<p>Early on pitt was my top choice, but recently it has fallen to 4th, I'm still planning on applying and am excited at the prospect of going (as I am with all schools I am applying to). What has been your academic and social experience with the city of pittsburgh?</p>
<p>You might add some details about what it is you are interested in or what you like to do to get better responses.</p>
<p>Fair enough, I want to major in Political Science, I want to stay politically active in college, I love to play basketball recreationally (btw I’m interested to know if people in pittsburgh are sixers or cavs fans, not that it will hold any weight in my decision), I want to go to a “academic party school” as my councilor put it, a school that is good for both the extension of my education, and my social life, I love to go to concerts, music is a passion of mine, and I like a city with a lot of things to do so yeah.</p>
<p>There is little NBA following in Pittsburgh. There are a lot of Pitt students from the eastern part of the state so I’d say among the student there are probably a decent amount of Sixers fans. The Cavs are have tried to penetrate the Pittsburgh market, including playing some preseason games at Pitt’s on-campus basketball arena, but haven’t been very successful generating much of a following. That said, college basketball is huge at Pitt, as the Panthers have been one of the most successful college basketball teams over the last decade (9 straight NCAA appearances, 5 Sweet 16s, top 5 in winning % and rpi among all college basketball programs, and will be in everyone’s top 5-10 this coming season). So while compared to the Steelers & Penguins, the NBA in the city doesn’t register a blip, the school itself is a huge college basketball fanbase with a fantastic facility to watch it in.</p>
<p>As far as on-campus student basketball facilities, you have courts in Trees Hall on the upper campus near the basketball arena, and courts in Bellefield Hall on the lower campus across from the Cathedral of Learning.</p>
<p>Other than comment on all the things to do in Pittsburgh, music and otherwise, which will be relatively true for any major city, probably the better thing to point you to is the [Pitt</a> Arts program](<a href=“PITT ARTS | Student Affairs”>http://www.pittarts.pitt.edu/) which provides free and discounted tickets to all sorts of cultural events and attractions throughout the city. It’s a tremendous program. The university really pushes for its students the use of the opportunities the city provides, and also has arrangements so that all public transportation is free for students. </p>
<p>The major concerts will come to the on-campus basketball arena (Petersen Events Center), the (new hockey arena this fall) Console Energy Center, Palumbo Center on Duquesne’s campus, First Niagra Pavillion amphitheater. They are also building a new amphitheater stage next to the football stadium. Of course you have symphonic halls like Heinz downtown and Bellefield Hall on campus, but there are plenty of [smaller</a> live music venues](<a href=“pittsburghcitypaper.ws”>pittsburghcitypaper.ws) too and a decent local music scene which was [suggested</a> in this ranking](<a href=“http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_183641.html]suggested”>http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_183641.html).</p>
<p>I think you’ll find the party scene there when you want it but not unavoidable when you don’t. Being in the city with facilitated access to neighborhoods and events will give you plenty of off-campus options, and the campus itself is adjacent to the major city’s museums, one of its major parks, as well as Carnegie Mellon University and everything it offers.</p>
<p>Pitts Political Science program is ok, if you picked it…it won’t be a bad choice.</p>
<p>However, as a former Poli Sci major, I would urge you to attend a school in the DC/VA/MD area. It just makes more sense. If you want to work in government or politics, no better place to go to school than right in the heart of it. Plus it makes it much easier to get better scholarships and volunteer opportunities.</p>
<p>Pitt has GSPIA, which is their graduate school for International Affairs that also offers security and intelligence programs, and a few other unique ones. It also has a Public Policy and MPA program. It has a good reptutation locally, and it’s certainly a fine program, just not up to par with the DC schools. If I were going to grad school for that kinda thing I would DEFINITLY go to a DC school.</p>
<p>You can find some house parties and frat parties near campus, although it’s not really “party school.” If you want to get wild you gotta go down to the south side (which is car drive, to far to walk) where are all the bars are.</p>
<p>Oakland has a handful of little bars near the campus, nothing real impressive but nice. We go to Petes Pub before basketball games.</p>
<p>As far as sports go, Pitt athletics get overshadowed by our pro-sports. The Steelers are a religion around here (and Penguins) and it doesn’t leave much room for Pitt. Pitt’s programs are good, the basketball team is very good, but seems to lack a real strong following like other top schools. The football program is a bit above average and doesn’t enjoy a real rabid fanbase, but it seems to be growing a bit. Pitt doesn’t have their own stadium, they play in Heinz field - which is also a car drive.</p>
<p>There are a few frat houses that have parties but it seems like people stop going to them after their freshman and sophmore year. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t consider Pitt a “party school”, but you can definitly have fun. Stay away from some of the little “dive” bars scattered through out Oakland, some get a bit seedy.</p>
<p>While I can’t comment on the poly sci, I can comment on other things.</p>
<p>First off, basketball is big. I (personally) don’t care for the sport, but SO many people do here at Pitt. The Oakland Zoo is truly awesome, and everyone kept up with March Madness. When Pitt holds a game, it’s a big deal. NBA isn’t huge from what I can tell, but college definitely is.</p>
<p>Now, music is a big thing for me too. The music school at Pitt is kind of a joke, but I play a few instruments and know that it’s never difficult to get a practice room at the music hall when you want (it has a piano and a chair and a stand, and is decent) - if you play an instrument that is. </p>
<p>Also, my friend is WAY into concerts, and me and him often go together. There’s some great concerts that come through Pittsburgh, but you may have to travel around the city to get to them. PittARTS should always be your first stop - I’ve gotten great cheap (or free!) tickets to certain shows (Ben Folds, RENT, a lot of Pittsburgh Symphony, Cirque du Soleil, etc). There is also the annual FallFest and Bigelow Bash (the spring version of it) where they bring in live music entertainment (this year it was Cute Is What We Aim For and Jack’s Mannequin respectfully).</p>
<p>Then I’ve gone to shows like Company of Thieves, Shinedown, Cage the Elephant, Civil Twilight, Motion City Soundtrack, Lacuna Coil, Disturbed, Relient K, Paramore, etc in the city on my own money. A lot of people play at smaller bar-type venues in the city, so you have to keep up with them, but as I said, the city is decent for it. My friend always complains that it would be better to live somewhere like Boston, and of course it would, but between what the school brings in at the fall and spring festivals, PittARTS, and the city itself, you’ll see more here than at, say, PSU. :)</p>
<p>So while some shows may pass you up here in the Burgh, the selection is generally ok. I’ve noticed that sometimes the crowds tend to be younger or not as “peppy” as in some other cities, but it depends on what types of shows you go to (obviously, the bar venues tend to be older crowds than others, so I prefer those). For me, it’s been really easy to find shows - but harder to find the money/time :P</p>
<p>As for the city, and I know I’m about to get yelled at for this…it’s not the most “happening” city. I’ve lived in San Fran and Atlanta, and Pittsburgh just doesn’t compare (not that I love Atlanta either…but that’s another story!). Pittsburgh tends to be slightly…quieter? I’m not sure of the word, but a lot of things close at 6PM, and the nightlife, while not bad, isn’t fantastic. There also isn’t a TON to do, compared to other cities like San Fran, but there IS still a lot (or at least, enough to keep the college kids interested for the most part). I’ve heard some people refer to Pittsburgh as a “stater city,” and I’d say this is correct. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for the classic city experience, like, say, San Francisco or New York, you’ll have to go to one of those cities. If you’re looking for a city that’s still fun, busy, and sports-oriented, Pitt is great. I’m very happy with my choice. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>PS - Lady Gaga in August!</p>
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<p>And February :)</p>
<p>Pitt sports get lost in the shuffle. Obviously you have the pro sports here in town that overshadow everything. Then, you could easily make the argument that there are more Penn State fans here in pgh than actual Pitt fans. Then you throw in a pretty strong WVU SWPA alumni that currently has equal to stronger athletic programs and there just isn’t much room left for Pitt.</p>
<p>Pitt football games are pretty weak. We have season tickets and the only time I saw the stadium really buzzing is when we played ND. </p>
<p>I’m a huge college sports fan, I love it. Pitt just hasn’t developed a good base, the city is just torn in to many directions and Pitt gets pushed to the back of the bus.</p>
<p>If you want a good college sports environment, head south to Morgantown or East to State College. Both schools have AWESOME fan bases.</p>
<p>I’m not real into the scene, but I know PGH gets lots of concerts, most of the big acts hit the city on their tours.</p>
<p>lol, like I said, I’m not a real concert guy, however - my wife and I went to Star Wars in Concert this past December at the Mellon and it was pretty cool!</p>
<p>Pitt basketball is a big deal. The Pete is known as one of the toughest places to play and the Oakland Zoo one of the best student sections. Without NBA competition, Pitt basketball is supported by the local community- there is currently a 5,000 person waitlist for season tickets.</p>
<p>Pitt football has been less of a big deal. The team had mediocre records for Dave Wannstedt’s first 3 years as head coach (and had not been really good since the Dan Marino years) and it’s hard for a losing college team to compete with the Steelers. Pitt began to turn it around when they beat BIGeastBEAST’s alma mater - WVU in the final regular season game of 2007 when WVU was undefeated and potentially heading to the National Championship game. Since then, Pitt has had 2 winning seasons and interest is increasing. The school has busses taking students to and from Heinz Field and the games are becoming a big student event. (The students stay at least to the end of the 3rd quarter to sing Sweet Caroline.) The team seems really promising this upcoming year - with Heisman candidate Dion Lewis coming back.</p>
<p>It is absolutely not true that “could easily make the argument that there are more Penn State fans here in pgh than actual Pitt fans”. PSU has a following, but it is not “arguably” bigger than Pitt’s, which gets media priority, better tv and radio ratings, and has more alumni by over a 3 to 1 margin (and there are more PSU alumni in Allegheny county than any other county in the US). Pitt is definitely behind the pro-teams on the public consciousness (as is any city school), but not on campus, and certainly not behind any other college. Suggesting WVU has some sort of large fanbase in the area that contains Pitt’s following is just laughable. There are less than 5,000 total WVU alumni in Allegheny County compared to 78,311 Pitt alumni. WVU is the third most followed college by a large margin, unless you count Duquesne basketball which is the second most popular basketball school in the area. You’d have to be completely biased to even suggest that those things…oh wait.</p>
<p>Get over yourself, I didn’t blast Pitt so I’m not sure why you’re getting all huffy. I think you just like having an opportunities to look up statistics.</p>
<p>When responding to the OP, I said nice things about Pitt and a couple critical things about Pitt - that’s pretty unbiased if you ask me. If anyone is biased, it would be you.</p>
<p>Also, your logic that alumni = fans isn’t flawed. There are some BIG college schools with huge alumni’s that have realitively NO fanbase and small schools with very dedicated and loyal fanbases. </p>
<p>I know when I go to bars on Saturdays to watch college football, it’s not at all uncommon to see an equal or greater amount of Penn State fans. I never said WVU had a bigger fanbase here in Pitt, but it’s a major school only an hour away and it does have a strong following in SWPA. Pittsburgh also has a large amount of former WV residents who now live in the area and support WVU. </p>
<p>The point I was trying to make was that as far as sports, Pitt doesn’t have a major fanbase comparatively. If sports were important to the OP, there are lots of other schools that could provide a better environment. Primarily schools that don’t share the limelight with professional sports. Here in Pittsburgh, attention is pulled from Pitt and redirected to our pro teams, and yes - the city does have a diverse fanbase for college sports due to Penn State and being located near WV. Other schools don’t really have that situation and the athletic focus is directed at the school solely.</p>
<p>I’m not bashing Pitt sports in the least. They have competitive programs that could provide a sports fan with a good experience. I’m just saying that as a fan myself, it’s not as great as an environment for sports as other major colleges.</p>
<p>As a season ticket holder, I surely feel I’m entitled to make a modest criticism such as that.</p>
<p>A good way to measure a fanbase is to look at how well they travel for bowl games, and in that respect Pitt doesn’t have a very good reputation for filling stadiums - even their own.</p>
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<p>While I hate to agree (especially since sometimes BIG’s posts do seem slightly WVU-biased - no offense, BIG), as a current student, Pitt’s stadiums don’t tend to fill to the brink. I hope that this is soon-to-change, seeing as how we seriously had some interest this year (what with Dion and our relative success) but our stadium isn’t exactly OSU’s.</p>
<p>However, the students still get excited, so that’s fun. Plus, as a student, I had very little contact with (and a lack of caring about) the surrounding city’s opinion of my team vs other teams. It’s my team, and my school, so whatevs. :P</p>
<p>BE, I will certainly continue to call out you out with facts when you make misleading comments like you did. You can count on that as long as you keep trying slip your underhanded digs into your posts. It’s too bad after your relatively fair first post that you couldn’t contain yourself and apparently felt the need, unprompted by any other poster or comment, to return to the what is a mostly irrelevant topic to sclinday’s original comments and make a second post whose sole purpose served to diminish Pitt sports in comparison to your own alma mater. And if you think sports scene is less for basketball at Pitt than at WVU, you should be aware that Pitt has outdrawn the Mountaineers 8 of the last 9 seasons (and the last 5 straight in women’s hoops), so what does that say about the “good college sports environment…[in] Morgantown”? </p>
<p>Besides showing your bias, your opinion on how the sports scene seems when you are watching football in a city sports bar is completely irrelevant to the actual experience for the typical college student. The sad thing is no one even mentioned football until you brought it up.</p>
<p>First, the only person making this a Pitt V. WVU debate is yourself. Which you have several times on previous posts, so grow up. You’re the only one that seems to have a hang up over it. So I’m going to refrain from jumping into your baiting and take the high road.</p>
<p>I didn’t make any digs in my post, it’s called critique. Apparently, you aren’t able to critique anything about Pitt and will get all huffy anytime someone says something that isn’t complimentary, again - grow up.</p>
<p>This message board isn’t meant to be a paid advertisement for Pitt or any other school, it should provide prospective students with all aspects of Pitt, the very positive and some contructive criticism. To do anything WOULD BE bias, which you seem to be.</p>
<p>I never dimininshed Pitt sports and I certainly never tried making this a Pitt V. WVU debate, unless you mean that by merely stating WVU has a strong fanbase (which no one could say otherwise) and if so, then you are way to sensitive.</p>
<p>My opinion is just as relevant as any other persons on this board. I’m starting grad school at Pitt in the fall, I live in the city and I’m a season ticket holder. So if you think you can drown me out just by yelling louder, think again.</p>
<p>Any unbiased (and normal person) who reads my post will see that I’m offering constructive criticism regarding Pitt sports and YOU are the one trying to make this a personal debate.</p>
<p>I saw that you are interested in Politics. </p>
<p>The 2012 Republican National Convention might be held in Pittsburgh. I forgot where I read it.</p>
<p>The Republicans have selected Tampa for 2012.</p>
<p>Well, we did have G20 (for better or for worse) and some other big thing that I’ve forgotten, so we’re not left in the dust when it comes to Politics in the Pittsburgh area. Not to mention that the candidates also spoke on the campus during the last presidential race, which was cool. </p>
<p>So, not as happening as DC obviously, but still, not too shabby… :D</p>