<p>Hi guys I was wondering if anyone could shed light onto whether or not UPitt has a better Neuroscience program than The University of Michigan for undergrad? I'll be a pre-med. I know this was a thread already but that was a bit outdated so I was wondering which was better based on more recent events. </p>
<p>I got a free-ride to UPitt if price is the only deciding factor, but I'd like an honest (unbiased) opinion. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>congrats for the free ride to Pitt. a couple of things: UMich is generally thought of as a more prestigious and international university than Pitt; both have really good neuroscience, close enough that it probably doesn’t matter; UMich might cost you 50K more than Pitt per year; pre-meds usually want to avoid u/g debt since they’re going to acquire so much debt for med school (250-500K?) it affects what and where they practice, when they have kids, how far they commute, etc. I’d take the money in a heartbeat since med schools won’t give two hoots from where you graduate as long as you have the GPA, MCATs, recs, and research.</p>
<p>Most of the responses on this forum will be biased including mine! I do know that Pitt has a strong Neuroscience program. My son (PharmD candidate) took Neuroscience as an elective because of the reputation of the department. I agree with jkeil911 that unless Michigan is offering you a similar scholarship, then it would be difficult to pass up full tuition at Pitt. The opportunities for research and experiential learning are abundant! </p>
<p>I’m actually in the same situation as you! I’m leaning towards neuroscience for UG as a pre-med, and am narrowing my choices to Pitt, U of M, and a couple other colleges. As an in-state, the cost of attending U of M will be a lot lower than OOS status. Pitt is offering me a full tuition, though, so if the programs are similar in strength, I should just go with Pitt, since it would ultimately cost less. By the way, were you awarded a full-ride through another application or scholarship program (than Chancellor’s, which I applied for)?</p>
<p>Thanks so much guys for the advice! You’re right, no point getting a huge loan before med school. @trpro2014 if you decide to go to Pitt we should hang out! I’m also waiting for a few other colleges, but honestly no other would give me a full ride and it’d be silly to wait the opportunity. I got the Honors Challenge Full Tuition scholarship so I still have to pay for dorms, but I have enough scholarship money to cover that. I didn’t apply for it though, when I got my decision there was another package that told me I was in the honors college and got the scholarship. </p>
<p>Sure thing @Courtney1996 if I decide on Pitt, I’ll let you know! </p>
<p>Generally, you can’t go wrong with either school. Both are well known for neuroscience field (research/grad level) and have ample opportunities for undergrad research or hospital volunteering, important things to help your med school application stand out, since both schools have medical facilities adjacent to their undergrad facilities, although at Michigan there are a lot of labs in the North Campus Research Complex where you’d have to catch a shuttle (minor point). The reality is, to the typical med school admissions committee, neither school is going to harm your chances for med school over the other. Neither would provide any substantial advantage for med school admissions over the other.</p>
<p>However, there is a pretty large difference between the two school’s undergraduate neuroscience programs.</p>
<p>Pitt has a full-fledged, independent *[Department](<a href=“http://www.neuroscience.pitt.edu/]Department[/url][/i”>http://www.neuroscience.pitt.edu/)[/i</a>] of Neuroscience within its School of Arts & Sciences with a dedicated undergraduate Neuroscience teaching faculty. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, and one of the largest undergrad neuroscience programs in the country. Being its own department means that its undergraduate Neuroscience degree program is very mature in both its curriculum, available course offerings, and degree standards. It does not have to borrow faculty from other departments at their convenience in order to create or teach neuro-themed classes. Michigan has only a neuroscience *[program](<a href=“http://www.lsa.umich.edu/neurosci/academics/undergraduateprogram]program[/url][/i”>http://www.lsa.umich.edu/neurosci/academics/undergraduateprogram)[/i</a>] for undergrads, which means it has to borrow resources from the school’s departments of psychology and biology in order to construct the curriculum for its neuroscience major. Such classes may not all be neuroscience-centric. For instance, a neuro-themed class offered primarily through a psychology department will almost assuredly have more of a neuropsych bent than a neuroscience one, and that can make for a very different class even if the titles of the courses otherwise sound similar. In addition, the faculty in a Neuroscience Department are all actively engaged, specifically, in neuroscience research, and all would be active in the actual field of Neuroscience; they’d likely all be training neuroscience PhDs in their labs and are all probably attending national neuroscience meetings with regularity. Not being an full fledged department can be a pretty substantial disadvantage from the perspective of providing an actual education that is specifically focused on the field of neuroscience itself. A school with a department is likely to give you a more in-depth background and training in neuroscience, and provide more neuro-centric seminars and other neuroscience learning/training opportunities that its students and faculty are actively engaged in, as opposed to more of an overview or sometimes tangential view of neuroscience topics that one might receive from an undergrad program that doesn’t have its own dedicated faculty or other resources otherwise found in an self-sufficient program with department status.</p>
<p>Really, you can’t go wrong with either school if your goal is pre-med. If your were primarily interested in just neuroscience as a career path, particularly with a scholarship in hand at Pitt, I would absolutely recommend Pitt’s because it’s undergrad program has full fledged department status with the resources that come along with that. Visit both, get the vibes of each, weigh the costs, look at the course offerings, and even look at potential research you might want to participate in by visiting some faculty websites. As others have pointed out, having less debt to pay off after 4 years of undergrad+4 years of med school should probably be given some thought as well.</p>
<p>There is also the new Brain Institute at UPMC that should increase research opportunities.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.upmc.com/media/NewsReleases/2014/Pages/pitt-brain-institute-unlocks-brain-mysteries.aspx”>Page Not Found | UPMC;
<p>thanks for that, wgmcp.</p>
<p>My son is graduating in April with a Neuroscience Major, Chemistry minor and Medical certificate. He has been doing research in the Neuro department for two years and was a CHEM TA for 2.5 years. He too had a full ride and is planning on attending medical school. The department is very strong. And considering the debt you would be escaping the decision would be a good one. Neuroscience is a fairly challenging major at the upper levels. He has loved it and is glad he was not talked into something easier.</p>
<p>Hi everyone 
so sorry for this being so late- but thanks for all the advice! I really appreciate it. Especially @wgmcp101 that was extremely helpful. </p>
<p>@washdcmom just to clarify, is your son attending Pitt? And can you please tell me what a medical certificate is?</p>
<p>Hi TSPRO</p>
<p>Yes. He is a senior and graduates next month. University of Pittsburgh offers a Certificates program which is a little like a Minor but highly specialized. I believe his certificate focuses on moral and ethical issues around medical care. You would have to look it up on their website as I don’t know the exact title of the one he is completing. His major is Neuroscience; his minor Chemistry and he is finishing up the certificate in time for graduation.</p>
<p>@washdcmom alright thanks for the info! I’ll definitely look into the certificate opportunities.</p>