University of Pittsburgh Class of 2027 Official Discussion Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
1505

Yeah, to chime in about Stamps at Pitt, specifically. We still feel that my kids’ stats and accomplishments in high school got her a lottery ticket to take part in a raffle because she qualified for that raffle. After that, during the interview process, she had to be genuinely herself and see how it unfolded. That’s what it feels like. And, Stamps at Pitt is not just about great stats. @coldwombat was saying her son decided NOT to apply for Stamps elsewhere, because they’re right – it’s waaay more than grades and scores. But I am sure there is a threshold for those things or you’d be eliminated. Then they are looking for passion, goals, accomplishments, desires, involvement, blah blah. And even then, the candidate has to have the “right fit” for the scholarship. At Pitt, Stamps is about global and domestic leadership development potential. Not all high achieving kids who have amazing extra curriculars fit that mold for this particular scholarship. But they might fit a mold at another school, but they also need to have found that scholarship that is out there so that they know to apply.

And you can also carry this thinking over to any huge scholarship anywhere.

And Stamps at other schools may be looking for some things that are different than what Pitt looks for.

My D22 and I talk all the time about the generosity of Mr. Roe Stamps and what he has established at the Stamps Partner Schools. And it is not lost on the 20 Pitt Stamps Scholars. She says they are all constantly blown away, still, at what has been provided to them through this opportunity. It’s an extraordinary one. It’s a regular part of their conversation and mentality.

I still have a S25 at home, and while he is showing he has the grades so far, there is no way he is cut from the same cloth as my D22 to get that lottery ticket. Has some service, but no burning passions and has 1 main involvement. And he’s a great kid who is smart, and wants to prep well for SAT and ACT. And he is perfectly awesome as he is and is tremendously talented at his instrument, and being my 4th kid, I know he will find a school where he can flourish.

So don’t be discouraged, and love the school that loves you back!!! My D18 was one of those rock stars that applied ED to Wash U, was deferred, then denied. CWRU accepted her for the year AFTER her gradation year after a defer then waitlist. Cornell offered her a transfer option after a waitlist. Georgetown waitlisted her. Vanderbilt denied outright. It was a nightmare. And she didn’t make it past round 1 of the Stamps process at Pitt. Total rock star of a kid. But Pitt - a safety where she had not planned on taking seriously - offered her the GAP for Physician Assistant, $10,000 per year merit (in state), and the Honors College. She kicked butt, and today is her first day of graduate school for that Master’s in PA Studies!

Keep your heads up and realize it’s a business. Take the great offer if it comes, and your kids really are amazing and have accomplished things that are awesome! No school can change that.

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1506

@winky1 Love the school that loves you back. That’s a great comment.

This process seems pretty random at times!!

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1507

And it is. If that safety school gives your kid $20,000 and a special program, check it all out. Put everything on the table. Love the school that loves you back!

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1508

Really struggling here with Pitt at full pay (in-state) vs. some other, “lesser” schools at quite a bit less. Kid loves Pitt, though, and we said it was within budget, so I can’t really say no.

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1509

Sorry, just seeing this now. For Pitt I think she actually indicated the Digital Narrative & Interactive Design major within the School of Computing (I had to look it up because she’s applied for straight CS at some places and CS variants at other schools.) Not sure if that makes a difference though.

Looking at the merit thread, I think only girls accepted to the School of Computing & Information have gotten merit scholarships thus far - my D and another for Digital Narrative and another girl for regular CS.

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1510

Ugh. That’s tough.

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1511

Would it be helpful for you to research and compare outcomes like starting salary or grad school admissions to feel more at peace?

While it’s true that a student can make it work anywhere, it’s also true that it’s easier at certain schools.

I have been really impressed with my Pitt freshman’s opportunity so far, but some of that might be due to her specific program.

Good luck in your decision!

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1512

Honestly what I’ve learned is that service, clubs and activities doesn’t carry the weight I thought it would for sure

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1513

I am at peace with Pitt - really I am! I know it’s a great school and he’ll be happy there. And it’s the closest - by far - of all the likely options. So from a Gatormama-mama perspective, it’s a great option. It’s within half a day’s drive and we can pop in whenever (we currently drive a LOT to WVU to see D19’s plays, e.g. - we don’t mind 6-hour drives at all).

But from the Gatormama-couponer perspective, I’m fighting my natural inclination to always pay the least amount possible. I’ll be OK, really I will. And it is not about me anyway, haha.

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1514

Yeah, my kid has two full ride options far away and three full tuition options right now. None of those are Pitt. Pitt sort of slapped her in the face with a small scholarship, though I understand now, it’s not her. That’s just how it goes. So we’re waiting to hear on Targets and Reach colleges. Likely won’t take advantage of the full rides. It will all work out.

She’s a quirky kid. I want her where she’s appreciated.

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1515

The scholarships received may be something to share with Pitt if they are from “similar” schools. We MAY be doing that. DS has not received anything from Pitt, $25/yr from UMN and OSU is pending but would expect something. I would call these schools similar. “See Pitt, this what your competitors are offering”. We’re OOS. Figure it can’t hurt.

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1516

It can’t hurt and is definitely worth a try, but last year that tactic was not helpful in getting more merit among the people I know firsthand who tried.

My friend was able to get more financial aid for her son. It was a small addition, but she is a single mom and everything helps. She got it by calling up and asking.

For merit, I would recommend asking sooner rather than later. Merit is finite and they will have more left at this point, if you have better packages from peer institutions with which to try to negotiate.

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1517

Yeah. The competitive full tuition offers aren’t really from comparable schools. I wish. We won’t likely ask for more unless one that is similar gives us a reason. Right now that one (similar place) is on par with Pitt dollar wise.

1518

I posted something similar in last year’s thread, but it might be helpful to some people to hear this year, too:

Merit is often misunderstood. Schools do not line up applicants from most qualified to least and award merit from the top down. Merit is an enrollment management tool. A school wants a merit award to move the dial for an applicant from maybe to yes. I don’t know what factors go into their calculations, but I am sure there IS a well-developed rationale to who is offered merit and who isn’t, but the process is opaque and doesn’t necessarily make sense from the outside.

Like most things in admissions, it truly isn’t personal and parents and applicants need to try to not take any decisions personally. Schools have institutional priorities that they are trying to meet. Admissions VPs have targets that they are tasked with hitting or surpassing. My previous statement was more about the typical $5K/$10K/$20K/year awards, but the institutional needs are probably even more evident for the larger scholarships like Stamps and Nordenberg:

No scholarship committee member thinks a kid with a 4.0/1600 is undeserving, but a college may have a specific philosophy in mind for a cohort of top award winners. They are probably never going to choose a 4.0/1600 with “average excellent” extracurriculars. They are far more likely to choose a 3.85/1500 with some really interesting passion, BUT they usually won’t choose two kids with similar passions. They are looking for diversity in every way, including intended major and future plans. As @Winky1 mentioned, they might be looking for certain future leadership, aptitude for research, etc. Some years, they might have social justice goals, other years might be more about sustainability. It doesn’t mean every winner fully embodies a certain mold, but it could be why a high stats student didn’t make a cut.

People should be prepared for Honors decisions to look similar. If it were all about stats, every accepted CS major who applies to it would be offered honors. That won’t happen. The honors college likely will want a cohort that reflects the overall university. That means bio majors with higher scores might not get an invitation while psychology majors with lower scores will.

There ARE a ton of kids with high scores, perfect grades, and strong school/community involvement, so it’s hard to understand with what can be communicated on a message board what made the difference for one student and not for another in holistic decisions.

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1519

Exactly. This is precisely what I was wondering. Great points.

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1520

For those of us whose kid may end up at Pitt, how do we determine the legitimacy of the Facebook parents group/s?

I want to find out solid info about the school/living/community, in advance of my kid’s final decision.

For my D19, this was not a problem, as there was an official WVU parents page that was run by an affiliated WVU parents group. (An amazing organization btw.) Posts were moderated, everyone was screened, the info was authoritative and the people were great.

Now, I see at least 2 Pitt 2027 groups already. I joined one of them a few weeks ago but left when I realized it had zero connection to Pitt and was probably just a data-mining scam.

And I see in the class of 2026 FB group, this warning in the “about” section:

"Pitt Parents Class of 2026 ~ is a group for parents and run by parents instead of being run by For-profit Organizations. Please know that there may be some University of Pittsburgh Parents groups run by an entity known as “College Parents” or “College University” and they run groups for the same purpose for colleges all over the country. We are all parents who manage this page; members are screened, and posts are moderated. Nobody will be trying to make money off of you. Only parents of students of University of Pittsburgh Class of 2026 will be admitted. Screening of members will take place upon application to the group. We want to keep this a safe environment for members without fear of for-profit organizations, housing agents, or other people who do not have a connection to a University of Pittsburgh class of 2026 student. "

So! If Pitt doesn’t do what WVU does, how is this gonna work?

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1521

Excellent post, thanks

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1522

Yeah, the Pitt groups are weird, for sure. I have a student at Michigan and there are several really active parent groups, including a general, all years one. Pitt doesn’t seem to have that. I found a Pitt 2019 and younger group that is legit, but it isn’t active at all.

For 2026, I am a member of two legitimate ones for my Pitt student. They aren’t as helpful as the general parent ones at other schools because, for the most part, people are learning as they go.

Edited to add: In the two Pitt groups, members are screened nearly as much as in the Michigan groups I am in. They are run and moderated by lovely, well-meaning parents, but it’s not the kind of robust security or moderation that I have seen elsewhere.

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1523

Ugh. So what you’re telling me is that the FB parent groups are as opaque and hard to decipher as the freaking Pitt portal.

1524

I am on two of them for 2026, one is much more active than the other. I use Pitt Parents Class of 2026

If you have any specific questions, feel free to DM me!!

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