<p>My D is trying to decide between a small LAC in a very rural settting and Pitt. What she likes about small LAC - friendly student body, personal attention and lots of outdoor activities - what she doesn't like - lack of majors and very isolated location with lack of nightlife, sports, cultural events, etc. She visited Pitt twice and really liked it, likes being in a city with lots of different things to do and have a park nearby for outdoor pursuits - but worries as an undecided student she will have to try to figure out on her own what to major in and also worries that in larger classrooms she may not get personal one on one attention that she may get at a smaller school. There is a significant price difference between the LAC and Pitt - but it is within the limit of what we said we would spend/afford and ultimately I want her to be happy with her choice. I'd love to hear feedback.</p>
<p>One good thing about Pitt (or any larger university) for an undecided student is that she will be exposed to many more majors, including professional schools, than she would be in a small LAC. I would have never considered pharmacy if I had not met pharmacy students in my undecided years. Pitt has medical professions, business, law, library science, international relations, engineering, education, etc, in addition to tons of other majors. OTOH, there probably is not a lot of hand-holding. Advisors are available, but you have to seek out advice.</p>
<p>From the start of this process I had pictured my daughter at a small LAC, sitting around a conference table in small classes, getting to know her professors, having them e-mail her if she happened to be absent. We looked at some wonderful schools, including Bowdoin, Skidmore and Vassar, but my daughter kept saying, "I want a larger school." The windup is she's finishing her freshman year at Pitt, and she really loves it. Yes, some of the classes are large, but she has gotten to know her professors and T.A.s, and vice versa. She appreciates that there are lots of classes to take and great variety. And the freshmen advising at Pitt has been excellent. My daughter gets the same person all the time, and her adviser is always well prepared to guide her. So don't worry that as an undecided student your daughter would have to figure out everything on her own.</p>
<p>So it would depend on what kind of experience your daughter wants, but Pitt is not some faceless behemoth where kids get lost. And the kids are really friendly and welcoming. At least, that has been my daughter's experience.</p>
<p>And my daughter pretty much knew from the start that she wanted an urban campus, and she liked Pitt's because there are green areas, unlike Boston University's, for instance.</p>
<p>One statement that helped my daugher decide on a large, state university in an urban environment was:
"You can make a large school smaller, but you can't make a small school bigger."
She was reserved (OK, shy) but has really come out of her shell and found many activities to shrink the largest university in the country to a manageable size. As a sophomore, she already is doing research and knows multiple professors well. She has sought out and found very small classes--several already with ten or less students...and only one more than 25 students. Through her activities, she has found a group of good friends. The environment offers endless activities and options besides just drinking, which seems to dominate schools in rural areas with nothing else to do. A small school seems ideal when making such a big transition...but how bored will one become over four years when many students will be gone each semester studying abroad...one school we visited only had 1500 students of which at any given time 25-30% were away from the campus for a semester. That makes it high school sized campus.</p>
<p>my daughter is face with exaclty the same situation. she received a partial scholarshipt to the lac but is reallly leaning toward pitt. any insight is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>We are visiting again tomorrow. My D is now leaning towards Pitt - as she put it this afternoon - I found HS limiting; I don't want to be limited at college. So we'll see after our visit......good luck aammom!</p>
<p>Just an aside: We enjoy eating at Joe Mama's, on Forbes. Good Italian food, pizza too, and fun 1940s atmosphere. The tiramisu is unbelievable. Save room for dessert, or get it to go!</p>
<p>Thanks LurkNessMonster - we are on the same page - we ate there the last time we visited and I was hoping to eat there again! Thanks also for your feedback above.</p>
<p>Have a good visit! I can't wait to drive to Pittsburgh to pick my daughter up at the end of the month. Dinner at Joe Mama's is certainly on our agenda.</p>
<p>PM me if you have any questions, or just post.</p>
<p>i really wanna eat at Joe mama there is so much rave about it i cant wait till August so i can try it</p>