<p>I'm a PA resident that just moved back home after attending Syracuse University for a year. It turned out to be too expensive so I am planning to transfer to either Pitt or Penn State Behrend (in Erie) but can't decide between the two. My original plan was to just commute to Behrend and live at home to save money but I realized that after being away from home and living the college experience at Syracuse, staying at home for college would be tough. I can't afford to pay room and board fees on top of a full tuition but there is more potential for scholarships and finaid at Pitt so I'm torn on what to do.</p>
<p>Any advice?</p>
<p>Pitt's a great school, and it's in a great location. Also, you definitely will have a more traditional (and probably better) college experience at Pitt than Penn State Behrend. I would definitely go to Pitt if it's affordable.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that it's a lot easier to do another 3 yrs at Pitt and get a full degree than it would be to get 3 yrs and a degree at Behrend. Behrend doesn't offer that many 4-yr majors, and is also a small-college experience. Depending on your major, you might end up needing to transfer to State College to finish up, which would mean 3 schools...all very different (and I just got my Penn State kid's in-state tuition, rm & board bill for the Fall semester...$12K and change). If so, you might only be saving one year of room & board by picking Behrend over Pitt in exchange for putting yourself through more changes.</p>
<p>Your decision will depend on what degree you're working towards. One of my kids transferred to Behrend after his freshman year at another school, to get the 60 credits needed to get to State College. He changed majors to a program that was offered by Penn State at State College but not at Behrend. He used the year at Behrend to pick up general ed credits that would definitely go with him to State College, as opposed to staying at his first college and then applying for a transfer as a Junior. (By doing this, he was guaranteed that all of his sophomore credits would be applied to his degree.) Behrend was a good adjustment yr for general ed credits and boosting his GPA. He said there are some kids there who are very happy at Behrend and who choose to finish their degree there...but my kid viewed it as a purgatory year. </p>
<p>Also, depending on your degree and where you want to work, you have to weigh placement opportunities. I suspect Pitt has a more active placement office than Behrend. Pitt definitely has more work-study opps.</p>
<p>Good luck - my kid has been there, done that.</p>
<p>One more thing - I know a lot of people at Pitt, and everyone seems to love it.</p>
<p>One more thing from me too -- have you considered the IUP, West Chester, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Slippery Rock, etc options? IUP offers a 10,000+ student experience at an amazing price. You can get tuition, room and board practically for the cost of tuition alone at Behrend or Pitt.</p>
<p>I am a business major (finance/marketing) so I would be able to obtain my degree from Behrend without transferring to UP. As much as I would like to go to UP, it just isn't affordable for me right now to pay room and board on top of tuition costs. I have a few friends at Pitt with grades and SAT scores around the same as my own who are only paying around $5,500 per year (excluding loans need to be paid back after) and thats including the room and board fees. I don't yet know if I will get this same kind of financial aid, but if I do then I would have a serious decision to make since I could go to Pitt and live away from home for about the same price as commuting to Behrend. </p>
<p>The only question is: which school has the better opportunity and what would you guys do if it was your decision?</p>
<p>Pitt, hands down. I don't know much about Behrend (I live in the eastern part of PA), but I know a lot about Pitt. I have lots of friends and even family members there now. I applied there myself, and even though I'm going elsewhere, I would be very happy to go to Pitt. I loved the campus, the atmosphere, the people, the city of Pittsburgh, etc. I think you would get a lot more out of your college experience if you went to Pitt than you would if you commuted to a Penn State satellite campus. Also, Pitt is a very respected school. You really can't go wrong with Pitt. But again, I don't know much about Behrend, so I'm not really in a position to say it can't offer you similar opportunities.</p>
<p>I say Upitt. Pittsburgh is actually a very nice city which surprised me and it is clean and safe with a good social night life if you are a college student (America's 2nd largest college city after boston).</p>
<p>I admit I'm leaning towards Pitt, but perhaps I should explain my apprehensions:</p>
<p>I've heard that Penn State's business school is much better than Pitt's and the advisors at Behrend claim that the school is now on par with Univsersity Park. Besides, the diploma just says Penn State regardless of which campus you attend correct?</p>
<p>Also, I am a little worried about Pitt. If I were to go there and not like it I would be transferring once again, which I don't want to have happen. I would not be starting until the spring semester since I am taking a semester off to save up some money and also because I was not able to register for any of the intro courses in the business school since they were all full by the time I was able to create my schedule. I'm a little worried I will feel a bit outcasted by starting school in the spring semester since everyone else will be all settled in by then.</p>
<p>I'd lean towards Pitt too - for internship and other opps, Pitt has to beat Behrend in quality of professors, number of available classes, and career counseling. The fact that you're having trouble getting into classes at Behrend is a sign...how many business majors does Behrend actually support and graduate a year? If you can't get necessary classes, you can end up needing an extra semester which will obviously add to to your total cost. </p>
<p>I wouldn't necessarily assume that Pitt will give you the same financial aid, since transfer students often don't receive the same aid as incoming students. I suggest you visit the admissions office of Pitt and make an appointment to talk about aid too. </p>
<p>My kid says that everyone who he meets asks him "which campus?" when he says he goes to Penn State. That goes for the famous alumni network too. I wouldn't necessarily agree that a Behrend degree equals a main campus degree.</p>
<p>Well the reason I can't get into any of the required classes is just because most of them are full since I couldn't register until well after the registration date. Syracuse was the same way, a week after registration and it was near impossible to get into many classes.</p>
<p>Anyway, I agree that Penn State Behrend will not be looked upon the same way as main campus. Although, Behrend does churn out quite a few business and engineering majors. Those are the strongest two subjects at Behrend and what it's known for. At least so I'm told.</p>
<p>As someone who was looking into both for quite a while, I'd go for Pitt a million times over Behrend. The campus is gorgeous, it's in a city, and its academic reputation, social life, and opportunities are solid. Behrend is a much smaller school and it will always be greaty overshadowed by its big brother.</p>