I need help choosing between the University of Pittsburgh and American University. I plan on studying political science and maybe concentrate on environmental politics.
I want to go to a school that is close to downtown but has the campus feel. I don’t mind being in a city as long as the college campus isn’t just buildings on a street.
I want to go to a school with a lot of school spirit. It doesn’t have to be centered around sports, but I want people to be proud of their school.
I want a relatively prestigious school that will give me great opportunities in the political field.
I want to be involved in a lot of things around campus ex. sailing, bowling, maybe a sorority.
I want a school with a good administration that listens to the students
I want a school with a good social life and well-rounded people.
I am having a hard time because Pitt has the school spirit and people I want but I feel like American may give me more opportunities with politics. I am scared that Pitt doesn’t offer the same political advantages as American, but American also doesn’t have great food or housing. Also, I am scared that American will feel too small due to the small campus, while Pitt may feel too big. Lastly, if I wanted to focus on environmental politics would American allow me to do that?
With everything said… please help me come to a decision.
Help is always appreciated!
I’m not too familiar with Pitt, but I’m an incoming freshman at AU with lots of friends there. I’ve also visited twice so I know a bit about it. I’ll try and give an honest opinion.
AU definitely has it! It’s a small campus but not too small. It’s not small enough that you can walk it in 5 minutes but not big enough that you need to take a bus to class.
AU doesn’t have that much school spirit tbh. They don’t have a lot of sports, so yeah. I do think people there are very proud of their school though, especially when it comes to the whole AU/GW/Gtown rivalry.
AU is known for it’s political science program, it’s one of the largest majors on campus, with a ton of internship opportunities. Given that it’s in DC, almost all students complete an internship (around 97%).
Like a lot of schools, AU has a ton of clubs. The greek life isn’t super prevalent. AU doesn’t allow greek housing, so sororities are more like clubs. Most clubs are super welcoming though. You can join at any time for most of them.
The AU admin, like all administrations, has its problems, but I feel like they do better than a lot of schools. Especially with the current situation, they’ve done a good job of taking care of students by providing emergency housing and food.
AU has a really passionate student body, and I haven’t found it too hard to make friends even though I’m C/O 2024.
I’m not sure about Pitt, but American’s housing and food are fine. They do a really good job of handling dietary restrictions. The food is also college food, so it’s not 5-star, but it’s as good as you can get as college. You can also spend your dining dollars at Tenley Town restaurants. The housing is also pretty good. You can choose between a suite with full beds and a private bathroom or a standard double with amazing storage. Sure, it’s not as good as your own bedroom, but as far as college housing goes, it’s pretty good.
They give you a really good opportunity to choose your classes. You have to declare a “specialization”, in which you can create your own if you don’t like the pre-selected ones.