Pitt Psychology vs. Penn State Psychology

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
1

I got accepted to Pitt and Penn State as a Psych undergrad for the 2021 school year. I’m going to one or the other, but I do not know which one to pick.

I live 6 hours from Pitt and about 3 and a half hours from PSU main. Distance is a really big factor from me, because I don’t want to be too far from home. However, I prefer Pitt’s campus over Penn State’s because Pitt is in the city and has a lot to offer as far as internship opportunities for big corporations (I/O Psych major) and also great night life.

I feel that as far as academics go, Pitt and Penn State are pretty equal when it comes to psych, but I could be wrong. What are your opinions?

Also, I know a lot more people (close friends) going to PSU than Pitt. My girlfriend is going to Penn State too, and that’s also a factor for me too.

I plan on attending Penn State for graduate study in I/O psych, because of their high rankig, but I don’t really like the location of main campus. It’s in the middle of nowhere and there are no other colleges nearby. So nightlife would just be going out with other PSU people, which I feel will get old after a semester or two.

I also feel that because of how many people go to PSU, that a degree from PSU won’t
make me too special. But I also recognize that it also may help with getting a job because there are soooooo many alums from PSU and a huge network of people associated with the school.

I also understand, from other forums and my own research that PITT has a better reuptation in the psych field than PSU. I’m just torn over choosing closer to home, large alum network, and big sports team school with lots of school pride; that lacks a diverse campus, is a but cliché because of how many people go there, and is potentially not as meaningful as degree from another school.
Versus Pitt which is farther away, but has a great campus, better reputation in the field of psych, but not as great of an alum network and not as much familiarity with the class of 2021 (which is my graduating year).
Distance is a really big concern here, and I’m not sure what to do.

2

It is typically advantageous to do graduate training at a different school than your undergrad. And since you are planning to do graduate training, the general alumni network at your undergrad school isn’t as important. You’ll need a network specifically in your graduate field and you’ll build most of that network in grad school.

Essentially, every reason you list to go to Pitt…better rep in your field of interest, you like the environment better, internship opportunities… is a reason to select a college. Every reason that you list for PSU appears to originate from a hesitation to step out of your comfort zone. Stepping out of your comfort zone and growing with new experiences is one of the major reasons to actually go to college.

I think your decision should be a very easy one based on what you are describing in your post.

And as far as sports, it is not as if Pitt isn’t a D1 school competing in a major power conference that is home to the reigning national champions in football and basketball, nor should it be forgotten that Pitt actually defeated PSU in football, basketball, and baseball this year. Plus you have access to all the professional sports in Pittsburgh. I think your find plenty of school pride, just not the same type of zealous cult-like following that exists at a few places. Pitt’s communal and social experience isn’t built around any one thing, but all of those things, and more, are available to partake of if you wish.

3

I think for health fields, the research funding Pitt receives and the partnership with UPMC is invaluable.

4

That’s exactly what pushes me away from Penn State: the cult-like following that it tends to have. I can see it as a “cool” thing, because I want to go to a school with strong school pride, just maybe not so “in-group” vs. “out-group” (to use some psychology terms) as Penn State.
Additionally, it’s not like Pitt doesn’t have any school pride, I know the student body puts up great turnouts at school events (from visiting and talking to PathFinders, aka student tour guides).

I worry that there might not be as much outside of school activities to do at University Park as there are in the city; and if there isn’t as much to do, I then wonder if I’d be okay with that. (and this is a question that I have to answer on my own…)

I would grealtly appreciate information about stuff to do at university park from a psu student.

P.S.
That football game was great to watch.