Submitted Common App - Dietrich - 10/7
“Activate your Pitt Applicant Account” email - 10/13
All other materials (SAT, SRAR) received - 10/10
Accept/Decline buttons - 11/7
Still waiting for the letter in the document center + the video.
Stats:
Out of State
3.45/4.0 UW
690 EBRW 720 Math SAT
2 AP’s
Average Extracurriculars
but in her HS, a B+ was a 3.33, at Pitt it is a 3.25
wait, does Pitt recalculate the gpa of their applicants?
I know all colleges recalculate the GPA to compare apples to apples. But where can you see the Pitt calculated GPA ?
Congrats. What is the guaranteed nursing admission, by any chance is that linked to the graduate guaranteed program ?
Hi there,
Yup…it’s the graduate guaranteed program. Students offered guaranteed admission for nursing will be allowed to pursue PhD, DNP, or Master’s program in nursing:)
GAP programs (at least Med and nursing) require maintaining a high undergraduate GPA (they each have their number) So GAP is not a “guarantee” but rather a clearing for the admissions process contingent on the undergraduate student fullfilling those requirements when it’s time to “apply.”
Just got 5k / yr merit ($20k total) ! I’m happy but also thought I was competitive enough for the larger amounts. Do they yield protect for scholarships? This has me thinking… if I only got 5k at Pitt my chances elsewhere will be far lower (for both merit and admissions) into T50/T20 schools.
If I read correctly you are CS? That might be part of the merit award. Seems like lower awards in Swanson and CSI in the past
I agree. ComSci is very popular and competitive. I suspect they don’t need to offer as much merit as some other majors. From my understanding, it was that way last year.
There was an extended discussion of this issue in the dedicated Pitt merit thread. Long story short, Pitt may not give out the highest awards to the people it wants the most or thinks are the most objectively meritorious, it more likely is carefully allocating its limited merit budget in the way that it calculates will most efficiently lead to the best overall class mix, potentially taking into consideration a long list of complex interacting factors including academic interests, where you are from, and so on.
So personally, I would not in any way assume it is an indicator of how you will do in admissions anywhere else.
My older daughter (2021 grad) was a high stats student who only received $2000 a year from Pitt (cs major). She was subsequently admitted to two Ivy leagues schools, Penn and Cornell, GaTech and Johns Hopkins. I don’t think the merit you received from Pitt predicts your chances in the overall admissions process.
You might want to also post on the other thread
Applied through school portal 10/11
“Activate your Pitt Applicant Account” email - 10/13
All other materials (SAT, SRAR) received - 10/30
Accept/Decline buttons - 11/8
Still waiting for the letter in the document center + the video.
Stats:
Out of State (NY)
91.4 UW/97.9W
1430 SAT
APs and DE classes - all other classes were honors during high school
Average Extracurriculars & Level 10 gymnast
That is true but on the flip side of it, the school of computing and information costs 5-7k extra per year compared to the other schools as an OOS student. Is there a chance that they could offer more merit later on (if they have excess funds remaining)
From my personal experience, schools don’t voluntarily offer more financial aid unless they are still trying to fill the class. Many schools will state that they don’t negotiate on merit. I don’t think Pitt will (based on past years) have a problem filling the class. My suggestion would be for you not to wait to see if they offer more but to write to them now expressing that this is your top choice and that you would appreciate their consideration for additional merit to make it more achievable /accessible. They are probably going to respond in one of two ways 1. Sorry, we don’t “negotiate” on merit or 2. We will take this into consideration, and then you will need to wait. I am a firm believer that if “you don’t ask, you won’t get.” The worst thing they can say is no. Good luck.
What are your stats? GPA ? SAT/ACt?
Congrats everyone! Still waiting…
Does Pitt admit to a college (e.g. college of Computing and Information) or directly to the program of study (e.g. Computer Science) within that college? If the latter, how difficult is it to switch between programs within the college?
So they do admit to a college. You can see this on your admit letter. For the School of Computing and Information (SCI) it looks like you don’t declare a major right away so it appears you have time.
In my S24s offer letter they stated the one school only (Dietrich A&S) and mentioned his “intended” major.
Two years ago, my DD applied for comp sci. She got admitted to a different program - info systems, which was not what she wanted, so she went elsewhere. So this would seem to indicate the program, but that conflicts with the information that @BoroDad has provided. So maybe they have changed it.
@QQsubs - For nuanced questions like this, don’t take my word or anyone else’s for it. I Suggest you check the catalog then email admission yourself. Email is better than calling - often you get students that don’t know these kinds of answers.
However, I did ask an Admissions counselor your original question. My S24’s preference is the new Dietrich co-major in Intl Studies which is weird so I thought I should check. Answer: Except for some special direct admit academic programs or colleges with one major (eg Public Health, Nursing, etc), all 1st year students at all colleges are admitted to a school but admitted as undecided.
However, the issue might be the reverse - there might be another hurdle even if you ‘get’ your major in the letter. Each school may have some additional pre-reqs to meet to declare a major. In CompSci, for example, the catalog says there are a handful of courses you have to pass with a certain grade in order to even declare the CS major. So, not everyone in SCI admitted as CS can become a CS major.
So, again I suggest you confirm your original question, but I think the right follow-on question to ask admissions might be this: if a prospective student is admitted to SCI with a preference of computer science, and can pass all the pre-reqs to declare a CS major, is it still competitive to get into that major?
Even if they pass all the classes with the right grades, are they guaranteed to get computer science as a major when they declare or or do they have a certain number of people they take each year in that major? I don’t know this answer but I suggest you should ask, admissions or SCI directly or Swanson or whatever school.
