Your thoughts on U Pitt. Was accepted on full merit scholarship. Should I attend? Major is microbiology. Still waiting to hear from several other universities. Also got to U of Miami. Thanks for your thoughts!
To get a more useful response, it would be good if you could say what you are looking for in a college, what you like or don’t like. Obviously, we are either Pitt students or parents here so we are going to say Pitt is great. Full merit meaning full tuition or full ride? Also, are you planning on continuing onto Medical or grad school?
I’m an alumnus of both Pitt and Miami with undergrad and graduate degrees in fields of the biological sciences. Honestly, if academics and quality of the programs of your desired major are important to you, then it isn’t really close. Pitt is much better in the bio/health sciences. There really aren’t much better schools for undergrads in the biosciences than Pitt.
I’ve received a full tuition scholarship and I’m very grateful for that. I am thinking in the direction of medicine but frankly, anything can happen in 4 years… I do see myself earning a higher degree though (there’s little to do with a BA/BS.) I’m looking for an environment that is academically challenging, and is sport oriented, as I LOVE anything sport.
If you are thinking about medical school, it might be nice to have a tuition-free undergrad. Medical school is really expensive. Pitt has great reputation in the medical world, so that’s a positive, too. Good luck!
I have two at Pitt and another one starting in the fall. Pitt has fantastic medical/research opportunities - which you can pursue as early as your freshman yr. There are multiple hospitals and research labs in and around Pitt, and Pitt received the sixth largest NIH funding in the nation last yr - which translates into lots of opportunities for undergrads to get involved as soon as they want to. My dd (current bioE soph) has been involved in her lab since 2nd semester freshman yr, is second or third author on 2 publications and will be beginning her own research project in that lab this summer. I don’t think she would’ve had those opportunities if she had gone to her other choices. My ds (current sr) was also considering Miami - I believe the campus vibe (more well-to-do students, new sportscars, etc) and the distance between campus and the medical school were issues. As far as sports oriented, I can only say Pitt has teams which make it hard to root for - moments of brilliance and then disappointing near-wins. But yes, Pittsburgh is a big sports town.
FYI, for FY2014, Pitt received the 5th most NIH funding.
- Johns Hopkins
- UCSF
- UPenn
- Washington
- Pitt
Miami is 55 spots, and over $320 million in research funding lower.
BTW amandakyak, the distance between Coral Gables and the med school…about eight miles and a metrorail connection… actually proves to be a pretty significant barrier. There were almost no undergrads working in the labs when I was there. Sounds like your dd is right on track and taking advantage of the opportunities. That is going to look impressive to graduate admissions committees.
It’s not like Miami has been tearing it up in sports either. 35-23 Pitt.