Funny you should mention that, because I heard a somewhat local state school, IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), is changing their name to Western Pennsylvania University, or something to that effect.</p>
<p>Regarding my comments earlier, eh yeah you guys got points, it depends who you talk to really. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh all my life, being a pretty hardcore fan of Pitt bball/football since I was in elementary school, and I didn’t even know until my senior year that the actual university’s standards were as high as they are.</p>
<p>I ran into “mom of very nasty girl” yesterday and talked for a tiny bit about colleges. She thought Pitt was Penn and I thought about not correcting her. teehee</p>
<p>I would also add that I don’t think most of the kids who go to Pitt are those who crave prestige; I know mine doesn’t. And with those nice full tuition and full-ride scholarships, Pitt attracts some very, very bright students.</p>
<p>One thing you have to know is that Pitt isn’t full of students who are unhappy. These students are smart enough to get into the Ivies. (I would know, a few of my friends did get into them). However, the kids at Pitt don’t care about “prestige” of the university. If they did, they wouldn’t be here. The University of Pittsburgh has one of the best Philosophy programs in the country, along with HPS and political science. Also, the University of Pittsburgh’s Medical School is amazing. </p>
<p>I’m from New England, so when people would always say, “oh… never heard of it”… I would just reply with “oh, the Polio Vaccine was discovered there”. It usually shuts people up. </p>
<p>I’m blabbing on about unimportant things, but I just wanted to say that you should be proud about going to Pitt. You won’t be with a bunch of snobby, prestige-addicted freaks. Embrace it.</p>
<p>I have a full tuition scholarship which made Pitt the best financially but it is also great in my intended major so I couldn’t have been more lucky.</p>
<p>Pitt main campus, correct? Normally after I tell people I’m going there, they ask, “Main?” because it’s much harder to get into than all of the others. Many of Pitt’s academic programs are ranked high nationally, though it is known mostly because of its sports… </p>
<p>In the city of Pittsburgh it’s ranked high–maybe not as high as CMU–but higher than most colleges nearby, such as Point Park, Carlow, Chatham, even Penn State at times. </p>
<p>Depending on what you want to be, it probably won’t matter where you went to school, anyway. But, if you’re looking to impress, you could always transfer…or, perhaps, double or triple major? That should impress anyone, regardless of whether they look down on Pittsburgh or not… Good luck to you.</p>
<p>As we said it high school, “If you can’t go to college, go to Pitt.”</p>
<p>I have a master’s from Pitt, but that and $1.25 will get you a small coffee somewhere.</p>
<p>I have never figured out how the university got such a reputation. Very few of the acclaimed faculty teach undergraduate classes. Most of the Pitt’s reputation seems to come from UPMC’s insatisible drive to run every health care facility east of the Mississippi River; or for its athletic programs.</p>
<p>^Well, having seen your past posts, you might be pretty old (no offense :P) since you talk about going to Duquesne in the 1970s and was surprised it didn’t take five years to get a pharmacy degree anymore. So you might have been in high school ~30 years ago and a lot has changed since then. </p>
<p>I think Pitt is really known for its medical school and UPMC, athletic programs, and certain departments (philosophy) but also in recent years there have been more and more kids with high numbers attending because Pitt has developed a rep for giving out generous merit aid. </p>
<p>As for acclaimed faculty not teaching undergraduate classes… I am not completely sure if it is true now but it is the case at many large research universities to find more acclaimed faculty teaching upper level or honors courses.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be discouraged that people don’t recognize the name Pitt. Unless you have kids currently going through the college application process, you are unlikely to recognize colleges outside of the ivies and those within a 50 mile radius of your home. And maybe an occasional Division 1 powerhouse team.</p>
<p>
I’m sorry about that; maybe it depends on what area your masters is in? My son is halfway through his masters program and already has offers.</p>
<p>I think Pitt has some great schools and departments that are well known. Some not so much. Same as anywhere.</p>
<p>Is Pitt prestigious? Honestly, I can’t answer that because I don’t care about prestige per se. But is it a good school? Certainly!</p>
<p>My daughter has had a fantastic experience at Pitt as a psych major and a Japanese minor (really a certificate). She attended a high-profile math and science high school known for its high standards, and she was a National Merit Finalist. She has loved her Pitt professors (with the occasional exception), and has found them to be accessible and encouraging. She has gotten great grades, but she had to work very hard to get them. She did a directed research project at Pitt in her junior year that gave her a totally new perspective on psychology research. Based on that, she’s thinking of going for a Ph.D. I think Pitt has prepared her very well for that. She aced the GREs.</p>
<p>Is every single student at Pitt top-notch? No, but you could probably say that about most state schools. The point is, there is a lot of opportunity at Pitt for those who want to push themselves and make the most of their undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>I went to Penn (1980), and outside of PA everyone assumes that is Penn State, I have lost interest in correcting them, I also went to BU Law (1985) and many assume that was a state school…I’m happy with my education, I’m not really concerned where others think I “rank”</p>
<p>I’m from Long Island, and I have had similar experiences regarding Pitt’s prestige. Nobody at my high school, including myself, had ever heard of Pitt until the beginning of senior year when I applied there. I didn’t even intend on going there until I got a scholarship and visited the school. I ended up falling in love, and enjoyed a wonderful freshman year there. Regardless of what other people say, Pitt is a great school, even if it is little-known outside of PA. (Once I went off to Pitt, suddenly all of the Ivy-shooting high school seniors started applying there as a “safety.” Ha.)</p>
<p>Within PA, however, I know Pitt is very well known. A good 60% of the people I’ve met at Pitt are from the state. Before moving in, I had to go to a family party out in rural PA, where I was told that Pitt was an Ivy League school. Ha! I don’t think most of PA shares that perception, but my family members are a little backwards…</p>
<p>Anyway, I know it can be unnerving to be treated like your school totally sucks next to all the “great” schools your friends are attending (my high school peers went off to Princeton, Northwestern, UChicago, Columbia, etc…), but Pitt really is an excellent place–and if you’re going there, you know that. Pitt maintains an academic yet home-y and laid back environment, which is why I love it so much. I hope all you entering freshman have a great time because Pitt is so much more than its reputation (or shall I say lack thereof).</p>