<p>My daughter was accepted to both schools as a communications major. She received a scholarship at Duquesne, so tution is about the same for both schools.</p>
<p>She's very undecided.</p>
<p>For those who attend Pitt, what are the differences pro & con between these schools?</p>
<p>Pitt is a better known and better ranked school.</p>
<p>Dusquesne is in a worse area, but is closer to downtown / South Side / etc.</p>
<p>I would personally choose Pitt.</p>
<p>That decision is really going to come down to personal opinion and/or impression. If she is serious about either school I think she needs to tour (again if need be) and meet with her prospective professors at both. </p>
<p>The two schools are really quite different. Duquesne is a smaller, private Catholic school with a self-contained campus, while the significantly larger Pitt is in the heart of Oakland with a prototypical urban campus. </p>
<p>My daughter had the opportunity to spend time on both campuses during her junior-senior summer when she had research internships at both schools. She initially liked Duquesne better, but the more time she spent on campus, the smaller and more limiting it felt to her. She, too, was offered a scholarship at Duquesne and so the cost for either Pitt or Duquesne was quite similar.</p>
<p>Bottom line - she's now a freshman at Pitt and has never looked back. </p>
<p>(YDMMV - Your daughter's mileage my vary)</p>
<p>QuietType,
Thanks for your insight and yes we are planning another visit to both schools in Feb.
Hopefully she can make a decision after that visit.</p>
<p>Review Of Duquesne University:</p>
<p>"Located in a great town for both career networking and college fun, Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University offers a prestigious private school education to a “smart, ambitious, and very goal-oriented” student body that “prides itself on its ‘Catholic’ tradition.” DU is perhaps best known for its health sciences programs; students laud the “rigorous pharmacy curriculum,” the “wonderful” physical therapy program and “great” nursing, occupational, and athletic training programs, all of which benefit from “great access to all the hospitals in the area.” The music program at Duquesne is “amazing,” and students say “The employment rate of students that have graduated from the music education program is phenomenal. I’m almost positive every senior that graduated was placed at a job already.” Students in many of these areas pursue DUs accelerated bachelor’s/graduate degree programs. Regardless of what they study, all DU students must complete a core curriculum that stresses broad general knowledge; students have mixed feelings about the core, warning that these classes are “harder than other courses” and are especially labor intensive. Throughout the school, “Most classes are lecture-driven courses” with relatively large class sizes at the lower levels. The majority of professors are “excellent teachers and very knowledgeable of their respective fields,” although, as anywhere, “There are a few awful ones.” Nearly all “make themselves available to help you anytime you need. . . . If you are not good at a particular subject, they . . . have tutors available to help you.”" "The typical Duquesne undergrad is either “well put together” or “cares too much about the way they look”—it’s all a matter of perspective. Since most here are the “dress for success” type, the former viewpoint is more popular than the latter, although the “wearing-sweats-and-being-comfortable crowd” make up “about a third” of the campus, so they’re hardly a tiny minority. Because “many students at Duquesne went to high school together,” the school tends to be quite clique-y. Undergrads also tend to self-segregate by major. As one music student writes, “The typical music major is completely different from the typical student. The majority of music majors have somewhat eclectic taste in fashion, clothing, hobbies . . . which reflects in our personalities. We also talk about stuff we’re doing in class outside of school, which isn’t very common among other majors.” While most students here are Catholic, “There are also people of different religions,” and the school “doesn’t impose religion” on anyone.""Student life at Duquesne “is lots of fun,” although students say that has more to do with hometown Pittsburgh than with the DU campus. True, the campus offers numerous diversions, including “movies and crafts and sports and tons of organizations,” in addition to weekend frat parties which are quite popular with the Greek crowd and underclassmen. However, most students find city life more tempting, reporting that they “like to go downtown to shop, or to the South Side, or to the Waterfront.” Oakland is really close by, with “lots of bars, restaurants,” and “other colleges.” One student explains, “There’s always something going on in Pittsburgh, whether it’s free concerts, cultural events, or art exhibits, many of which you are admitted into for free or reduced price with a Duquesne ID.” The only downside is the weather: “If you’re looking for fun, be prepared to bundle up in the winter and to travel by bus or taxi,” one student warns. The “beautiful” DU campus features “lots of fountains and grassy areas and stuff.” Location is another plus, as the campus is in the middle of Pittsburgh but still has a very private feel. “We have the opportunities of the city but we are secluded on the bluff.”"</p>
<p>University Of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus</p>
<p>"The University of Pittsburgh “is the perfect-sized institution,” a place with “all the benefits of a large urban university, including research, internships, and lots of amazing experiences,” but also small enough “that people truly have a chance to make a name for themselves on campus. You can’t go five minutes without bumping into someone you know here.” Many departments stand out; all medical fields benefit from the school’s affiliation with the renowned research-oriented University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; and programs in dentistry, pharmacology, physical therapy, neuroscience, and biology are all considered outstanding. Programs in engineering, business, and the liberal arts are also noteworthy. Students appreciate the fact that “professors here are all very accessible and really want their students to learn and understand their courses. They are willing to work with the students to [help them] achieve better grades and enhance the learning experience.” Opportunities to study abroad abound, and undergrads “can often find study-abroad programs that are cheaper for them than their tuition would have been.”" "A “very diverse population” of 16,796 undergraduates virtually guarantees that “everyone is bound to meet someone whom he or she would have never met staying in his or her hometown.” The school has “over 450 organizations, and all those groups provide a place for students to come and be their own people in a group they feel comfortable with.” Highly competitive admissions mean that “kids here are definitely intelligent and have a lot going for them.” They’re not just brainiacs, though—in fact, Pitt students “like to have a good time too, not just going out to parties. Many students really take advantage of the free admission to numerous museums and free city busing to visit the many neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.” The most dedicated students here, our respondents report, can be found in the medical sciences (neuroscience, chemistry, and biology) as well as in some of the humanities (writing, literature, philosophy)." "Pitt is located in Oakland, a “really nice location relative to downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding neighborhoods.” Thanks to “the school’s arrangement” with the city of Pittsburgh, “every Pitt student gets free city busing,” a perk that allows and encourages undergrads to explore the city. Further such encouragement comes in the form of PittArts, a program that “heavily subsidizes cultural events in the city. When Broadway shows come to Pittsburgh, you can get tickets for $10, a dinner at an Italian restaurant, and free transportation downtown. They also offer free lectures, operas, and symphonies.” No wonder students tell us that “Pittsburgh is a college city, one that really caters to students. Bigger cities may offer more renowned acts coming through, or more famous museums, but in Pittsburgh we can actually afford to experience them!” The campus is also busy, with “many campus organizations,” “free movies in the Union, student performances on campus, lectures (Maya Angelou came recently)”; these offer students lots of opportunities to socialize. Pitt athletics are also popular, with basketball and football drawing the biggest crowds. All of these options “make socializing easier and less alcohol-centric. While there is a lot of drinking on campus, it is just as easy and socially acceptable to sit down to coffee.”"</p>
<p>Pierre, very good summaries. I visited both campuses this summer and I basically felt the same way about each of the schools.</p>
<p>I’m trying to choose between majoring in marketing at Pittsburgh University vs majoring in health supply chain management at duquesne university which will hopefully lead to a future in pharmaceutical business. Student life seems to be so much more diverse and fun at Pittsburgh but Duquesne is awesome in a completely different way. As for my future career, I’m hoping that if I go to Duquesne I’d be employed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals in the future but if I go to Pitt the major is more broad filled with an expansion of career opportunities. I’m trying to pick based off where I’d enjoy college life more and where I’d receive better chances of a successful well-paid future. Does anyone have opinions on which of the two I should choose?</p>