<p>hi guys, i was surprised because i was looking through college books and found out that university of pittsburgh has a lower acceptance rate and higher gpa/sat scores than pennstate university park does. does this mean it is harder to get into upitt rather than pennstate?</p>
<p>There's not much of a difference, but I think Penn State is better overall (more top notch programs). Pitt is still a very solid school and not very behind.</p>
<p>If you're considering these schools you might want to visit to decide which is a better fit. I disagree that "there's not much difference" between the two. Pitt's undergrad enrollment is about half of Penn State's. Pitt's setting is urban. Penn State's is suburban. Admission to Pitt seems to be getting more selective each year. It all depends what you're looking for.</p>
<p>PSU has some top ranked programs in the U.S. if that is something that is important to you. They also have a great deal of varied research and undergrad research opportunities due to their size.</p>
<p>Yes, a lower acceptance rate with higher stats means it is harder to get into Pitt. The two schools attract many of the same applicants. </p>
<p>I'd be curious to know which programs at Penn State are more "top notch" than those at Pitt. Certainly not anything medical, engineering, business, philosophy or languages. However, I think Penn State's Honors College as a separate entity is better than Pitt's Honors College, which attempts to be integrated into the university. Actually, Pitt is a well regarded major research university, probably moreso than Penn State. There are tons of opportunities for undergrad research at Pitt. </p>
<p>Overall, Pitt and Penn State are probably on par with each other academically. There are differences, though. Pitt has about 23,000 students vs about 43,000 at Penn State. Penn State has more jumbo-size classes than Pitt, and it can be more difficult to get into the classes you want. Penn State is rural (although cars do run all through it): it is a small town that revolves around the university and there is basically nothing to do beyond PSU. Pitt is urban: it has a campus with city traffic but it has all the cultural, sports and shopping amenities of a city. It is just a matter of personal preference. You should really visit each to see what suits you best.</p>
<p>helpmeout, what area are you interested in? There may be a difference in quality at the department level.</p>
<p>You cant compare Business between Pitt and Penn State.</p>
<p>Penn State:</p>
<p>Business
Journalism
Geography
Meteorology</p>
<p>I def. missed a few programs for sure. As I said, they're both terrific schools and fairly equal academically.</p>
<p>I must admit, I'm not sure about Pitt's vs Penn State's undergrad business school, but the Katz Graduate School of Business is consistanly in the top 20 business schools nationally and the top 35 internationally. Certainly neither one would be "bad".</p>
<p>Here is a recent article from Business Week that ranks B-schools. It seem that both Pitt and Penn State rank somewhere from 31 to 50.<br>
<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/00/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/00/index.html</a></p>
<p>I gotta give you meteorology! I don't think Pitt has that major.</p>
<p>Prospective students should consider (1) the strength of their department of interest and (2) the physical environment they are most comfortable with...because they could not be more different.</p>
<p>im interested in communications. which one would you guys think fits this major more?</p>
<p>From what I know, Penn State has a better regarded communications school, although I wouldnt doubt Pitt's is good too.</p>
<p>Pitt and Penn State are very different schools as one poster noted above. You should visit each school both on a weekday and a weekend night.</p>
<p>Penn State as you probably know is a big football school, Pitt we felt wasn't just about football or basketball - there were lots of different sport teams both professional and Pitt teams as well as the city of Pittsburgh. PA State is in a beautiful, rural location. The student populations are large at both schools and there is definitely a lot going on at both. Penn State Alumni have VERY strong ties to Penn State - like no other school I have seen.</p>
<p>from what i heard from a pitt admissions counselor, pitt and penn state are basically on the same level, academically speaking. the main differences between the two are location (pitt= big city, penn= small town), and size (penn state has many more students than does pitt).</p>
<p>Yeah I mainly just think if you're not going into either the accelerated programs or grad schools, it simply depends on what atmosphere best suits you. Pittsburgh is a nice size friendly city with numerous attractions. Penn State is more of a College town, nothing nearby, but the school is gihugic. You should visit both if you can't make a decision.</p>
<p>What do you think of their respective Honors programs?</p>
<p>Penn State Honors program/ college requires approx. a 1450/1600 SAT and is largely math/science/quant. oriented. (Not exclusively, though.) A Penn State honors student usually qualifies for the most elite schools in the nation. The PSU honors program started out as a research based and oriented program. If you want a massive state school atmosphere and you know what you want to study then PSU's honors program is good. Pitt's honors program grants a philosophy degree after completion of a thesis. Pitt's honors is better because it is available to a wider cross-section of students and requires a thesis. It is hard to critique Penn State because one out of every 6 or 7 degree holders in the U.S. went to PSU and critics get bombarded with emotionally charged responses. I have dozens of friends who graduated PSU and loved it. If you can get into PSU's honors program, you can get into almost any school. PSU has a large communications dept. Syracuse University has a great communications school. The Newhouse School of Communications is a much better option for those wishing to study communications. PSU is a very heavy party school--which can be fine if that is a large part of what you are seeking in college-- my friends loved it and all graduated within 4 years.</p>
<p>I know kids with significantly lower stats who got into Schreyer and I know kids with significantly higher. It's an amazing program, but I wouldnt say you need necessarily top stats to get in. I know people who both liked and disliked it. I know people in Pitt's who love it.</p>
<p>Really trying to get a feel for the Pitt Honors program. The more we look at it the better it looks. However, our son knows little about the academics at Pitt but really likes the size, the gentrified urban setting, and the cultural opportunities. It's likely that we'll be travelling there shortly but may still not get a good read on the quality of the academics.</p>
<p>BOSTON: Could you share more info. re: stats of students admitted to Penn State's honors program? Thank you.</p>
<p>My daughter didn't apply to Penn State because we knew that she would get only a small merit scholarship, and tuition is very expensive OOS. At Pitt, she received a full-tuition scholarship. (She is NMF and has 1480/1600.) She wanted urban rather than rural, and she's not into sports. Pitt seems to be a good fit, and she's enjoying it so far. (She's a freshman.) I think that most people will lean one way or the other, and a lot depends on what you want to study. I did hear that the Penn State honors program is excellent, whereas Pitt's honors college is more "loose" in that how much you participate depends on you. If you want any more info, PM me.</p>
<p>Pitt and PSU are both state schools and I think the similarity ends there. I am more familiar with Pitt and prefer Pitt to PSU for many reasons. Pitt is an urban school with amazing opportunities just a walk or short (free) bus ride away. The medical facilities offer research and internships that are amazing. The medical opportunites are magnificent. The engineering and business schools are top notch. The nursing school consistently ranks in the top 10. The dorms and on campus apts and suites are terrific and well maintained. The food options are too numerous to mention. The sports programs are fun and the kids love to go to football and basketball games. There are museums, parks, theatre, diverse neighborhoods to check out for shopping, eating, etc. The academics at Pitt are just getting better and better. The student body is friendly and bright- But, if you don't like urban then maybe you should check out PSu if you prefer to stay in the PA state school system-- good luck!!! go pitt!!!</p>