@scholarme, RoomSync is a good service for meeting and matching yourself with a roommate, you fill out a short profile and the app will send you match suggestions. You can also search through other Room Sync users and initiate conversations with people the app did not formally “match” you with. Incoming freshmen are also getting to know each in the Pitt Class of 2019 Facebook Group (which is moderated by Pitt Admissions and Student Affairs).
-A Pitt Admissions Staffer
thanks @hailtopitt1787
Can I ask another question - will Pitt mail stuff like Health Forms (shots) etc or are those on the student’s portal?
@scholarme You will receive an email from Student Health Services regarding mandatory immunization confirmation.
Thanks!
http://www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/shsimmunization
Helpful info in above link. I guess the students can get free flu shots. And instructions on how to send shot record.
I am sorry to have so many questions! Here is another one.
We found this list of recommended specs for buying a new computer
http://technology.pitt.edu/service/buying-a-new-computer
Is the minimum harddrive for a Windows laptop really 1+ TB?
It’s just that that eliminates a lot of otherwise good choices, and there are many options for storage space - external drives, cloud storage, etc.
I notice the specs for Mac are just 256GB - 512GB HD
I think your suggestions are fine. I’m in graduate school and have a laptop with 256 SS HD and I use a 1 TB external which I got from Costco for around $65-75 IIRC. Whenever I have a program to install I put it straight onto the external (ex. Matlab) and it runs fine.
Thanks @AwesomePossum!
Do you know if the Tech Support people help with any laptop problems, or do they only help if you have a Mac or a Dell?( I’ve been looking at the Dell page linked from the Pitt tech page. )
They should help with any laptop. I’ve had a Toshiba and an HP which I have gotten help with (including at home rebooting of the OS…three times). They’re super nice!
What is life like at Pitt? What do students do for fun? Do they mainly stay on campus or venture off? What is the surrounding area like?Are the academics cutthroat, so much so that free time is rare? What do you think is the best thing about Pitt and what do you think the worst is? Could you describe the Honors Program & its requirements/application process?Thanks so much!
Hi, last summer I unofficially toured Pitt and, well, I fell in love with it. I’ve recently been accepted, and I’ve received an invitation to the Honors College. Since I took an unofficial tour, though, I want to ask some questions to get a more in-depth feel of the school.
Are professors accessible? How has your experience been with class sizes? Or getting the classes you want? How about getting research experience/internships — how helpful is Pitt with those? And how’s Honors? Is it the workload manageable?
Also — how about the people at Pitt? I’m a bit more on the weird/nerdy side (as evidenced by my username), so I’m wondering if I could find my niche at Pitt. Are people generally friendly? Accepting? On the more academic side — are students competitive? Or is there a more cooperative atmosphere at Pitt?
Finally, student life. How do you feel about your dorm (cleanliness, atmosphere, etc.)? How about health and security services — are they accessible and helpful?
Thanks!
Hi I’m in the process of applying. One of the essay questions is Why Pitt? Could you give me your opinion on what makes Pitt stand out and what some of your favorite memories at Pitt were?
@memelover You might get more input if you ask the current Pitt students in the Pitt Class of 2020 Facebook group.
@Vb10589, The link to the Pitt Class of 2020 Facebook Group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PittClassof2020/
There are eight current students in the group with a variety of academic and extracurricular backgrounds. They would be happy to answer your questions about Pitt.
Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer
I know this thread is a little dated and the topic about debt cards and panther funds was touched upon, but I have a quick question. My current bank is Bank of America but I know that PNC Bank is more prominent in PIttsburgh, is it worth it/advisable to switch banks to PNC if I now that I will be in Pittsburgh for the next 4+ years?
If you want to open a PNC checking account you can do so, it can be linked to your Panther card. But if you live on campus and you have a debit card that your parents can transfer money to easily and you can get money out at an ATM then it’s not really necessary. Once you live off campus and pay rent, utilities you might want to have some paper checks to be able to pay these bills.
It seems that there is a BOA ATM on Fifth Ave, there are probably more.
It comes down to your preference and what your parents want to do.
@student0309, I have two kids at Pitt. Both had bank accounts with a bank that does not have any branches in the Pittsburgh area. One of my kids saw this as an extra layer of reinforcement when it came to wise spending, He hates paying ATM fees so he would REALLY need/want something in order for him to withdrawal money from the ATM. He felt that if he switched to PNC that it would be much easier for him to grab money whenever he wanted to without putting much thought into it so he did not open a PNC acct. On the other hand, my other son wanted the convenience of knowing he could hit up a PNC ATM anywhere around Pittsburgh without paying fees so he opened a PNC acct. He also kept his original bank account open with just a little bit of money in it. He’ll probably use that one more when he’s home for the summer.
"Out of State kids do really well with merit money if they:
A- apply early (before October/November) and
B- have really good stats (GPA, SAT) and extras (essay and/or teacher recs)
Most out of State kids I know with these two qualifications got full tuition if they applied early and half tuition if they applied later (end of December/early January).
@AwesomeOpossum I know you can’t really predict what kind of merit aid I’ll get… but do you think my chances are high for getting full tuition or at least half? I applied at the end of October w 34 E+M ACT (33 composite) and 3.92UW GPA and then just now submitted the essays and also emailed my resume to the Admissions Office. (Really good ECs, leadership, published paper, varsity sport)
Hi AwesomeOpossum. I had a question regarding the recommendations when applying to UPitt.
On their application site, they have a subsection about recommendations stating
“While we appreciate your teachers, counselors, and other mentors taking the time to write recommendation letters on your behalf, we find letters are beneficial in very limited circumstances (for example: providing context for variance in your overall academic performance). We recommend that you submit responses to the Short Answer Questions and use that space to explain or clarify what most recommenders would cover in a letter.”
I was confused with what they’re trying to say.
-First of all, how do I send recommendations on the UPitt Online Application?
-Should I talk to the recommender who I think would have done the best job with my recommendation?
-Is there a page where I enter the emails of the recommenders to send the recommendations directly to UPitt?
-Should I send recommendations at all? The description did say that they’re beneficial “in very limited circumstances” so I’m not sure.
I hope I can get this cleared up. Thank you in advance =)
@sarthakp The application for Pitt does not require any letters of recommendation. They prefer that you use the short answer essays to help the admissions committee learn more about you.