Pitt FAQs

<p>In our case the tuition difference made the difference. My S got a $20K scholarship from BU (compared to a $10K from Pitt) and even then, Pitt was still $7-$8K cheaper when you add the room & board costs - for what we thought was fairly equal quality. He loves Pitt and like sciencelove’s brother, he has friends from PA to Montana at school. The only negative thus far is his academic advisor (doesn’t keep appts and is generally useless) but he’ll get a new one next fall at the A&S school.</p>

<p>Oh something else I thought of for people from MA–flying back and forth to Pitt is really easy and not expensive, lots of nonstop flights. I went to visit U Wisconsin last month and it took forever (flight from Logan, change in NY, flight to Milwaukee, bus to Madison), Made Pittsburgh seem like it’s next door.</p>

<p>@ AwesomeOpposum- I just scheduled my interview for Lambda Sigma! And I want to know if I should dress formally for the occasion. Also, how long do the interviews usually last? </p>

<p>Thank you</p>

<p>sciencelove - Since BU and NU are on your list too… can you tell me (other than $), your opinion comparing the 3 schools. How would you compare the campuses NU and Pitt? Class sizes? Frat life? Type of students? Engineering programs - in terms of competitiveness vs cooperativeness? Accessibility to profs / help, etc… I know you are a hs sr., but between your visits and your brother’s info., I’m just wondering your impressions compared to my son’s.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I dressed up in dress pants and a button up (I can’t remember if I wore a jacket or not). Definitely dress up!</p>

<p>The interview was between 15 and 20 minutes. They are not very long.</p>

<p>Just to add a little bit for varitek33, we toured all three (Pitt, BU, NU) and it was interesting to see the difference between me and my S. I thought NU’s campus was quite nice but he did not like it. Conversely, I was a little dismayed at the lack of a defined campus for BU (but loved the brownstones!) but my S liked it much better than I did. I think Pitt hit the goldilocks zone of a campusy feel but also as an integral part of the city. He thought both Pitt and BU did a good job of the visit days but was turned off by the overemphasis on co-op at NU. Of course, if he were an engineer, then the co-op program would be a big plus. I did engineering co-op at another college and I found it very valuable.</p>

<p>Varitek33-- we also toured BU, NEU and Pitt (DS is a Freshman at Pitt currently Pre-Pharmacy). We are about 6.5 hours from Boston, 5 hours from Pitt. BU-- both of us thought it was not for him. We really didn’t like the lack of open space. NEU–was actually DS’s first choice for a long time. Pitt offered a lot more money and the more he/we thought about it Pitt moved to #1. There is a real down side to NEU’s co-op program for a program like Pharmacy in our opinion. The way it was laid out, he would be home the first summer then after that would always be in Boston for summers and home (if he co-op’d at home) during the normal school year. It’s a great school, but you have to be willing to have a schedule far different than most other colleges have.</p>

<p>Veritek33–on the Pitt/NU/Bu comparison–I’ve struck BU off the list because I didn’t like it as much as Pitt or NU. I can’t explain it, except that maybe I had great conversations with people at Pitt, and didn’t get that friendly vibe at BU or Northeastern. When I re visited Pitt and toured Swanson, our guide introduced me to some friends who were really excited about what they were doing, and loved Pitt and the program. Since I want Engineering, Co-op is a big plus, and my Dad (an engineering manager) says great things about the NU grads he’s hired. I like the NU campus, it has some green areas and the dorms and buildings are nice. But I can also do co-op at Pitt, so…(and to complicate things personally I also made Wisconsin, higher ranked and my parents are pushing it, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as Pitt or NU because it’s freaking enormous and the kids all seemed really into partying)
Don’t know if that was helpful!</p>

<p>A question for AwesomeOpossom about Engineering Co-op–
I read somewhere that an engineering students co-ops (I think they do 3?) are with the same company? How does that work out for people? Also, are there good opportunities for Materials Science majors to co-op in Pittsburgh? That department seems to be small, which is good and not so good maybe? And what do you know about the Engineering Science major?</p>

<p>Thanks so much once again!</p>

<p>Sorry to break up the BU/Pitt discussion…lol</p>

<p>I noticed on the LCTL (Less Commonly Taught Languages) site that Pitt now offers an Arabic certificate, but the only thing that is said about it is to see the Linguistics Dept. site. Went there, and there was no mention of it whatsoever (just of the ASL one). I emailed the dept to ask but like the last two or three emails I’ve sent to Pitt (these about legacy scholarships), I have not received a reply. </p>

<p>What should I do? </p>

<p>(Side note: It’s a bit off putting to see a school I like a lot not respond at all to any correspondence I send. I asked the student-to-student mentor person that emailed me if I should contact the department I might major in for any questions, but she said not to do anything until I register for classes…after I enroll and pay. Thing is, the major/certificate I take will be a deciding factor for me in choosing between Pitt and another school (which gave me money, Pitt did not).) Haha sorry for the mini-rant!!</p>

<p>So, I applied pretty late to Pitt and am still waiting to hear back. It was kind of a last-minute application as Pitt wasn’t on my original list of schools, but I didn’t get in anywhere that I want to go (or CAN go), so Pitt is now at the top.
My question is, if I get in, would it be completely stupid to accept the offer even though I’ve never seen the campus? It sounds crazy, but I really just feel like Pitt is right for me. I’m a really impulsive person so I’m afraid I might regret it later, but I live nowhere near PA so a visit isn’t just like a weekend thing.
I know this is ultimately a personal decision, but I’m curious to hear your opinion/advice as someone who’s at Pitt now and went through this process. Thanks!</p>

<p>Isimarie…try making a phone call. You can get the phone numbers online. I think that language office is in the bottom of the Cathedral and is open limited hours, but a human on a phone will be more helpful than email. If that fails, call the honors college; surely someone there will be able to help you or direct you. Best wishes.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>You generally start summer after sophomore year:</p>

<p>soph summer: work
junior fall: class
junior spring: work
junior summer: class
senior spring: work
senior summer: class
senior(5) fall: class</p>

<p>So basically, you’ll graduate a “semester” later (in December instead of in April) but you’ll have a full year of working experience. Generally, people spend all 3 rotations at the same company (sometimes in the same group, sometimes in different divisions), but some people have switched to a different company if their first rotation did not go so well. This doesn’t change the way credit is awarded (1 credit per rotation for a total of a 3-credit class).</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>It depends. For Materials Science, if you stay in the Pittsburgh area you’ll probably be co-oping at a steel or metal company (i.e. US Steel, Universal Stainless, ALCOA, etc.) as opposed to a materials-esque company (Boeing, GE, etc.). If you like that sort of stuff-- great!</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I’m actually graduating from MSE in April! I have to say-- even though we’re the smallest major, we have some of the BEST teachers. Seriously! Almost ALL of our professors are great, the research opportunities are basically endless (some with pay!) and the professors and faculty actually CARE about the students (other majors, the professors don’t really care about teaching as much as they do about their own personal research). Plus the small major means that by junior year (sophomore year is spend with the mechanical engineers) most of your classes are pretty small (15-20) which is nice. You get to know the professor really well and focus on the material nicely.</p>

<p>Engineering Science is actually going to be phased out soon (probably next year) because it is REALLY small (about 2 students a year) and random (a combination of 3 majors). I think it is being replaced by Sustainability Engineering or something…</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I agree with MD Mom, call the linguistics department. They’ll probably be way more receptive to answering a phone than digging through and replying to email. Also I’m appalled at the advice the student-to-student mentor gave you. They’re definitely wrong. If the department or certificate is what you’re interested in at Pitt, DEFINITELY find out about it ahead of time!</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>What do you think the international students do? They’re in the same boat as you! (So to answer your question, no, it’s not crazy). Even when I visited Pitt before deciding, all I saw was a sample Towers Dorm (which I didn’t live in), and we walked around the OUTSIDE of a lot of humanities Pitt buildings (I’m an engineering major). So at most…I got a mild feel of campus that I could have gotten from pictures.</p>

<p>Honestly, if you can’t see it, it’s okay. Talk to kids here, look at pictures online, and see how you feel. You aren’t the first person to have done this!</p>

<p>So it looks like I am down to deciding between UConn and Pitt. I visited each this past week.</p>

<p>I liked both, but I really loved Pitt. Honestly, Northeastern was my top choice, but I was denied, and Pitt really gives me the same big city, still having a campus feel that I loved at NEU. </p>

<p>Here’s my dilemma: I didn’t get any money at Pitt, but a half-ride at UConn. Is it worth it? It looks like the quality of education of both schools is very close (correct me if I’m wrong), but Pitt gave me a better vibe. Is that “vibe” worth ~$10k a year? </p>

<p>How hard is it to get a scholarship after freshman year?</p>

<p>Also, what kind of a reputation do you think Pitt has, both around Pittsburgh, and around the country? This is probably an unfair question, but is it better/worse than UConn?</p>

<p>Huh. When I checked the Engineering Science page, I got the impression that they’re changing the old Engineering Physics major into a new major called Engineering Science, which involves 3 new concentrations–in either Nanotechnology, Nuclear, or Eng. Physics. Or is this old news? I know Pitt got a ton of money for energy research, wonder how that is going to impact things? [What</a> is Engineering Science?](<a href=“http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/engineeringscience/]What”>Engineering Science Major Curriculum)</p>

<p>I think Nano is really cool, so it caught my attention.</p>

<p>Hi, I have a D very interested in PITT. I previously read about PITT in the 2011 “Insider’s Guide to the Colleges” and it sounded like a great place. But, Today I just read the 2012 edition and there were a lot of negative things written that I am now concerned about.

  1. One thing I really liked about PITT was the Living Learning Communities (LLCs) - but the 2012 book says “The Living Learning Communites are a good idea in theory, but I don’t think enough people participate in them for them to be effective." D is interested in the Honors Housing or the Pre-med/health sciences LLC. If anyone out there lives in one of these LLCs can you please comment on these housing options, i.e. how many kids are living in these particular LLCs, what are the planned activities, do the students participate in the activities, the type of students living there, anything else I am not even thinking about that may be important to know.
  2. Another comment I am concerned with “most PITT students are apathetic about the amount of extraordinary opportunities PITT offers. Comments?
  3. Final comment that I definitely don’t like reading “students often don’t interact with students outside of their social groups (if in frat/sorority or mock trial team, etc.)” AND “students are also not big fans of school-sponsored fun, which might contribute to the University’s cliquish tendency.” My D is coming from Chicago and will know no one at first. So I want her to attend a really social U, not cliquish. Let me hear a lot of comments on this.
    I have never heard any negative comments about PITT until these. I am hoping that whoever wrote this year’s comments interviewed the one and only bitter PITT student – because these comments were real downers… and then I have to wonder just how many people were interviewed for the book in the first place.</p>

<p>Pipl, I just posted about my son at Pitt in the “Pros and Cons of an OOS college”. My son is a freshman there and though he loves most of things about the school, he is struggling socially. A lot of it is because he is introverted by nature, and was in a private school system that did not require him to make any effort to get to know people. He graduated with kids he knew for years, and the school also took great lengths for the students to bond. Now he is at a great big OOS school where most of the kids kind of know each other and a sizable number know each other well. He does not feel that the school is cliquish, but that it is hard for him since he is not good at this sort of thing and never had to try.</p>

<p>As for the extraordinary opportunities, he is loving every single one of them. He goes to the museums, the football games, the basketball games. He says there is always something to do and it’s no problem finding a group to join in going to any activity. It’s the close friends that he is not making that he misses.</p>

<p>Pitt’s Honor College is nice sized and the kids in there are as excellent as in any college. By having an Honors lounge and other such amentiies, one can meet a more select group of kids that way. Honors classes are often smaller as well. My son is not in the Honors COllege, and wishe he were. He may take some Honors courses next year.</p>

<p>He has friends at NYU and Fordham and spends time at both universities when he comes home. He has no interest in transferring to either school He was also accepted to Fordham, and his grades this year are such that a transfer to NYU is a possibility if he so desires. He prefers the atmosphere at Pitt. NYU does not feel like college life at all to him, and Fordham feels too restrictive in its campus, and the college feel disappears when you leave the campus and go into NYC. He loves the combo that PItt and Oakland offer 24/7 being right in the city, basically owning that part of town, and yet having a full amenities college slate with athletic teams and campus events. He looked at Northeastern and BU and felt strongly that the atmosphere here was preferable. </p>

<p>It is a fact of life that a large number of kids live within an hour of Pitt and they often have such full lives right there, that they are not interested in meeting and including an OOSer who is on the introverted side. My friends report the same issues with their kids at USF and Cof Charleston. Had my son gone to Fordham, he would have been one of those “in” kids, and he realizes this. He thinks that this is a painful part of his experience but definitely forcing him to change and make efforts he never had to make in terms of acclimating to totally new surroundings.</p>

<p>The academic advising for him has been stellar. The classes, big, but the recitations thorough. Next year he is looking forward to smaller courses as he has earned his way into honors and more advanced courses where the classes are not held in lecture halls.</p>

<p>plplpl - I would also look at the comments on college p r o w l e r dot com which is a bit more timely than the insider’s guide books. I think it is hard to categorize a group being apathetic or clique-ish. I think those are tendancies to all colleges. My ds has found many of his friends came from marching band which started before orientation - obviously that would be the case if you spend that much time with the same people for the first semester of school. To an outsider to that group - they might seem clique-ish. I kind of like to read between the lines with all these insider comments.</p>

<p>My first thought too is if there are extraordinary opportunities that are not being taken advantage of, is that research or coops or is it socially? I know for my ds (engineering), he had to choose what he had time for because there was so much work (current struggle is physics2 - <strong>AwesomeOpposum - do you have any tutor names to recommend? he went to tutoring and didn’t find it too helpful - his prof is Devety?</strong>)</p>