<p>jw but what are you planning to major in?</p>
<p>icuucme</p>
<p>I completely understand your dilemma. For my son it was Pitt vs University of Chicago (which was his #1 choice and dream school). He had pretty good aid at Chicago.</p>
<p>For him, the intellectual rigor, the overall atomosphere, the reputation and the city were all big Chicago draws but Pitt had some important things to consider
- It would be nice to be part of the honors college, a close knit group, lots of opportunities, the special support from professors.
- Pitt was MUCH better in his majors.<br>
- Our interactions with Pitt faculty and staff have been uniformly positive. He really enjoyed his Chancellors interview, he has now written to the Honors college with a couple questions and 3 different people responded. 1 within an hour, and one Saturday!</p>
<p>I really believe in fit and Pitt is a good fit. It is so easy to get caught up in rankings and reputations and brag-factors, but ultimately graduating debt free and the above factors simply trumped Chicago’s prestige.</p>
<p>I like Cornell a lot. The campus is huge, the town is cool and the area is beautiful. It is academically rigorous. There is much to be said for Cornell. I think you can’t go wrong with either.</p>
<p>It’s nice to have such a wonderful dilemma!</p>
<p>Good luck in your choices.</p>
<p>Wow!! This was our first trip to Upitt and actually our first trip to Pittsburgh at all!!! </p>
<p>THIS is an exciting, attractive campus and city! Despite buckets of rain falling on us on Saturday, we took advantage of the honors day, and did the walking tours, the bus tour of Pittsburgh, and listened to some fantastic speakers.</p>
<p>I had no idea Pittsburgh is so hilly. Walking to upper campus must be about 1000 steps and I confess I was a bit sore the next day.</p>
<p>We were all very impressed. I did think campus town was a little run down however. But having the city in your backyard and free access to public transportation are definite plusses.</p>
<p>If son gets the chancellors, I think he’ll go here. Who else is in? Who is going to apply to Forbes?</p>
<p>Hi–</p>
<p>Just wanted to answer a few questions being thrown around as a current freshman living in Forbes</p>
<p>1- last year they chose 10 Chancellor’s Scholars to my knowledge. I applied & didn’t get an interview but my good friend is a scholar this year (if any of you went up he was a greeter, giant 6’8 kid named Jeff)</p>
<p>2- Tower A vs. B personally I chose neither. Go fo Forbes! If you were here this past weekend you might have met me setting up for the Luau. Activities aside, the rooms are bigger, nicer, and the community (both socially and intellectually) is much better. There is a huge sense of family & trust here. And yes, we are not all nerds, we go out on weekends and do normal stuff. (dont worry about applying, 1 person got rejected last year…)</p>
<p>3- unless you live on Upper Campus or absolutely must go to the Pete all the time you’ll barely be up there. The highest I walk is mid campus to get to Chevron for Chem and a bunch of other buildings for Engineering classes</p>
<p>4- Congratulations to OP! You must be really happy! Out of curiosity what is his major? I think the honors college always tries to get a bunch of different majors for the Scholars, which can make it harder to get (i.e. a bunch of engineer majors may apply and only 1 will get it verses a classics major being the only person applying and getting it easier). Just a rumor I heard though, don’t take it at 100% truth!</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone else waiting for interviews/to hear back! Pitt & the UHC are fantastic communities to be involved in!</p>
<p>To answer you question I am Pre-Med planning to double major in Philosophy and Microbiology. They mentioned that specifically in my letter so I think that did play a part in their decision. I think the cause might be more complicated than that though. From my impression in the interview they are looking for people with a passion for what they are learning. They also seem to very much embrace a liberal arts educational philosophy. Thus a person with an interest in say Anthropology, Classics, Theoretical Physics or Mathematics or some other more academic field will have an advantage not just because that is unusual but because it fits in more with the educational philosophy of the Honors College and indicates that the person has thought carefully about their major and is not simply selecting a major based on a career path. It also makes for more interesting essays/conversation which plays a huge part in the process. </p>
<pre><code> However, i do not think this rules out a person in a more common major. I would guess that a person who is truly interested in that major and is able to speak about it in a way that indicates a deeper knowledge of that subject matter would be on nearly equal footing.
</code></pre>
<p>Random question about Forbes: When is the deadline to apply? I might not know if I’m going to Pitt until late April…will I still have time to apply for Forbes?</p>
<p>Hi everyone. Thanks for wishing me good luck - the interview seemed to go very well. (I don’t know if they just make everyone feel like it went well, but I enjoyed the conversation, and they seemed impressed.) I feel like I did my best, and that’s what matters.</p>
<p>I like how they also give out a book that matches a person’s interest at the end of the interview and how they were going to ask the office of financial aid to give everyone that was interviewing a full tuition scholarship, if they haven’t already received one. They did try to make the interview comfortable, but they do want to challenge you with difficult questions to see how well you can think on your feet/what you know in general.</p>
<p>Even though Pitt wasn’t initially my top choice, I have officially given in my deposit as of Friday and will be coming here next year, regardless of the Chancellor’s. I really like the devotion of the UHC to its students, the Honors housing and community, and the opportunities at the university. Plus, financially, it fits the best financially as of now (full tuition originally).</p>
<p>About the interview: I know that the Honors students that waited with students before the interview said that they have a lot of pre-med/science people interviewing, so they are really looking for people with diverse interests. Overall, I think they are looking for intellectual vitality and wide range of interests in general, as CuttingEdge stated. My conversation ranged from my Spanish interests to Neuroscience, touching upon language acquisition/development and the separation between mind and body. After my conversation, they said that I should look into Philosophy, so I’m hoping that is a good sign - it is Pitt’s best department.</p>
<p>Finally, one more thing - they said they really disliked pretentious people. This might seem obvious, but I saw some people coming in that were quite cocky and obnoxious. Both my interviewers said that those kind of people don’t go unknown for long in Pitt. Therefore, be confident, but not arrogant.</p>
<p>They said that they were aiming for 12 scholarships this year and will notify by mid-April. One of the students did note, though, that the number isn’t fixed and that if they really want another person, they’ll try to find a way to give another scholarship. Also, everyone interviewed will be invited to a retreat at the end of August.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone! I am looking forward to getting a response and seeing some of you this summer/at the start of the school year!</p>
<p>GuitarRckr</p>
<p>I am so glad your interview went well and it seems like you gleaned a lot of information! I think the breadth of interest thing is probably because the want real learners, people with an interest in knowledge and learning for its own sake and not just a pre-professional goal. That was my sense from other posts and from the letter they wrote my son, commenting that they appreciated that he was double majoring in a science and philosophy.</p>
<p>I wonder why anyone would go in arrogant? That also seems counter to the goal of a lifelong learner. Being humble and realizing there is so much you DON’T know strikes me as a sign of someone who seeks an education to further their knowledge. </p>
<p>I am glad you chose Pitt! It seems like the UHC (and everyone) at Pitt seems so interested and encouraging to prospective students. The personal touch is really nice.</p>
<p>@ Pitch:</p>
<p>last year I think it was sometime in late May (maybe even June 1), they definitely give you ample time AFTER you turn in your deposit to consider honors housing & apply. Which you should totally do, it rocks!</p>
<p>IT CAME!!! IT CAME!!! BIG RED ENVELOPE, AND THANKS TO JAMIECAKES, I WAS PRETTY SURE WHAT IT WAS!!!</p>
<p>GREAT NEWS…EVEN LOW KEYED SON ANSWERED HIS TEXT MESSAGE TODAY WITH A RESOUNDING… “Wow, cool.” </p>
<p>good luck to all…can’t wait to hear of more good news.!</p>
<p>HOORAY!! BRAVO!!!</p>
<p>I am so excited for you all! That’s just wonderful! My son is on CC so maybe we should set them up on a playdate? My son’s name is CuttingEdge if your son wants to compare notes and PM him! </p>
<p>I am so EXCITED FOR YOUR FAMILY!!! </p>
<p>My son was equally low key…I called and told him he said WOW and immediately hung up on me to rejoin Rugby practice! It was so…anticlimactic that I had to get on CC to spread the word and get a good reaction! : )</p>
<p>Thanks Jamiecakes!! My son is not on CC, but once he makes up his mind for sure he will no doubt start connecting. Rugby, huh? S plays soccer, never having been exposed to rugby. He will join a sports club in college…probably soccer, but rugby is a lot of fun, and the guys really bond.</p>
<p>He has plans on going to UIUC next week for a final visit, then he will decide. There, he is in the school of engineering and in the campus wide honors program. He is offered a grand total of $6,000 the 1st year, and we are in-state, so we’re still paying around 22K per year. </p>
<p>Ultimately it’s his decision, and they are both fantastic options. However, I know that, as the Chancellors Scholar, he will have some fabulous opportunities. After several key rejections (harvard, MIT, Duke) it’s nice to land one!</p>
<p>d101parent, congratulations! Again, out of curiosity, may I ask when your son applied?</p>
<p>Mid-April is drawing nearer and nearer and I’m dying to know. No scholarship and I’ll be at UChicago next year.</p>
<p>Silvy: Chicago would be such a great, great place to go. My son was so torn but the scholarship was too good for him to pass up since even with Chicago’s nice aid package it still would’ve been a stretch for us.</p>
<p>I believe d101’s son got the invite early but interviewed this weekend? Correct me if I am wrong, d101. I just remember reading that on a thread awhile back.</p>
<p>I am guessing that letters will go out this week? My son’s letter wanted a response by April 15th and the sense I got was they would re-gift if he turned it down.</p>
<p>So, if people say no it is possible there could be a second wave of award letters even later, maybe???</p>
<p>Totally guessing here, though.</p>
<p>Thats exactly right. He applied very early, had to get his essay package in by Nov. 18, and then early in January, he got the invitation to interview. However, he didn’t interview until this past Saturday. The offer was sent via overnight express yesterday, Monday.</p>
<p>I agree with Jamiecakes. the letter states “We would appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible as a courtesy to others in this competition.” I fully expect others on this board to receive this offer…you are all an amazing group of young men and women.</p>
<p>Dang. I interviewed Saturday too, and nothing came yet. I can hope for tomorrow, but I guess I’m not getting an immediate offer.</p>
<p>Also, I got an email from Dr. Stewart in reply to something else stating “the CS should be out in about a week or so, and we’d really like to have you as a student however the Chancellor’s turns out.” I wasn’t sure if he was just being ambiguous or if he was hinting at me not getting it but wanting me to come to Pitt anyway. I might be paranoid, but it might be the latter too.</p>
<p>I did send in my app to Pitt/app to the Chancellor’s program later (I sent mine in December 17, heard back about interview a few weeks ago), so that’ll keep my hopes up a little longer.</p>
<p>All well :-/ Full tuition is still excellent, so nothing to complain about.</p>
<p>I like cake, but it’s nothing without icing. Chancellor’s or bust! </p>
<p>Haha, I interviewed over Spring Break (late March). No package, but I’m definitely having heart palpitations every day at the mailbox. </p>
<p>GuitarRckr, what a strange e-mail! Did you e-mail him first or other way around?</p>
<p>I had met and talked with him on Honors Day last Friday. On the walk, we were talking about Thomas Jefferson (I go to TJHSST), and I asked him if he remembered what three things he wanted to be remembered by and put on his tombstone. I knew one of them was that he founded UVA, and one of them was not about him being President. He gave me his card and told me to email him with the answer, which I did. In his reply, he commented on the answer (Declaration of Independence, which I guessed but he didn’t think was on there, and then the Religious Statute of Freedom, which he guessed). Then he added that line after saying that the two UHC advisors enjoyed interviewing me.</p>
<p>I don’t know how to take it/if I am over thinking it. If he just wanted to be neutral, he could’ve said something like “Good luck in the Chancellor’s Scholarship process. You will be notified mid April” or something like that.</p>
<p>Ugh…the suspense is killing me now! I was fine about getting it/not (although I really want it) earlier, but this email is now taunting me in a way…</p>
<p>I think it is so easy to overthink it all and I agree it could make anyone a little nuts.</p>
<p>Remember, too, that there may be people who turn down the scholarship and then a second round of letters would go out, so if you are going anyways you could still hear good news as late as the third or fourth week of April. Even d101’s son might not take the scholarship and pass it along–>too bad he can’t designate : )</p>
<p>My understanding from past years was the acceptance letters go out first, everything is finalized until they get there target number and then letters go out if you didn’t get the scholarship because they seem to really want to give all they can.</p>
<p>I also heard that anyone invited for the Chancellor’s Interview goes to the UHC retreat before school begins and it sound fun. Here is the link: </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/documents/2009winter_newsletter.pdf[/url]”>http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/documents/2009winter_newsletter.pdf</a></p>
<p>the article is a couple pages into the newsletter.</p>
<p>GuitarRckr don’t read too much into Dr. Stewart’s comments. All three of my interviewers told me they wanted me to come even if i didn’t get the chancellors scholarship. They said that the interview was the important cut off for them (though I think i had an incredulous look on my face that told them what cut off was important to me). Dr. Stewart even told me that if i didn’t come to Pitt they would send some people up to Rochester to get me 
</p>
<p>I kept thinking that it might have been their way of hinting i wasn’t getting it. Obviously that wasn’t the case, so I figure they say that to everybody or something.</p>
<p>Good luck. I see you are also interested in Philosophy. I’ll be rooting for you!</p>