<p>I'm just interested in hearing people's thoughts comparing U of R vs. Pitt. </p>
<p>Assume the cost difference is negligible.</p>
<p>My older son is a junior at Pitt and has had a very good experience there. Younger son will be going to Rochester in the fall.</p>
<p>I’d weigh the student’s intended major. Both schools are strong for pre-med. Rochester is probably better for econ and poly sci. Pitt is, surprisingly, very strong in philosophy and has an English Writing major, which is rare. </p>
<p>Pitt is larger and more urban, although the campus is in a pleasant area of Pittsburgh next to Carnegie Mellon, a big park, and museums. Pitt has big-time sports, as does the city (except for the Pirates).</p>
<p>The students at Rochester on average will be more academic, but Pitt has a diverse group with some brilliant kids. Rochester seems to offer better opportunities for students collaborating with professors on research (one draw for my younger son).</p>
<p>Much less snow in Pittsburgh!</p>
<p>I guarantee Rochester doesn’t offer any better undergraduate research opportunities for their students than Pitt. The opportunities may be just as good, but there is no way they offer better opportunities in the medical/biosciences, and I stake my neuroscience PhD on it.</p>
<p>In Pittsburgh, you can get fries on your sandwich.</p>
<p>Seriously? Size, sports. We’re talking 17k undergrads and Div 1 sports. Some like the sports thing while others are turned off by the way the Div 1 programs run. </p>
<p>My brother is sending his kids to a smaller school than the big school where he was very successful. His experience. I think every kid reacts to size differently. As I’ve noted elsewhere, size can be intimidating and that affects how you interact with social activities and clubs. At a smaller school, people seem able to cross lines more easily because people know each other well enough to get past pigeon-holing and cliques.</p>