As requested, my view of Pitt (long, sorry)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
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<p>Will try not to repeat too much of what I've already posted on CC about Pitt, but did want to share my impressions after the long weekend spent in Pittsburgh. </p>

<p>Bit of background, my D has been adamant about wanting an urban school since she was a freshman in HS, not really sure why because I don't see her taking advantage of Chicago all that much but we do live in the burbs so I'll cut her some slack. She has really NOT liked the very few "campus towns" we've seen, where the campus is everything. Rather than try to push her, we've accepted her wishes and cut down a LOT on where we have had to consider, visit, etc.</p>

<p>We've been for visits to: Penn (her #1 choice and biggest stretch) in Phillly; GW, American and GT in DC; BU and NE in Boston; Columbia and NYU in NYC; Wash U in St Louis; Emory in Atlanta; Vanderbilt in Nashville. She also did a summer (2010) at Brown program in Providence, toured Tufts when she went to Brown. She's been accepted at Tulane and U Minnesota where we have not yet visited, whether we go to either will depend on the packages they offer her. Also applied at U of Miami (which I suspect will be too suburban feeling for her wishes) and will probably throw Rice in Houston into the mix.</p>

<p>OK. So over the summer a distant cousin mentioned Pittsburgh as a cool town, good school, etc. I mentioned it and D did all the research. I started reading all these great things about Pitt but it was really her decision to pursue it. She got her acceptance several weeks ago and we signed up for the Picture Yourself at Pitt this past weekend, our only free Saturday in months.</p>

<p>OK, so first impression is that it's a really long drive from Chicago. Doable, but long, especially arriving at night. Second impression is that hills and bridges are NOTHING like the flat grid system in Chicago, especially at night LOL.</p>

<p>Spent Friday looking around. At suggestion of another CC mom and since the whole day Saturday was planned, we didn't do the formal visitor session on Friday and instead found a Conversational French class at the cathedral that she could sit in on. The one she selected was seeing a movie on Friday but the prof suggested another classroom and the prof there graciously allowed her to sit in. She walked out talking to him in French.</p>

<p>The cathedral itself is mind-blowing. I've been in old campus type buildings. This place is Hogwarts (and I mean that in a good way)! The gothic architecture just casts an aura of 'place' over the whole building. A little dark due to high ceilings etc., but oh man what a COOL place to hang out.</p>

<p>Second main impression is if you are afraid of elevators or other small spaces, Pitt may not be the best place for you. The cathedral houses a lot of the Gen Ed required classes among others, and you are up and down a LOT. At basement level there's some cafes, coffee, and other things as well. </p>

<p>After her 'class' we went to the Office of Study Abroad, which has been another of my D's very strong desires since she was young. We had a one on one session with an advisor there, they have several different ways to do study abroad programs and if you are interested, I strongly recommend talking to someone directly. I get the sense they are very willing to work with you but overall did NOT have a feeling that Study Abroad is a huge thing at Pitt. Aside from the much smaller numbers of students doing it (compared to other places we've talked to), there's just not the same encouragement of it (we noticed it was really barely touched upon in the general sessions on Saturday too).</p>

<p>Had lunch at Primanti's on campus and then went to the Honors College presentation on the top of the Cathedral, which is where the UHC is housed.</p>

<p>My friends, I was sadly disappointed. My daughter was almost distraught. My husband was not impressed. Very nice and articulate gentlemen (young too) giving the presentation, a very large group apparently (at least 11 kids plus their families) but the speaker was a systems analyst or something. He was clearly IN the UHC when he attended Pitt and has some connection to it (mentioned an outside activity he is often running) but he was terrible. I hate to say this, makes me feel awful. And it wasn't just the content (pretty much anyone being able to take honors classes was NOT really what my daughter was hoping for). There don't seem to be a ton of perks for being in the UHC as far as early registration priority for classes. IMO he didn't do a great job of disccussing the Honors housing, which is a huge deal to us. Explaining how the SHAC (student honors activity council I think) helps create a community was not well done. Overall we just couldn't wait to get out of there and my D was very unhappy. She hinted at not bothering to do the PYAP program the entire next day.</p>

<p>Luckily, after this awful experience, we were able to meet with Awesome Opossum, CC's own "Pitt expert" and she was lovely and delightful and made a HUGE impression on my D. She talked more about benefits of the UHC, shared social stories and clarified that the UHC group really does become a community. Don't recall specific questions but she eased our minds a lot! D then went to an honors physiology class up a hill (a big hill!) while her dad and I had a beer at Hemingway's for $3.50. 2 beers. LOVE college bars LOL! They heavily carded all the young people. Not us alas. Went to dinner for burgers at Tessaro's, it did live up to the hype. Went back to campus for the basketball game which was a lot of fun. Didn't hang out on campus after the game since we had an early start on Saturday morning.</p>

<p>OK, so PYAP on Saturday morning, the entrances were festooned with balloons and greeters everywhere directing (human) traffic. VERY well organized IMO. Each kid got a tote bag with an agenda, maps, applications, etc. There was coffee and muffins in the ballroom on the main floor and the perimeter had tables from various departments (admissions and fin aid, that sort of thing). TONS of "Pathfinders" in rugby shirts, friendly and outgoing. </p>

<p>The presentations were sort of typical presentations, not really the best we've seen. The main morning speaker from admissions was engaging and entertaining but it was pretty much stuff you can read in their materials. When the students came out to help the guests find their way to their second session (depending on college/major etc.) there was some humor and enthusiasm, really did a nice job of that.</p>

<p>The second session was for student in "Natural Sciences" in the college of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A student panel of 5 kids was assembled on the stage but the speaker, a former computer science major, dominated the talk. Very dry, pretty much just read off his power point. Really underutilized the panel of kids in our view. Very little new. We actually got up before the end of his presentation so we could get down to the buses for the city tour.</p>

<p>OK, so again, I thought they did a very nice job with the organization and logistics. Tours left on time. The tourguide on the bus was engaging. There wasn't a TON shown on the bus other than a few things around campus and the Mount Washington overlook, but she had a good grasp of her details and answered questions thoroughly.</p>

<p>Lunch in the big food court of the largest housing facility right in the heart of campus, nice to give a discount and see all the kids congregating. I thought the food was ok, not horrendous but definitely not great. But I'm a foodie.</p>

<p>ANYWAY, we then went on the lower campus tour, but due to a slight miscommunication, missed the actual group leaving so we had a one-on-one tour (well, one on three) with a delightful enthusiastic really down to earth sophomore. </p>

<p>This girl sold my D on Pitt. There's not much other way to say it. She showed us all the things she was supposed to, but really connected with my kid. She talked about the UHC in greater detail, lived in the UHC housing so had some insight into that, just everything she said resonated with my D. When our tour was over (after running long because they were just chatting the whole time), we ran into two newly hired Pathfinders, one of whom was on our guide's floor (she's also an RA) and they offered to let us see their dorm room at Sutherland West (the suite style where my D would want to live if she attends). Two freshman boys, so articulate and sweet, friendly but not overpowering, just sealed the deal. We must've spent another hour with the three of them, they took us on the shuttle to the upper campus, showed us the dorm rooms and facilities, etc. And were engaging. My D was facebook friends by the time we left.</p>

<p>So. I think first and foremost, as with most things, the 'luck of the draw' plays a huge and yes unfair role in how life unfolds. We were incredibly lucky to have such a great fit for my D on Saturday. She said multiple times "I can see myself here." Her dad and I agreed not only could we see her there, but we could see her thriving, shining, truly succeeding there. Had we not had this experience, especially after our Friday UHC experience, I can't say we'd feel the same.</p>

<p>Overall, I think Pitt is one of those hidden gems, and it's reputation is only going to improve. They seem to be ever-gaining a higher caliber of student and seem committed to that. The undergrad research options they touted were very impressive (not so much talk about internships but I got the sense they're there as well). I believe it is a true "under the radar" school that won't stay that way for long. I will be very happy and satisfied if my D decides to attend. </p>

<p>So if anyone has questions after my novel here, feel free to throw them out. Sorry for the verbosity.</p>

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<p>Just struck me about the luck of the draw - my son is now a sophmore at Pitt and what sealed the deal for him was the UHC Presentation. He had come to town to see CMU, hated CMU and went over to the UHC presentation at Pitt.</p>

<p>He walked out of that presentation saying that he could see himself at Pitt.</p>

<p>He took some Honors College classes freshman year and lived in honors housing. This year he is really doing nothing UHC-wise but is soooo happy at Pitt.</p>

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<p>This is a great overview, sujormik. Thanks for posting! And in addition to describing Pitt so well, it gives great insight into how the luck of the draw, as DonnaMom refers to it, can influence the process. Despite the quality or lack thereof of the events, it’s important to discern the true feeling of the school and what it has to offer. We all want the presentations to be top-notch and the speakers engaging, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. Don’t let it influence you too much when evaluating any school.</p>

<p>Regarding the honors college: Doc Stewart was the founder and head of the honors college, and his death last year certainly left a void. He envisioned the honors college as a community of scholars, and he didn’t see the need to offer “perks” like pre-enrolling in classes. Still, the honors college has a lot to offer if you dig deep.</p>

<p>I agree that Pitt is a hidden gem!</p>

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<p>sujormik- great visit report and thanks for sharing! Loved your story of the $3.50 beers. Next time you are in Pittsburgh (and I hope that there is a next time!) check out this place! [Church</a> Brew Works, Award-Winning Microbrewery and Restaurant](<a href=“http://www.churchbrew.com/]Church”>http://www.churchbrew.com/)</p>

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<p>Is your daughter really applying to 13 schools? That’s insane! After applying to 3, I’m already burnt out.</p>

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<p>Was at the Altar Bar last weekend after seeing Springsteen, still haven’t been to the Strip District…hopefully will have lots of visits in the future!!</p>

<p>Chronome, it didn’t FEEL like 13 LOL. We don’t qualify for aid but really can’t foot the tuition without some merit money so we figured we’ll just auction her off to the highest bidder!</p>

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<p>I’ll add my input on our visit to Pitt. We arrived in the city around noon. Had fish sandwiches at Wholey’s, which was a great place! World’s biggest fish sandwich! Fortunately, I had read about it ahead of time so my husband and I knew to share one. It was really good, too. Wholey’s is a fish market and supermarket, and it was so interesting looking around at everything. We walked up and down the street, which had a bunch of different shops, many with things on display outside. It was COLD on Friday for all of our walking this day! </p>

<p>We headed over to Pitt and then went into the Cathedral of Learning, mainly to show my husband. My two daughters and I had been this past summer when I dropped off my older daughter for the Pitt Pharmacy camp. Afterward, we headed to Alumni Hall to catch the lower campus walking tour at 3 p.m. We had looked at the schedule for the Picture Yourself at Pitt day and found too many things to do in the available time, so we decided to get this one out of the way. There were probably 30 to 40 families there to take the tour, so they divided us into groups of about 10 people or so for the tour. The Pathfinder who gave our tour was truly excellent! Sujormik gave lots of info about the campus, so I won’t elaborate much on it. The tour took about 2 hours, as the guide was very thorough and spent time answering questions as we went along. It is striking how many opportunities are available to students given the location of the university. There are 3 hospitals pretty much on campus, providing excellent volunteering, shadowing, and work options. The kids have unlimited free access to the city buses to get wherever they need to go. Carnegie Mellon is literally right next door and the schools have reciprocal agreements. The only other thought I’ll add is that I felt that the towers dorms were very crowded and the rooms very, very small compared to other schools that I have been to. Not much lounge space and a very small workout area considering how many kids live in those buildings. We ate at Lu Lu’s Noodles in town for dinner, which was fun. Our hotel was out in the 'burbs so we headed out and walked around IKEA, which is also always a treat.</p>

<p>Our day Saturday was a bit different from Sujormik’s. We attended the coffee hour welcome where they had various information tables set up. We spent time at the activities table as well as the band table. In addition, various Pathfinders came up to us to welcome us and chat with us a bit about my daughter’s major and where we were from as well as their experiences at Pitt. We then headed to the Admissions presentation, which was as Sujormik’s described - good, upbeat, and standard information available on-line. </p>

<p>Next we attended the Pharmacy session. The bussed us up to the Pharmacy building and one of the advisors from that department presented admissions information as well as program information. One of the Pathfinders who accompanied the group was in his 2nd year of Pharmacy school and the advisor asked him to cover information too. They presented a lot of meaningful stats about Pharmacy admissions. They showed us one of the Pharmacy labs. Since my daughter went there for the pharmacy camp, she had seen all of the spaces that they showed us. </p>

<p>We then returned to Alumni Hall for the Life Outside the Classroom presentation. This was a panel discussion with 5 Pathfinders as well as the Pathfinder advisor, who asked the students on the panel to share their experiences with Study Abroad, Research, Teaching, Intramurals, Clubs, and their day-to-day schedules/habits. This section was really amazing. These kids are involved! Again, it really demonstrated the wide variety of options that are available to the students at Pitt. Here is one area where I my impression differs with Sujormik - it sounded to me like Pitt is VERY supportive of all types of study abroad programs, from 1 week to 3 week to 1 semester to 1 year programs, during school, or summer, or summer breaks. They also mentioned that the study abroad rate is about double at Pitt compare to the national average. They encourage all kids to get engaged in research, and the opportunities again are widely available. So many teaching and tutoring opportunities - both paid and volunteer. Not to mention all of the available clubs. I want to go back to college at Pitt and be a student there!</p>

<p>We then headed over the Market Cafe in towers. It was a student cafeteria - very busy with lots of kids and visiting families, and lots of typical cafeteria food. </p>

<p>We then headed back to Alumni Hall to catch an upper campus tour. This was are only Pathfinder experience that wasn’t excellent - one of the girls was very sarcastic and tried to be funny, but really wasn’t. It only made us realize even more how professional, outgoing, and informative all of the other Pathfinders are. While the rooms in Sutherland are bigger, it seemed kind of cold with the cement block walls. And, it’s one big hill to climb - I can only imagine what it’s like with slush on the ground and the wind in your face! It’s a tough call for me as to which dorm situation is better. I think I’m going to side with location and say the towers would be preferable to me. Lots of great athletic facilities on upper campus. Also there is the ability to take P.E. classes to insure an exercise routine.</p>

<p>We finished up by talking to an Admissions counselor about scholarships. This is when we learned that applications are reviewed only on Fridays for scholarship consideration. Also, some students files may be presented to the committee several times before an offer is extended.</p>

<p>All in all, an excellent visit! A very well done day by Pitt. My daughter is even more excited about going to Pitt now than before. We just are awaiting scholarship offers!!! I’m happy to answer any questions…</p>

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<p>Thank you both for the excellent reviews. Pitt has moved way up on our list since DS received the Full Tuition Scholarship.</p>

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<p>sujormik & maureenk - Thanks for providing concise & detailed visit reports, much better than what CC allows you to shoehorn into their own visit report form. I can tell that you all had great suggestions for dining & sightseeing during your visit. By the way, my office is within walking distance of Tessaro’s Restaurant - a great place to eat in Pittsburgh’s “Little Italy” (Bloomfield). If you want a bigger fish sandwich (but without the Strip District ambiance) come down a few blocks from Tessaro’s to Armands Bar, also on Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield. We usually buy a sandwich & an extra bun so we can split the meal. Their friend shrimp are also to die for - it’s nearly impossible to get in the door during Lent.</p>

<p>Today my D received her acceptance letter to Pitt’s Nursing School so as locals, we’ll give the university a fresh look after driving past it so often. Let me know if I can help with any other questions you might have about the area.</p>

<p>YJ76</p>

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<p>Awww thanks Sujormik! I had a great time meeting you, your husband, and your D! And to any other CCers out here-- I’d LOVE to meet and greet with any/all of you if you end up at Pitt/in the area and have questions or just want to chat with a student that isn’t affiliated (aka can give the down and dirty and not what the school wants us to say).</p>

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<p>I forgot to mention that we ran out of time to do the City of Pittsburgh tour on Saturday. So, on our way out of town, we went to the Mt. Washington overlook ourselves. Beautiful view and beautiful city!</p>

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<p>My D has a 32 ACT, she sent all her other ACT scores today in the hopes it superscores her up to a 33 for the full tuition…that will be HUGE and would probably stop us from making a few other trips even. It’s so important to HER, not just us financially. Sigh.</p>

<p>Maureen, glad your day went well. We ate at Market cafe in the Towers too. Rooms struck us as quite small too. My least favorite feature of the Towers was that there are only lounges on every three floors…not every floor, which is NOT how I remember my college dorm experience.</p>

<p>Will come back tomorrow to supplement.</p>

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<p>It’s because Pitt is overcrowding the dorms. They accept more students than they have room for using an outdated model (i.e. assuming a incorrectly high number of people will say no). So…they turned a LOT of lounges into bedrooms to make up for a lack of space. I think our newest dorm should be complete by fall 2013, so hopefully Towers will stop being so overcrowded, but until then…</p>

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<p>^^^
Penn State does the same things with their lounges. Of course that may not be necessary by next Fall for them.</p>

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<p>This is an interesting thread. My daughter wanted a city school as well, but we bypassed the tours and programs at colleges early in the process. Looking back (DD is a junior at Pitt), I really think that it didn’t matter to my daughter what the tour guide or group leader said. She would be forming her own opinions. She also learned early in the process that few tour leaders were majoring in anything remotely related to what she wanted to do.</p>

<p>Instead of the tours and Picture Yourself at Pitt, my daughter met with professors in the two departments she was interested in (physics and Japanese at the time). She was treated very well and has really enjoyed her time at Pitt. She plans to apply to grad school there. Now that is a testimonial.</p>

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<p>When we did the college visit tours a few years ago, the quality of the tour - or person giving the tour - had a direct correlation with my daughter’s interest. We went on a tour of Georgetown that was so awful, my daughter said she didn’t care if they offered her full tuition she wouldn’t go there. As a result, it was quickly scratched off her list.</p>

<p>Being from the Pittsburgh area my daughter didn’t even want to apply to Pitt. She only did so at my insistence. She applied in early November and received her acceptance within a few weeks. She had no desire to attend Pitt because “it was too close” to home. Of all of the campus visits we made, she never found one that she felt was perfect. </p>

<p>It wasn’t until the Open House day for admitted honors college students in the spring that she felt that “love at first sight” feeling. I told her that if she went to the Open House and hated Pitt, I would never mention it again. I only ask that she attended with an open mind.</p>

<p>Although I will admit the one session that they had with some of the honors students missed the mark (the students really didn’t seem to connect with the audience), overall, all of the other presentations/tours resonated with her. They hit all of the things she was looking for in a college.</p>

<p>She loves Pitt and has told me that going to Pitt was the best decision she’s ever made. </p>

<p>Pitt is very much like the City of Pittsburgh - big-little campus/city, with something to offer everyone. It’s big enough to have many choices, but small enough to feel like you are part of a great community.</p>

<p>Oh,and the research opportunities, even for liberal arts majors, is there for the asking. My daughter is majoring in a social science and the professors have been great with helping her find research opportunities.</p>

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<p>I plan on applying for my PhD at Pitt. Woohoo! Testimonial #2 :)</p>

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<p>^^Maybe you can room together, AO!</p>

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<p>My son’s heading to Pitt in the fall. Syracuse was on the table too and a very tough choice (I’m an SU grad). Great to read your story. So the $20,000 question ($35, 000 technically)…how was it for her?</p>