Recent Pitt Grad Taking Questions

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
1

<p>Hey there everyone, my name is Pat. </p>

<p>A little about myself- I'm originally from just outside NYC. I graduated from Pitt engineering in 2002 with a minor in Political Science. I spent my first two years of college in Penn State's honors college and transferred out because I could not stand the "party school" atmosphere and I needed to be near a city. After graduation, I moved back to the Big Apple. However, I just decided to go back to Pitt and get my MBA, which I will start taking classes for in the fall. I love Pitt and I love the city of Pittsburgh. I always loved the state of PA and I knew that schools there had a good academic reputation, so that is why I chose Penn State and ultimately Pitt.</p>

<p>Feel free to ask me about anything from life in Pittsburgh, to the academics at Pitt, to why I chose Pitt... anything. I had friends in just about every major, so I'll try to answer as much as I can about different areas of study. Ask away!</p>

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<p>P.S. There are only two questions I won't answer:</p>

<p>1.) Q: Will I get in?
A: I have no clue, I am not on the admissions board. Large schools like Pitt are mostly numbers-based. As far as state schools go, Pitt is quite selective, with less than half of its applicants getting accepted. That said, here is Pitt's "Freshmen Academic Profile," according to the Princeton Review:</p>

<p>Average SAT: 1234
SAT - Verbal Range (25-75%): 560-660
SAT - Math Range (25-75%): 570-670
TPR Projected Range SAT Writing: 620-690
Average Verbal SAT: 612
Average Math SAT: 622
ACT Composite Range (25-75%): 24-29
Average ACT: 26
Students in top 10% of HS class: 43%
Students in top 50% of HS class: 98% </p>

<p>2.) Q: Is Pitt hard?
A: I don't even understand this question. All colleges can be as hard or as easy as you make them. Pitt has one of the top honors colleges in the country. Admission to the honors college takes a MINIMUM SAT of 1350 and top 5% of high school class. The non-honors program is also quite tough, and you can get anywhere between an A and an F in any class depending on how much effort you put into it.</p>

3

<p>1) how is the city like? is it a cheap place to live in? what benefits do students have besides free bus rides?</p>

<p>2)is business a tough major? are business courses hard?</p>

<p>3)ive been hearing great things about alec stewart. tell me something about him.</p>

4

<p>1.) The city is amazing. As I said before, I'm from New York. While Pittsburgh doesn't compare to New York in terms of sheer quantity, it offers tons of stuff to do. Along with free bus rides, your Pitt ID gives you free admission to almost all of the many museums and art galleries around the city. Pittsburgh is a great sports city, there are tons of excellent restaurants, and when you get older there are some great bars. There are tons of great cultural places to explore, apart from the museums. Pittsburgh is a city of neighborhoods, and each neighborhood has its own personality. Pittsburgh is widely known as one of the best cities in America terms of cost of living/income ratio. College students can really take advantage of this city, as opposed to more expensive cities like Boston. It actually was rated the #2 college city of its size and #4 overall- <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03316/238606.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03316/238606.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>2.) Business is a tough major wherever you go. It is also a major in which you get what you give. Pitt is one of the top-ranked schools in terms of business, and they put an emphasis on international relations. That being said, as I mentioned before, anyone can get an A as long as they put in the neccesary time and effort. Also, from what I have heard, Pitt's business school has amazing career services.</p>

<p>3.) Dr. Stewart is, simply put, a genius. I had the fortune of talking to him on several occasions and he is one of the brightest men I have ever spoken to. He is also extremely friendly. As Dean of the Honors College (and one of its founders), he has done a lot for the university. I do not know too much about his research, other than the fact that he is one of the most respected physicists in the biz. Here is his page at Pitt if you want to know more about him-
<a href="http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/contact/dean.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/contact/dean.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>(Hopefully you weren't referring to the legendary cricket player Alec Stewart- I don't know too much about him.)</p>

<p>Hope that helps, Flood! Let me know if you have anymore questions.</p>

5

<p>Pat, did you live in Tower B - the Honors dorm? Can students get work done, or must they go to the library for peace and quiet? Do the RA's take an active interest in getting the kids acquainted with each other and providing various opportunities "to break the ice?" I know things must vary from year to year - a lot depends upon the dynamics of the incoming freshman class...Have you ever lived in Tower C (singles)? Thanks for your comments.</p>

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<p>LBP, I did live in honors housing as a freshman. The RAs are pretty strict about enforcing quiet hours, especially during mid-term and finals times. I never had a problem with studying or getting work done in my dorm, the students were always respectful of each other and were are really motivated.</p>

<p>Most RAs arer great and do things to help everyone get to know each other. My RA wouls set up video game tournaments, and we would get pizza and just spend an afternoon playing video games. Most RAs do fun stuff to break the ice.</p>

<p>I did have one friend who lived in a single dorm. They're no different except that they are smaller. I recommend you try to get a single room if you are someone who likes privacy and quietness. They're not too hard to get, there's a good number of them. However, it is a little harder to meet people there because people in single rooms tend to be less social.</p>

<p>Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.</p>

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<p>LBP, were you accepted to the honors college?</p>

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<p>Do you know anything about the accapella groups or choirs? Are they open without prejudice to non-music majors? etc. </p>

<p>Do students (in engineering) who need a 3.0 to maintain their merit scholarships have a hard time doing so?</p>

<p>How are the buses that transport students home during the holidays? What did you find was the best way to get home? </p>

<p>Did any of your friends do co-op? either in Pittsburgh or elsewhere? Any impressions? </p>

<p>How well run is the study abroad program? </p>

<p>Thanks, DD has been accepted but hasn't visited yet so we're full of questions. </p>

<p>SLMOM</p>

9

<p>SLMOM,</p>

<p>1.) The a capalla groups are actually quite popular. Here is a Pitt News article I found about a particular performance last year-
<a href="http://www.pittnews.com/media/storage/paper879/news/2005/02/07/News/Penn-Masala.Cooks.Up.Spicy.Musical.Mix-1787723.shtml?norewrite200701121528&sourcedomain=www.pittnews.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.pittnews.com/media/storage/paper879/news/2005/02/07/News/Penn-Masala.Cooks.Up.Spicy.Musical.Mix-1787723.shtml?norewrite200701121528&sourcedomain=www.pittnews.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Pitt students are generally accepting of everyone's diverse interests, mostly because there is such a diversity of interests. Pitt has many excellent musical groups and Pittsburgh offers tons of opportunites to perform outside of the school.</p>

<p>2.) As I have said, I cannot answer particular questions on class difficulty. It all depends on student. As an engineering student, I had no trouble mainting a 3.0, and neither did many of my friends, although we all worked extremely hard for our grades. However, I also know that a large number of students stuggled with the workload.</p>

<p>3.) Pitt offers great transportation to surrounding areas (as far out as NYC, Buffalo, Columbus, and DC) during the holidays. I usually took a bus home. Here is the link for their transportation-
<a href="http://www.pc.pitt.edu/transportation/buseshome.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.pc.pitt.edu/transportation/buseshome.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>They are deluxe Coach USA buses too, air conditioned and everything.</p>

<p>4.) Pitt engineering has an excellent co-op program that many people I know participated in.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.engr.pitt.edu/coop/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.engr.pitt.edu/coop/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>5.) Pitt's study-abroad program is excellent. I spent a semester in Rome. US News mentioned it as one of the tops in the country.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.abroad.pitt.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.abroad.pitt.edu/&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/acadprogs06_brief.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/acadprogs06_brief.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Keep the questions coming. Just so you know, I'll be out of town until tomorrow evening, so I probably won't be able to get back to you until Sunday.</p>

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<p>hi pat, i was wondering if you could tell me how Pitt's architecture program is or if u knew anyone who took it</p>

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<p>How is school spirit at Pitt? Do a lot of people attend football and basketball games?</p>

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<p>Pitt only offers a degree in the 'history and art of architecture' and 'architectural studies'. I know one student who got a double degree in civil engineering and history and art of architecture. I'm not sure what he does now, but it did take around 5 years for him to graduate.</p>

<p>Re some of the questions inserting my opinions (unsolicited, but I'm a Pitt 2004 grad)...</p>

<p>
[quote]
Do the RA's take an active interest in getting the kids acquainted with each other and providing various opportunities "to break the ice?"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I do not know if my experience is an anomaly, but I had horrible experiences with RAs at Pitt. </p>

<p>I spent most of my first semester freshman year in Tower A with a roommate that frankly didn't want a roommate. I won't go into the details to what she did, but one night she threatened me with violence. Well, since she had threatened me with violence, the next day I went to our floor's RA who scheduled a meeting for us to work out our problems. The RA had us each tell our side of the story, but all she had to say is, 'you can work it out on your own'. No assistance to make a compromise, no mediation, nothing. Luckily that roommate ended up moving out into a single for second semester and I took that as an omen I needed a single in Lothrop for my sophomore year. The RA there was unmemorable.</p>

<p>Just like with roommates, a great and memorable RA is pretty much a luck of the draw type thing. Some are good, some are bad, most are inbetween. They are trained, but they aren't all perfect.</p>

<p>
[quote]
How are the buses that transport students home during the holidays?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I only used this service to get back to school once, though the buses do take some time, they are probably the cheapest way to get home for the holidays. I normally either drove (I had a car on campus for 3 years) or got a ride from a friend who lived near my family (a bit cheaper than the bus and quicker).</p>

<p>
[quote]

How well run is the study abroad program?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>One of Pitt's greatest programs is the Study Abroad program. I studied abroad for a part of a summer through a program outside of the University (due to my major). The Nationality Rooms offer scholarships for students participating in study abroad programs during the summer months and are an excellent resource to boost your funds. I in fact was the 2003 winner of the Irish Nationality Room Scholarship if you would like additional information on these program requirements.</p>

<p>LBP:</p>

<p>My fiance lived in Tower C for freshman year. If you have any questions about Tower C, I can forward them to him. I spent some time there as well (since I was dating him at the time). </p>

<p>In addition to Tower A and Lothrop, I also have experience with Sutherland.</p>

<p>
[quote]
1) how is the city like? is it a cheap place to live in? what benefits do students have besides free bus rides?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The city is great, as Pat said. You can do anything from clubbing to dinner/movie to join a drum circle. </p>

<p>It is a fairly cheap place to live, more expensive than the country of course, but cheap as big cities are considered. For an example...One year I paid $550/mth (heat included) for a large one bedroom in South Oakland with my boyfriend (now fiance) during the 2002-2003 school year. During the 2003-2004 school year I lived in another South Oakland one bedroom (slightly smaller, by myself) for $490/mth (heat included) that was very close to Bouquet Gardens.</p>

<p>As for benefits with your Pitt ID...</p>

<p>My favorite benefit was free admission to Phipps Conservatory and the Carnegie Museum of Art/Natural History. All current Pitt students with their student fees can enter either of these places for free and I actually found Phipps a great, beautiful and quiet place to study. Not enough students take advantage of this benefit imo.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
How is school spirit at Pitt? Do a lot of people attend football and basketball games?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Many people attend football games, there is a great shuttle service to Heinz Stadium for the games. As for basketball, there is high demand for the tickets and they tend to be very difficult to obtain. There aren't as many seats for basketball games, but students do get together to watch the games. School spirit has been on the increase year after year and you see a lot of students around wearing Pitt gear.</p>

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<p>nunesy740, I don't know too much about Pitt's architecture programs. I know it is above-average. I'd call it second-tier. It's definately a good program, but it's definately not one of the best.</p>

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<p>fishdontbite, school spirit is great at Pitt. Everyone wears Pitt gear, and it is impossible to get basketball tickets because everyone wants them. Football games are popular too, especially when the team is ranked, but tickets are a lot easier to get.</p>

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<p>ophiolite, I believe your experience with an RA was an anomaly. Almost all of my encounter with RAs were positive ones. Of course, as with all people, you will get the occasional scumbag, but for the most part they are good people.</p>

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<p>What is Pitt like for a New Yorker? My daughter has been accepted, and we are visiting next month. I understand that maybe 80 percent of the kids are from Pa. Are they open minded?</p>

<p>Also, how is it to move off campus? Is it fairly easy to find reasonable rentals? Would a car be needed?</p>

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<p>How did you find the advisors? Were you able to get out in 4 years? What about career assistance?</p>

<p>Did you know anyone who volunteered or worked at the hospitals? Were undergrads welcome to volunteer, and were there opportunities to assist with research or was the focus on grad students?</p>

<p>I've heard that there's a Pitt Web Bulletin Board with weekend activities and other stuff, that is not connected with the school. In addition to that Web source, how is the school newspaper, intranet, etc. -- how do you find out about things to do or opportunities?</p>

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<p>LurkNessMonster, as I said before, I loved Pitt. ESPECIALLY the cheap cost of living. Off-campus housing is excellent. I lived off campus for two years and was amazed at the choices. Most undergrad live in the Oakland neighborhood, where Pitt is located. No transportation is needed, because it is walking distance from school, and Pitt has constant shuttles going around the neighborhood. South Oakland is very cheap ($300-600/mo for one-bedroom) and mostly consists of undergrads; it also is near a lot of restaurants and bars, and can get quite loud. North Oakland is nicer, cleaner, quieter, more expensive ($700-1000/mo 1br) and consists of a mix of undergrads and grads. Shadyside, which borders North Oakland, is one of the nicest parts of Pittsburgh. It is mostly professors, richers graduate students, and wealthly professionals. It is full of mansions and has a beautiful upscale shopping area. There are some expensive apartments there ($1000+/mo). A car usually is not needed, unless you live in a far-out area of a neighborhood, because Port Authority buses cover the area pretty well. Some undergrads also live in Squirrel Hill, which is cheaper than Shadyside but almost as nice. However, it is pretty far off campus (1-3 miles depending on where you live). Those are the areas where most undergrads live. There are other parts of the city with nice apartments, but thsese parts are the most common.</p>

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<p>As far as open-mindedness, there are no problems. Yes, about 80% of students are from PA, but that is the usual number of state schools. There is a decent-sized NYC representation there. From my expereinces, most students truly enjoy learning about other students' hometowns and lifestyles. I never felt out of place.</p>

<p>Pittsburgh definately feels like a small city compared to NYC, but then again, every city feels small compared to NYC. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of things to do in and around the city.</p>