University of Pittsburgh Class of 2023 Discussion Thread

@testdrine, You should contact the Technology Help Desk to troubleshoot. They are available 24/7: https://www.technology.pitt.edu/

@equationlover, We admit students to the freshman-entry school they apply to, but students choose a major within that school once they are enrolled. The freshman-entry schools are:

The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
The School of Nursing
College of Business Association
Swanson School of Engineering
School of Computing and Information (admitting their first class of students for fall 2019)

You can see the class profile data, broken down by school, here: https://oafa.pitt.edu/explore/class-profile/

It is also possible to apply to one school - such as the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - and then apply to transfer to another school once you are here. I mention the Dietrich School because it is our largest freshman entry school and a great place to get prereqs out of the way and

Since you are interested in the Swanson School, I can share the internal transfer guidelines here: https://www.engineering.pitt.edu/First-Year/First-Year/Transfer-Students/Internal-Transfer-Students/

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

@Candy_Man, You will certainly be considered for merit scholarships. We automatically review any student who applied before December 15 for Pitt merit scholarships.

Consideration for the Chancellor’s Scholarship is handled by Pitt Honors. Part of the requirement to be eligible for consideration is that students apply to Pitt Honors by the November 1 priority consideration deadline.

You are in time for all of our other scholarships, though!

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

@hailtopitt1787 My son also received letter for mid-terms. He sent in his answers to Pitt questions late because did not realize Pitt did not look at common app essay. He emailed Pitt a week ago to ask about consideration of his answers since they were later than the application and also included updated grades. Will he receive an email back with an update or answers to his questions or will he have to wait until January at this point? Thanks so much for all your help!!

My son had a few things under the “to do” part right after applying which have all cleared now. Does everyone’s show “no pending application” or is something supposed to be showing there by this point?

@13university, Yes - we will look at the Short Answer Questions along with the grades he sent in. Our staff checks the email daily and tries to respond to questions as quickly as they can. We receive a very high volume in the oafa@pitt.edu email. Alternatively, he may want to try contacting his territory manager directly: https://oafa.pitt.edu/esm_directory.php

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

My daughter was accepted to Pitt 2023. Should she send in her first marking period grades in to see if she can be eligible for scholarships. She has all AP’s as a senior and is doing well.

@Donna Mazzella,

Congrats to your daughter! She will automatically be reviewed for scholarships. No need to send in updates on her grades unless we ask for them. The Scholarship Committee meets weekly and sends out scholarship offers on a rolling basis through February. Anyone selected for a scholarship will hear from us by March 1, at the latest!

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

Is it a very bad sign when it’s taking longer than usual for a decision? My daughter applied in mid-August and has not gotten a decision. I see that some people have been accepted, so I’m wondering if that means something bad?

Just got an email acceptance! OOS from CA

@milgymfam, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad sign. But it has been long enough that I think it would be worthwhile to give our office a call and check on the status. You can find the Admissions Processor assigned to your daughter here: https://oafa.pitt.edu/processors/

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

Received my acceptance about an hour ago by email! OOS from New Jersey. H2P!!!

Accepted! OOS/northern Virginia. 1500 sat/4.3 gpa.

Dying to hear about Honors…has anybody gotten notification yet? @hailtopitt1787 any idea when they will start sending them out and whether the students will be notified via email or snail mail?

@MominPA2017, The priority consideration deadline just passed on November 1, so I expect it will take a little bit longer to review all of the applications. December 15 is the latest those who applied by November 1 will receive their Pitt Honors Admissions decision!

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

What exactly does it mean to be admitted to Pitt Honors. My understanding is that students can take honors classes if they so choose without being “admitted” and I believe they can also apply to live in the Honors LLC. So what is being decided with Honors admissions?

@mathmomvt Pitt Honors Student benefits include "Get the freedom to define your own success, and the support to shoot for it.
Honors students get:

Priority for our unique courses, fellowships and awards.

Personal mentoring to help you find the best opportunities.

A fun community with regular events, chances to explore the city, and more.

Flexible ways to earn formal recognition for your Honors achievements.

Guaranteed placement in the Honors housing community."

@readthetealeaves isn’t all of that available to anyone who is interested, except for the guarantee of placement in Honors housing? Maybe the mentoring is only for students formally admitted? (Even so, I’m a little skeptical about that – by my count there are around 1500 students officially in Pitt Honors at any given time – how personalized is the mentoring realistically going to be?)

@mathmomvt I guess so. They do say on their website, as you did, that anyone can take honors courses do certain fellowships ETC. The difference in the mentoring is they say Honors mentoring complements the regular academic advising.They help you go “beyond coursework to design a comprehensive plan for the undergraduate experience, with learning that inspires one in and out of the classroom.” They do this by helping you plan abroad studying, making paid research available etc

They say"our average student has a 1450-1500 SAT and / or 32-33 ACT. Generally, they also have an ‘A’ (or 4.39 weighted) GPA." 300-400 a year are accepted

I think it is a more intensive type thing. Probably access to more awards, more fellowships and priority for certain classes.Guaranteed Honors Housing. Not sure if it is completely necessary for every major or student but if the student wants to think outside the box and have help doing it, it seems like an excellent program

Ok - I’ll give my spin on Pitt honors. My D, who is currently a junior, was not admitted to the honors college when she applied but did become eligible after her first semester due to her grades. She has not taken any honors courses because there really aren’t that many of them and none made sense for her either schedule wise or major wise. She has never gotten any mentoring from the honors college. Maybe that’s available but the kids need to be proactive? I’m not sure, but I know she has never met with anyone there. In my opinion the only real advantage of being in the honors college is if you get in as a freshman and get into the honors housing. As far as I can tell, that’s the only real benefit. I’m always so puzzled by people making a big deal about being accepted into the honors college. It really doesn’t do much for you.

Thanks, @me29034 that’s about what I imagined. Honors housing is nice, and a lifesaver for certain kids (my S14 really needed to live in the quieter housing and be able to escape the party scene when he needed a break) but I was surprised that so many people seem to be on pins and needles waiting for Pitt Honors acceptances when you can take advantage of most of it either way. It’s nice recognition of a student’s achievements, of course.

What is your D studying, if you don’t mind sharing? When I took a quick look at honors classes early on, it seemed that quite a lot of the core courses were offered in honors versions, and that seemed appealing to my S, to be in classes with more peers.