<p>The U of Pittsburgh thread gives very positive vibes about this school. I wanted to post on this thread to reach a broader audience. The school offers great merit scholarships, seems to be in nice location with lots to offer, and a decent to very good reputation in many academic areas. Is it too good to be true? What should a solid admitted student to the honors college be aware of? Are we missing something? Thanks for all replies.</p>
<p>I also wonder Pitt.</p>
<p>How clean the area is? Grocery shopping? The business school? Who recruits?</p>
<p>Sorry, I'm no help either.</p>
<p>I'm just passing along some very general third-party gossip here. My daughter applied to and was accepted at Pitt in the honors college, and would have qualified for substantial merit grants. It was her safety/financial safety. She liked the school and the area, and she had a very good impression of it because among the people she knew who were interested in English and writing (like her), and who planned to go to an in-state public college in Pennsylvania, Pitt was far and away the most popular option. Although she didn't decide to go there, she knows four or five people who took that deal (kids she met at the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts creative writing program, which had really good writers in it).</p>
<p>I recently asked her how her friends there were liking it. She wasn't tremendously specific, but she said she thought they were all unhappy to varying degrees. Basically, they weren't finding the courses challenging enough, and they thought there was a pervasive anti-intellectual attitude on campus. Bear in mind that all these kids are writers, which probably means that they lean towards misanthropy to some extent, and they probably don't care much about science offerings. And I don't know how current or complete her information was -- some of the data points may have been year-old IMs in the middle of exams, when no one is happy.</p>
<p>But . . . if I were looking at Pitt I would check that out.</p>
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<p>LOL I hadn't made that association before.</p>
<p>I don't have a lot to add except that my wife and I stayed near UPitt while S was at sleeping bag weekend for Carnegie Mellon, about a mile down the street. Didn't go on campus, but campus seems to extend to Forbes Ave, and walked along there. It seemed pretty college-oriented, with Starbucks, bars, etc. Definitely city feeling, but not run-down. Many of the local restaurants have late-night half-price entries (I think it was 10:00 pm). </p>
<p>I wondered what the relationship between the two schools was, so I asked our server (who was a student at Pitt) if there was any ill-feelings, or rivalries between the schools. She had no idea what I was talking about.</p>
<p>I hesitate to answer. My info is 27 years out of date. I am a grad of the nursing school, my H is a grad of the engineering program. Both of us had extremely challenging programs and were well-prepared for real life. In general, I would say the BS degrees at Pitt are more challenging than the BAs. Many of my classmates started out in more rigorous programs - besides engineering and nursing, other popular but tough programs I had contact with included physical therapy and pharmacy. I had friends who didn't survive those, and ended up graduating (sometimes with honors) from teaching, social work, etc. My degree didn't allow me many opportunities to take courses outside my program of study. The few I had weren't especially easy, but I did know that there were teachers with reputations for cake courses. (I was willing! They just didn't fit my schedule.)</p>
<p>The campus is one of those "what do you want" situations. In hindsight, I would have preferred a "typical" campus -- more enclosed, prettier. (And that's what I steered my kids toward.) But Pitt is a fabulous campus for those who like urban "happ'nen" settings. My H took advantage of student tickets all the time, attending all sorts of cultural activities in Pittsburgh. Schenley Park, museums, etc., are all nearby. Heinz Chapel, Cathedral of Learning - lots of interesting places that belong to the University. But the term "on campus" is rather misleading, as the campus buildings are sprinkled about the Oakland area. I have no idea what stores are still there, but 5th Avenue and Forbes had a variety of shops - quirky, trendy shops, restaurants, a five-and-dime, fast-food places. There was at least one grocery store there, too. Public transportation was either very cheap or free (can't remember) for Pitt students.</p>
<p>The Oakland area is home to several major hospitals, which includes a psychiatric facility. Which means there are "interesting" people on the streets and in the neighborhood. Much of the off campus housing was of the slum-lord variety when I was there. The "hill district" was pretty ghetto when I was there - have no idea if it's been urbanly renewed.</p>
<p>H lived on campus all four years. I attended a branch campus the first year, and lived off campus the other three. Mistake. I believe my H had an easier time of it, just because living was easier. He was across the street from the library - I was 6 blocks away. I had to go grocery shopping and cook. I had a much longer hike (up hill, both ways) to classes, which was difficult in winter, especially. I was mugged walking home from class one evening.</p>
<p>(cross-posted with Dad'o'2 -- No, no rivalry that I'm aware of. Some of the extra-curriculars were open to and run by both schools. So I had several friends from CMU.)</p>
<p>Our second D is a current Pitt freshman on scholarship (one of those grear offers) and she is very happy and content with her classes. I will qualify that with the fact that she is an engineering major and is taking stuff like honors physics and honors engineering analysis, etc. She also lives in honors housing. From the feedback we get, there is a very high level of intellectual challenge to her classes and the overall atmosphere she is exposed to is that of high intellectualism. People even leave notes on their dorm doors in Latin (which she can read which makes it even more quirky).</p>
<p>She placed out of all her English rqts and this semester her elective is some kind of religion/philosophy thing, so I don't have a clue at the quality of the English dept, but the science/engineering depts are first rate and the kids seem very ambitious and focused. They like to party, but most college kids do, esplly at state schools. </p>
<p>Also top rated pre-med, med, nursing, pharmacy, neuroscience, bioengrg, etc.</p>
<p>Wow. Lots of posts while composing mine. As to the CMU thing, what I've seen on the Pitt website is that there are several collaborative joint ventures with CMU. For instance, the Pitt Neuroscience dept has a great deal of overlap with CMU. Most of the neuroscience research labs are at the University of Pittsburgh, but the CMU faculty also use them. Several CMU neuro faculty have dual appts to Pitt. The Pitt research facilities are listed on the CMU neuro web page as "resources". Somewhere on the Pitt site it said that in order to have a first class Neuroscience dept. they needed a "critical mass" of professors and students, so Pitt, CMU and UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) decided to collaborate to form a semi-organic whole that could attract research opportunities and funding they would not be able to do alone. I think other depts will cooperate like that if the need is present, so I don't get the impression that they compete against each other at all.</p>
<p>D was seriously considering Pitt at first. We visited the school just about a year ago, and she even had her early SAT scores sent there. From our visit, we were really impressed with the school, the students that we talked with were friendly and articulate, and the facilities looked fine. The main reason that she didn't end up applying to Pitt was that they didn't have her intended major(except in the Honors College)so she would have had to major in Poli. Sci. (She ended up applying to Penn State instead, which does have her major) The other drawbacks to Pitt that I can think of are that on-campus housing seemed to be in pretty tight supply(although that seems to be the case at just about all state u's)and our understanding was that seniors pretty much had to live off campus, the previously mentioned city/safety issue, and the weather in Pittsburgh reportedly can be tough. That having been said, none of those issues would have kept D from applying to Pitt had they had her major. And, in fact, D2 has already indicated that she wants to check out Pitt in a couple of years when her college search swings into high gear(Although, JHS's post above does give me some pause for thought--D2 wants to study creative writing.)</p>
<p>It looks like Pitt is strong in the sciences. How is the business school?</p>
<p>I don't read too much about the business school.</p>
<p>We visited Pitt and my son has been accepted into the engineering program there, however as time goes by, and his other offers come in, Pitt is sinking in his mind. For one thing, they offered him no money, so now schools that have higher ranked engineering programs are the same price or cheaper. </p>
<p>That aside, I really liked Pitt. I liked the urban campus. Most on here know my eldest is at Denison - as pretty a campus as you'll find anywhere - but I know that can be risky too, for many kids can "outgrow" the scenic isolated college thing fast. All kids at Pitt ride their city buses free - I think that is such a deal. Not to mention that not needing a car saves a kid a lot of money! Also, I thought it felt like a city where a kid could take advantage of big city opportunities without necessarily the big city price tag. </p>
<p>I liked their engineering dept a lot. It seemed very personal, very intimate and supportive. It seemed like just the right balance between hard work (as are all engineering programs) and a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere.</p>
<p>There is a fair amount of slum (and I do mean SLUM) student housing adjacent to the campus. I suspect, though, that are better choices for off campus living than that. I personally do not expect my son to live on a campus for four years if he doesn't want to (in spite of the fact that eldest son is required to live on campus 4 years!). </p>
<p>My sense was that Pitt lacked the rah-rah sports focus and the Greek emphasis of Penn State (things that really turned off my son to Penn St). There seemed to be plenty of school spirit - just not the single minded feeling of it, if you know what I mean. (I think urban schools overall tend to be better balanced that way.)</p>
<p>I'm usually a pretty good judge of safety, and I'd say that overall it was fairly safe, especially because it seemd about 80% students, 15% medical center employees, and only 5% others walking around. It is an urban area, and with that comes a certain responsibility on the part of the student to not be dumb. Some kids have more street smarts than others...</p>
<p>Anyway, those are my thoughts about Pitt.</p>
<p>Business School - </p>
<p>Looked at 2007 USNW rankings and Pitt is no. 48, so top 50, sandwiched between Rice at 45 and Tulane (49) and Vanderbilt (50). Also in that cluster are UC Davis, UGA, and some place called Babson College.</p>
<p>fwiw, Rice is no. 10 for bioengineering and Pitt is no. 14 for bioe. They are 45 and 48 respectively for business. That tells you something, but I'm not sure what other than the obvious. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, where I live Rice, Tulane and Vanderbilt are all well respected, so I personally think that Pitt is in good company for their business program, but you may be looking for something else. I also don't know any thing specific about the business school, but thought this info might be helpful.</p>
<p>When my S and I took the tour we were told that Pitt students can take up to 5 courses at CMU (at no additional charge) as long as they are courses that Pitt doesn't offer. Also, if you are OOS and choose to go abroad for a semester - you pay in-state tuition that semester.</p>
<p>My D and I visited in Aug, and she really liked the area. Having gone to school in NYC myself, I was on the lookout for bagladies and drunks - saw none; debris in the streets - saw none; and sniffing for garbage in the air - smelled nothing horrid. The area offers lots of things for students to do. The school's right near the Carnegie Museums, so it's an upscale area. Also, check <a href="http://www.securityoncampus.org%5B/url%5D">www.securityoncampus.org</a> for crime stats. UPitt has had much fewer sexual assults than my flagship state uni, UVA. Academically, UPitt has some very strong depts. IMO, the competition for merit $ has been steep this year, judging from the stats posted on cc. Pitt is attracting very qualified students. If you haven't visited, Pitt gives a professional, polished admissions info session. My D didn't even want to apply to any VA state schools after going to UPitt. That was "it" for her.</p>
<p>Can't say much about Pitt's academics. I did however make quite a few visits to the area as DS is recent CMU grad.</p>
<p>Slum? I guess but not too bad imo compared to real slums (like West Phila where I lived for 4 years). Besides Oakland, Pitt's just a 5 minute ride to Squirrel Hill and Shadyside, 2 relatively upscale areas where lots of Pitt and CMU students live, shop, and eat (places you wouldn't visit on a one day Pitt tour, but where students spend a lot of time). </p>
<p>Basketball arena is sold out before the season begins...I tried to get tickets, no luck. PSU has more spirit, nothing compares to a football weekend there but Pitt students have more options being in the city.</p>
<p>I too liked the Oakland area; plenty to do plus downtown is only 10 minutes away. </p>
<p>Pitt/CMU---growing list of cooperative programs (like BME at CMU) combining CMU's computer science strength and Pitt's highly regarded med/health science offerings. I don't think there's any great rivalry, since although the schools are neighbors, they are VERY different.</p>
<p>Pitt is a world-class college with top programs in just about all of the scieneces, philosophy, business, political science, and engineering. It routinely recruits some of the top professors from around the world. Pitt also is very internationally-focused, with one of the top study abroad programs in the country. Career and graduate school prospects coming out of Pitt are excellent as well.</p>
<p>I think weenie put it best when he/she said "There seemed to be plenty of school spirit - just not the single minded feeling of it, if you know what I mean." Students have great pride for their school, but they are also aware of the world around them. I think urban schools are much more beneficial to students' overall growth as people than rural campuses are. The Oakland area of Pittsburgh is home to many museums, restaurants, and other cultural activities. Pittsburgh is one of the safest cities in the country, with an extremely low crime rate. It has also become one of the cleanest cities, Forbes recently ranked it 10th in the world for cleanliness.</p>
<p>And I recall reading, around 10 years ago, Pittsburgh voted #1 for "Most Liveable City in America" -- was it TIme or Newsweek? Something like that.</p>
<p>My niece just chose Pitt for a business major, after comparing hard all over the Northeast. She's mighty happy, including with her finaid offer.</p>
<p>She's the smartest person, academically/socially/fiscally of her age I know so I'd respect anything she chose.</p>
<p>Since she graduated early, she's spending some time in Costa Rica now, and took a jr. h.s. term in Israel...so that's the kind of drive and determination of one of their students.</p>
<p>A friend sent this link to me today:</p>
<p>I think it's funny that the last time Pittsburgh was rated like this was 1985 - the year we fled!</p>
<p>I was there three years ago. It's a really, really nice city, and the campus is brilliantly located. My d. is looking hard at it (for business) as well - sadly, no Arabic. (if anyone knws differently, let me know.)</p>
<p>Mini - When I searched their handbook, I found these classes for next fall:</p>
<p>Arabic 1 LING 0131 2081 AT 12526 Lahniche,Khalifa 4 cr.
Arabic 1 LING 0131 2081 AT 12789 4 cr.
Arabic 1 LING 0131 2081 AT 13009 Lahniche,Khalifa 4 cr.
Arabic 1 LING 0131 2081 SE3 10127 Pullman,Ethan P 4 cr.
Arabic 1 LING 0131 2081 SE3 12273 4 cr.
Arabic 3 LING 0133 2081 AT 11117 Soudi,Abdesalam 3 cr.
Arabic 3 LING 0133 2081 AT 13719 3 cr. </p>
<p>And from their computer science dept:
<a href="http://www.cs.pitt.edu/spotlight/research/2005/arabic.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.cs.pitt.edu/spotlight/research/2005/arabic.php</a></p>