<p>Hey everyone, so you probably know my situation by now. I'm still split between Syracuse and Pitt. Now that both school's financial aid offers have come, I'm wondering where would u go with this additional info?</p>
<p>Pitt:
$34736 Total Cost
-16250 Grants, Scholarships, and Work Study
-7500 Loans
= $10986 Estimated 1 yr. cost</p>
<p>Syracuse:
$50000 Total Cost
-26700 Grants, Scholarships, and Work Study
-7500 Loans
= $15800 Estimated 1 yr. cost</p>
<p>I know that Syracuse is a little more prestigious, but is it worth the, for some, negligible extra cost? </p>
<p>For those that don't know, I'm from MA and am planning to major in Int'l Business (Or a similar program). I like how both schools have great school spirit, good academics, pretty good prestige, and fairly large sizes that aren't overwhelming. I do not like how Pitt is so far away (10 hours compared to 5) or how cold and desolate Syracuse, NY is.</p>
<p>Do you happen to know which has a better program in your area of interest? </p>
<p>Is money an issue for you? If the $5000 isn’t a problem for you then you can decide without regard to money, but if money is an issue then there is a lot you can do with $5000 extra each year!</p>
<p>FWIW my son turned down Univ. of Chicago and Northwestern for Pitt. In his interactions with faculty, admissions and students he has found Pitt to be helpful, reponsive, supportive and welcoming. The atmosphere on campus is very happy and the campus is great.</p>
<p>I know very little about Syracuse (even though I live a couple hours away) except what I hear about basketball. But the winters here in Western NY are snowy and cold but livable.</p>
<p>If you haven’t visited I would visit just to see. Maybe check out the student websites and facebook groups.</p>
<p>You have a couple good options which is great! Wherever you go, have a great year next year!</p>
<p>Thanks Jamiecakes, and to answer your questions.</p>
<p>Money is an issue for us. Although 5k isn’t really too much (Extra travel expenses for going to Pitt will add up too), it is still fairly substantial considering today’s economic climate. It has hit my family pretty hard.</p>
<p>I know that Syracuse has a better business school than Pitt but I don’t know if this is a negligible or large difference in the real world, which is what I hope to find out here. It’s rated about 25 spots higher on Businessweek and I think it has a better facility than Pitt. People around here are also wowed more by my Syracuse acceptance than my Pitt acceptance. (Again, is this a dealbreaker?)</p>
<p>As for atmosphere, I have visited both actually and they are very different and I like them both. I like Pitt’s city environment but also like Syracuse’s more traditional campus.</p>
<p>In the business world connections count. So where do you envision yourself seeking employment after college graduation? New York City? Boston? Philadelphia? If you are looking at NYC, for example, there is a huge Syracuse alumni base there. Philadelphia? Maybe a different story.</p>
<p>I see myself in Boston, NYC, or Hong Kong (Most of my family’s there, lots of opportunities) after I’m done with school. I think that for all these places, Syracuse is a better choice right?</p>
<p>And yeah Pittsburgh’s an amazing city, but its kinda far and I wouldn’t want to stay there after college.</p>
<p>Perhaps it is a bit of not appreciating what you have until it’s gone. I got into Syracuse and went to Northeastern instead. If you haven’t already done so, attend a couple of business classes at Northeastern and Syracuse. Then let’s talk. NU accepts 39 percent of their applicants and math 600 - 680; Syracuse accepts 51 percent of their applicants and math 570 - 680 so I don’t get the prestige thingy unless it means you’re in a nowheresville NY watching the snow plows go by. Now, if you told me that you got in their school of architecture, that would be a whole different thing. It does have a nice campus, just a campus that will be covered with snow for most of the months you will be there. </p>
<p>Bottom line, I’m saying that time away from Boston will make you appreciate what you gave up. Big time. It’s not that Syracuse is that bitterly cold, because it’s not. It’s that the school is on the wrong side of the lake so it gets dumped on with snow and cloudy versus sunny days. Pittsburgh is a fine city but doesn’t compare it to Beantown.</p>
<p>I’m quite aware of how nice Boston is and how Northeastern’s program is comparable, but I just don’t want to be so close to home for college. I also don’t really want to be in college for 5 years for co-op (I know it’s great, but not for me). As for financial aid offers, I received similar packages from Drexel and Northeastern compared to Syracuse (Going to have to pay around 15k a year). Binghamton and Delaware I got about 13k each. </p>
<p>But I’ve really narrowed it down to just Pitt and Syracuse, I think they’re both better fits for me than my other choices.</p>
<p>Agreed. And I can understand you wanting to get away from home. I don’t think you got the feedback you really were looking for but at the end of the day, you have to be happy. </p>
<p>I am slightly leaning towards Syracuse, but everything I’ve said pretty much echoes the ideas of those around me (Prestige, supposedly being better in the area). I’m completely fine with those arguing Pitt saying that those ideas are faulty. I loved my visits there too.</p>