<p>Hi, can a Pitt engineering student tell me about the school in general? What are the strongest departments? What is the co-op program like? Can anyone tell me about the SPACE program (living learning)? Any other comments/info/advice about freshman engineering at Pitt appreciated!</p>
<p>Hey booker,</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore bioengineering student at Pitt. So far so good - the program is definitely challenging, but I am pleased overall. I feel like Pitt Engineering has a great support system for its students, and that is a really important factor for minorities in engineering, such as myself. I always hear that at alot of school there is the dreaded “weeding out” process, but I do not feel like that is the case here. Freshmen year is hard, but in reality, it doesn’t get any easier. In fact, only 2% of the students “fail out” freshmen year. I believe about 80% come back for sophomore year, and the rest switched out. Typically I find that a lot of people get into engineering for the wrong reason in the first place, and then leave.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what the strongest departments are, since I’m only in one lol. But as far as the BioE department goes, I know we are ranked 8th in undergrad (someone can feel free to correct me on that).</p>
<p>I will start a co-op in the spring, which is quite unusual for a sophomore, but I have found the co-op department really helpful getting everything together. My offer came very last minute and it is very rushed, but they are able to help me along in the process (it’s still ongoing!) I know that if you do want to co-op, you give them your transcript, resume, and interests and they will match you with companies if offers come up. But ALOT of people have received their co-ops through the annual co-op fair, so if you do decide to come to Pitt, definitely check it out!</p>
<p>I lived on SPACE last year. A lot of people didn’t want to live there because they didn’t want to live with the “nerdy” and “unsocial” engineering students. Near the end of the year, they regretted it! SPACE is a lot of fun, and the best part is that when you have an assignment due, there is always someone next door to help you. Plus, when you have group projects, your group members will live in the same area. All freshmen engineers have the same type and amount of work, so it will never be too loud the night before a test and you won’t get stuck with a distracting roommate who parties all day because they only have 10 credits worth of classes lol</p>
<p>Overall, I really love this school and I am glad I chose Pitt. I actually chose Pitt over other engineering programs such as Columbia, Northwestern, BostonU and other “high end” schools, and I’m glad I did. The support system is great (my biggest plus) and I always find a lot of opportunities in terms of research labs, co-ops, internships, etc.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, feel free to message me! :D</p>
<p>Thank you so much Emi2008 for your reply! You got me psyched! I was just accepted into Pitt engineering and your thoughts are aiding my decision.</p>
<p>Emi that was a really great post, thank you for all of the info! I’m seriously considering BioE at Pitt, so that post was perfect</p>