<p>Choice is down to these two, given merit scholarship - current price difference is not much (which could potentially change given PA economy with projected 50% cut in state appropriations while NJ state funding is expected to be flat for this coming yr) but Rutgers is cheaper. Ds must have: marching band, opportunities for concert or jazz band ensembles, currently unsure about major - either engineering or social science/polisci/philosophy. (I know that doesn't help matters) We unfortunately can't afford ds' #1 (Michigan) but that was the best fit.</p>
<p>Pitt - accepted to engineering, honors college, guaranteed grad school admission</p>
<p>Rutgers - accepted to either arts&sciences honors college or engineering (non-honors), home state, worry about 5 disparate campuses and constant bussing, worry about whether it is more a suitcase school on the weekends.</p>
<p>Can anyone help with what to consider about these two?</p>
<p>I have to tell you, personally I really dislike the multicampus/busing set up at Rutgers. Pitt has one of the best [jazz</a> programs](<a href=“http://www.pitt.edu/~pittjazz/index.html]jazz”>http://www.pitt.edu/~pittjazz/index.html) in the country if that matters to you, with an extremely well regarded annual jazz seminar. Both Pitt and Rutgers have ample opportunities for marching/pep bands. I believe you have to audition for Pitt’s, but not Rutgers’, although I don’t think you’d have any problem joining either. Pitt may have the larger band and may perform more. I’m not sure though.</p>
<p>Both Rutgers and Pitt are very strong in philosophy. Probably equivalent engineering. Guaranteed grad admission at Pitt is a real bonus. Pitt is generally considered a better school, especially if you look beyond US News rankings where they are currently tied, particularly in international rankings. Pitt’s student life marks are much higher, at least per Princeton Review.</p>
<p>PA’s funding issues are going to impact in-state students more than out-of-state, if it goes down as such. PA essentially subsidizes in-state tuition, and that is what most of the state funding goes to. In any case, they likely they aren’t going to suffer as steep a cut as was initially proposed. Pitt has a very large endowment (>$2 billion), so that will soften some of the blow.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you visited both. They are pretty different settings. Pitt is very compact and urban, Rutgers more spread out in a small college city type of atmosphere. Both have major D1 sports, although I think the rah, rah spirit is probably bigger at Pitt (and that may impact the marching band). In any case, both are good schools. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Just to get some perspective here: the Pennsylvania Governor’s proposal is to slash state aid to higher education by 50%, which for Pitt would reduce the state’s contribution from about $160 million to $80 million, an $80 million reduction. Pitt does have a relatively large endowment, but at $2 billion it produces an annual payout (at a standard 5% rate) of about $100 million. But that $100 million is already being spent; no wiggle room there to make up for the $80 million cut in state aid. I think Pitt will have no choice but to raise tuition substantially. It’s logical to place most of that burden on in-state students who in the past have been heavily subsidized by legislative appropriations. But there will also be political pressure to raise OOS tuition rates a like amount, or even a like percentage. So it’s not a pretty situation.</p>
<p>That said, as between the two schools I guess I’d prefer Pitt, both for its physical cohesiveness and for its urban location in a city that appears to have gotten its act together. Just be prepared for seismic-level financial changes.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, anyone have anything else to add? Just finished 3rd visit to Rutgers (big place, it takes time to visit LOL!) and 2nd visit to Pitt coming this weekend.</p>
<p>Both schools are very good, for sure. I would recommend Pitt instead though. I know at least twelve people who are attending Rutgers at the moment, with majors ranging for Biology to Dance, and they are all miserable. They say that the professors are unhelpful and very few even speak good English (which makes a tough subject even tougher). That’s just what I’ve heard. Also, every year Rutgers is literally a back up, safety, school for ever single senior who goes to my high school. The majority of the seniors get into Rutgers, very few get into Pitt. That in itself should say a lot about these two schools…</p>
<p>The vast majority of that state support is the subsidization of in-state tuition. That is what is going to primarily impacted. There may be pressure to raise OOS tuition, and it likely will happen, but it there is no way it will be raised by the same percentage. Pitt is a privately governed institution. It is not state owned or operated, and the way Pitt currently doles out internal financial aid and awards is that it takes into account the in-state subsidy so as to discount OOS tuition to in-state levels. So, what might occur is the reduced awarding of financial and merit aid to OOS students, but they won’t take it away from those who have it already. In any case, Pitt has already dealt with a decade of funding cuts pretty effectively, and has indicated they will try to soften the blow to students as much as possible. I highly doubt the final cut will be 50% though. Politicians never get what they first ask for.</p>
<p>Thanks, not being from PA makes me a bit uneasy. You are asked to commit when you don’t even know what will happen in July! But it does seem from looking at Pitt’s past tuition increases vs. other state schools/other privates that they are very careful about increases…so I can only hope. I appreciate all of your input!</p>