<p>Ok, this is a HUGE dilemma for me. Pleasee tell me what you think!</p>
<p>I just got accepted to SUNY Binghamton and Pittsburgh. Maryland's decision comes out next week, but I think that I have a good shot at getting accepted.</p>
<p>My brother goes to Maryland so I would be more inclined to go to Maryland but the thing is even though I am instate in Maryland, I'm an international student and I have to pay out of state for Maryland. So Binghamton is very attractive to me financially. Since Bing is about 9K cheaper than either of them.</p>
<p>Also, my parents went through a lot sending me to America and from there even sending me to a private high school.. so I want to pay them back this way by going to a great school with great price. But I keep feeling like maybe passing on Maryland might be a mistake.</p>
<p>But I would like to live in a city too, thats where Pittsburgh comes into play but Pitt's reputation, I assume is not as high as Maryland or Binghamton.</p>
<p>I have to take into factors such as break housing (dorming during winter break etc, study abroad program, proximity with airports)</p>
<p>For now I love Binghamton and Maryland equally.. with Pitt trailing behind by a little bit.</p>
<p>So if you guys were in my situation right now, what would you do?</p>
<p>thanks rocknroll52! but I don’t really think USNWR should play a big role in where I choose to go. But I’ll take into account what you’ve said about the location of those colleges.</p>
<p>I would think Binghampton would be a depressing climate during the winter. However, I can understand it is the cheapest. I wouldn;t be surprised if NY state increases the out of state tuition significantly in the next few years because of their serious budget problems.</p>
<p>Everyone says Pittsburgh is a great college town. It also is a very affordable city in terms of cost of living and cost of housing.</p>
<p>U. Md. is huge. That can be good or bad, depending upon your perspective. There is a metro stop that takes you throughout the DC area. Driving in the DC area is stressful.</p>
<p>I’d look closely into what it would take to get residency status in Md. It might be feasible in a year or two or three.</p>
<p>The University of Pittsburgh is amazing. Depending on what you study, the academics are better here than Binghamton. I chose Pitt over Binghamton for engineering. Pitt has excellent pre-health/pre-med programs as well as philosophy. You are surrounded by UPMC (U Pitt Medical Center) and there are more internship/volunteer opportunities then kids to fill. </p>
<p>Regardless of academics, Pitt is awesome socially. If you are into sports COME HERE! Pitt Panthers basketball is ranked ~#4 in the nation. Football games are fun too. They play at Heinz Field where the NFL Steelers play. By the way, when the Steelers won the AFC Championship last night, Oakland (where Pitt is) went crazy! I had to admit it was fun…despite being a Jets fan. Also you have city teams-NHL Penguins, MLB Pirates, NFL Steelers.</p>
<p>On the weekends you can do anything- if you don’t want to party/drink/do drugs, there is an incredible cultural arts program, Pitt Arts, that I believe is unmatched by any other school. Pitt Arts funds trips to arts events for Pitt undergraduates, which include free tickets, transportation, and a catered reception. Just recently I saw the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for free, and my ticket stub read $45.</p>
<p>And who wouldn’t want to go to a school with the Cathedral of Learning (google this) as its landmark?</p>
<p>Do you have any idea what you want to study? Some of these schools are well known for particular programs, for example, Maryland has a great communications program, hard to beat Pitt for anything in the health sciences.</p>
<p>Rocknroll52 I meant reputation as in the admission difficulty and the quality of education to grad schools or employers. Usnwr obviously rank bing low because of their lack of flagship and football program. I mean alabama and auburn ranked in front of binghamton? Idk about that. Thanks for the response though, I appreciate all the opinion I can get.</p>
<p>well I’m not sure where you’re getting all your information about the quality of Binhamton’s undergrad education…the only thing I’ve ever heard about it is getting some attention as being a good value for money fo OOS students- that being said price is important so if the cost makes a difference you should choose whichever is the cheapest</p>
<p>Many international students like to travel on weekends and do not have a car. If that is important to you, U. Md. would be preferable. You can easily get to a nearby Amtrak station where you can travel up and down the east coast by rail. Much of the rest of the US has little accessibility by rail.</p>
<p>rocknroll52, I don’t know if you’re instate or OOS but most people in NY consider Binghamton to be fairly prestigious. It’s not an Ivy but it’s so frustrating to keep hearing “I guess it’s okay if you’re looking to save money”. It’s a fine school on its own. USNWR has never exactly been a highly credible source.</p>
<p>All three schools are on the ascent. Years ago, Pitt and UMCP were looked down upon by many locals but both are now nationally ranked in terms of research and other measures. They are pretty comparable with each other. SUNY Binghamton, like Stony Brook and Geneseo, and UM Baltimore County, are fast moving up in reputation but are behind UMCP and Pitt on that curve. Pitt is more integrated into the city than UMPC and has easy access to downtown. Visit Pitt if you can as I’m sure you’ve been to College Park. If you haven’t been to Binghamton, visit there too as it’s failry isolated. Any of the three is a good choice so you’re good either way!</p>
<p>Yes, I saw that thread when you posted it before. I know plenty of people outside of NY who are familiar with Bing and consider it more solid than Pitt. I’m totally aware that I’m biased as a Long Islander but I know it’s not a tiny little unknown ‘hidden gem’ type school. Sorry for sounding defensive, best of luck with your choice swkim!</p>
<p>My perception has been that older adults (parents, etc) seem to respect Bing more than younger generations and I think it’s because Bing enjoyed a better reputation ten or twenty years ago than it does now. As such, I’m not really sure if Bing is on the rise. It may be but not at the rate that Pitt or UMCP are gaining in popularity.</p>
<p>Note: I am biased since I go to Pitt but I am also from NJ where Bing has fairly good influence.</p>
<p>i was really stuck between UMD and Pitt. Pitt was 10K cheaper and its location was better in my opinion. At a city school you can walk down a block to buy groceries, or jump on a bus and be bac within 2 hours for just about anything you could think of. With your school ID, you pay a transportation fee that allows you to go anywhere on any bus. many of the faculty here take the time to get to know you if you make the effort and the city itself feels like home after only a couple of months. i love pitt but no matter what your decision is, ultimately I have come to realize that I would probably have been happy at either. College is what you make of it. good luck with your decision!</p>