<p>I was accepted into UPitt with a full tuition scholarship. However, I am extremely concerned about the size. It is very big (compared to my ideal size school). And very far away from where I live (I am close to my family). Is it easy to get lost in the crowd there? I know class sizes are large but are they too large to maintain a relationship with your professor?</p>
<p>Class size depends so much on your major, but I think that my daughter knows her professors and they know her. She feels comfortable talking to any of them. </p>
<p>With a larger school, there are always many smaller groups. The advantage of the larger school is if you decide that you don’t like what you are doing, you can move easily to something else.</p>
<p>Also, if you have also been accepted into the honors college, you can opt to take some classes there instead of large intro classes. The honors courses will maybe have 30 kids in them instead of 150 in the regular section. They will be more challenging too.</p>
<p>Regarding being far away from your family, that’s up to you to decide. The distance will make it harder for you to return home for holidays. Pitt’s school year is very short, though, with a three-week holiday break in December/January. That means you will finish up at the end of April or early May, and you’ll be home for four months. We always felt that the school year flew by, and my daughter was home again for a long stretch. Best of luck with your decision!</p>
<p>The honors sections for chem and physics were not small.</p>
<p>By large, what size do you consider large? I’ve heard some people consider 100 large so it helps if you can be specific. For example, that honors chem class, how many kids approximate and was it taught by prof or TA? Thanks!</p>
<p>The honors classes were both taught by full professors. TAs did the recitations. Both the chem and phsyics were in lecture halls and about 100 students, I think. 100 isn’t as large as some lectures, obviously, but it isn’t a small group either.</p>
<p>Thanks MDMom, my neighbors son at Cornell has classes w/ aro 500 and recitations with 100+ - so there are magnitudes of "large"ness! He’s taken to watching his classes via podcast since he can see the prof and hear better. Isn’t that sad?! 100 for an intro class is big but not ridiculous.</p>
<p>Hey lsflynn, </p>
<p>To answer one of your original questions, no class is too large to maintain a relationship with the professor. In larger classes, if you sit near the front, participate regularly, and attend the professor’s office hours, he or she will get to know you quite well. It all depends on the effort that you put it to it.</p>
<p>Congratulation on your scholarship! Yes, it’s true that Pitt is a big school, but as long as you make an effort to get involved you will definitely find your niche. Many people find friends through their dorms, classes, clubs, and other organizations. Once you find that place where you “belong,” Pitt suddenly doesn’t seem so big. It’s true that class sizes can be large, but it really depends on what you’re taking. An intro science or psych class will definitely have 200+ people in it, but I’ve taken music classes with only 20.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t let the distance deter you too much. Pitt was the furthest school I applied to, and I am also very close with my family. But sometimes when you go to school close by, it’s tempting to go home every other weekend, and then you miss out on having your own new experiences at school. Being further away will force you to fully immerse yourself in college life. It can be hard at first, but once you gain your footing you will really be happy.</p>