I’m deciding where to go for undergrad with a possible major in Biology. I was wondering if anyone could provide some input with these three schools that are pretty closely ranked. How is the overall college experience at these universities? How do each compare and contrast.
bumpp
UConn is more rural than Pitt, which is at the center of a vibrant city.
Syracuse is private and will have both “private” costs and amenities.
Pitt has an excellent, but hard-to-get-into Honors College.
Syracuse has an excellent school of communications. Pitt is excellent for health-related majors.
Syracuse and UConn are both “party schools”.
Ultimately, to provide useful comparisons, we need to know what you’re looking for and what your profile looks like.
Are you a junior or a senior?
What are your stats (GPA, test scores, any APs?)
What’s in-state for you?
What’s your parents’ budget?
What is your “ideal” college like?
Why are you considering these three and which others are you considering?
I’ve already been accepted to the three. Tuition won’t be a problem. I’m actually a NJ resident living on the edge of PA. I’ve been leaning more towards Uconn and Upitt because they have great health-related opportunities for premed students.
“Ideal” would be a college with a decent night life. campus quality, diversity of student body, and overall academic value. Whether these factors constitute a good college i’m not sure, but these are just things I look at.
Sounds like Pitt, to me.
I would say Pitt all the way. It (arguably) has the better bio program of the 3, and has plenty of night life, and is in a more fun area.
I agree, it sounds like Pitt. 
Thanks for the replies. Pitt seems like the place for me. I was wondering if there are any arguments in favor of Uconn?
Yeah, on the basis of program and environment, I’d go with Pitt. It’s most well known for its Bio program, which is a top choice. Pittsburgh is an awesome city, not only as a college town but as a place to hang out. Assuming the financial stats check out, Pitt all the way. That being said, don’t go into more debt than need be for undergrad; Pitt is known for being hit-or-miss with aid, unless you’re exceptionally high stat and get merit aid. So, assuming money isn’t an object, be a Panther.
On the off chance that I was also interested in say, Engineering, which college has the best ranking for that?
If UConn is any cheaper than Pitt, I could make a compelling argument for being a Husky. UConn is pouring money into STEM disciplines (both Bio and Engineering which is good for you) through this initiative called “Next Generation Connecticut”. They’re updating all their facilities, hiring new and better faculty, etc. The goal is to become the leading public “STEM” university in the country. As far as campus life, Pitt simply has UConn beat. Storrs is a rural town and although Storrs Center, a small “city” adjacent to UConn’s campus, is being built, it can’t compare to Pittsburg. However, Husky pride can’t be beat so school spirit in general is a plus for UConn.
Pitt would be the best choice for engineering and sciences among the 3. While UConn might have the aspiration to improve its STEM disciplines, it does not have the resources Pitt does. For example, Pitt’s endowment is $3.49 billion (25th largest in the country) vs. $383 million for UConn. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2014_Endowment_Market_Values_Revised.pdf
Pitt also has been ranked as the 3rd largest recipient of federal research funds among all public universities and 5th among all universities.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2012/04/23/Pitt-ascends-to-third-in-federal-research-funds/stories/201204230127
All very good responses. What about Financial Planning or Economics?
Finance/Econ/Communications?
You’d need to be admitted into the appropriate college so if you were admitted for biology, you’d need to check whether it’s possible to switch to the Business school or the School of Communications, and by what process/how long it takes/how hard it is…;