<p>He is a hard working student who has a disciplined school work ethic, likes to do well in school and appreciates being around academic students. However, he does like to socialize with friends by going to parties, sports games, general hanging out, etc. I am not sure I see him taking advantage of the museums in town (unfortunately). Are there kids within the student body that you might know who are not necessarily super academic/brainiac and like to balance out studying with other types of fun ? Also note that we are a Penn State family (my husband and I are alum and my daughter is there as a junior-- son was denied from Univ. Park) and realize it is a positive change having our son attend Pitt. He is really looking forward to going to Pitt !</p>
<p>I am sure he will find plenty of kids with the same interests once he starts school. My child did not know a single person when he decided to attend Pitt but he has developed a circle of friends who share his interests (sports, video games etc.). Of course, they are mainly engineering majors but that is to be expected since they have many classes together and he is living on the SPACE floor (for freshman engineers). Frankly, I don't think of them as very brainiac or nerdy but normal kids enjoying the college experience!</p>
<p>thanks for your encouragement :-)</p>
<p>I'm a mom also, so I can't give the student perspective, but I think that the kids at Pitt are very friendly from what I've seen, and there's certainly lots to do on campus and off. It's just a matter of being open to new experiences. </p>
<p>I recommend living in Towers for freshman year. They're so convenient, with the dining hall right downstairs, and the Towers lobby is the social crossroads of Pitt. He will meet a lot of people, trust me! </p>
<p>You Pennsylvanians are very lucky to have schools like Penn State and Pitt. Best of luck to your son!</p>
<p>LNM, a friend of ours has a freshman son at PITT this year and told us the same: that the Towers is a great place to live, especially Towers A since the dining hall is in the sam building. I don't know where you are from... but my friends in North Jersey look at PITT as a great school to attend. Thanks for your good wishes !</p>
<p>My daughter lived in Tower B last year in a double and this year has a single room in Tower C (the whole building is made up of single rooms; great for kids who want their privacy). All the Towers are connected at the lobby level, so you can live in any of the Tower buildings and still have the dining hall downstairs. There is also a gym and quite a nice laundry room (compared to mine!). The mail room for packages is downstairs too, and a place you can pick up bagels, muffins and coffee. </p>
<p>My daughter is an urban kid (NYC) and loves the convenience of living in Towers, especially when the weather is bad. She went to Pitt not knowing a soul, like MTnest's son. Orientation at Pitt is great too. I would be interested in hearing your comments next year on how you see Pitt from the perspective of someone who is familiar with Penn State.</p>
<p>Yes, Towers is the place to be as a Freshman. It is centrally located and they live above the dining facility including a Taco Bell. Everything is easily accessible. I suggested Tower C for next semester but son nixed the idea as he wants to have roommates again. Frankly, I am very relieved and happy that he has assimilated so easily. All his high school friends went to our state flagship so I was worried that he would regret his decision but nope -- he loves it there!!!</p>
<p>Yep, another vote here for the Towers. My son is still friends with the people he met there during freshman year.</p>
<p>Wow, I only hope we can request the Towers !! LNM, I will let you know how we see Pitt as compared to PSU after our "Day for Admitted Students" on March 21. I know it will be so different but a nice welcomed change (especially to ease my bitterness toward PSU :-) )</p>
<p>Why "bitterness" towards PSU? Because of your son? How did you like it when you were there?</p>
<p>Psualum80 - is your son an engineering major? If so, there are 4 floors dedicated to freshman engineers in Tower A. The application for SPACE will be on the Engineering page.</p>
<p>lfk725, we are thrilled that our son will be on board with Pitt. I am bitter/disappointed in PSU admissions as he was above the average ( they look at the numbers) and they didn't consider our legacy (I am over it). However, Pitt viewed my son as a whole package and saw in him a well rounded kid. For that, University of Pittsburgh has my ultimate respect and we are very proud. We just need to figure out how he can get tickets for football and basketball to root for the Panthers :-)))</p>
<p>by the way, we loved Penn State when we were there. state college is a great college town and across the street you have the campus. it has a beautiful campus in all four seasons... quads, pathways, tree lined walkways... and as big as it is there is a ton of school spirit which brings the students close together. </p>
<p>i know the same will happen for my son at Pitt and he will create his own legacy !!</p>
<p>MTnest-- no, our son is not in engineering. he was accepted into the college of business. Thanks for referring us to SPACE although we will attempt to get him into the towers when we apply for housing. i really like the fact that it is it's own hub and center of freshman dorm life. we are looking forward to going to see everything.</p>
<p>Football tickets are easy to get. Wait until you attend Arrival Survival (orientation) to buy the tickets, I think they were $25.00 for all the home games plus they threw in a free t-shirt. </p>
<p>Basketball tickets takes a little more work. They use a "loyalty" points system. The more games you attend (including women's basketball), the more points you accumulate. The points are used when there are more ticket requests than tickets available for the students. The more points you have the more chances that your name will be selected for tickets. Son who is a freshman has gotten tickets to every basketball game so far (including one that he did not get selected in the original lottery). He will be at the Petersen center bright and early tomorrow for the Notre Dame game. Yes, they arrive early to line-up for seats!</p>
<p>psualum80, there is a Business Living and Learning Community in Sutherland Hall, its basically SPACE except for business majors, it might be something to consider for your son. However Sutherland is kind of far from anything whereas the Towers are right in the center of campus. If I do go to Pitt next year, I probably will choose to live in the Towers.</p>
<p>Sutherland is on the upper campus near the Petersen Center. It is very nice as is most of the housing up there. You have to walk up and down the hill to reach it (good exercise!) but it isn't in the center of the campus. The rooms at the Towers are smaller but you can't beat having everything close by and be among many of the freshmen student.</p>
<p>What is SPACE and where can one read about it?</p>
<p>Tstoner, SPACE = Students Preparing for Academics and Careers in Engineering</p>
<p>it is a living and learning community of freshmen engineers located in the towers. You can get more information here: SPACE:</a> School of Engineering: University of Pittsburgh</p>
<p>For others interested, the other Living & Learning Communities for Freshmen at Pitt are:</p>
<p>College of Business Administration: Sutherland Hall</p>
<p>Honors College: Forbes Hall</p>
<p>SPACE: First Year Engineering: Tower A</p>
<p>International Studies: Sutherland Hall</p>
<p>MAPS: Math and Physical Science: Sutherland Hall</p>
<p>My high school sends many students to Pitt each year. From what I have seen in the past (as well as this year), most of these kids are of the "going to parties, sports games, general hanging out, etc." variety. I think your son will find many, many students who share his interests.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman and as others have posted you will find many, many types of students at Pitt. My D wanted to live in Towers - but ended up in a single in Holland - which is the all girls dorm in the Quad right near Towers - it has worked out OK. She does go to many frat and house parties since she is in a girl's dorm it also gives her the opportunity to meet some guys. Sutherland is a nicer dorm than Towers - so I would have your son look at Sutherland as well - might be nice to have fellow business majors around for studying, etc. and if he doesn't mind the walk up and down the hill, Sutherland is great. My D is hoping to live in a dorm on upper campus next year. Football tickets you can get at your orientation session and I know my D has friends who are part of the "Zoo" - my D is not a big basketball fan and can take or leave the football games so you'll certainly find that Pitt is large enough that if you aren't a sports fan you'll still find something to do on the weekends. My D did sign up for PittArts and gets notified about concerts, plays, etc. that she can go to at a very discounted price. She has taken advantage of a few things and does also take the Pittsburgh buses all over Pittsburgh. Good luck to your son.</p>