UMD Aerospace vs. Pitt Mechanical Engineering

Hi!
I’m currently deciding between mechanical engineering at Pitt and aerospace engineering at UMD. Aerospace aligns much more with what I want my career to be, and UMD is a great engineering school, but I’m worried about its large undergraduate population and party culture, as that’s not my scene.

I’ve visited Pitt and liked it, especially the location and campus in Pittsburgh, but the lack of aerospace opportunities make me nervous that I would miss out on opportunities I could have at UMD. I also got into the Honors program at Pitt and the Scholars STS program at UMD.

Any advice about how to approach this choice would be appreciated! Stories about student life and the engineering department would be great-- I’m a female going into engineering, so anything specific to that would be helpful. Thank you!

I think you should follow your heart!

I love Pitt but if it literally does not have the program you want then UMD is a fine choice. You will find your people there- it’s not all partiers.