Cost is not a deciding factor, scholarships have evened out their cost. I love the city, I’m kinda turned off that IU is in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know specifically what I want to study, but something in the Arts & Sciences. I’m very concerned with social life. I love that Pitt is in the city but I feel like it’s not as good of a party school, I feel like IU offers more of a traditional college experience. I’ve visited and stayed with friends at Pitt so I’m very comfortable with it. While I’ve visited IU and toured I’ve never gone out at night with friends so it’s more “unknown” to me. Anyone have anything to say about comparing the two?
I don’t know what you mean by “party school” if Pitt doesn’t qualify. There’s lots to do at Pitt and with Pitt. Certainly there are all the frat parties a serious student could desire. There seem to be enough complaints about rowdy dorm mates to suggest that not everyone is studying on weekdays. The university puts on a lot of activities for students that don’t primarily involve alcohol, and Pitt has major competitive sports teams in major conferences. Pitt also supports a lot of off-campus hiking, biking, climbing, canoeing, kayaking, etc. activities, and the city of Pittsburgh is a major sports town with some very good teams. Pittsburgh is also an amazing cultural center steeped in American history, with some terrific museums, libraries, memorials, etc. I’d much rather be at Pitt than, say, UConn, Penn State, or UIUC (I don’t know IU) if I was “very concerned with social life.”
My understanding is that it also is not difficult to find a party off-campus in South Oakland. When you’re 21 (wink - not encouraging fake IDs that can get you in trouble), there are bars on streets abutting campus, and on the Southside, Carson Street between Southside Works and Station Square offers one of the longest strip of bars I’ve seen in the country. Apart from these extra-curricular activities, Pitt also has PittArts which offers free or deeply discounted tickets to performances in Pittsburgh. There are also always opportunities to go to concerts in whatever music genre you like as it is a decent sized city. Pittsburgh is also becoming a really good foodie city if you like to try different restaurants.