My D may be deciding between OSU & Pitt. I am looking to hear what folks think about the pros & cons of each.
Academically I think both schools are very comparable overall. Good quality schools. OSU is rated 52 in USNews while U of Pittsburg is rated 62. Of course, OSU is much larger though, about twice the size of Pitt… Goto Ohio State University Columbus in Colleges and Universities and read the thread “Interested in OOS merit from OSU”–a poster “Baywood” gave a good pro and con discussion (in 2014) of the differences between Pitt AND OSU as her daughter considered both but chose OSU. If cost is an issue, OSU gives more merit aid (the Buckeye scholarship) to applicants if specific academic criteria are met.
@adkdad My S is weighing both also. He spent 4 weeks last summer at Pitt for Health Science gov school and thought for sure that would be where he would attend this fall. Comparable programs so we are good with either. However, OSU has taken the top position; with the merit scholarship it is less than going to Pitt (or Penn State another school he was accepted.) OOS merit at OSU ( he has received Buckeye and Trustee) outweighed no merit in-state at Pitt. Heading to OSU for final visit in February and will see where we land then.
Yeah at this point my guess is that OSU will be about $14k less per year…that is nothing to sneeze at.
I am feeling a trip to Columbus will be in my immediate future!
One of my daughter’s roommates at OSU is from Pittsburgh, and she says it was less expensive for her to go to OSU than Pitt. She is an engineering major.
My D is interested in medical sciences. Any comments on the healthcare opportunities at OSU?
@adkdad Your merit award must be great! Congratulations! sounds like we both will have Buckeyes 
We haven’t officially received the merit notification from OSU, but are expecting the Buckeye/Trustee pair just like your son got.
Hope I am not counting chickens here!
If OOS merit at OSU beat in state at Pitt, as a couple have noted above, it will surely beat OOS at Pitt!
@adkdad OOS at Pitt maybe better then in-state if they offer merit; they offer nothing in-state unless you are in the highest strata. are you also following the Penn State admissions? we seem to be on same track!
Yes I peak at Penn State form time to time, but I know they don’t give much money at all…which makes them a long shot for my D.
They are very different so it depends on your child and the program!! Pitt is a true urban school; sometimes, you can’t walk and talk because the background noise (of ambulances or helicopters for the nearby hospitals) is so loud. Otoh some find it energizing to be “in the midst” of things! OSU, despite being "in the city, is more like a suburban campus with that giant oval. Very very different. Then compare curriculum for your son’s program of interest. My son was accepted into Engineering (at PSU too). The programs were all very different, such that, for him, OSU easily came out the winner. No question. But it was because of the details. (Fwiw Although OOS OSU was cheaper w the scholarship than IS PSU, Pitt would’ve been free. DS’s was not based on $$)
I live in Columbus, but I have to say that the city of Pittsburgh is much more dynamic than C-bus. You might consider that as sort of a tie breaker, if all else is equal.
Personally, I would never consider OSU to have a “suburban” feel. It is actually rather crowded. Not as urban as Pitt, but definitely feels like you are in a city.
Everything is relative. I remember OSU prior to all the modern renovations, back then it was crowded and dated.
Today it is spacious, not crowded, luxurious.
The Oval does provide a large green space, the heart of the campus, I agree giving a suburban feel compared to Pitt and other more urban campuses. And many students never leave the large campus, OSU is self contained, like a small town, surrounded with urban areas. But you can interact with the city if you so chose.
IMO, OSU today has a calm but vibrant feel to it.
Pittsburgh is one of the most interesting and dynamic cities in the midwest IMO. That may or may not be a deciding factor for sure, if all else is equal. But perhaps a person’s interests and major should be taken into account. Columbus is the state capital and for those interested in law, politics, that may be a factor to consider.
I think every one has different criteria based on academic and career goals and of course budget.