Admitted Student Day

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
1

Did anyone else attend Pitt’s Admitted Student Day on Monday? I did and frankly, the tours were good but I found the presentations very underwhelming (especially the Dietrich one). All of us had already been admitted so this was the school’s opportunity to really fire everyone up about Pitt and I thought it fell flat. They have to have the ability to put together compelling and exciting videos about the school, Pittsburgh and its opportunities. Plus informative videos about student life. And they didn’t.

I’m torn between Pitt and another school (which did go all out on its open house day) and I’m really bummed because I thought the day might put Pitt on top. I LOVE Pittsburgh (especially the Penguins) and always imagined living there for 4 years (getting discounted tix to hockey games) but that isn’t enough to get me to the school. And I don’t feel like I have a much better idea now of what Pitt will provide than what I knew before.

If admissions is reading this, maybe work with the Film and Media department to put together something much more exciting. Or hire a consultant.

Am I alone in this opinion?

1 Like
2

I totally agree. It was disappointing. I was hoping for a little more excitement but it was very flat. Nothing that really said - We Want You!

1 Like
3

The Blue and Gold days Pitt offers in the summer is the tour that sells Pitt and the City. It was the best College tour of all the tours we took. It is an all day 7:00 to 3:00 it has buses with student tour guides that take you into the city and upper campus. There are so many choices you can’t do it all but you make it the tour that is best for you/student.

4

Does anyone know where “Personalized Pitt” visits fit into the equation? Is that in lieu of going to an admitted student day? After being admitted, my son received emails encouraging him to schedule a Personalized Pitt visit, which he has done but the date isn’t until January. I’m not sure if every admitted student receives the offer or if it is limited and based on something else (e.g., certain majors, geography, test scores, financial need (travel is reimbursed)???). Anyone have any intel about the Personalized Pitt program? Thanks!

5

I thought the 3 student-led tours were good–Heart of Campus, Pittsburgh and Upper Campus. But those are so dependent on your tour guide that it is hard to say that they are better or worse than other school tours. The presentations were not good.

I have not received anything about a Personalized Pitt visit, so that must only go to certain students.

6

This is so disappointing to read. D20 was accepted and we are planning to attend ASD in February. She’s never seen the campus! And it’s one of her top choices so we’re hoping for a great experience there.

Does anyone know how to arrange an overnight stay with current Pitt students, and whether that is a common thing to do there?

I looked up Personalized Pitt-- it’s by invitation only and she didn’t get one :frowning:

7

We didn’t go to an admitted student day because my D couldn’t find a date that worked for her but I thought you could set up a visit with the major department and sit in on classes if you were interested.

I would think that would give you more information about bring a student there than just a presentation.

Some students and parents visit Pitt on accepted student day for the first time so that’s probably why they have presentations and tours.

8

I don’t think there is an overnight stay option.

9

@TimeFlies2 Please let us know how the Admitted Student Day visit goes! We are trying to get D20 (ideally with one or both parents who have never seen the campus!) but the calendar is challenging…

10

@Itisatruth I’ll be happy to report back. Our whole family is now going because S20 was accepted too. It’s one of the very few schools that both my kids (twins) applied to. He sent in an application after D20’s acceptance because we are all so high on Pitt at the moment. Gotta love rolling admissions.

I really hope we like it…

11

We are also heading with D to Admitted Student Day this Monday (President’s Day). Will report back as well. Curious if it will be as impressive as the Blue and Gold Day was in summer! Went to Admitted Student Day at PSU last week. It was nothing to write home about.

12

We decided to take a 4 day weekend for a family vacation to Pittsburgh to check out the city. The Aviary is not to be missed and we really enjoyed the botanical gardens. The museums are impressive and we couldn’t do half of what was on our list. The Carnegie dinos and gems are incredible and are very near the Cathedral of Learning. We explored the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh and enjoyed a ton of great food. This is definitely a foodie city.

Monday we had admitted student day. We learned quite a bit about the Pitt engineering program and all that it has to offer. We are really impressed by the study abroad options for engineers as this is important for our D. We learned more about the Co-op program for Pitt which certainly seems to be a strength for them. We enjoyed the bus tour of the city but it seemed a bit rushed. They said there was construction so we couldn’t do some of what they would normally do, but it seemed like they could have pointed out more about the culture of Pittsburgh.

But all in all a successful weekend!

13

I’m glad you enjoyed your visit. Pitt students can get free admission to the museums and bus pass.

14

So we did the Admitted Student Day on Presidents Day. Stayed overnight at the Wyndham Pitt University Center - basically right on campus and very convenient. Would recommend except does not have free breakfast if that is important to you. There is a restaurant, but the food is pricey. Did dinner Sunday night at the Union Grill on S. Craig St (a couple of blocks over toward Carnegie Mellon’s campus). Highly recommend - casual, very busy place with interesting bar menu (I had a burger with a pierogi on top) and $4 drafts. Reasonable prices and friendly service. We did Primanti Bros. during our B&G visit, which is also fun.

Next morning walked out of the hotel right into the building behind it (Alumni Hall) for light breakfast - coffee/tea, juice, pastries, cookies. Welcome session for Dietrich was put on by Marc Harding, Vice Provost of Admissions. Saw him at Blue and Gold Day, but if you haven’t, he is very entertaining. Presentation was very similar to B&G, but with more emphasis thrown in on why choose Pitt.

Academic sessions followed, and we went to the College of Business presentation since D would likely transfer from Dietrich, which is pretty common to our understanding. Presentation seemed much more in-depth than the B&G one, as they went through the advisory process and highlighted study abroad, internships, the career services and outcomes, in addition to the curriculum. Found the presentations very informative, and there was ample time for one-on-one questions with the presenters and students at the snack break and after the presentation.

Lunch was at Market Central, their main dining hall. Much more crowded than our summer B&G Day, mostly because school is in full swing and lots of students were eating there. Food was good with many options, but since so crowded there was a problem with them running out of forks and longer lines for some foods.

After lunch we did the upper campus tour since we did the Heart of Campus Tour and Discover Pittsburgh Bus Tour at B&G. There were other events we did not attend - a Life on Campus presentation, Pitt Opportunities Fair, and some department open houses not related to D’s interests. Returned to Alumni Hall for a free T-shirt (different from the B&G), and they had a section set up for students ready to commit with cheerleaders and confetti cannons. D did not commit since still waiting for three RD schools’ decisions. There was time for another tour, but we left campus at 2 to begin our 4.5 hour drive back home to eastern PA.

To sum up - if you have already attended a Blue and Gold Day, this will feel very similar in structure, and I would not recommend doing again if cost/travel/time is a real issue. There was nothing that particularly “wowed” us, or left us feeling we should commit before we left, but that’s probably just Pitt’s style. They’re kind of low-key, but incredibly efficient and competent. And truth-be-told, I haven’t found a Pitt student yet who doesn’t love it there. So, if you have never visited campus, or just need a second look, I feel it would be worth going to the Admitted Student Day visit. We already had a great impression of Pitt from our first visit, and this surely served to reinforce our impression. It also gave us the opportunity to see things there wasn’t time for first time around, to get more information and ask more specific questions about things we hadn’t thought of the before, and for D to get a different feel for the campus in full-session winter as compared to the quieter summer B&G Day. We were glad we did it, and Pitt is still up there in D’s top 3 choices.

Best of luck to all with your ultimate decisions!

15

Thanks, @Yocco2 that’s a super helpful write-up. D20 has signed up for the Honors visit day on March 27 and I think DH will be able to go with her. (I will be out of the country unless, you know, COVID-19).

Question for you or anyone: Does the Wyndham allow prospective students <18 yo to check in/stay unaccompanied? Does it help If the student has parental permission letter and room is prepaid?

16

@Itisatruth I am not sure how they would handle that situation - you would probably need to call the hotel directly.

17

@Yocco2 Nice summary!! Our DD didn’t commit yet either. She has a couple of other dream schools she needs to hear from. But of the options she has today Pitt is at the top of the list. She loves their engineering department and we really enjoyed the time in Pittsburgh. She also has said from the start that she wants to go to college in a metropolitan area and Pitt definitely meets that requirement! Can I ask where in PA you are? We are also 4.5 hours east of Pittsburgh.

18

@Susanb33 Yes, Pitt is at the top of her list of D’s current acceptances as well. She was also accepted at PSU, but not overly sold on it. We are in the Lehigh Valley/Allentown area. You?

19

@Itisatruth I know the Hampton Inn let my D stay when she was under 21 (>18 though), I called and reserved her room and made sure she could stay there. Find out if they have a free shuttle to Pitt.

Mention Pitt for a discount.

https://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hampton-inn-pittsburgh-university-medical-center-PITOKHX/about/amenities.html

20

Well, my husband’s travel plans for late March just got canceled (thanks, coronavirus!) so he can definitely take D20 to Pitt Honors Day on 3/27 — assuming they still hold it!!