Pitt FAQs

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
1121

<p>AwesomeOpossum and MD Mom,
Thanks again!</p>

<p>AwesomeOpossum:“People are dumb” Couldn’t have said it better!
Someone today was trying to tell me that Pitt isn’t prestigious because of it’s color scheme!
Utterly ridiculous!</p>

<p>A few more extremely specific questions:
Do your grades get rounded up if you get above a 93.5 and below a 94? Does the professor curve it so that certain percentage of people get certain grades? I know that BU’s grading system works to make only top 10% get As and middle 40% get Bs and so on. Our school’s A was 93-100…can make a world of difference…</p>

<p>Does the professor, for example from Chem I to Chem II, stay the same or are those literally two different classes?</p>

<p>What is the average engineering GPA of a graduating class at Pitt? I have tried to find this statistic but haven’t seen it anywhere. At Berkeley, it’s a 2.9 I believe. I hate to be cut throat about GPA but I’m guessing if it’s anything below 3.5, you’re screwed for any great Med, Law, Business, or Grad school.</p>

<p>Have you known any Rhodes Scholars from Pitt? Do a good amount of people apply? That is an incentive that’ll hopefully keep me motivated throughout 4 years regardless of whether I get it or not (looong way to go!)</p>

<p>How often do engineers have free time? I was at the Wharton School for a summer and a group of friends and I used to always go out to eat, play touch football in the quad, walk around Philly @ 2am, and it was loads of fun! Is that EVER gonna happen as an engineering student?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

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<p>Depends on the professor, my guess is that most of them would.</p>

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<p>I only ever had 1 professor who did this (I got curved down which I thought was extremely unfair). Most will not. Generally they curve UP based on the average. So say everyone took a test and the average was a 75/100. At least for Engineering, they push the average up to a B, so everyone gets a 5% bump on their exam.</p>

<p>Most of the time grades don’t depend on how YOU do but how do you COMPARED to everyone else. </p>

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<p>They are literally two different classes. You may, however, end up taking Chem II with the same professor you had for Chem I. Just depends on if they teach the class and if it fits into your schedule.</p>

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<p>No idea. My guess is around the 3.0 range. I honestly didn’t know very many people below a 3.1 at graduation, although I’m sure some existed. You might be able to contact SSOE about those details.</p>

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<p>Never knew them. We’ve only had 7 total in our history I think. I imagine a lot of people apply nationally, since so few are actually awarded. </p>

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<p>Yep. I did HW for a few hours a few nights a week as a freshman. Almost always had completely free weekends to do whatever (I will say that I study most effectively in a 2-day span compared to people who prepare a week ahead of time). I did a lot of PittArts events, late night dinners, movies, video game sessions, etc. Even as an upperclassmen I would go to the theater on weekdays, watch a lot of TV, hang out with friends, etc. As long as you don’t let your work pile up (seriously, do something every day) you’ll be fine.</p>

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<p>However, 4 of those Rhodes Scholars have been in the last 7 years. Pitt is averaging about one every other year recently. The UHC has been pretty prodigious in helping to facilitate Marshall and Goldwater scholars too.</p>

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<p>Wgmcp101, do you think Doc Stewart was at least part of the reason for the more recent cluster of Rhodes Scholars?</p>

1125

<p>So, I have a question about scholarships. I don’t mean to sound entitled, but I am shocked that I have received no merit scholarships at all! I have an ACT of 33, 4.2 gpa (weighted), decent ECs, wrote a fairly decent essay, and yet, nothing. I’ve received a decent amount of scholarships from other schools (even publics).</p>

<p>Is this normal? Or did I forget to check some box somewhere?</p>

<p>Please don’t mistake my question for arrogance, I’m just confused/ worried</p>

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<p>There is no additional application for scholarships, generally speaking. Pitt is ranked about 50 nationally in different rankings, which is pretty high when you consider there are more than 3000 colleges and universities in the country. Some programs are ranked very high.</p>

<p>IMO, Pitt is getting better known as time goes on. It has so many opportunities for those high achievers who hope to become doctors that it attracts some top students. Each year, it seems as though the stats of scholarship students gets higher. </p>

<p>I do think that it looks for a diverse population for its scholarships, not racial necessarily, but kids from different regions of the country and different types of schools. It still draws a lot of students from Pennsylvania because it is state supported.</p>

<p>Don’t be too disappointed, rachelm57. It is simply another admissions mystery over who gets what. I hope you have some nice choices.</p>

1127

<p>^ I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I live in semi-rural Oklahoma.</p>

<p>But I’m glad I wasn’t depending on this. Oh well, my other school is top 100 private with a half-tuition scholarship, so I’m sure that I’ll be fine and more than happy there.</p>

1128

<p>Well there goes THAT theory. If Pitt is your first choice, could you ask your guidance counselor to call? I did read somewhere that all scholarships have been offered, but it might be worth a call.</p>

1129

<p>Thank you for your time. My daughter was honored with a Henderson Scholarship and guaranteed acceptance into the engineering masters program. She is interested in majoring in bioengineering with concentration in biomedical engineering and aspires to continue with medical school/ PhD program. The idea is to help the fight against cancer (my mother, her grandmother, battled breast cancer for many years)</p>

<p>Along with Pitt, she is accepted to MIT and Columbia (some other “elite” institutions as well). Besides the obvious financial reasons, why would enrolling with Pitt be a better choice? Also could you please answer in terms of medical/ PhD acceptance and preparation?</p>

<p>I REALLY do appreciate your time in responding to my question.</p>

1130

<p>Yeah, it’s pretty late. It’s not my first choice, and I’ve basically decided against it at this point (partly scholarships, partly distance and other stuff). It’s just odd. Oh well. I hadn’t really thought about this until recently and I was curious. I’ll be happy at the school I’m going to, so I’ll be fine! :)</p>

1131

<p>If I am understanding, jsmathwiz, your daughter got into Pitt with a nice scholarship, but was also admitted to MIT and Columbia where you would be full pay or pay a large portion?</p>

<p>I am not an expert on the Ivies; however, Pitt has a top 15 medical school and many hospitals nearby. The chances for undergraduate research or internships are very good. The trend seems to be to minimize undergraduate debt if the goal is to go on to medical school. </p>

<p>FWIW, my daughter selected Pitt over more prestigious schools where we would have been full pay. She graduates the end of the month.</p>

<p>Best wishes, rachelm57.</p>

1132

<p>jsmathwiz,</p>

<p>MD/PhD programs are the most competitive program to get into in all of academia (except perhaps VMD/PHD programs)… for obvious reasons, you get free med school tuition and a stipend for all 7 years or so of your time in school. It is a major investment in resources for the schools and slots are very, very limited. Only the best of the best get them. That said, you have to want to do it. PhDs are not for the faint of heart as far as time and frustration…although they are often accelerated for these students. If you aren’t sure about the research, just get an MD. You can still do research with just an MD (although you won’t be nearly prepared to do it as with a PhD).</p>

<p>To get in, you have to have stellar transcripts, many have double or triple majors, top crust MCATs, volunteer experience…all of that typical stuff… but you absolutely, positively have to have top notch research experience with authorship on publications. You want to demonstrate a extreme seriousness about becoming a physician-scientist. You have to stand out, and you have to demonstrate seriousness about both the physician and research sides.</p>

<p>You can get that experience and have those environments at all of the schools on your list…including Pitt. One thing Pitt has done a great job of doing, better than even many Ivies, is grooming students to win major academic awards like Goldwater, Marshall, and Rhodes scholarships. Winning, or even getting an honorable mention, on awards like like that would really help with setting an application apart. If I were you, I would check over the criteria for those scholarship and make it a goal, no matter where your d ends up. The Honors College setting at Pitt may help give more personal grooming for those awards than at the Ivies. I not going to recommend Pitt over an Ivy or MIT, you’ll be able to great experiences at all those schools, but the research opportunities at Pitt are second to none, and don’t take a back seat to any Ivy, and I say that honestly being a PhD in a research field who worked and taught in the Ivy. Out of schools with undergraduate education in the US, Pitt is 5th in NIH research allocations and the bulk of its research facilities are right on campus, its medical center that is ranked #10 by US News in clinical quality is right on campus, its medical school where a lot of that research takes place has been in the top 15 for most of the decade and is right on campus. All of those resources are readily available for undergrads to take advantage of. Pitt’s undergrad neuroscience and bioengineering are among the tops it the country for undergrad education and scholarship with dedicated undergraduate teaching faculty. Pitt is an excellent place to be to get the experiences and resume building needed to gain one of those coveted MD/PhD slots, and perhaps even more importantly, find out before your d spends the time and money applying to these programs whether both of the MD and PhD components are actually right for her.</p>

<p>…and btw, in research fields, masters don’t do anything for you. If you want to conduct research, pre-admission guarantees to a masters programs is relatively useless. You really need that PhD (or MD) otherwise you plateau very quickly. Most PhD’s skip Masters. In bioscience (not necessarily engineering as I’m not as familiar with that), they are typically a sign (when that is the highest degree) that someone has dropped out of their PhD program before defending…although some programs award one on the way through (with defense of an early project). Generally in research biosciences, masters are to PhDs as what an associates degree is to a bachelors…although you can probably teach at some small schools with a masters.</p>

1133

<p>Does anyone know how well cost analysis process works at Pitt to compare scholarships and change an award?</p>

1134

<p>My D will be a freshman at Pitt in the Fall. She’d like season tickets for football games. I see conflicting information on whether they are $25 for the season or $25 per game. Also, when can incoming freshman purchase these? And do they sell out of student season tickets or are they easy to get at Orientation or whenever? Thanks for any information.</p>

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<p>It is $25 for the season. Freshman can purchase tickets and there will be tables set up around the union at orientation and perhaps even PittStart. I do not think they sell out. Pitt plays at Heinz Field, which is really neat.</p>

1136

<p>Hi AwesomeOpossum!</p>

<p>Thank you for answering my questions!
I was at Pitt this friday for the admitted students in engineering day and it was awesome!</p>

<p>We toured the engineering school but didn’t go to the ECE floor/part of Benedum. Is there one or is it blended in with the other departments?</p>

<p>Towers, Sutherland West, Nordenberg, or Competitive Edge (new term for SPACE)?</p>

<p>Where do engineering sophomores, junior, and seniors live on-campus?</p>

<p>The “best” meal plan?</p>

<p>Can you take a class or two while co-oping?</p>

<p>Go to class, read, do the homework, go to office hours, study, practice…what else do you have to do to get an A?</p>

<p>How do you do the labs correctly? My Ap Chem instructor didn’t do a good job and no one in class knew what was going on. So we aimlessly followed the sheet and NEVER answered any of the analysis questions right. How will I go about doing the labs correctly next year? Actually knowing what’s going on?</p>

<p>Bioengineering vs Computer Engineering…which one is more rigorous?</p>

<p>Certificates: Engineering for Humanity vs Sustainable Engineering…how popular are they and which one is better/more rewarding?</p>

<p>Is the GRE similar to the SAT? I suck at reading…I moved to the US in 6th grade and the curriculum in my home country didn’t stress reading at all. All we did was memorize grammar rules. The first book I read was a 57 page book with 24 pt font in 6th grade. Naturally, I struggled on the Reading ACT but aced the other sections. How do I do better on the GRE? GMAT? or even the MCAT if I go that route?</p>

<p>Thank you so much to anyone who can answer these! H2P!</p>

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<p>Could have also been when you applied. The earlier = more likely to get scholarships. Also numbers aren’t <em>everything</em> for Pitt $ as many have seen. Having the numbers gets you noticed, having that something extra gets you money. That’s just the way it is.</p>

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<p>As a side note: the guaranteed Master’s thing is apparently something the University offers but SSOE is not aware of. I was offered one along with many friends. Some brought it up to their advisors in their senior year (i.e. if I don’t get a job at least I can stay here guaranteed) and they were all <em>super</em> confused. However, I will say if you are a student who was offered one automatically as a freshman, you wouldn’t have any problems getting admitted later.</p>

<p>As many have pointed out- Pitt is a top medical institution in the country. I don’t mean that just in terms of medical school either. Our BioE department, Neuro Department, and many others that are related to the medical field are just as good. Plus we have a plethora of hospitals in the area (many within walking or busing distance) which students have the opportunity to work and volunteer at starting their freshman year. Also, due to the huge research presence at Pitt, it’s relatively simple to join a lab (even as a freshman ) and become involved in clinical research (which looks impressive for both med school or a PhD program).</p>

<p>Basically, Pitt (the school) and Pittsburgh (the city) give their students many avenues of possibilities for work that help to bump their application more so than most schools that, while they may be more “elite”, may also be more rural, or not have as many opportunities.</p>

<p>Also- if your D decides to go to Med school, do you really want to have a lot of loans from undergrad on top of the ridiculous expense of med school to deal with?</p>

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<p>This is definitely changing IMO. Being a grad student right now I can assure you that many many people are getting Masters- both professionally and with a research thesis. Why? They want the advanced degree (and higher pay) without spending the excessive amount of time that a Ph.D. would require. In fact, many professors now require their Ph.D. students to get a Masters in research along the way just as a safety net in case they ever decide to drop out of the Ph.D. program (my professor is one of those people). I was just at a training workshop at a conference over the weekend where they even recommend that every student do that.</p>

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<p>Like MD Mom said it’s $25 for the season. However, they <em>DO</em> sell out (they have in the past) so I highly recommend that she buy them the day she moves in (they will have a big tent in the Quad where they should be selling them to freshman). Last year, by the end of orientation week, all the tickets sold out.</p>

<p>Alternatively, if she already has her Pitt ID and password, she can buy them online through my.pitt.edu</p>