<p>Would anyone know how the psychology and neuroscience majors and programs for undergrads compare between University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, and Allegheny College? I've been accepted into all of them, and because of scholarships, Pitt will still remain the cheapest to attend, but only by about $6,000 or so a year. So would it be worth pursuing an undergrad psychology degree at a less expensive, larger public university as compared to a slightly more expensive but smaller one? </p>
<p>Pitt is the best option of these for neuroscience, especially if you’re considering premed. If you like Pitts atmosphere then I say go with Pitt, since it’s the cheapest too.</p>
<p>^I agree, Pitt has a great neuroscience program and pre-med programs in general. It also has the added benefit of being the cheapest option. If an urban environment works for you, than Pitt is your best choice.</p>
<p>I heard that the University of Pittsburgh has great health programs in general. They also have a HUGE medical center, which - I would think - helps out with the coops/internships/residencies. They have one of the best medical schools in the country.</p>
<p>However, I’m fairly certain (tho not entirely) that I’m not going into premed. I’ve been leaning towards the educational or even perhaps clinical aspect of psychology, but I’m still undecided. Also, I didn’t get into the Pitt Honors college, which was a bit of a letdown. Would you still say Pitt would be the best choice?</p>
<p>Neuroscience at Pitt seems to be one of those programs that makes CC posters start salivating in a Pavlovian way, but I’m going to swim against the tide and vote for Allegheny. It has a superb track record for graduate/medical placement in neuroscience (90% admitted to graduate school in neuroscience, including top grad programs like UCSD and Pitt), and I have become increasingly impressed by small schools.</p>
<p>I also don’t particularly care for large urban campuses, but that’s a personal quirk.</p>
<p>Pitt is absolutely the best for clinical psych or neuroscience. It is one of the best places for either among those three, undergrad and grad level. It’s resources are far and above what you get at Allegheny or PSU. The catalogue of classes is going to be much smaller at Allegheny and the research opportunities are not going to be as numerous or varied, and that perhaps, is the most important point. Neuroscience is a research discipline, so the best thing you can do to position yourself for graduate school is to get into a lab as early as is comfortable and do significant research with, hopefully, the goal of having some sort of authorship on a publication. That is just not going to happen nearly as much as liberal arts schools. Now that said, if the bigger, urban environment of Pitt isn’t your cup of tea, then head to Allegheny. It would be a good education, but first and foremost, you want to make sure you are comfortable with where you’ll spend the next four years, because you won’t be a successful and happy if you aren’t. Seriously though, Pitt has one of the oldest and best undergrad neuroscience departments in the nation.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the helpful comments! I live in Pittsburgh, and so I love the large, urban environment. Just visited the campus again today for an accepted students day, I think Pitt’s definitely risen to the top of my college list.</p>
<p>I’m not exactly sure why Pitt rules everyone’s list. I believe if you look at the researchers and the grant dollars per school in Psychology, you will find that Penn State is right at the top. As I sit here procrastinating reading NIH grant appplication for Behavioral Health (many of which have a neuro focus), I see several from Penn State. In the field of Psychology, Penn State has long been considered the top of the heap. Don’t rule it out.</p>
<p>I can’t speak specifically to the quality of any particular program, but let me give you food for thought. Pitt apparently has 300 undergrad neuroscience majors; Allegheny has far fewer. You will certainly have more opportunities at Pitt, but you’ll also be competing against 299 other people for those opportunities. It will be harder to stand out against your peers. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go there, but you should assess your personality (assertiveness, tenacity, etc.) to see if it is likely that YOU will be the one awarded the plums at Pitt.</p>
<p>I would also say Pitt is the best choice for reasons that I’m sure have already been mentioned. I do, however, want to point out that I’m pretty sure you will be able to get into the honors program. Even though you weren’t admitted now, my understanding is that any student can join the honors program (provided that they do well in their classes).</p>