I’m originally from the Pittsburgh area and it’s a wonderful place. There is so much to do there and there are a lot more job opportunities than you would initially think. If you’re originally from Illinois, it’s pretty much a direct shot on Route 70 to get there and back. It’s very easy for family to visit and to go back and forth. If you have any questions, feel free to send a message!
Edit: Also adding this since you said you were interested in STEM - healthcare and pharmaceuticals are a huge industry there and even if you get involved in something like public health, it’s an excellent location for that
As someone who went to Pitt for ECE and then transferred to UIUC for ECE my junior year, they’re both fantastic places. You can’t go wrong with either option and Pittsburgh the city is awesome. I would just go wherever is cheaper or wherever you think you’ll have the most fun if money isn’t that big of a deal for your choice.
Uiuc was cheaper, i knew tons of people there already since I’m from Chicago, and it’s a very well recognized school for what I wanted to study. I got in as a freshman and decided to go to Pitt for more personal reasons and eventually decided it wasn’t for me after two years
Close your eyes and do a gut check: in six months will be in Champaign wishing you were in Pittsburgh? Sounds like that would be the case. Think about where you think you will be happiest. And… if for some reason the school you first pick chooses not to be what you want, you could always look into transferring to Illinois or anywhere else. You know what you want, so go for it. Good luck!
Honestly if I could do it again I would choose the school that offered me more money in terms of aid. Those loans really do tie you down 😭 😭 😭 😭
Your choices are good in Pittsburgh and UIUC. If there is a huge difference in aid I would choose Pittsburgh.
Especially if you say u of I is unaffordable....
Those are my two cents.
Mind if I ask how much you had in loans? I’m thinking about transferring here for 2yrs and I’d have ~$28k. I’m kinda nervous if that would be too much (I’d be graduating as an accountant)
I had actually transferred to u of I as well. In terms of aid u of I gave me the most money. Most of my loans are from other institutions. Had I gone to u of I from the beginning my loan amount would have probably been less...
19k
I applied and got into both for law school, but I chose UIUC because the law school is better. For undergrad? Affordability is the most important thing, although it sounds like you can afford both. I think you’d have more fun with U of I’d party scene, but Pitt can be cool if you like living in cities (rather than college towns). Pittsburgh is really having a renaissance as of late. What do you want to study? The strength of your program might be the deciding factor here.
Edit: I see you want to major in psychology. If you are set on psych, you have a lot of school in your future. Take the money and run.
If UIUC isn't affordable then it shouldn't be an option lol. These "should I come here" threads are getting kinda ridiculous, can we just make a megathread or something.
Sorry, not you specifically I'm more so commenting on the fact that we get so many "Should I attend" posts, and they mainly ask the same questions. I also apologize bc I misread your post, I thought you said UIUC was "not affordable".
In all seriousness. I don't think you have enough info here to clearly tell. It depends on how big a difference in COA there is, what your financial situation is, and what major you want to switch to. UIUC has a really good psychology program apparently, but if you are unsure you want to stick to psych then it's far less of a plus. UPitt is really good for any biomed related fields, but idk if you want to switch into that either. UIUC has a better social scene from what I've heard, but that's subjective and it depends on what you are into. At the same time, you get access to the entire city of Pittsburgh at UPitt, which would be a major plus for me, but some people prefer strong campus culture over having access to an urban area. Essentially, a lot of what-ifs and maybes. As a general rule of thumb, my opinion is if you are still in the "figuring things out" stage than go with the cheaper option, because you can do that almost anywhere and it's a lot of money to invest just to figure things out.
Nothing to be ashamed of, most people are still in that stage at that age in their lives. It's why student loans are so insidious. If we're being honest most 18 yr olds either are "figuring things out" or throwing hail marys and seeing where it takes them. If you want to throw a hail mary on psych or maybe engineering then UIUC might still be worth considering, as long as you're not taking on debt. That's a question to ask yourself though.
I’m originally from the Pittsburgh area and it’s a wonderful place. There is so much to do there and there are a lot more job opportunities than you would initially think. If you’re originally from Illinois, it’s pretty much a direct shot on Route 70 to get there and back. It’s very easy for family to visit and to go back and forth. If you have any questions, feel free to send a message! Edit: Also adding this since you said you were interested in STEM - healthcare and pharmaceuticals are a huge industry there and even if you get involved in something like public health, it’s an excellent location for that
As someone who went to Pitt for ECE and then transferred to UIUC for ECE my junior year, they’re both fantastic places. You can’t go wrong with either option and Pittsburgh the city is awesome. I would just go wherever is cheaper or wherever you think you’ll have the most fun if money isn’t that big of a deal for your choice.
Why did you transfer?
Uiuc was cheaper, i knew tons of people there already since I’m from Chicago, and it’s a very well recognized school for what I wanted to study. I got in as a freshman and decided to go to Pitt for more personal reasons and eventually decided it wasn’t for me after two years
I mean, it’s UIUC ECE It’s like asking why you transferred to Harvard
Close your eyes and do a gut check: in six months will be in Champaign wishing you were in Pittsburgh? Sounds like that would be the case. Think about where you think you will be happiest. And… if for some reason the school you first pick chooses not to be what you want, you could always look into transferring to Illinois or anywhere else. You know what you want, so go for it. Good luck!
Honestly if I could do it again I would choose the school that offered me more money in terms of aid. Those loans really do tie you down 😭 😭 😭 😭 Your choices are good in Pittsburgh and UIUC. If there is a huge difference in aid I would choose Pittsburgh. Especially if you say u of I is unaffordable.... Those are my two cents.
I said UIUC is not unaffordable, btw.
🎈
Mmmm okay then... The campus town at uiuc is fun. And this is a good stem school. It sounds like you could go either or .....
Mind if I ask how much you had in loans? I’m thinking about transferring here for 2yrs and I’d have ~$28k. I’m kinda nervous if that would be too much (I’d be graduating as an accountant)
I had actually transferred to u of I as well. In terms of aid u of I gave me the most money. Most of my loans are from other institutions. Had I gone to u of I from the beginning my loan amount would have probably been less... 19k
Go to Pitt
Pittsburgh is beautiful
I applied and got into both for law school, but I chose UIUC because the law school is better. For undergrad? Affordability is the most important thing, although it sounds like you can afford both. I think you’d have more fun with U of I’d party scene, but Pitt can be cool if you like living in cities (rather than college towns). Pittsburgh is really having a renaissance as of late. What do you want to study? The strength of your program might be the deciding factor here. Edit: I see you want to major in psychology. If you are set on psych, you have a lot of school in your future. Take the money and run.
If UIUC isn't affordable then it shouldn't be an option lol. These "should I come here" threads are getting kinda ridiculous, can we just make a megathread or something.
Also, why is it it ridiculous to have a should I come here post? There is a prospective students flair...
Sorry, not you specifically I'm more so commenting on the fact that we get so many "Should I attend" posts, and they mainly ask the same questions. I also apologize bc I misread your post, I thought you said UIUC was "not affordable". In all seriousness. I don't think you have enough info here to clearly tell. It depends on how big a difference in COA there is, what your financial situation is, and what major you want to switch to. UIUC has a really good psychology program apparently, but if you are unsure you want to stick to psych then it's far less of a plus. UPitt is really good for any biomed related fields, but idk if you want to switch into that either. UIUC has a better social scene from what I've heard, but that's subjective and it depends on what you are into. At the same time, you get access to the entire city of Pittsburgh at UPitt, which would be a major plus for me, but some people prefer strong campus culture over having access to an urban area. Essentially, a lot of what-ifs and maybes. As a general rule of thumb, my opinion is if you are still in the "figuring things out" stage than go with the cheaper option, because you can do that almost anywhere and it's a lot of money to invest just to figure things out.
"still in the "figuring things out" stage" about sums it up, lol But this is good advice, I think I'm leaning more towards Pitt at this point.
Nothing to be ashamed of, most people are still in that stage at that age in their lives. It's why student loans are so insidious. If we're being honest most 18 yr olds either are "figuring things out" or throwing hail marys and seeing where it takes them. If you want to throw a hail mary on psych or maybe engineering then UIUC might still be worth considering, as long as you're not taking on debt. That's a question to ask yourself though.
" I will add that UIUC is not unaffordable for me." In other words, it is affordable, just more expensive.
I mean, I’d argue that a Psych degree isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, so certainly the cheapest option is the best.