I am a high school student who has been accepted into Pitts nursing program but hasn’t committed yet. I was wondering if any current students or alumni would provide some pros and cons about Pitt.
Congrats on your acceptance @chloemoores ! Pitt has a great nursing program and Pittsburgh has a lot to offer as a city, but whether Pitt is a good fit for you depends on what you want in a school. Do you have any specific questions?
Amazing hospital system, UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ) surrounds the campus and permeates the city. Specialized hospitals - women’s, mental health, cancer center, children’s all within walking or easy access from campus.
Pitt’s campus is in Oakland, a city neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh. It is within walking distance of the Carnegie Art and Natural History museums, Phipps Conservatory, Schenley Park, CMU’s campus, and another city neighborhood, Shadyside. The Squirrel Hill neighborhood is a short bus ride away as is Downtown Pittsburgh, Lawrenceville, and the Strip District. Neighborhoods tend to each have their own ethnic or hipster feel. It’s very rich for exploration. Fabulous foodie factor in the Burgh.
Thanks for the info and any more would be great - my son was accepted in the same program and is trying to decide between a few great choices -
Oh sure. I don’t know detailed specifics about the nursing program, but locally, it’s known to be competitive and is very highly regarded. I just can’t imagine with such amazing hospitals everywhere that internships and clinical experiences and research wouldn’t all be organized so well by Pitt. I would ask those types of questions because I am thinking it’s a no brainer that they’d have this covered.
Not my personal experience but my cousin’s daughter graduated from Pitt Nursing and began her career with an outstanding job in the surgical transplant operating room at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital with housing included.
@Momtofourkids Which schools are you trying to decide between? The greater number of clinical hours at Pitt which start earlier (sophomore year) is a big plus. It is also not necessary to have a car to get to clinicals.
I’m also in a similar situation, but I’m planning on being premed. Does anyone know anything about Pitt’s premed program? (My specific major is neuroscience
@michigander1234 , you plan on studying what my D plans on as well, including the pre med track. The neuroscience major has it’s requirements, College of Arts and Sciences has theirs as well. Then there are certain classes you need to have in order to apply to med school. The Neuroscience Dept. has an advisor. The Dept. also gives an opportunity to do research for credit. Lots of info. on their website.
I know the premed and health related fields are excellent at Pitt. What about business majors? Are internships available and job placement good? Pitt seems like a great fit but I am concerned if my S decides to transfer to the college of business.
Living in a city, there are endless opportunities for internships if you’re willing to work in neighborhoods outside of Oakland. My boyfriend was a business major at Pitt and through Handshake was offered at least three different competitive ones (PNC Bank, PPG, Pittsburgh Penguins) his Junior and Senior year.
@pittsburgh29999 Thanks for your response. I feel better that my S will be able to get hands on experience if he decides to major in business. Were your boyfriends internships during the summer or school year? Was he able to use public transportation to get outside of Oakland or did he have a car?
He actually had one in the summer and one in the fall! And with the Pitt ID, you get access to all the various public transportation. Yes, the bus system is very easy to use, efficient, and there are routes that take you everywhere, in and outside of the city. He really enjoyed all of his internships and the program did a good job to make sure he was getting the most out of it and that is wasn’t exploitative
Thank you @pittsburgh29999 You addressed my only concern with Pitt. I would be very happy if my S chooses to attend.
For a premed, are the classes extremely competitive and difficult, or are they more comparable to schools that are good but not really like the ive league?
@TheBurbs —I can’t answer for pre-med specifically. But I can tell you my own student (engineering) is surrounded by kids who were also accepted at higher level schools/Ivy, etc. but had to turn them down due to $$. She has not felt she is back in high school level classes and feels challenged and engaged.
For those interested in Pre-Med at Pitt I was just at my physicians office yesterday and he was going on about how well respected Pitt’s pre-med program is and that he wished his son was attending Pitt vs Brown for Pre-Med. He said it’s really top notch program and he would have been extremely happy for his son to study there. Hope this helps!
My D was accepted and has a possible full scholarship to Pitt with internships and job in the UPMC system throughout and after undergrad. She was also accepted to uMich, no scholarship but as an alumni the Michigan network is large for outside of MI. It’s global. Tough decision for her but one is offering $$
@Melgaye, seems your D will be on the track of medicine relevant careers. If it is the case, the decision for your D is crystal clear, simple and easy: Pitt (with $$) beats UM for sure