore. Here’s a picture I took during one of my visits.
The tall building in the distance is one of the freshman dorms. This was early on a Sunday morning which is why there is no traffic. It’s normally very busy.
ETA: most of the buildings you can see are dorms. The building to the left that looks like a hotel is the student union.
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I lean Pitt. It’s much more manageable in size, about 20k students vs 48K at OSU. Pitt seems more academic to me, more focus on partying at OSU, again IMO (of course there are many smart academically focused students at OSU). OSU wins on school spirit.
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These were my daughter’s final choices last year. The schools are and locations are really different.
Pitt feels urban. It’s not downtown or surrounded by skyscrapers, but you feel like you are in a bustling area. The campus bleeds into commercial areas, like hospitals, restaurants, shops, and other colleges, including Carnegie Mellon. Ohio State’s campus is more self-contained. It doesn’t have an urban vibe at all. That area IS the university.
Ohio State’s school spirit is off the charts. Football games are packed and the whole state identifies with the school. It is a cult and a culture. Pitt alum love their school and students are spirited, but it isn’t the same level as a Big 10 school. Games are fun but rarely packed.
Both schools have very good academics, but the size difference (large at 20,000 for Pitt and massive at 60,000 for Ohio State) made the difference for my daughter. We did an admitted students day at Ohio State for her major. We found that the best professional fraternities and clubs in her program had acceptance rates under 10%, some of her classes would have well over 500 people or be online, and her freshman dorm could be almost a 30 minute walk from her classes. Pitt is still a big school, but she decided a smaller program, more compact campus, and (for her major) less cutthroat club scene was more attractive to her.
She is only a freshman, but I have been really happy with what Pitt offers so far. She made the right choice for her!
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It feels like a near suburb…sort of like West Hartford to Hartford, or Lakewood to Cleveland. Pitt is not smack in the middle of downtown Pittsburgh.
I happen to like Pitt, but I also love Pittsburgh as a city.
I like Columbus for different reasons.
Pitt is far more urban than Ohio State. I have never heard it called suburban. The school would probably like that quote for marketing purposes whenever they get knocked for lacking a campus. There is green space and a campus feel for students, but outsiders often don’t realize it and complain that it is too urban.
If your child wants a separate campus feel without any large buildings surrounding it, but with quick access to a downtown, Ohio State is better choice. If your student prefers an urban feel, with a compact campus that is integrated into the city surroundings, Pitt would be the better choice.
Both ca be tough to traverse. Ohio State is flat but huge. Pitt is smaller but really hilly.
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I like both Pitt and Columbus, and the colleges in those towns, for different reasons.
I think they are both excellent choices for higher education.
Neither is a closed campus feel…but both have a distinct personality within their respective cities.
It isn’t downtown, but neither is Ohio State.
I agree that is isn’t Boston University, but it is not dissimilar in city location to Columbia…and no one would call Columbia suburban. A student could walk from Pitt to PPG Place or the USX Tower more easily than a student could walk to the NYC financial district. Oakland is NOT Lakewood.
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Is that MPA you mentioned at the GSPIA? Yes, my daughter got autoadmit to that as well. Pretty cool.
Seems like the majority here would choose Pitt.
What if she gets into Ohio State’s Scholars program? Would that move the needle for anyone?
I’m not saying to choose Pitt. I think that’s up to your daughter. My daughter would because she liked it better in theory based on what we knew and her feelings toward tOSU after visiting. Yea, I’m sure that was the grad school thing - I don’t remember the school name but it was for an MPA.
Our kids aren’t your kid.
I’m simply noting a vast disparity in the schools both of which seem great.
So I think that difference has to be felt and decided upon by your child.
I think it’s awesome she got Pitt merit…not many do. She likely will at tOSU too.
But short of finances which do matter to many families, what does your daughter feel ? They are close enough that you could go see both back to back with an overnight. Go take a tour. Walk the surrounds. Talk to kids on campus.
We can note contrasts. Only your daughter can decide.
My kid isn’t your kid so what she’d choose isn’t relevant, etc.
I will say that short of their god awful portal, I’ve never read a bad word on here about Pitt. Lots of positives. I think I’ve read less about Ohio State but don’t recall anything bad.
In the end, go look and see. One has to feel better. They aren’t the same.
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Ok…both colleges are in cities. But I do think they have different vibes. Both are excellent colleges and really navigating around Pittsburgh or Columbus will be something the students can do.
Is scholars the step up from honors at Ohio State?
If so, the students we heard from at Ohio State were very enthusiastic about it. Some were both scholars and honors, but it was their scholars experience that really seemed to have made their college experience what it was. They loved it.
Yes, I think extras like scholars could definitely move the dial if your child can’t decide.
Also, for an undecided student, Ohio State probably offers 3X the number of majors. I don’t know how easy it is to explore them, but there are many more.
And I am not asserting that Pitt is the better choice, even though that’s what my daughter chose. I think they are pretty different choices, so it really depends on what your student likes better. Although they are both large state schools in mid-sized cities in fairly close proximity, they have totally different feels. Visiting in the spring might give her clarity.
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One other issue worth investigating for any school, especially in a city, is the crime on and around campus.
Don’t just compare stats. Really understand what those stats cover. For instance, my older daughter goes to a school that I noticed in one list as being super high in crime. When I dug further, all crimes — from petty theft to murder — were lumped together. Yes, bike theft is rampant in her campus, but violent crime is not. That statistic wasn’t useful. Similarly, reporting rates of sexual assaults seems to be higher at some kinds of schools than others, so make sure you understand what is behind the stats.
That said, both Pitt and Ohio State have gritty areas nearby. There is crime on and around campus. When visiting and researching, see if what you find would move the dial for one over the other.
As someone who lives in Columbus, a couple of counterpoints. Columbus is much more that OSU. Campus is simply one section of the city and many of us rarely visit. The spirit of OSU does permeate the city mainly because there are so many alumni around. But spirits of the Blue Jackets (NHL hockey team btw) and the Crew (MLS multiple championship winning soccer team) are also very present. The city of Columbus has a much larger population although the MSA populations are similar.
Regarding the choice between OSU and Pitt, it should come down to preference and fit. From an education standpoint, can’t go wrong with either. Two good options OP!
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I was going to mention NHL hockey!
I agree about Columbus being far more than Ohio State, too. I do think Ohioans are aligned behind one college more so than other states (Michigan is split between UM/MSU, Pennsylvania is dispersed and not as rabid), but the city of Columbus has more to its identity than the university, which — to me — feels separate from the rest of the city. Columbus has experienced growth and change recently that has happened independently of OSU.
(One area of growth important to my 2022: Columbus has better shopping than Pittsburgh. Easton Town Center >>> Ross Park)
They are great choices. To the OP, even when we disagree on the details, I think everyone responding agrees that they are rather DIFFERENT choices. Only your student can decide which is the better choice for her.
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