<p>I don't have first-hand knowledge of the business school, but many students from my high school class graduated from it and are happy in their jobs.</p>
<p>As a side, I was drawn to Pitt due to the dual degree program between CAS and the Business school. In this program, you can choose a degree in the college of arts and sciences as well as a business degree and graduate with a dual degree as opposed to a double degree. This was an attractive option because you didn't have to fulfill every requirement for each degree, but I transferred out after my first semester since I realized business wasn't for me (bad experience with econ...).</p>
<p>SpringfieldMom:</p>
<p>lol I understand you weren't actually laughing at them. It just gave me a good segway to let you know where the best place was to buy Pitt gear if you visit again.</p>
<p>Also, I was flabbergasted when I started grad school at UNC to see nearly all of the students dressing to the nines for class! At Pitt, I could have gone to class in my pajamas and nobody would bat an eyelash (I actually saw many student in their pjs during my tenure there)! It is about the same (but to a lesser extent) here at UW-Madison as it was at UNC. At least here at UW you don't see students dressing up to go to a football game (very common at UNC...very strange...)!</p>
<p>ophiolite: We actually did try to get back to the sweatshirt guy (I think it was a girl on Saturday) at Forbes and Bigelow done with Carnegie Mellon and the Carnegie Museum, they'd packed up and left. </p>
<p>kschmidt: I recommend you wear flat shoes; I nearly fell out of my clogs going up and down the hills. Also, do try the cafeteria (we ate at the one under the towers; forget the name. It was actually OK and we were all very full afterwards) and the small independent restaurants on Craig St and Forbes Ave. We ate dinner at the Union Grille on Craig St. and breakfast at Pamela's on Forbes; I recommend both highly! If you're in to pigging out, Primanti Bros. might be your place (I'm not a big eater so it was a waste. I also didn't like the food; I understand it's a Pittsburgh thing. What would I know, I'm from Philly...)</p>
<p>I second the idea of looking for off campus housing in Shadyside if you can find something that would accept undergraduates. At least the housing looks to be better maintained and not as "scary looking".</p>
<p>We ate at Original Hot Dog (great hot dog), Primanti's (!), Fuel & Fuddle (help!), Dave and Andy's (sinful), La Fiesta (very good!), and Pamelas (get the strawberry pancakes). Now I have to literally fast all week. It's not good to eat like a college student when you're 49!!!</p>
<p>We stopped in to Mad Mex - but it was MOBBED. I had heard good things about the Margaritas. Alas, we drank wine in our room.</p>
<p>I would have preferred to try Spice Island and Ali Baba. Here is a good thread about Pitt Restaurants:</p>
<p>I think it's just that they closed the CMU location - not the main location near Pitt. Apparently the manager of the CMU location fired all its black emplyees and now is being sued by EEOC. (At least that's what google news tells me.)</p>
<p>I am impressed that you were able to breakfast at Pamela's. I have only managed to get in once, being discouraged at the long waits other times; and I was only staying two blocks away !!!
I mean the one on Walnut in Shadyside.</p>
<p>H & I are Pitt grads - he's engineering, I was nursing - both extremely tough programs. When we were there (graduated '80), education and social work were the "easy" courses that kids transferred into when they couldn't handle the other things. </p>
<p>H lived in one of those tiny Tower dorms - all four years. After first year, he had a single, and did just fine. The doubles are so tiny! I never lived on campus - went to a branch campus first year, then I lived off campus in one of those slumlord apts, and was miserable. Filth, roaches, incompetent management... And those lovely Pittsburgh hills are tough going when covered with snow and ice! </p>
<p>As far as crime, there is some. The biggest issue I had to deal with, living off campus, was walking home alone at night. I was mugged once. But I did not live afraid - maybe too innocent to be afraid. I roamed pretty freely.</p>
<p>Pitt is a good school, but it wasn't a good fit for me, and I did not encourage any of my kids to look there. (I pushed S1 and D toward "campus" schools.) But in hindsight, I did love the quirky stores, the "independent living" in a city neighborhood, the local museums, Schenley Park, easy bus rides to a ball game or the incline or a concert... I had cancer in college, and the health care available was the best!</p>
<p>cbreeze: We had no trouble on Friday morning, but Saturday morning was too long of a wait (and I was still full from La Fiesta night before) and we just had coffee at Caribou.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh Airport is very similiar to SeaTac in that both are leveled hilltops and filled valleys. At for you, Mini's Daughter, the airfare from Sea-PIT is reasonable. PDX-PIT is + $100 more than SEA-PIT, and we are same distance to PIT. </p>
<p>After visiting the Heinz Chapel, I can appreciate gothic and flying buttresses.</p>
<p>Oh, no problems on visiting and trip score. If d. ends up there, it will be on an athletic (gymnastics) scholarship (it isn't number one just now, but is strongly on the radar screen). We have f(F)riends in the Pittsburgh Friends Meeting (which is right next to the campus), so we always have places to stay.</p>
<p>According to the flyers the 'O' was handing out on campus, they were given bad terms on their lease renewal and had some staffing issues last semester. They also kept reducing the choices of what students could buy with a block meal, which made for some unhappy students.</p>
<p>About the student pictures in the CMU engineering building....I believe they are of grad students, most likely PhD students. Undergrad is very diverse but grad programs are I'm guessing 75% international, so I believe that's what you were seeing.</p>
<p>And recent ug classes @ CMU are 40% female.</p>
<p>Having visited Pgh many times while my S was at CMU (graduated last year) and his gf (now ex- of course) at Pitt, I can tell you most Pitt and CMU students love the city...just don't expect it to be like NYC. Best parts of the city are adjacent to the campuses: Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill and rents are reasonable. Sadly Pgh is often forgotten as a destination since it isn't really eastern, isn't really midwestern. I found it to be surprisingly cosmopolitan and sophisticated, and loved the topography. Especially the view from Mt Washington at dusk.</p>
<p>Where to stay...don't limit your stay to just Oakland. Pittsburgh's not big, so downtown is only 10 minutes to the campuses outside rush hour. Omni William Penn is glorious downtown grand hotel that's recently restored, memorable place to stay...it became my favorite. They have Fabulous or Fantastic or whatever Fridays where you can book, for about $100/night, a hotel that would be $600/night in New York.</p>
<p>Of all the places I've eaten breakfast, Pamela's is still the best. I dream of those crepe-like pancakes with the perfectly burnt edges.....</p>
<p>In terms of off-campus housing, the South Side area is attracting more and more college students, albeit Duquesne more that Pitt or CMU. Still with the North Side/Oakland/South Side, transportation shouldnt be a problem.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is the Sally Field of American cities. Natives are always grateful when out of towners praise the 'Burgh</p>
<p>Nice to read about Pitt. My S is a junior, living off campus in one of the "slumlord" apts. I think it is good incentive for bigger and better things. He is an engineering major who is currently on co-op. Most kids seem to move off campus after a year or two. Rents are cheap, at least compared to Boston. He has struggled with his program, but loves Pittsburgh. Pamelas is wonderful. Believe it is Fuel and Funnel, have been there a few times. Only thing I don't like about Pitt is how far away it is from Boston. Airport is a free bus ride from campus, but it takes almost an hour. Pitt is a ten to twelve hour drive from Boston, which makes it tough to visit.</p>
<p>S is in a small engineering program. Dept. has been very supportive. His co-op advisor actually drove him to an interview. We told him we would give him money towards a car (same $ as we did his brother) if he got the job. So far, so good. He goes back to class in January. Any questions, I would be happy to answer. Thanks.</p>
<p>I would really like to find out more about co-ops and internships for Pitt engineering students. I will start a new thread, massmom. Please check it out!</p>
<p>Lots of school spirit! Football has always been big, as has been basketball. The football games are played at Heinz Field, so everybody who wants to attend can do so. Basketball is very popular and always sold out; tickets are distributed on a lottery basis. It seems that there are lots of campus activities in Oakland on game weekends.</p>
<p>My S is not a sports fan, but has attended a few football games to observe and enjoy the atmosphere. It does seem as if there is a lot going on on the weekends, lots of restaurants, kids downtown, etc. S lives on a street of townhouses. All of the neighbors are students.</p>