<p>So I'm deciding between Pitt and Lehigh for engineering. I personally liked Pitt's campus and location better but I know Lehigh has the better engineering program. My parents are pushing Lehigh because they are looking solely at job placements. How big is the difference between the two programs?</p>
<p>If its for mechanical engineering, go Lehigh. Bio engineering, go Pitt. For others, whichever one you like.</p>
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<p>Pitt has a guaranteed internship program (one of the only schools in the country to do so) plus a <em>really</em> good co-op program for the engineers. In fact, I have yet to hear of an engineer who hasn’t gotten a co-op after applying through the program. Also, our job placement after graduation is really high. I knew of very few people who didn’t have a job lined up by graduation. </p>
<p>If you think you’d be happier at Pitt, come here. Rankings are mostly useless values anyway. Wherever you go you should work hard, get good grades, get to know your professors and make industry contacts. Success is measured by how much effort you put in, not what the “ranking” of the school happens to be.</p>
<p>I picked Lehigh over Pitt Honors</p>
<p>My parents are afraid that I’m going to get lost in a big school like that. Especially being in a city and not really having much of a campus.</p>
<p>Pitt has a compact campus - you won’t feel lost. Just because it does not have as many grassy areas does not mean there is no campus. Once a student gets to know the people in his freshman dorm and joining organizations, you start running into people constantly throughout the day.<br>
There really is no bad decision here though.</p>
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<p>The undergaduate population is around 18,000 but I have never, ever felt like I was lost in the crowd at Pitt. The campus itself is actually MUCH more compact than a “traditional” walled campus (i.e. Penn State for example). Because we have a “city” atmosphere, we build up not out. You can actually walk from end-to-end of campus relatively quickly (<20 minutes) which is not true of many places.</p>
<p>Also the “city” atmosphere is a yes and a no. Pitt is a city atmosphere in the sense that you have to cross streets, there is through traffic with cars, and our campus is interspersed with other businesses (like lots of great restaurants). However, we are NOT in downtown Pittsburgh and we are not the same vibe you would get at a city school like NYU for example. We have plenty of green space (Soldiers & Sailors, Cathedral, Schenley Plaza, Flagstaff Hill, Phipps, Schenley Park/overlook) plus loads of patios and benches and flowers to make it feel way more homey than a city would be.</p>
<p>If you haven’t visited Pitt I would highly suggest doing so before making your decision, although it is coming up soon.</p>
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<p>Rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, according to [this</a> thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/1213609-usnwr-2012-best-undergraduate-engineering-programs.html]this”>USNWR 2012 Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs - Engineering Majors - College Confidential Forums), US News undergrad engineering has Lehigh tied at #42 (score of 3.2) and Pitt at one slot behind that, tied for 48th (score of 3.1). Current engineering graduate school rankings have Lehigh and Pitt tied at #45. </p>
<p>Grad program specialties ranks by US News break down this way (It’s graduate level, but some of the same faculty are teaching undergrads and perhaps this also speaks to possible undergrad research experiences).</p>
<p>Biomedical Engineering/Bioengineering
Pitt #16
Lehigh not ranked</p>
<p>Chemical Engineering
Pitt #38
Lehigh #47</p>
<p>Civil Engineering
Lehigh #19
Pitt #56</p>
<p>Computer Engineering
Pitt #50
Lehigh #53</p>
<p>Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering
Pitt #55
Lehigh #60</p>
<p>Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
Lehigh #48
Pitt #53</p>
<p>Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems Engineering
Lehigh #18
Pitt #21</p>
<p>Materials Engineering
Lehigh #31
Pitt #47</p>
<p>Mechanical Engineering
Lehigh #49
Pitt #49</p>
<p>Is one engineering school significantly better than the other?</p>