<p>Hey I currently go to a different school and was thinking of switching to UPitt next year. Does anybody that go there regret their decision about going there? Is there a lot to do? Do they have recreational facilities (basketball, free weights) close to the dorms? Also, what's the #1 thing you like, and #1 thing you hate about Pitt. Thanks</p>
<p>It’s pretty hard to be the #1 thing I like and the #1 thing I dislike about Pitt. If it’s OK, I’m gonna give you a short list of some major pros and cons</p>
<p>Pros: Incredibly underrated academics, majority motivated intelligent student body (most of the students are Ivy League rejects, which is not bad for a public school), some clunkers but overall nice architecture, free bus pass, lots of clubs, PittArts (free/reduced price museums and shows), great radio station, relatively safe for a city campus, usually lots to do, great food in Oakland, fantastic sports teams both for the school and city (unless you like baseball)</p>
<p>Cons: Occasional people who really make you wonder how they managed to get in, You better bleed sports (Pitt AND Professional) or you’ll have a bit of culture shock at first, guidance/class registration can be clunky, schizophrenic weather.</p>
<p>Verdict: Pitt was not my first choice (that was UChicago) but once I came here I felt right at home. The combination of the great sports, high quality of life (2nd highest for a public school in America according to Princeton Review) and pretty much consistent ascension in rankings we’ve been going though recently has bred quite of lot of school spirit that can be very infectious. There’s a few downsides but overall my decision to come here has made me very happy.</p>
<p>TL;DR: Pitt doesn’t disappoint.</p>
<p>lol thats weird that ur first choice was UChicago, I’m from Chicago. But yea currently I go to UConn and it’s just to isolated… it’s basically a city of its own with nothing around it. Is there always stuff to do in Pittsburgh? And yea I like sports so I think i’ll be fine (Chicago bulls and bears fan though). How are the dorms and gyms and dining hall food?</p>
<p>Sorry for the break, I don’t know if you’re still checking this or not.</p>
<p>Dorms (at least for freshman) are pretty nice. Litchfield Towers are where most freshmen live. It has its own dining hall and gym, and is right in the center of most things happening on campus. Towers A and B are doubles, and then Tower C (where I live) is a mostly upperclass dorm with some freshmen (everybody on my floor), and it has singles. You can also apply to live in Sutherland, which has newer and bigger dorms, but it’s on the opposite side of campus and is kind of isolated from everything.</p>
<p>Athletic Facilities are good. Trees Hall is over by Sutherland and even though the building is showing its age, it has pretty much everything you could ask for like a pool, basketball and racquetball courts, weight room, climbing wall, dance studio, etc.</p>
<p>Dining Hall food ranges from “pretty good” to “rotting garbage.” There’s a big one called Market Central in Towers that has like 10 different stations (including a vegan station, pasta station, pizza, world food) and then a smaller one at Sutherland that lacks the stations I just mentioned. Both serve good sandwiches and burgers & fries all day but also switch up the menu and try new things every now and then. Sometimes the things they try are good, sometimes they invoke the rotting garbage I was talking about. We also have a Taco Bell, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A and Einstein Bros scattered around campus that accept meal plan payments. You will get bored of the on campus food after a while.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is surprisingly great. Oakland (the neighborhood Pitt is located in) is a perfect college town, you can find tons of good places to eat and there’s always something to be done on the weekends. You can also use your free bus and go to other Pittsburgh neighborhoods like Southside (tons of bars and shopping) if you ever feel the need to get out of here. A lot of cool bands and shows come to Pittsburgh as well. Last week I saw the Walkmen and Japandroids over in Millsvale, about a 20 minute busride away. Bob Dylan is playing our basketball arena this Sunday. Also, Lady Gaga played the Penguins Consol Arena last month. Broadway shows come here after a while and you can get cheap tickets with your Pitt ID. The only negative about all this is that bus schedules can be erratic at times, and on weekdays everything closes pretty early.</p>
<p>Yeah, so sorry for ranting on a bit, but I wanted to give you some insider info. Overall, if you feel isolated at UConn, I think Pitt would be a good remedy. It’s similar (but better :P) in its athletics, public school mentality, and academics, but being an urban campus you always feel connected. Good luck with your decision in the future, dude.</p>
<p>thanks for the big reply man, helps ALOT. If u don’t mind can u elaborate more on the gym? Like is it packed most of the time? Is the equipment pretty new? And also same for the bball courts. Thanks alot man. The courts and gym here at UConn are ALWAYS packed and sometimes you can’t even get a workout without waiting in line, it’s really annoying.</p>
<p>Some of the dorms also have workout rooms–Sutherland, for example. Pitt has up-the-hill facilities Sutherland and Trees) and down-the-hill facilities (in or near the Towers). I can’t speak for how crowded they are; my daughter usually swims or runs outside. And mastapro, my daughter who is a sophomore at Pitt, also had Chicago as her first-choice school for most of her senior year, but she LOVES Pitt.</p>
<p>Here’s a link about Pitt’s rec facilities ([Facility</a> | Pitt intramurals | University of Pittsburgh](<a href=“Campus Recreation | Student Affairs”>Campus Recreation | Student Affairs))</p>
<p>Pitt actually has fitness centers in most of their residence halls that are open 24hrs a day.</p>
<p>The main gym with basketball courts and pools, climbing wall, etc, is Trees Hall on the upper campus, but there is also a smaller gym called Bellefield Hall on the lower campus with courts and a pool. Another major rec facility is located in the Petersen Events Center (basketball arena on the upper campus), although you can’t use the basketball courts as they are reserved for the varsity teams.</p>
<p>Thanks alot guys. So theres always space for u to play bball if u wanted to right? also, the FREE weights area is nice and clean? Or is it crowded most the time</p>
<p>mastapro - my daughter absolutely LOVES Pitt…and this is from the young woman who didn’t even want to apply a year ago, because it was too close to home. My daughter didn’t even want to attend the open house for admitted students. She was so dead-set against even considering Pitt, that now, when I look back on it, it’s funny. My daughter has told me - several times - that she’s so happy she decided to go there. </p>
<p>Pitt is a great choice. The student caliber is very high. Pitt is probably the most selective of the PA public colleges. And the research opportunities are incredible.</p>
<p>Pitt is definitely IT!</p>
<p>thanks alot pittsmom. yea its pretty close to my home too (6 mins to be exact haha). i’m really not liking my school though because it’s in the middle of nowhere, i think pitt would be a better fit since its in a city</p>
<p>The Pete (peterson events center) is up the hill near some of the dorms (I don’t know if you’re planning to live on campus as a sophomore next year or not, but either way the walk up isnt bad and there’s shuttles) and it has a big gym with lots of weight machines, free weights, cardio, and raquetball. also up the hill is Trees which has a pool and basketbal courts. If you live down the hill or off campus in south oakland there are gyms in towers and a few other dorms in the quads that are also free, they don’t have as much equipment so you have to figure out hours when they arent too crwded</p>
<p>I have never been to Trees Hall so I can’t tell you how crowded it is, but Peterson Event center provides plenty of equipments so you usually don’t have to wait for another person.
If you like to play bball, play at bellefield gym. I go there everyday around 8pm and there are 3-5people max in the gym. It’s empty on a lot of the days too. Hope this helps</p>