<p>While many factors in my decision will inevitably rely on my subjective opinion, I was hoping that you all could shed some perspective on whether Boston University or the University of Pittsburgh would be better for a person who may major in economics/philosophy/political science/physics. What would be the pros/cons of each (relative to each other) in terms of academics?</p>
<p>The schools are often considered peer institutions. </p>
<p>Boston U.</p>
<p>Pros:
Boston is a great city to go to college in and more importantly to be a college graduate in. This is a very well educated city. This should not be taken lightly.</p>
<p>Probably more geographic diversity i.e. you will me more people who aren’t local</p>
<p>Cons:
BU is very expensive
BU has grade deflation - many CC threads on the subject.
My neighbor who is a BU professor thinks that the best students he works with are the high school kids who attend BU Academy, a selective math/science no-nonsense private school. While those kids are very impressive and tend toward the most competitive schools, he doesn’t see too many BU students in that category and that he gets more out of working with the high school kids than the BU undergraduates. </p>
<p>Pitt:
Pros:
Cheaper</p>
<p>Has a critical mass of top students in the honors college who attend because of the free rides that Pitt gives out. If you’re not in the honors college but can maintain a 3.25 GPA, you will be eligible to take the honors courses. This could probably be a very good academic experience. </p>
<p>Top rated philosophy department</p>
<p>Big endowment for a public school, bigger endowment than BU!</p>
<p>Cross registration with Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is supposed to be a nice city</p>
<p>Cons:
Pittsburgh is not the college town that Boston is.
71% in-state </p>
<p>Graduate NRC rankings based on faculty quality (yeah I know it’s old, but it doesn’t change too much, and their not going to switch which one is higher</p>
<p>Economics: BU (#24), Pitt (#36)
Philosophy: Pitt (#2), BU (#27)
PolySci: Pitt(#30), BU (#94)
Physics: tied at #40</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>I should have also added that finances will not be a problem as I already have full tuition at the University of Pittsburgh (and am eligible for the honors college) and that I’m expecting a 30k/year scholarship from BU, but thanks for the analysis - it was helpful. Any other thoughts?</p>
<p>I usually tell my friends don’t pick a school sole on rankings because you can always achieve what you want if you put the time in
As @ClassicRockerDad stated these are two very different school interms of overall size and personality. I would tell you to try to schedule a vsit and talk to some of the students there.</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - University of Pittsburgh: Cameron L.](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hqmR2XTbs]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6hqmR2XTbs)
[YouTube</a> - Boston University: Lauren M. & Erica J.](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_bjF5niW4]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_bjF5niW4)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>LOL! I don’t think I said that.</p>
<p>It was actually hard to find dimensions where these schools could be called very different. For the most part, they are very similar in most dimensions people look at: same size (~18K undergrads), almost identical student bodies from a statistical sense, both urban in major cities that have winter, both have big time sports (though different sports B-Ball vs. Hockey).</p>
<p>The are both ranked identically at #56 in USNews ranking of national universities.</p>
<p>From my own point of view, without the scholarships, given this particular choice, it’s really hard to justify paying $15K per year more for Boston University over University of Pittsburgh. </p>
<p>For the OP, I think the choice boils down to the benefits of the Honors College vs. the benefits of going to college in Boston. Congrats on the scholarships, btw. </p>
<p>I remember the OP from the UChicago thread. I remember some of the UChicago students mentioning on that thread that Pitt Honors College would be a good safety for someone who likes Chicago. I’ve never heard that about BU.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/202213-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/202213-merit-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>At Boston you can take classes in cross-registration with other area colleges…MIT, HARVARD…why would you give up that opportunity?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Negative.</p>
<p>From [Boston</a> University - Office of the University Registrar - Registration and Classes - Cross Registration](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/reg/registration/crossreg.html]Boston”>http://www.bu.edu/reg/registration/crossreg.html)</p>
<p>"Cross registration is a formal agreement between Boston University and several local colleges and universities whereby BU students can attend courses at other institutions, and students from other institutions can attend courses at BU. The primary schools in the cross-registration consortium are Boston College, Brandeis University, Tufts University, and Hebrew College. " </p>
<p>Not convenient at all, whereas Pitt and Carnegie are practically next door.</p>
<p>bump…I ended up getting that 30k/year scholarship (:D) so now I have to decide and would like some additional opinions to consider.</p>
<p>another bump.</p>
<p>Congrats, you rock!</p>
<p>Consider the difference in cost after the scholarships. BU says its cost of attendance is $54,900. That leaves $24,900 you need to come up with for BU (before other aid).</p>
<p>cost does not matter to me at this point…as such, please refrain from any discussion about cost in any following posts. Thanks!</p>
<p>Alright let’s try this one last time.</p>
<p>Alright…I’ll bump another time…</p>
<p>My vote would go to Pitt Honors. While BU’s Econ department may be slightly stronger, in terms of overall academic strength I would give the nod to Pitt. Moreover, Pitt’s Honors program is widely respected, and doing well there will put you in an excellent position for graduate/professional school. Just my $0.02.</p>
<p>I’m sorry. I thought money was a factor as you are focusing on 2 schools that gave you merit aid. </p>
<p>I’m very familiar with both schools. Academically, they’re close. The honors college at Pitt is a big plus. Pitt seems to be on the rise academically. BU is solid but seems less up and coming.</p>
<p>BU’s campus is very urban. (Comm Ave with the T running through the center is the campus. Bay State Road has some school buildings and is a little prettier. There is also a strip of grass between the Law School and the highway.) If you haven’t visited and expect a typical campus, you’ll be disappointed. Pitt’s campus is bucolic in comparison.</p>
<p>Boston is a great city to go to school with all the colleges. During the academic year, it can seem like students outnumber the locals. The locals however can be very parochial. The “Hub of the Universe” stuff and mad worship of Boston sports teams gets old. You either like the accents or you hate the accents. BU has a bit of an inferiority complex with Harvard, MIT, Tufts, BC, et. al. nearby.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is an underrated city to go to school There are a lot of students (with Pitt, CMU, Duquesne and many smaller schools). The locals are friendly and self-deprecatory (except vis a vis Philadelphia). Though they worship the Steelers and Penguins (and the Pirates have a nice stadium), the attitude is collegy (not a word, I understand). Pitt students don’t feel inferior to CMU.</p>
<p>Boston is a world class city (with its museums, universities, the arts) but it is not NY (though the locals would never admit it). Pittsburgh is a smaller city/metro area that has everything you need (See PittArts) but it doesn’t pretend to be NY. </p>
<p>Boston is on the coast (with pretty beaches within a reasonable drive - though it is too cold during most of the academic year). Pittsburgh is a long drive to the Jersey Shore.</p>
<p>Pitt has one of the larger endowments for a public university, gets state support (dwindling?) and UPMC has become a big business. BU has a relatively small endowment and doesn’t do well fundraising compared to its peers. Hence, BU seems to be run more like a business.</p>
<p>The student bodies are different. Pitt draws the majority of its students from PA. However, PA is a diverse state. The rest come from primarily the Mid-Atlantic (MD, DC, VA), the Northeast and Ohio. BU draws heavily from New England and the tri-state NY area with a large number of full-pay internationals. Pitt seems more diverse socio-economically.</p>
<p>BU is well-known for grade deflation. Pitt does not have that reputation.</p>
<p>Pitt has big-time football and basketball. BU has hockey. </p>
<p>You can walk to Fenway Park from BU but tickets can be expensive and hard to come by. Did I mention the Pirates have a nice stadium? Steelers tickets can be expensive and hard to come by. The Penguins are always sold out but have nights when they offer discounted tickets to college students.</p>
<p>I live relatively close to Pitt so I’ve seen it many many times. I’ve also been to BU twice though I have a somewhat hazy memory of what the campus was like (I know it is not a traditional campus, though). I don’t know…I feel as though I want to leave Pittsburgh for good and I absolutely love Boston (it’s probably my favorite city in the world, second to maybe Paris - of the places I’ve been at least) but I don’t want that to be the sole deciding factor in my choice. I mean, I obviously wouldn’t mind staying in Pittsburgh (otherwise I wouldn’t be considering Pitt) but I would prefer leaving. Also, Pitt is more diverse socio-economically? I didn’t think that Pitt was diverse in any shape or form (especially socio-economically). Well, thanks for the opinion!</p>
<p>Maybe take out the “socio-”. BU will have a wealthier student body (and sometimes it shows).</p>
<p>Getting away from the area you grew up and experiencing another area is a big plus for BU (especially if you love Boston). My opinion of Boston is it’s a great place to go to school.</p>
<p>If at all possible, I would suggest another visit to BU before deciding. Your impressions of BU seem a bit vague, and you sound more motivated about leaving Western Pennsylvania than attracted to BU specifically. Choosing a college is a bit like choosing a marriage partner (for 4 years, anyway), and I would caution you not to conflate the city of Boston with BU. The vast majority of your time will be spent at the university, and no matter what city you are living in, if the university is not a good fit you are unlikely to be happy with your choice. I also think you may be underestimating Pitt somewhat due to your familiarity with the place. Again, just my $0.02.</p>
<p>One more thought from reading some more threads. </p>
<p>Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you need to maintain a 3.5 at BU to keep your scholarship, whereas I think that you only need to maintain a 3.0 at Pitt to keep your scholarship. </p>
<p>1) What is the risk that BU’s grade deflation policy will cause you to lose your scholarship, and what would your fall back plan be. If you can just afford it anyway, then the risk is only money, but suppose you get a 3.4 at BU, and you lose your scholarship. Do you have to transfer?
2) How much pressure would you feel to not take academic risks, and would that pressure detract from your experience. </p>
<p>Just another part of the overall equation.</p>