Yes - I know - Why I wrote this…I said $72K save (Pitt tuition would be approx $18K a year with $2K merit vs. free tuition at Temple).
Not to be nit-picky but Pitt room and board is going to be about 3-4K cheaper per year than Temple because Pittsburgh is quite a bit cheaper than Philly.
TEMPLE!!! Temple is a great place to be a pre-med. You’ve got the med school, the hospital, medical research faculty with ongoing research, the relationship with St. Chris for pediatrics, it’s just a fantastic place for a pre-med, with tons of opportunities. And if you wind up there for med school, that’s terrific, too. The only issue is that the immediate neighborhood is a dangerous slum, but Philly itself is a wonderful city. If they were roughly equivalent in cost, I’d say Pitt, but with that scholarship, I’d choose Temple.
Just to clarify, both cases were after dark.
IN NO WAY am I blaming the victim, but that doesn’t mean that lessons shouldn’t be (re)learned to help others examine/adapt their own behavior.
One case was a mugging in a city park, that lead to a struggle - the other was around 11 PM where someone traversing Manhattan was randomly attacking people along the way - including in the MoHi neighborhood where Columbia happens to be located.
The latter case can best be described as random, against which there is no reliable defense, no matter where you live.
And the other case reinforces the need to become “city smart”:
- Don’t enter Parks / wooded areas after dark,
- especially alone - and…
- if mugged (in particular given the circumstances), resist the temptation to “stand your ground”. Give it up and count your blessings.
These wisdoms apply to all urban areas equally, whether Philly, NYC,…
To be fair, Pitt has all of this too, including several hospitals practically on campus or within walking distance. Pitt also gets far more NIH dollars, though that is less of a concern when picking a pre-med school. At both schools there will be opportunities and if one is comparing the two without money in the picture, Pitt wins for most.
With money in the picture it’s the OP’s call and should depend upon whether Pitt is affordable or not. If others reading had a preference for Philly, that’s a consideration too, but the OP has already said they prefer Pittsburgh.
I agree with a previous poster that they should attend Accepted Students Days at both places before making a final decision - and know the exact amount of the financial difference.
You can say the same thing about the areas right near Johns Hopkins, a top 10 medical school. I say go with the full ride at Temple.
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The Hill is not a long walk at all. Your son should most definitely know the areas around Pitt where not to go…so they should mean a lot to students.
My S19 is very aware of the dicey areas.
Come on now, I always felt safe living right off Wilkins Ave 
of course Pitt has all that. You seem to have missed the point of the discussion, which is that Temple gave him a FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP, plus a 4k stipend for summer research/internship/travel.
I didn’t miss that at all. My own medical lad had a few places he could have gone for free if we’d wanted to pursue that route. He could have still become a doctor, but the opportunities along the way would have differed. We were able and happy to provide more for him at what was still an affordable cost to us - and not even close to full pay.
Not everyone is happy or able to. That’s for the OP and their family to decide.
One of my guy’s best friends went the free route and wished he had made a different decision due to those differences after he talked with my guy on a vacation. Both are doctors now. Either way works.
But Temple and Pitt aren’t totally equal IMO. College A doesn’t necessarily equal College B even if success can come from both.
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The areas surrounding Johns Hopkins University include some of the most expensive real estate in the city. The area around Johns Hopkins Hospital is dicey. They are not located near each other.
Yes, I meant the hospital.
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They’re actually surprisingly similar. Both PA urban, mildly selective, quasi-publicly funded institutions with associated middle of the road respected med schools with hospitals and research opportunities. For undergrad, there is nothing that Pitt could offer him that Temple cannot. If it were me, the full tuition scholarship would tip the scales in favor of Temple.
I considered it a miracle that I didn’t get mugged or worse, in my years in that neighborhood.
Both are urban schools in PA and can get you where you want to go but not that similar. Look at student profiles, rankings, endowments, and research money. Not even close. NIH alone gives Pitt $700M/year. You can’t throw a rock on Pitt’s campus and not hit something medical. You could literally get your undergrad and med school degree and never leave the campus…if you wanted to. Throw in the safety factor and they’re more different than you think.
OP has to decide. Go visit. We liked Temple and Philly more than we thought we would. The campus itself is nice. We liked the kids and the staff. It looked like they’re trying to gentrify the area around Temple. Go a block off campus and it gets very sketchy, fast.
OP, what other schools are on your list? If you get Pitt Honors that could be a game changer.
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So #13 in med school (research - some specialties higher) for Pitt is middle of the road to you?
It probably isn’t for most people.
Other “ratings comparisons” for med schools or undergrad can be googled by the OP or readers if they wish. Your middle of the road declaration for Pitt’s med school just had me going WTH. Temple’s, at #61 (research - highest of their medical rankings) I would agree with you.
They are both PA, urban (with Pitt in a “better” urban area), and quasi publicly funded with research options. Pitt is more selective IME, but not so much that they are a “risk” for high stat students. Many use them as their safety, with some later even choosing them over others they applied to.
Both can get a pre-med student into med school if the student does the work and gets the grades, ECs, and MCAT score.
Temple often offers more money. That’s up to the student and their family to decide if it’s worth it knowing the trade offs.
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It’s not quite that easy getting into Pitt’s med school - or any med school for that matter, Temple’s too. I think Pitt shows a slight bias toward their own grads (not sure @WayOutWestMom might have the stats), but there’s a lot of competition. It could also be good to know if Temple shows a bias toward their own grads. If so, that perhaps, should be a game changer. We know the OP is one of Temple’s higher applicants. They may not be for Pitt since merit money wasn’t as high.
It was my weak attempt at hyperbole or something like that.
Pitt’s Honors program could be the game changer. They offer health professional advising (as do most schools). They look out for their students when it comes to research opportunities and building relationships with professors. I’ve heard that a recommendation gives a med school applicant a significant bump.
Editing due to updated info - see below. Sorry for mine having been outdated!
Committee letters seem uncommon at larger publics, at least out in CA and at other larger publics where I’ve looked.