University of Maryland (College Park) vs. University of Pittsburgh

I would be a transfer student studying information systems (business). My situation is interesting. My parents do not know I am applying to these schools as a transfer, and I personally can only afford to apply to one. Before I make up my mind, I would really appreciate your responses.

A little background of myself which might help you guys. I am not by any means a huge partier. I know many will say that Maryland would not be right for me, but their business school is very attractive. I just hope if I went I would find my kind of people, which is why I am considering transferring in the first place.

Unfortunately for me, they are both out of state, but both cost relatively the same. What irks me is that if I follow through with this, I am going from in state to out of state. That is a strong reason why my parents might not approve of my decision. I just cannot think about going back to where I was.

In terms of my credentials; I just finished my freshman year with 34 credit hours and a 3.70 GPA (overall). I attend Virginia Tech. Maryland doesn’t require high school information once 30 credits are completed, but Pittsburgh does. My SAT scores were not anything special (1640). This is why I also feel Maryland is safer in terms of getting in. Both my parents went to UMD, too, hopefully helping my chances. I missed the priority deadline for Maryland, so I would be applying under regular.

I know this is an old discussion, but I am scrolling through the old threads trying to find something that is relevant to my situation. If you don’t mind me asking, why was Maryland so much more appealing than VT/ why didn’t you like VT? Virginia Tech is my first choice (engineering is my intended major), however, I am on the waitlist and haven’t gotten in yet. Right now I am considering University of Tennessee and University of Maryland. I was accepted for the spring at UMD, not the fall, but have the option of doing the freshman connection program in the fall. Did you end up going to UMD and how do you like it? Thanks for any insight you can give me.