<p>The PittStart events included information sessions and even a dinner at JoeMama’s. It was easy to meet other parents because we were all tagging along with our kids. </p>
<p>As far as the size of Pitt, my daughter has had no trouble. The people who work at Pitt are really nice and helpful. The advisors are good and spend whatever time is needed with the students. When my daughter went for her initial registration meeting, it was as though her advisor had been selected for her. Don’t worry about your son figuring out the system. There are lots of people to help him out.</p>
<p>I’ve never really had issues with “bureaucracy” at Pitt. Even though the campus was bigger than anything I thought I would apply to (most schools I wanted to go to were 5,000ish students), I never feel like I’m lost in the crowd. Everyone is super friendly, and the fact that our campus is pretty small is nice. I always mention how when I’m walking around Oakland, I always run into someone I know. Considering Pitt is >17,000 undergrads alone, you would think that wouldn’t be the case, but it is!</p>
<p>I would also say that, for a lot of people who come to Pitt, it is more diverse than their hometown, which is a big plus. (With others like me, it’s the opposite. I think that’s more rare though). There are a ton of clubs, activities, events, etc. that are catered to ALL sorts of people, so it’s really to just dive in an get involved and meet people that like the same things you do!</p>
<p>Which bands require auditions? In high school I have played trumpet in the concert band, jazz band, and pit orchestra and I’m also interested in the marching band. Also, I saw a website for the Quizbowl team at Pitt (hosted at the honors college), but it has not been updated for 2-3 years. I am interested as to whether that club is still active at Pitt. Finally, what makes honors courses different from normal classes at Pitt?</p>
<p>All of them. Pitt Orchestra plays both semesters, whereas Pitt Symphonic Band is only in the spring (due to Marching Band being in the fall). Jazz band members are pulled from the Symphonic Band, I believe. </p>
<p>I don’t know if Quizbowl is still active. If the website hasn’t been updated in a while, it may not be. Check through SORC ([Student</a> Organization Resource Center](<a href=“http://www.sorc.pitt.edu/]Student”>http://www.sorc.pitt.edu/)) to see if they’re still around.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Honors classes are taught by professors picked by the UHC, rather than the department. Generally, the material is much more theoretical (and in depth) than you would ever see in a regular class. The material is also therefore much harder. Because of this, the classes tend to be a lot smaller (50-100 for Chem 1/2 compared to 300-400), which is nice.</p>
<p>Pitt’s music program is an interesting animal in that it doesn’t offer the BM in performance or education–just a BA (as well as MA and PhD). S had a Pitt PhD as clinician for all-region jazz ensemble his freshman year. The jazz ensemble is fall/spring and is taught by faculty from the jazz studies area of the music department.</p>
<p>Awesome, I wouldn’t think of arguing the point, mainly because you’re there and I’m just looking at websites. </p>
<p>I’m getting the picture that the band program (marching band and symphonic band) are attached to the athletic department whereas the orchestra and jazz ensemble are attached to the music department. Is that correct? Would that make the symphonic jazz band an athletic department jazz band?</p>
<p>That must be the case. I know that Marching and Symphonic (and Pep) are all through the Athletic Department and run by Jack Anderson (as well as Jazz Symphonic). I know Orchestra is through a different professor/faculty, so it might be the music school.</p>
<p>Hey Awesome. I have a question about the gen ed requirements. </p>
<p>If I attend Pitt, I most likely will major in Russian/minor in Spanish (if possible, and take a few ASL classes lol). I’m not really too bad at, nor am I too interested in mathematics and bio/chem/physics. In the packet I received in my acceptance folder, it mentions having to take a certain number of sciences, etc. The only gen ed requirement I could get out of because of AP credit is English Lit (I also have college credit for Intro. Anthropology, and Western Civilizations).</p>
<p>My take on college is that it should be a place where a student can take the classes they want (as long as they fulfill their major’s requirements, of course); but I’m a bit worried as Pitt’s been made out to me as high school with the “you must take THESE courses” the first two years. I want to jump right into my major/minor/certificate classes, not waste time/money on classes that I don’t like and don’t care as much about. </p>
<p>Do you have advice/a better explanation of the gen ed requirements? I tried to get directed towards someone within Pitt to ask, but the student who was assigned to email me as a prospective student told me not to worry about it until I enroll. This might be the deciding factor, though. Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>I’m sure awesome will give a better answer, but I can tell you that every college will have science requirements for a liberal arts major such as languages. That’s what a liberal arts degree is all about - attaining broad knowledge. There are a number of lower level science courses designed for “non-scientific” people.</p>
<p>Isimarie, even though there are Gen-eds, you do NOT have to take them your first 2 years. I knew what I wanted to major in coming in, so I started with that, and I am taking one or two gen-eds each semester, which is actually nice because then I always have a “fun” or easy class. Some gen-eds will probably overlap with your major, so it won’t even be a full 60 credits of extra stuff.</p>
<p>Also, there are some science classes for the less science-inclined, such as physical anthropology, a class on natural disasters, or an astronomy class that combines the science of astronomy with the history. If you want to see what classes can fulfill your gen-eds, go to [Course</a> Descriptions | University of Pittsburgh](<a href=“http://www.courses.as.pitt.edu%5DCourse”>http://www.courses.as.pitt.edu) and on the left is a drop-down box where you can choose a requirement and see all the classes that were offered for that requirement this year. Though it won’t be all inclusive, as some courses may only be offered every other year, it can give you an idea.</p>
<p>Isimarie, I would also add that your language course work can take up a lot of credits/contact hours. You will definitely start language classes immediately. I know that my daughter, a junior, is still taking genes, but she tries very hard to make them fulfill two requirements (like gened and her major or certificate program).</p>
<p>Like SouthEastMom said, any school you go to will require a set of “gen ed” requirements regardless of major. You are not required to get them done right away, although a lot of people tend to, so that they can focus heavily on their major in later years without having to spend time worrying about “freshman level” gen ed classes. </p>
<p>MedSchHopeful is also right about there being a HUGE number of classes that qualify that aren’t traditional “bio”/“chem” classes. I think the only thing you may not be able to get out of is a math requirement (possibly at least Calc 1 and 2, but I’m not 100% sure). Other than that, there is a huge array of classes to pick from, so I’m sure you can find something to interest you.</p>
<p>Also, to your point of only taking classes in your major or you want to: if everyone did that, a lot of people would graduate in 1-2 years. There are a lot of majors at Pitt that don’t actually involve a lot of classes, the gen eds help to round out a college education and provide a broader knowledge base for the students.</p>
<p>^Actually there is no “math” requirement, just algebra (if you don’t test out of it) and a “quantitative reasoning” requirement that can be a math class or a class in computer science, philosophy, economics, etc.</p>
<p>Hi, I was hoping you could answer a question about class credits…</p>
<p>I am going to be a nursing student this coming fall and was wondering if I could use some of my college credits that I received during my senior year of high school towards any of the classes at Pitt. I took Biology 1 and 2 + lab, Freshman English 1 and 2 and college spanish 1 and 2. I know that I have to take english comp., and a elective in either Art, music, creative expression or literature during my first semester, so would I be able to use any credits towards any of these courses?
I have already contacted the university but have no received a reply.</p>
<p>Pitt is very strict about other colleges they will take credit from (whether it be for summer classes or in high school) so you will have to wait to hear back from them. They don’t accept credit from every school, so it will depend on what school you went to that you took these classes at.</p>
<p>Who makes the determination of accepting credits from other colleges? My S has emailed his advisor to no avail as he wants to take a summer CHEM 102 course at UMBC to replace one he missed at Pitt. I told him to go to the advisor office and see someone, anyone. What do you think?</p>
<p>If he cannot get a hold of his advisor, I’d recommend talking to someone in the departmental office. For Chem, I’d say he should email the head of the chem department to see if they would know if UMBC credit can be accepted or not. The head of the Chem Department is Dr. Wladeck (email is dave[at]pitt[dot]edu).</p>
<p>My advisor told me to take summer courses you have to submit a copy of the course description from the catalog to the Dean’s Office in 140 Thackery and they will approve (or not approve) it. If they approve it, you submit the transcript to the same office to receive credit.</p>
</p>