<p>Hi,
I'm entering Pitt as a freshman this fall, and I got placed in a single in Lothrop. It was my last choice, and I think it'll a horrible fit for a number of reasons. If anyone can offer info on how to switch into a different hall (a suite in Sutherland was my first choice) that would be extremely helpful. Thanks!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Contact Panther Central and tell them you wish to switch to a different dorm. They’ll put your name down on a list. You can’t switch into Sutherland through PC because half of it is UHC housing and half of it is Athletic housing. You might be able to contact UHC to see if there are any openings or to have them inform you if someone leaves (my freshman year we had two or three people leave in the first month and so other people could move in). You don’t mention if you’re a guy or a girl, girls probably have a better chance of switching because of Holland. Guys only have Towers or Lothrop as options.</p>
<p>If you’re interested, there’s a thread over on Reddit that covers some of the pros and cons of Lothrop. The consensus seems to be that, as long as you keep your door open in the first few weeks, you’ll make plenty of friends (think of the other floor residents as your roommates, rather than one other person); the longer walk to classes and dining options isn’t too bad; having a single with a private sink can turn out to be very nice; and the helicopter noise to and from UPMC takes some adjustment. </p>
<p>In general, I think housing freshmen in singles (that aren’t at least part of suites) is a bad idea, but the reality seems to be that Pitt struggles to find space to house all of the incoming freshmen who need rooms. DS turned down several schools with much nicer dorms to come to Pitt this fall, so hopefully the other positive aspects of Pitt will compensate for the mediocre housing options for most freshmen.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t think singles are all that bad. My freshman year I might as well have been in a single. My roommate was NEVER ever in the room. The only time I saw her was when I woke up in the morning to get ready and she was still asleep. Not everyone will be friends with their roommates (some of them can be downright horrible), and a lot of people will rarely even see their roommate. So just because you’re NOT in a single doesn’t mean it’s any different either.</p>
<p>Keep your door open, meet other people on your floor/dorm, and talk to people in classes and clubs. Regardless of where you live, you will be fine as long as you put a little effort into meeting people and making friends.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! I’ve emailed UHC and I’m checking out the Reddit thread.</p>
<p>For the sake of completeness, thought I’d circle back and say we moved DS into Lothrop last week. </p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of the idea of putting freshmen in singles (my alma mater didn’t allow it and, as a freshman, I lived on a hall with a few upperclassmen in singles who seemed quite withdrawn). But freshmen students and dorms have their own energy and the vibe on DS’s floor (all freshmen, as far as I could tell) was very positive and friendly.</p>
<p>Also props to Pitt for making the move-in very easy (almost too easy!) I’d thought it might be a hassle to schlep stuff to a dorm on a city street, but traffic on Lothrop was limited to people moving in that day; the move-in dates for students were staggered; and there were lots of people standing by ready to lend a hand. And Lothrop itself is closer to other buildings like the COL and the dining facilities underneath Towers than I’d anticipated based simply on looking at the map of the campus.</p>