<p>I see Pitt offers honors dorms for frosh through junior year. What are these dorms like, from the point of view of campus location, physical layout, and general atmosphere? What is the level of partying that goes on in them? How frequent is drug and alcohol use?</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman at Forbes. She loves it. There is no real “party scene” at Forbes - in that students don’t flock to Forbes to party. It’s a freshman dorm. Everyone there is under 21. Is there alcohol in the dorm? Maybe…but if there is alcohol there, it’s not advertised. Students don’t go from one dorm to another in search of a party. If the kids want to party, they go to frats or house parties, not the dorms.</p>
<p>S is a freshman living in Forbes and he finds this honors dorm to be the perfect balance for him. The atmosphere is super friendly and students seem to really like each other. When it’s time to party, they party, when it’s time to study, they study. I had to get a hold of S one night and he was in the middle of an informal group study “session” for one of his tougher honors classes. I imagine it helped to be able to find like-minded people to study with. On the other hand, they had a rave dance a couple of nights ago and apparently S was the DJ, at least that’s what I heard 
I was a little surprised, actually, because he’s never done that before. But I guess it shows that he’s comfortable with and enjoys the company of his new friends. Oh, and if you’re lucky to get one of the rooms at the end of the hallway, they’re ridiculously large!</p>
<p>My daughter is a sophomore and lives in Forbes-Craig, which is apartments. She is quite content. However, students have to apply for honors housing each year and it is not guaranteed.</p>
<p>Currently a forbesian…</p>
<p>Location: to be honest, not the best (at least compared to quad/towers) However, after a while the walk becomes nothing and it can be nice to be a bit set off from the heart of campus. Forbes-Craig is in just about the same situation but on the other side of campus (closer to Carnegie). </p>
<p>Layout: four floors of residences with a second floor “library” common area and patio. Also, we are getting workout equipment sometime before winter break.
As far as the floors go, the hallways are huge (we palyed soccer in them the ther day) and the common hallway is popular for studying/socializing. You’ve probably seen the floor plan but there is a midget wing in the middle with full wings on either side. It is one gender/side with a kitchen {no stove :(}. </p>
<p>General Atmosphere: floors are somewhat clique-ish but not isloated from one another. People usually identify by their floor (fifth-floor amy, et.). Some people spend all their time in their rooms while others are always hanging out in the hallway, neither is considered out of the ordinary. RAs are nice because we’re not completely wild like, say, towers. </p>
<p>Parties: Some people party, others don’t. The nice thing about Forbes is that there are no expectations that you will/will not party. In terms of in-dorm alc/drugs, people are serious on weeknights and then might pre-game before going out on the weekend. Drug use (weed only) happens almost exclusively out-of-dorm. Legend says that the balconies were wild last year but it all depends on who has balcony rooms. </p>
<p>Bottom line_
Forbes is definitely the most study-oriented dorm at Pitt. That being said, we are regular people and still have a good time (in whatever form that might take). Almost every non-forbesian I meet who visits says they wished they lived here (smug? yes, but also true). </p>
<p>Please excuse any spelling errors.</p>
<p>Any advice as to what works better (as far as study groups, quiet time, etc…) for a freshman female engineering student - Forbes Honors housing or SPACE in the Tower?</p>
<p>I just read the Fiske guide for UPitt and it says some of the old dorms are terrible. Is that true? I plan to live on campus for at least 3 years so dorm housing matters to me. Also, I am not a drinker so would I fit in?</p>
<p>SPACE/Towers was very convenient and centrally located. During bad weather, food is available in the basement. Prof. Budny had get-togethers on the SPACE floors and the Engineering advisors also made visits to the SPACE floors. It was easy to get together to work on group projects especially if your group members lived in Towers. DS chose to live in Towers over Forbes and didn’t regret it. </p>
<p>The new dorms are very nice: Panther, PA Hall and I believe they have been renovating the older dorms. Many students move off-campus by junior year as it is much cheaper to share an apt. versus paying for the dorm.</p>
<p>Where do you eat if you live in Forbes? Is there a dining hall on site?</p>
<p>The closest would be Market Central in Towers. Towers has Taco Bell and Market Central in the basement thus very convenient especially when it gets cold/snowy. Of course, you will get use to the walk :)</p>
<p>What is the quality of the vegetarian food?</p>