<p>i love this topic. it's so helpful :)
bumppp even more.</p>
<p>are there alot of people from philly there?</p>
<p>bennyblanco, there are a ton of people from Philly. There are almost as many students from Philly as there are from Pittsburgh. I guess it is because there really is no school in Philly that is on the same level as Pitt. Philly offers Penn--an Ivy-- and Temple, Drexel, etc.-- which are all definately a tier lower than Pitt. Pitt fills a niche for Philly students. Three out of the seven guys I shared a house with my last two years were from the Philly area (Two were from Pittsburgh, one was from Texas, and one was from DC.) The NFL season is always exciting because there are always Eagles-Steelers debates going on.</p>
<p>I just wanted to follow up on Bridie's question. Here is Pitt's link for places to saty near campus:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pitt.edu/%7Eoafa/lodging.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.pitt.edu/~oafa/lodging.html</a></p>
<p>They also provide codes for certain places to get a discounted Pitt rate.</p>
<p>Help which to choose Cornell-engineering...or Pitt Honors (with full tuition scholarship Pro's and cons?????????????????????????????????</p>
<p>You need to visit both schools and decide where you'll be most comfortable and which school will help you best fulfill your career goals. The merit $$ is very tempting - but you have to be contented with your decision.</p>
<p>The Holiday Inn Select is RIGHT in the middle of campus, whereas the Wyndham University Place is six or seven blocks from the Cathedral of Learning. Get the Holiday Inn if you can.</p>
<p>I made the mistake of reading the Pitt entries at studentsreview dot com, and I was crestfallen by some of the comments made. In general, more than half of the respondents said that they wouldn't choose to go to Pitt if they had it to do over again. Is this just typical Internet bellyaching? Or is there a sizable group of unhappy students at Pit? Lots of bureaucracy and an administration that doesn't really care about the kids were two main complaints. On another thread, parents were saying that it took about a month to get housing assignments. That would seem to support the comment about bureaucracy. Can anyone reassure me?</p>
<p>That was me complaining about the housing selection. If you read the rest of my posts you will see I'm one of the happiest campers on this thread. Pitt is an EXCELLENT school. Let's repeat that - EXCELLENT.</p>
<p>What is this studentsreview thing? Not really caring about the kids?? Are they nuts?? Our experience to date is just from engineering and the honors college, so I can't speak as to liberal arts or business, etc., but you couldn't ask for more personal attention or caring administrators/advisors, etc. My kid is as happy as a flea on a dog, and she has had a few "incidents" this year to contend with (health issues and some other stuff). We have found everyone to be supportive almost to a fault.</p>
<p>And she emailed this am that she got her room assignment. She and the roomie are happy. Life is good. Pitt is good. Go with it!</p>
<p>btw - we had to stay at the Wyndham last October for Parents Weekend since we couldn't get in the Holiday Inn, and it is not as inconvenient as you think when you're new to the place. In fact, it is easier to walk from the Wyndham to the Towers than from the Holiday Inn to the Towers (and you pass Pamela's on the way!).</p>
<p>We still kind of like the Holiday Inn better, but the Wyndham is a lot more convenient than you think. And it's a nice hotel too.</p>
<p>one more thing, as for as do the kids like the school, our family made 4 separate visits to Pitt last year, between interviews, pittstart, move in and PW, and we were routinely approached by random Pitt students, including the waitress at a restaurant we were at, gratuitously telling us how much they loved the school (this also included a girl standing in line with us at an ice cream store). I mean these were kids with nothing to gain from even talking to us, much less telling us good stuff. These were NOT pathfinders. Everybody LOVES this school. </p>
<p>Sometimes those review websites attract complainers.</p>
<p>^^^ We visited during a blizzard two weeks ago, so maybe my perception of distance was a bit influenced by hail, wind and snow! :D</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments about Pitt. It's a bit of a leap for us because some New Yorkers seem to land at PSU and not as many at Pitt. Also, I try really hard not to be a prestige monger, but I do find myself being seduced by the idea of my daughter attending a "brand-name" college. I'll try to watch out for that! I know it's a trap. Pitt seems ideal for my daughter, and that's the important thing!</p>
<p>I've looked at studentsreview - and many of the comments are negative, unfortunately. I understand your thoughts about a "brand name" college, but, as you know, prestige is not everything; however, Pitt is quite prestigous in its own right. It has some outstanding programs and has produced Truman, Marshall, Rhodes, Fulbright scholars and the like... Pitt should promote itself more outside of PA. (We're OOS and my D doesn't know anyone else who applied there.) If you review past posts of accepted students for this year as well as last, you'll note that many of these kids could have gone elsewhere but opted for Pitt. Good luck to your D!</p>
<p>Lurkness - My son is awaiting a decision from his last "prestige" school. He's been W/L at his other Name schools. He is accepted into Pitt's Honors College and it is a viable contender. I think the fact that it is so close to home makes it less attractive to him, but he recognizes that Pitt has a fine academic reputation, the area around Pitt is full of activities, the sports scene is fantastic, and the Honors College has a very good reputation for creating an intimate, caring environment. </p>
<p>His AP US History class went to hear a speaker at the University last year. My son had a chance to speak with one of the History Professors and found him quite impressive. I have friends and neighbors who are professors at the university - they've got serious credentials!</p>
<p>BTW, Pittsburgh is a great city: Friendly, manageable in size, but full of fun things to do. Encourage your daughter to consider Pitt.</p>
<p>Any opinions on Pitt's history department would be greatly appreciated and also, which off-campus housing apartments are the best?</p>
<p>MarinersFan51, I only took a couple history classes, so I'm not an expert, but I can tell you that I loved the classes I took. The professors I had were excellent; they really got into what they were teaching.</p>
<p>As far as off-campus housing, it really depends on what you want. Each neighborhood has a different atmoshpere to it, and you have to decided what you want in an apartment/house. I would love to answer any direct questions you have on this, but it mostly a personal choice. Just do your research.</p>
<p>megnut, my advice is always, if possible, choose the school that you feel you would like the most regardless of money. You can always make money later, but you can never redo college. Choose the school that you feel fits you best.</p>
<p>LurkNessMonster, I never heard of that studentsreview.com until you mentioned it. I checked it out, and it seems completely ridiculous. Anyone can just sign up and anonymously give all "Fs." Who knows who's posting on a site like that?</p>
<p>I found the Pitt administration MUCH easier to deal with than the one at PSU. Obviously, not everyone is going to get the same personal attention as they would at a small LAC, but if you want something done, you can get it done. Everyone has a complain now and then about everything, but the housing situation is not as bad as it sounds. My cousin goes to Pitt and he is actually quite happy about the housing selection process (he made it into Panther Hall, the newest building.)</p>
<p>Well, that's the thing about off-campus housing--I wish I had a little direction as to where some of the most reputable places are. I heard while I was visiting Pitt that places in Shadyside are nice, but how far away are they from campus?</p>
<p>MarinerFan51, I would strongly suggest staying on campus your first year.</p>
<p>However, if you really must stay off-campus, the place I most recommend is the Camelot in North Oakland. Shadyside has nice places, but they are quite expensive and a lot of places there don't rent to undergrads. The distance depends where in Shadyside you want to stay. Shadyside borders Oakland-- where Pitt is located-- so it can be from right off-campus to 2 miles out. I stayed in the Camelot for a year and loved it. It is located in a nice area, and the facilities and staff were great.</p>
<p>hey pat2323, just out of curiosity, im a big philadelphia eagles fan, live in philly for 10 years, you wouldnt happen to know if there were any eagles bars or something of that sort in pittsburgh where you could catch the eagles games if they werent nationally televised would ya?</p>