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<p>I’m not sure tbh. I think some of it is the kids thinking they can blow off class and still do well like they did in HS. And some of it is not being pressured by parents to perform in college and not holding themselves to high standards. </p>
<p>I am an incoming student this fall (still deliberating, but about 80% sure). However, I do not qualify for any scholarship. Can I get a scholarship for next year if I keep my GPA up high? I’m out of state and the tuition for School of Nursing is very expensive.</p>
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<p>It depends. Generally scholarships given after the first year (from the school) are rare and due to unique circumstances. In my case, a student graduated and the scholarship was from an alumnus who only paid for students within my major (and since we only declare starting sophomore year, the scholarship is for a person who is at minimum a sophomore). Most cases are not like this. I would say if you are interested in money after freshman year, look around to companies or groups who give out grants to students past their first year of college. Internally at the school, money is limited.</p>
<p>Hi, may I have an insider’s view of the neuroscience major at UPitt, and the outcomes for the neuro majors after graduation? (ie percentage that moves on to grad schools, medicine, others) </p>
<p>I know that the neuro dept is strong, which is one of the main reasons for applying here.</p>
<p>Also, would there be many chances to go on exchange programmes while balancing a double major workload? I’m thinking of majoring in neuroscience and possibly dmajor/minor in computer science.</p>
<p>Finally, would it be possible to double major in neuro and biomed eng? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance! Would greatly appreciate the replies :)</p>
<p>Call the neuroscience department office and ask if they have that data. They’re probably the only ones that will.</p>
<p>IMO, Neuro + compsci has a ton of possibilities. It would be a very strong combination and certainly computational neuroscience is a burgeoning field, particularly if you have a comp background and end up with an advanced research degree (PhD). Not many scientists have that. Also, if one decides not to go into graduate research training, you’ll have much better employment/career pathways in science with that compsci background.</p>
<p>I’m not that familiar with the engineering side of things, but engineering programs are pretty structured. I’d don’t think you’d get as much benefit out of a double degree with neuro there due to it having more biosciences course content overlap, and it would probably be more difficult with the engineering structure and the two departments being in separate schools (Engineering and Arts & Sciences). It may be better to spend your free time doing research in the case of going into bioengineering than pursing a double degree. You could always take a neuroscience course or two if there were ones that were deemed interesting.</p>
<p>Exchange programs? You mean doing study abroad? I think you could do that but then you also need to maybe consider the possibility that one may not finish a double major in 8 semesters. You’d have to see what one could handle first, course load wise, and what would be available to study overseas to satisfy requirements. </p>
<p>@wgmcp101 In that case I guess I’d stick to compsci + neuroscience, as I do find the computational neuro program offered at CNBC very appealing. </p>
<p>& yeah, I do mean study abroad, and I don’t mind having to graduate a bit later if I can get a different kind of experience. </p>
<p>Thanks for your reply, appreciate it. </p>
<p>Hey Awesome! Long time follower (of this thread), first time poster. I’m planning to enroll in Pitt as a part of the UHC this fall semester, and I’m super excited! I just have a few questions, I hope these aren’t repeats because I’ve read most of this thread (although it is super long) so hopefully I didn’t ask something that’s already been asked! If so, I apologize in advance.</p>
<p>So regarding honors classes: is there any real benefit to taking them aside from smaller classes & more in depth learning of the subject? I know they can be enjoyable if you really like the topic, but I’ve heard from a few other sources that they are unnecessary and not recommended because they will probably just serve to lower your GPA. I also heard that grad schools don’t take them into any special consideration and there are no added benefits to taking them, so it could hurt your GPA and thus your chances of getting in to grad school. </p>
<p>Is there any truth to this? I’ve taken AP classes all through high school so I’m accustomed to challenging myself, but I have to say I’m not sure I would have taken them if I hadn’t known they would help me get into good schools and achieve merit scholarships, etc. I feel similarly about Pitt honors courses.</p>
<p>Are there public kitchens in Sutherland? Ones where students can bake/microwave stuff? I know that when you were in Honors Housing it was in Forbes, but I thought you might know. I took a tour of upper campus and Sutherland and didn’t see any, but we did only see one hallway.</p>
<p>I know you did PittArts and it sounds really fun - I definitely want to do it. But were the concerts you saw all classical/orchestral types? Does Pitt have any/many big name artists perform cheaply for students? Or if not, did many of them at least come through Pittsburgh and were you able to see any live? Not an essential question or anything, just curious as I haven’t seen many concerts live and would love to do that if possible (and as cheaply as possible) in college. </p>
<p>Do you know much about the a cappella groups on campus? How many are there, which are the best, are they mixed, single sex, etc? I’m planning on auditioning, so I’d love to know your input (if you have any).</p>
<p>And just a general college question: are there any items you’d suggest a new college student bring to school (or to Pitt specifically) that might not be considered a staple? Or something that a lot of people don’t bring/forget to bring but wish that they had?</p>
<p>Sorry for the super long post, but I’d be grateful if you could answer a few of these! Thank you so much for your dedication to this page and for all the questions you’ve answered! You truly are awesome. I can honestly say that reading about your experience at Pitt and seeing your answers to all these questions I’d been asking myself definitely made my decision a lot easier. 
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<p>I can address some of these questions while you wait for Awesome! Pitt Arts focuses on cultural events - the concerts do not include popular and rock music. They are not only classical however - there is folk, jazz, sometimes gospel, and ethnic music (like African drumming). There is also theater and dance. You get free food - that’s one of the attractions!<br>
As for honors classes, my son did not take very many except for those required by his major (Physics). He’s a science type, so was less interested the the humanities honors courses. I would think that if you are interested in the topic, it would be worth your while however. Smaller classes and more contact with the professor can be very enriching.</p>
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<p>Yes. A&S is generally easier to get away with study abroad because you have so many general education requirements which can be easily fulfilled at a university other than Pitt. A double major may make things harder depending on the course requirements for each major (some are less than others). Check and see if it’s doable. A major with a minor- definitely doable.</p>
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<p>Yes, but is it worth it? Probably not. Majoring in Engineering is a full-time commitment on it’s own (somewhere in the 120+ range for required credits to graduate) and very few of those will cross over to the A&S degree. To do both would require 5 if not 6 years to complete.</p>
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<p>I took 3 UHC classes in the fall and 3 in the spring my first year and that was it. I did Chem, Physics, and Engineering. Mostly because I wanted the higher level of education and because I had enough of a background in those classes that taking a non-UHC version would have been re-hashing material I’ve already learned and I didn’t think that would be worth my money OR time to spend a whole year relearning material I learned in high school.</p>
<p>In terms of quality- the UHC classes are smaller, structured, and more indepth. Yes they can be hard but they’re also curved more generously than non-UHC classes because the professors know the material is harder. If you’re good at being a student (I mean this in the sense of go to class, take notes, go to office hours, do your homework ahead of time) the class will not “kill your GPA”. I had a 3.7-3.8 my first year of college with 6/10 classes for the year being UHC classes. In terms of grad school- they might not realize the significance of the UHC courses, but it’s something you can bring up on a resume or in an essay/interview. Seeing that a student challenged themselves and did well is always beneficial- whether it’s a HS student applying to college or a college-student applying to grad school. (I’m in grad school, trust me on this!) If you took AP courses and have to re-take the course in college (i.e. I had to take chem and engineering even though I had AP chem and a programming course in HS) I highly recommend going the UHC route. Why bother to pay for university if you’re not learning?</p>
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<p>There should be kitchenettes (sink, microwave, maybe a little fridge) but no oven or stove, no. You will have the ability to microwave food but not cook or bake anything.</p>
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<p>No, PittArts is all over the place. I’ve gone to plays, gone glassblowing, went to the Andy Warhol museum to do screen printing, gone and toured old homes, anything and everything remotely cultural falls under the PittArts umbrella. It’s a great time. Big Artists come to Pittsburgh frequently (this summer we have a LOT of concerts) and most are easy for students to get to. The biggest “arenas” are Heinz Field, Stage AE (next to Heinz Field), Consol Energy Center (halfway between Oakland and downtown) and then First Niagara Pavilion. All are bus accessible except First Niagara which is out past the airport (you need a car to get there). You won’t get discounted tickets, but you can get some good deals depending on the venue (for instance, Stage AE tickets are rarely over $30, I saw Fun. perform there). There’s loads of smaller venues around town too, like Mr. Smalls and Altar Bar. Some of these might be 21+ establishments though. On campus we have 2 big “concerts” a year- Bigelow Bash and the Hip Hop Show in the spring. Sometimes the bands are really well known. On year Ke$ha was the Bigelow Bash performer. It just depends on who they can afford to bring in.</p>
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<p>I’ve seen a few perform. I think most are mixed. They are quite entertaining to watch, I don’t know if any go to competitions. No idea how many there are. I would check with the SORC website and see (link: <a href=“https://pitt-community.symplicity.com/index.php?s=student_group&au=&ck=”>https://pitt-community.symplicity.com/index.php?s=student_group&au=&ck=</a>)</p>
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<p>–Good rainboots
–Good WINTER boots (these are NOT rainboots and they are NOT Uggs. Get WINTER boots)
–A good raincoat/umbrella
–A good winter coat
–A study backpack (not those flimsy gym bags, not a vera bradley bag, a good, study backpack)
–A good reusable waterbottle (I didn’t bring one at first, you’d be surprised how much you use it)
–Scarves/gloves/hat (ones that will keep you warm)
–Layering clothes (winter is rough, can you tell yet?)</p>
<p>If I think of more I’ll add them, but those are essential to surviving the weird weather of Pittsburgh</p>
<p>Thank you both southeastmom and Awesome for your responses! I see what you mean about the honors courses, I’ll probably end up at least taking a couple throughout my undergrad years. Thanks for your input about PittArts & other concerts as well as a cappella stuff, that cleared a lot up. Don’t worry - I live in Rochester NY so I’ve had a little experience with the cold hahaha, I’ll definitely need to get some better boots though. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Hi AwesomeOpossum, this is a very nice thread and thank you for your responses. A question. My daughter would be starting this fall at Swanson School of Engg. In her housing application, she has opted for Nordy as the first choice and Engineering LLC as her LLC choice. It looks like, she might get into Forbes Hall based on her LLC-preference. What are your thoughts about Forbes Hall? Distance is my concern here. From the campus map, Forbes Hall seems to be much far away and what do the current residents do for dinner and other stuff? Do they have to walk every night, about 5 blocks to get to the main dinner area? How do they manage their daily trips to the classes? Especially during winter…?</p>
<p>sampitts, it is about 1,000 feet from Forbes Hall to the main dinning facility in Litchfield Towers walking along a few blocks of Forbes Avenue that is littered with restaurants. It is a complete non-factor. The campus is very compact. I dare say, there are few similarly sized universities in the nation that are as compact. Still, there are shuttles and public buses that are free to use if you need them to navigate the campus, but you really don’t need to use them unless someone doesn’t want to walk up the hill to the upper campus.</p>
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<p>I lived in Forbes Hall my freshman year (Nordy did not exist at the time) and loved it. I still think it’s one of the best dorms on campus for freshman. The rooms are some of the biggest and after Nordy Hall, some of the nicest on campus for freshman. The LLC atmosphere will also be really good (easy to find classmates to study with, walk to class with, etc.)</p>
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<p>Forbes Hall is, at most, a 3-5 minute walk from Towers/Market Central (which is where you go to eat the buffet/station style food for meals). There are also loads of locations around campus to use the Dining Dollars to eat meals there or take them home/elsewhere (i.e. to-go). Since Forbes is still in Oakland it is still very much an active part of campus, even later at night. There will be loads of students and people walking around going places, it’s not unsafe or far. In the winter, people just bundle up to go to dinner or stop by to eat dinner on their way home from class. Sometimes I would pick up food on my way back to the dorm and eat there to avoid being out really late (or if it was pretty cold). </p>
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<p>Everyone on campus has to walk somewhere to get to class. Especially the people who don’t even live in the dorms any more. The campus (while it looks big on a map) is actually pretty small- maybe 15-20 minutes walk lengthwise and no more than 5-10 minutes walk in width. You can get from one location to another on campus in under 15 minutes for almost all sets of locations. At Pitt, you learn to deal with walking, use a shuttle, or even Public buses if you’d like (but because campus is pretty compact, it’s rare to rely on the public transport bus to get around campus). In the winter, layering is best. Investing in good warm clothes, good winter shoes, and a good coat will help a lot.</p>
<p>Hi did you ever study abroad? How was it? Would you recommend a premed student doing it, or is it a waste of time. Maybe over Summer… </p>
<p>Sorry if you talked about this already, but 99 pages is a lot to comb through </p>
<p>Just thought I’d bump this to the top as there are a lot of threads with questions that answers may be found in this thread of AWESOME information. (Pun intended!) </p>
<p>@AwesomeOpossum
Do you have any knowledge about special status for Pitt when applying as an undergraduate freshmen?</p>
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<p>I never did although I always wanted to. This was for 2 reasons:</p>
<p>1) Studying abroad as an out of state student was very expensive (generally cost more than a term at Pitt due to the extra cost of plane ticket, housing, food, etc.)
2) It’s hard to study abroad and complete engineering requirements. Many engineering friends who went abroad either did it in the summer to stay on track with school or were pushed back by their time abroad (by 1-2 terms)</p>
<p>It is a WONDERFUL experience (I did a 5-week research trip abroad last year as part of my Masters and loved every second of it) but it needs to be very worthwhile for the person, I believe. Ask yourself why you want to go abroad, if it helps you with your end goals, and how much (if at all) it will set you back cost-wise and school-wise.</p>
<p>We have a great study abroad counseling room and advisors so I’d recommend going in and talking to them and seeing what they recommend you do.</p>
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<p>My guess is that you’re talking about Pitt Prestige. This was started after I was already here but it is an accelerated application review for highly qualified students. It’s worth taking advantage of (I believe turnaround of yes/no for acceptance is 2-3 weeks). BUT if you’re looking for money/scholarships, do more than the minimum for the application (i.e. send in letters of rec, resume, essay, etc.)</p>
<p>@AwesomeOpossum</p>
<p>I received the special status but I’m a little confused why. My weighted GPA is a 4.0 and unweighted is 3.875 but my ACT score is so low at a 25. I took the SAT and ACT once and that 25 is my best score. I did get one letter of rec and wrote the essays. I applied in June with the special status so I’m hoping that sending it in early will help because of rolling admissions. What do you think my chances are?</p>