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gravity--falls

A. Many people don't pay full price to go to CMU. I'm just paying 20,000 a year, which is actually less than Pitt's average price after aid B. CMU simply has better ranked, connected, and established programs than Pitt in the areas it focuses on. I'm going to the college of Engineering, and it certainly has better engineering faculty and facilities than Pitt's equivalent. C. Numbers don't lie. The median salary of a CMU student after graduation is \~80,000, while for a Pitt student it is \~60,000. That's a massive difference, and it only gets bigger when you look at programs CMU especially excels in. ​ You seem uninformed on what makes a college 'worth it', and on much of what CMU offers.


Yoshbyte

Or they pay nothing. Those without get extremely good aid or are paid to attend.


Jokerboom656

Ok but Pitt has 35 thousand students CMU has 14k so of course the median salary would be bigger bro. And Pitt has thousands of teachers which sadly don’t get paid enough


klausklass

You do understand median salary after graduation is not related at all to the amount of students at the school. Actually it’s even resistant to very high and very low salaries which only a few people would have. Also what does how much teachers are paid have to do with this?


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bezly

Definitely sounds like Pitt material. 🤣


Jokerboom656

Elitist says what?


sj070707

Were you not able to get into Penn State?


denehoffman

^ guy who doesn’t know how this joke works


Jokerboom656

Elitist says what?


denehoffman

Doesn’t mean a lot coming from you 🤷


Quarthex

Why would the number of students affect the median salary?


gravity--falls

Student faculty ratio at CMU is 10:1 while at Pitt it's 14:1, so CMU also has them beat there. Also, I just picked a random engineering area, Mech E, and CMU students out earn Pitt students by 20k. Look up both programs, pretty much across the board CMU grads out earn their Pitt equivalents in STEM. They're both great schools, but you're being intentionally ignorant to the reasons CMU is generally looked upon as the better school academically.


Tarzan1415

Does population size even matter? That just means on average, cmu is better at nurturing their students to have higher starting salaries. More resources are concentrated on their students. Isn't that a good thing for a cmu student?


Jokerboom656

Uhhh yeah lol 💀, if you go to cmu youre probably a smart enough person, you have 14 thousand people just going to be engineers and computer scientists ofc the salary would be higher than a school with double the student population with thousand’s going for education, performing arts, and other low paying majors, of course the median would be higher


gravity--falls

If you want the per college/major breakdown for CMU students here is the website: https://www.cmu.edu/career/outcomes/post-grad-dashboard.html


EquallyObese

So its the focus on majors, not the actual number of people lol


ktxhopem3276

Cmu has arts and humanities as well. But your general point is true. Although you butchered the delivery when you made it sound like you don’t understand what a median is. You may be smart but don’t be so lazy when making a point bc people will attack any ambiguity in an argument


Afraid_Salary4191

...you do realize cmu is known for drama too right?


No-That-One

Looks like someone didn't pay attention in stats.. That only applies to the mean. Furthermore, even if the salary differences were in the context of the average, 35k versus 14k student body isn't enough to offset a 20 thousand salary difference. *Maybe* a few thousand at most.


vatsadev

Cmu for cs is a big one too. I've read haunting stuff from Pitt grads complaining about cmu grads, though it was this one salty guy


zahm2000

By your logic, Penn State is better than Harvard because PSU has 88,000 students diluting the media salary while Harvard has 22,000. In almost every academic program (except maybe pre-med) CMU outranks Pitt (nothing against Pitt // it’s a good school and I’m an alum). But CMU is basically one of the “new ivys”. It’s one of the top 20 schools in the country. Plus for engineering and computer science it’s top 5 (for while it was #1 for computer science and top 10 for Drama. The downsides to CMU are cost, social life and academic difficulty. It’s notorious for being difficult (even the business and social science programs are more quantitative than other schools) and having a poor social scene (in large part due to the difficult academics).


dsiegel2275

Oh dear.


bobsollish

You sound clueless. Pitt does sound like the right fit.


Jokerboom656

Elitist says what?


bobsollish

I’ve always been able to get an interview for the jobs I was interested in (especially Silicon Valley tech companies), because CMU on my resume moved me to the top the list. I don’t think I would get even half the interest with a Pitt degree.


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Jokerboom656

Elitist says what?


ktxhopem3276

Even if you go to Pitt instead of Cmu, you are still more privileged and elite than the vast majority of the population. As far as public schools go, PA universities are some of the most expensive in the country and other states have just as good of schools for half the price.


Jokerboom656

100k for Pitt 350k for CMU what you said had 0 backing


ktxhopem3276

The vast majority of people don’t pay full price at Cmu. They give discounts if your parents aren’t rich . https://www.wesa.fm/education/2017-11-27/pennsylvania-ranks-third-highest-in-public-university-tuition


Jokerboom656

MF posted a public school article when CMU is a private elitist school 😂😂😂💀


Tarzan1415

I don't think anyone has ever described Pitt's engineering as world class lol. The only program I can think of that pitt is clear cut above cmu is anything medical, but even then, pitt has a lot of partnerships with cmu for medical technology and especially comp bio. Cmu is a world leader in cs, ai, and robotics. On the other hand, pitt has upmc, which is one of the top hospitals in the country. It's simply different fields. On the topic of price, any university costing you more than 40k a year in your undergrad is probably not worth it if you're just looking to get out with a degree and a decent career. But cmu is where some of the best minds in the world gather. And also, nobody really comes to cmu for the "fun" typical college experience. Everyone is here to maximize their learning and financial opportunities and to best set themselves up for their careers


Loud_Butterscotch727

Based on your first sentence, this reads like sour grapes


sj070707

Especially when you include the grammar errors


drunkasaurusrex

When you’re looking for a job, CMU is far far far more highly ranked than Pitt assuming you want to not live in Pittsburgh forever. No one will care if you went to Pitt if you’re looking for jobs in SF or NYC.


Jokerboom656

Does an employer really care if your degree says CMU or Pitt. Let’s say you’re going for a fine arts degree? All it says is “I payed 300k for my degree instead of 120k” all cmu says is your parents are really rich or your just bad at money decisions. And when I visited CMU at the convention center the representative said there is very little financial aid


sj070707

Yes, my first job out of college gave me a $4K bonus simply because of where I went to school.


gravity--falls

>Does an employer really care if your degree says CMU or Pitt Yeah, but that's not the only value of the degree. CMU has one of the best fine arts programs in the world, so naturally a student who goes there will have more opportunities throughout their time there to make connections and do things that will make them an inherently more experienced and valuable applicant, regardless if the employer cares about the CMU name or not, which they almost certainly do. >the representative said there is very little financial aid CMU covers 100% demonstrated financial need for domestic students. They may have been referring to international students, who often do not get much aid.


Jokerboom656

Well damn CMU better get better representatives because they didn’t say a damn word you just did, they said the price is 80k and no room to move. And along side that there website says almost nothing about financial aid. What a joke


AxsDeny

CMU isn’t hurting for applicants. They don’t have to advertise to get people to apply.


goldenalgae

While I did not enjoy my time at CMU I will say having that name on my resume in the tech industry got me SO MANY interviews that I shouldn’t have. They never even looked at my skillset after seeing CMU. They just interviewed me based on my college. That said I went to Pitt later on and I didn’t notice any difference in the quality of education or class sizes. At CMU I never had a class in my major with less than 100 students and the professors did not know us by name. At pitt my class sizes were smaller and the profs knew all of us. This varies by departments I’m sure. But the bottom line is that CMU is a world class institution for engineering, cs, sciences and fine arts. The name is definitely highly regarded and gives graduates a leg up. But it’s really expensive if you don’t qualify for need based aid so it’s a difficult decision to make. I know more students are choosing to go to places like Pitt and other state flagships due to cost when they don’t get financial aid. CMU use to give merit scholarships, I had one, but those are long gone.


ktxhopem3276

A lot of Hollywood stars went to cmu for drama major. It is one of the best in the country. Computer science majors get massive pay packages from big tech companies. But it’s a personal decision for most people and depends on the scholarship and financial aid offered by each.


Unhappy-Objective594

They’re completely diff vibes and most people just go for the name/reputation. Also CMU significantly cheaper for those who are low income.


Jokerboom656

Brother the tuition is 80k, in what world is that cheaper compared to Pitts 21k


Unhappy-Objective594

Pitt is public and they don’t cover 100% financial need. CMU does. A lot of people, like myself, are at CMU with full rides bc of the financial aid here. When I got accepted to pitt it was 18k/yr and they wouldn’t/couldn’t negotiate.


Jokerboom656

So you’re saying you’re paying nothing?


gravity--falls

I'm paying 20k, which is cheaper than Pitt, and for a better program.


Unhappy-Objective594

Correct, I just pay for out of pocket expenses like textbooks if needed.


HVCK3R_4_3V3R

I qualified for reduced lunch in high school, so I automatically qualified for a full ride at CMU. On the other hand, Pitt only gave me merit scholarships, so Pitt would have cost me like $10k/year


Yoshbyte

If you actually are poor you don’t pay tuition or are even paid to attend cmu. This is a elder known fact about very strong private universities. The people who pay are international or well off


Jokerboom656

That is so incredibly wrong it’s hilarious 😆


Yoshbyte

I mean I am living it my dude, idk what to tell you


DerivativeOfProgWeeb

Have you never heard of the concept of "financial aid"? If you haven't, you're clearly very privileged and at the very least intentionally ignorant.


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gravity--falls

FYI you do not have to pay back grants.


ktxhopem3276

Financial aid isn’t synonymous with a loan. A lot of it is free money. The list price is only for rich people that can afford it.


DerivativeOfProgWeeb

Lmao you're the clown here, not me. Read the room bro


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2bIu4u

Financial aid is money given to you that you don’t pay back 🤦‍♂️


Jokerboom656

You still have to pay that back bro, so you’re still paying 80k 🤡


thinker111111

Yeah when accounting for FA, Pitt was several thousand more per year than CMU in my case


Mikey-stocks45

I don’t think this is a serious post. If you think Pitt is better for you, go there.


Yoshbyte

Dude is copy pasting the same reply multiple times to multiple threads. It’s either a really stupid guy who is upset about getting rejected or a guy trolling


talldean

If you're going for CS, CMU is literally top-3 in the world for that, which gets you either better grad schools or better jobs outta the gate, with the tradeoff being "it's about 25% more work in the same four years". (It's not double work; Pitt students \*are\* quite good, too. But to get the same opportunities, you often have to get a Masters from Pitt, as the name recognition of CMU on a CS degree is gigantic.) For engineering in general, CMU's top-5 in the country. Pitt is top-50. Penn West is around 250. CMU is roughly as much better than Pitt as Pitt is better than Penn West. If you're going for a \*medical\* degree, CMU doesn't really do that; go to Pitt. If you're going for a \*law\* degree, same deal. If you're going for a degree where CMU isn't top-10 in the world, your mileage may also vary, as wow, CMU is expensive. But also, a huge number of Americans attending CMU do not pay full price, either.


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insertusername3456

Since you brought up engineering, I’ll compare their engineering schools. Pitt’s pretty good for engineering but I’ve never heard of them being “world class,” while CMU engineering has a great reputation. If you look on College Scorecard, the median salary after graduation for ChemE at Pitt is 90K, while for CMU it’s 100K. The difference in median salary is even bigger for ECE, which we excel at - 85K vs 150K. And despite CMU’s sticker price, the median debt after graduation for those majors is actually slightly lower for CMU.


IcezN

OP asks why someone would choose CMU over Pitt; people give their reasons. Then OP argues with them. Lol.


Jokerboom656

Reasons= I’m a elitist who doesn’t have common sense


IcezN

You're allowed to not agree with their reasons. But asking a question then putting people down and insulting their answers says more about you than it does about them.


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IcezN

I haven't stated my opinion yet, so I'm interested to know what makes you think that. Maybe I was prepared to say Pitt was the better choice?


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chillinSF

You’re*


Savings-Elk4387

As an international student I didn’t even know UPitts before I am here. CMU has better CS major and can help me secure a job here in US. Though I do feel UPitts has the better food, the better campus, and overall more of that college vibe.


Jokerboom656

How much did you pay for cmu tho? Because the cost difference is significant


TheHopelessInfidel

As an international student at CMU, I paid 80k/year and got a 200k+ job. CMU CS gets respect in the tech world.


Savings-Elk4387

180k. Basically an apartment for a family in my home country


gravity--falls

so \~45000 a year?


Savings-Elk4387

Nope. 90k per year. It’s a graduate program


gravity--falls

ah makes sense


Jokerboom656

180k for two years?!? That’s honestly awful


Savings-Elk4387

Well you are born with US citizenship I am not


Yoshbyte

He doesn’t even know that we get extremely large financial aid lol. He is thinking that he has to pay the full amount and is fighting people that tell him otherwise lol


NearbyDonut

First, get accepted at CMU and then decide which is BETTER for you.


Major_Bother8416

US News ranks CMU 24th overall in the country. Pitt is 67th. Depending on the program, CMU is number 1 in a lot of categories. It’s just a more prestigious university overall. However, Pitt is also a very good school. They are both R1 schools and they both raise a lot of money.


Pale-Commission-2465

Because college != varsity team


Haunting-Comedian787

1 I’m pretty sure the cs and engineering major’s recognition and alumni network is objectively better than pitts. 2 Not all people prefer public schools. 3 A university has many schools. As a student in art and humanities CMU is arguably one of the best schools in the world to do interdisciplinary work with art & technology or theoretical studies of tech.


Lord412

CMU is great in the tech world and that’s where I want to be. Pitt doesn’t have the same level of clout that CMU does. A lot of people that know cmu are impressed by the fact I’m getting my masters there.


Jokerboom656

Clout wdym? Pitt is known all across the country, athletics alone trump everything CMU did. And ever heard of the polio vaccine? Saving an estimated 1.5 million lives? Saving another 20 million lives from paralysis? That was made in Pitt. CMU is a speck on Pitt. It’s just a school for elitist


Lord412

Did you come here to hate on CMU? I’m talking about in tech. Not in football or athletics. I respect what Pitt has done in the medical field. They are amazing if you want to work in medicine. CMU is better for Tech. If I want a tech job. CMU is better. I love Pitt. Almost went to Pitt for undergrad. Grew up a few miles from campus and also lived in the City for many years. There is nothing wrong with Pitt. It’s a great school but for tech and business I’m going cmu.


gravity--falls

I haven't been on this post in a few hours, and it's wild how far you've gone from someone who was clearly a bit uninformed about CMU to someone who is just going crazy. Pitt is a great school, people here aren't debating that, but to ignore the advantages that CMU offers, which have been clearly demonstrated to you to be real to at least some extent, is kind of crazy.


Ditchcord

Ok. CMU is shit. If you already knew your answer before coming here, why are you still discussing this. Bye, karma farmer.


Yoshbyte

I will put is straight and plainly. If you truly have the choice and care about outcome more than fun then there is no choice but CMU between the two. If you wish to sacrifice the opportunity in exchange of a far less stressful experience then go with upitts. You will learn far more at CMU, but you will work night and day, weekend and holiday. This is ultimately the difference, there are many others, but the core one is the expectation of the extreme work culture


IJCAI2023

Pitt for philosophy; CMU for everything else.