Hi!
So I was accepted into both the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University and I can’t decide which one I want to attend. I’ve visited both and fell in love with both campuses. I want to major in biology and I know Pitt has a killer biology program but something just keeps drawing me back to Cuse. I have some questions that if anyone could answer that would be great!
Does pitt have a good social scene/party scene? I’m not looking to go out on weekdays because of classes but weekends are important to me!
Is there a stigma attached to going to pitt? I have heard multiple times that it is a safety school, and that kind of bothers me (I know it shouldn’t).
Which school has better alumni networking?
If I’m not in a sorority at syracuse, will I still have friends?
Will I still be able to attend parties (more specifically frat parties) at syracuse if I’m not in a sorority?
I am very very liberal, so I would prefer to be around students who share a similar mindset of acceptance, where do you think that would be more present?
If anyone could answer any of these questions that would be phenomenal!!
I’d pick Pitt. More to do in Pittsburgh than Syracuse. More to do in area near campus. Better weather. Most importantly, state school folks from Pennsylvania are generally much nicer than the wealthier and much more abrasive folks from the NYC area and New Jersey who are so prominent at Cuse. Academics are at least as good if not better at Pitt except for journalism.
Run the numbers here: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml
Many biology majors are pre-med/dent/vet/pharma. Are you? If so, choose the cheap one, and save money for med/dent/vet/pharma school. If you aren’t interested in any of those, and you are looking at maybe going to grad school in bio, then there also is a lot of value in keeping your costs down. A good PhD program will be fully funded, but it will probably be followed by many years as an underpaid post-doctoral student.
Pitt has a pretty good Greek life-they have a presence on campus but you aren’t excluded if you don’t join. As far as social life goes, there are bars in Pittsburgh as well as clubs. If you are into athletics, season tickets are $25 and its fairly easy to get Pens and Pirates tickets. Syracuse has a very significant Greek scene.
Best of luck to you, I’m trying to decide if I should go to Pitt or Penn State
I have a daughter at each of these Universities. One is a bio major in her junior year. She loves SU and is a member of the SUA ambulance crew as an EMT. SU paid for her training and she got 9 additional credits and experience with medical situations. She also has a two part time jobs through SUA as a dispatcher and an MTS driver. That service provides transportation to students that need rides to doctor apps. Off campus etc… When she was a Freshman she was a volunteer at Upstate Medical Hospital. She has had many opportunities and has enjoyed SU very much. She does complain about the weather though. No surprise there. 
My other daughter is a Freshman at Pitt housed at Sutherland. She already had an internship with a bio prof. Her intended major was neuroscience, though she recently changed it. She thought she’d like the research but found it isolating due to the internship. She loves the city of Pittsburgh but she feels the university is so spread out. She says she feels she does a lot of walking…She has enjoyed the cultural offerings at Pitt. Opera,plays etc…through Pitt Arts. She has a volunteer position Saturday mornings at Carneige Museum of Science. The weather is milder and Pitt has a host of hospitals too. She has recently decided to transfer back to New York next year to a smaller school. She says she feels like a number at Pitt and it’s been hard to make friends. She has a few friends who live in her suite but not enough for her liking. So, both schools are great but both are large. Good luck with your decision.