<p>Hello, I am trying to choose a college to attend in the fall, and I'd like some insight from people other than those in my life (who tend to be partial to one school or another for trivial reasons). My pros and cons list end up equal, so I'm looking for outside opinions.</p>
<p>I am from Pennsylvania and have been accepted to both Pitt and Temple. Temple has offered $2,500/year and admission to their honors program, which is very appealing. So, Pitt will cost roughly $26,000 (with room & board) and Temple $21,000. I live about an hour from Temple, and five hours from Pittsburgh. I liked both campuses very much and they are similar in their core qualities - urban setting, in-state, public. I'm looking to hear about the little things at Pitt that make it a better experience. </p>
<p>So, my questions/qualms are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Compared to Temple, Pitt will be an extra $20,000 (over four years). Are there things in particular that only Pitt can offer? This can be academically, socially, etc. - any thing that makes a difference in student life.</p></li>
<li><p>I'd like to study foreign languages, international business, linguistics. Can Pitt offer me more in terms of internship opportunities and job connections after graduation? I'm also unsure of Pittsburgh itself - would Philadelphia be a better city for government/international jobs?</p></li>
<li><p>I don't care for prestige, but for future employers, is Pitt's name recognized/respected outside of Pennsylvania?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Pitt has a bigger name outside of Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>Particularly, Pitt also has a bigger name in international studies and languages. In fact it has US Dept. of Education designated National Resource Centers in Latin American Studies, Russian and Eastern European Studies, and Global Studies, as well as a National Resource designation for its International Business Center. It is also home to a Chinese government designated Confucius Institute and one of only ten European Union designated Centers for Excellence.</p>
<p>Pitt actually is one of the better places in the nation for international studies. It is structured a little differently because it has one International Center overseeing international components across the whole university, but that adds the ability to integrate international flavor to any academic program at the school. And it has great study abroad options too (including multi-region programs). </p>
<p>And while both campuses are urban, I think Pitt’s has more of the school pride/community thing and more of a campus feel, in that it has [nicer</a> buildings](<a href=“http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=141&f=2455&t=5547158]nicer”>http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=141&f=2455&t=5547158) and more green space and is adjacent to a huge park. It is also across the street from the city’s major museums (which are free to students) and has a ton of [free[/url</a>] and [url=<a href=“PITT ARTS | Student Affairs”>PITT ARTS | Student Affairs]discount[/url</a>] programs, including free use of public transportation within the city. It is also right next to (and overlapping with) Carnegie-Mellon and Carlow University, so it is more of a setting like University City in Philadelphia than where Temple is located.</p>
<p>I have the same dilema!!! I still can’t even choose my language though, or my double major…I think global studies is interesting but it seems vague…I was thinking global health (To prepare towards organizations such as WHO) but then I read that is a vague major and that grad schools favor math and science specific majors. This is so confusing. I am taking Spanish and French as a HS student but I love Japanese and portuguese too and I can’t pick which one to study. Spanish seems easier to pick up so I was thinking of majoring in Japanese…but I love how most schools have a Spanish/Portuguese major /Minor thing going on. But then I think, why not Chinese/Japanese, but then I remember that I have never even studied those or know if I like them and that I was thinking og grad school in europe which seems pointless if I study Chinese/Japanese.</p>
<p>What is you major/minor?</p>
<p>I am changing what I want every day</p>
<p>Temple has a latin American studies semester where you take all you classed in spanish and recieve a certificate at the end of the semester (offered spring semester and during spring break you take a 2 weeks trip to Mexico) they told me that it is usually only allowed for sophomores and up</p>
<p>But pitt has a languga e lab and “mesas de conversacion” and a porutugese club…which is great, and thier chinese programs’ students won first place in a chinese compeititon which is amazing…I love both.</p>
<p>Pitt’s asian langugaes is respected
Temle has many certificate programs for langugaes which is great if you can’t fit ina minor and you still want to speak the language…</p>
<p>Please fill us in on what you are going to do!!!
What are you doin gover summer? Are you thinking of volunteering/studying abroad?
What languages can you speak/study? What do you want to study?</p>
<p>I am an out-of-state so I really am considering Temple due to money…I got $7500 for Temple</p>
<p>I also read that they hook you up with volunteer opportunites where you can speak spanish…how is the city of pittsburgh anyhow? I got in but have never been there…is is too small…is it reasoanble to be stuck there fore 4 years or more? Are there many opportunities? Is the transit anything compared to san francisco…i love san francisco</p>
<p>At Pitt, you can work with people who speak the language you are studying. My daughter met with a Japanese doctor’s wife to speak English and Japanese.</p>
<p>Doesn’t Temple have a program with a Japanese university where you earn a degree from both, so your degree(s) would be recognized in both countries?</p>
<p>I currently live in San Francisco. City-wide, the public transportation is not nearly as good in Pittsburgh as it is in San Francisco or Philadelphia. The city of Pittsburgh is also much smaller than those two, but it has a lot of urban density and I think it is one of the best cities in the US for its size.</p>
<p>However, public transportation it isn’t bad where Pitt is located. The primary source of public transportation from the neighborhood Pitt sits in (called Oakland) are the bus lines. Fortunately, most of the major bus lines go through Pitt’s campus, and you can get downtown (which is about two miles away) with hardly any wait as buses go by quite often. The major advantage is that all public transportation in the city is free to all Pitt students. There is no issue getting from Oakland to downtown or surrounding neighborhoods like Shadyside, and as long as the Pittsburgh transportation authority keeps the shuttle running to the airport, that is pretty easy to catch as well as it is a direct shuttle (with no transfers needed).</p>
<p>Most Pitt students live on campus or in the neighborhood directly around campus. Carnegie Mellon and Carlow University are also there. It is a pretty compact student/academic neighborhood that is very walkable and the universities also run their own shuttles to various points on their campuses.</p>
<p>I have a friend who works in the Center for Latin American Studies office at Pitt. I can try to connect anyone that is interested in learning more about that particular center. PM me if interested.</p>
<p>You have to attend the Tokyo campus all 4 years for it to be recognized by both countries I think…</p>
<p>What do you mean by"you can work with people who speak the language you are studying"Do you mean volunteer with them or live in dorm with them or intern with them or study with them or what? What does this mean? Does Temple offer this too?</p>
<p>I do not know anything about Temple. My daughter met with a Japanese woman who wanted to improve her English and my daughter studies Japanese. They both improved their language skills. It was arranged through the language department. I do not know whether all departments do this.</p>