tell me about Pitt

[Anonymous]

Pittsburgh as a city consistently ranks among the best places to live in the U.S. and has going in at lesser 20 years. Frankky, if I were offered a job there I would go tomorrow.

https://www.google.pl/amp/amp.fitt.co/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-best-city/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here...this thread is starting to depress me, but we will visit the school and see for ourselves.

Most people I know were happy there. Ignore Ms. or Mr. Ivy. My husband went to a crap school and is doing better than my Ivy doctor sister. I was happy at Pitt. Its in the city but doesn't fully feel like the city. Its diverse enough for everyone to find something they like. Make sure to go to the O for french fries.

I went to an Ivy and one of my kids went to Pitt. I kind of envied that so much was available in Oakland (and Pittsburgh) in comparison. Yes, there are more working and middle-class kids and they aren't coddled like they are at some Ivies and LACs. They have to take initiative to make sure they get the courses they want, and deal with landlords, and lots of the kids have part-time jobs. I think the kids leave knowing how to take care of themselves.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Due respect, but your college prof knows absolutely nothing about Pittsburgh and needs to get out more. How old is the prof?

He was probably in his early 30s, and had done his doctorate at Yale, then become an assistant prof at Harvard by a young age. He knew plenty about academia and the reputation of different schools and departments, and I don't think he would have needed to even visit Pittsburgh or "get out more" to enhance his credibility.

Pitt is an OK school with an OK, not spectacular campus, and some good departments. Depending on your goals and the schools with which you are comparing Pitt, it might even be a "good" school. If you are comparing it to the Ivy Leagues and the most selective schools, it is just OK.

My brothers loved it and have no student loans, and are happy they went there. Even they will freely admit that my house at Harvard was in a different league than their Pitt dorms, and Pitt's campus is not great compared to those of other schools. But they don't care: they liked the grittiness, and they didn't want student loans, and they are very successful now.

But I would have been so depressed at Pitt.

Dang, you must have been awfully sheltered if that would be enough to make you "so depressed." Maybe, and I mean this in all seriousness, your brothers' success is based more on them being more resilient than you.

Choosing to go to the best school to which I was admitted, and being thankful for a great experience there--especially when I was able to compare my university to my brothers' university, and know theirs would not have been a "good fit" for me--does not make me "awfully sheltered" or less "resilient." We grew up in Western PA, and my brothers went to Pitt with a lot of our high school friends: to me, this was "awfully sheltered." I worked super hard to get into Harvard, and choosing to go there over Pitt does not demonstrate a lack of resilience.

My brothers loved their Pitt experience, and they are both successful engineers now, but I would not want their experience for myself. It is right for a certain kind of kid, and wrong for others, but bleating on about snobbery and defending Pitt against all criticism, no matter what, is stupid and not fair to your kids.

I still maintain that Pitt is an OK school with an ugly campus. I am not only comparing it to Harvard, and I do agree with the other PP who pointed out that it is not reasonable to compare Pitt to Harvard at all. OK. However, I visited friends at Penn State, Boston University, Boston College, Mount Ida, and UMass, and ALL of these schools had a "feel" that would have suited me better than Pitt, with its gritty, ugly campus and gritty, ugly feel. Knowing the "feel" of a campus and knowing what suits you before you choose a school is not "awfully sheltered", but a sensible thing to do.

My brothers were smart kids who were very social, and they loved the relaxed atmosphere at Pitt. They would have hated an intense, pressure cooker of an academic environment, and I respect that.

You need to consider what type of kid you have when helping them choose a school.

If it makes you feel better, I also went to a lot of frat parties at MIT. The MIT campus is much uglier than the Pitt campus. Much, much uglier. The bit you see on Good Will Hunting is just a small showpiece, and rest of the campus is hideous. So there you go: MIT has nothing so lovely as the Cathedral of Learning.

And I went to Pitt and rarely went to a fraternity party. I only went to my dad's and I had a few friends in it. It is not a school where you have to be greek.

You seem to be missing my point. No, you don't "have to be Greek" at Pitt, but Pitt has a fratty feel to it just the same. If you don't know what "fratty feel" means, I can't explain it because you clearly don't have scope for comparison.

I'm glad you loved Pitt. That's great. It is nice to be able to look back on your college days and smile. I'm sure you would not have thrived at my school, and I would have hated the Pitt experience, so it is a win-win.

You have a very limited experience on visits with your brothers. Stop giving false information. I know what a fratty feel is as I transferred from a school that you basically had to be greek to have a social life. You visited your brothers who were in a frat so you assume all of the school was like that which it was not.

BU honestly sucked. It was expensive with crappy teachers, mostly adjunct who couldn't teach. It was such a huge waste of money.

Most people can thrive at any school they choose to. I picked Pitt as they were very strong in the major I wanted. I didn't care as much as clearly you did.

You have no idea what my experience was like, and I am not giving any false information. YOU appear to have limited experience, though, as demonstrated by your (stupid) false assertion that BC has no campus. Also, I spent multiple nights at the school you attended with my brothers and high school friends, and you spent no time at the school I attended, and you have no experience of it, so I don't understand how you can dismiss my observations, which are shaped by my experience at both those schools (and BC, of which I know more than you, as you don't even know they have a campus).

Only ONE of my brothers was in a frat. The other wouldn't have been caught dead doing that, and lived in the dorms, so I really saw both parts of this, and yes, the dorms also had a fratty feel because the student body of Pitt has a fratty feel. This is not necessarily bad, but it isn't for everyone. I had high school friends at Pitt as well because much of my high school class went to Penn State or Pitt.

I wouldn't agree with you that "BU honestly sucked", nor would I say Pitt "sucked." I don't think Pitt is better than BU, though personally I would have preferred BU because I like Boston. Both Pitt and BU are both OK schools with some good departments; I view them as comparable schools that offer similar quality of education. And my brothers had plenty of classes taught by grad students at Pitt as well. One summer I actually attended multiple classes of a course one of my brothers was taking at Pitt (because it was a required core course, and he hated it, and it was a loooong class period because it was condensed for summer school). He paid me to go and take notes for him. I was not impressed by the intellectual prowess or ability of the students in that course. The instructor was excellent, though, and didn't care that I wasn't a Pitt student.

(The class was NOT held in the Cathedral of learning, but in a building I had to access by crossing a suspended pedestrian bridge over...5th Ave? Forbes? Not sure, but the building was super ugly.

Not to digress, but aren't you the same Harvard poster who was asking for advice about the suburbs on the real estate forum recently. Everyone was trying to get you to buy somewhere else than their neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

We did a Picture Yourself at Pitt day with our high school junior and all of us were impressed. Definitely one of the top choices.

[Anonymous]

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BU honestly sucked. It was expensive with crappy teachers, mostly adjunct who couldn't teach. It was such a huge waste of money.

Most people can thrive at any school they choose to. I picked Pitt as they were very strong in the major I wanted. I didn't care as much as clearly you did.

You have no idea what my experience was like, and I am not giving any false information. YOU appear to have limited experience, though, as demonstrated by your (stupid) false assertion that BC has no campus. Also, I spent multiple nights at the school you attended with my brothers and high school friends, and you spent no time at the school I attended, and you have no experience of it, so I don't understand how you can dismiss my observations, which are shaped by my experience at both those schools (and BC, of which I know more than you, as you don't even know they have a campus).

Only ONE of my brothers was in a frat. The other wouldn't have been caught dead doing that, and lived in the dorms, so I really saw both parts of this, and yes, the dorms also had a fratty feel because the student body of Pitt has a fratty feel. This is not necessarily bad, but it isn't for everyone. I had high school friends at Pitt as well because much of my high school class went to Penn State or Pitt.

I wouldn't agree with you that "BU honestly sucked", nor would I say Pitt "sucked." I don't think Pitt is better than BU, though personally I would have preferred BU because I like Boston. Both Pitt and BU are both OK schools with some good departments; I view them as comparable schools that offer similar quality of education. And my brothers had plenty of classes taught by grad students at Pitt as well. One summer I actually attended multiple classes of a course one of my brothers was taking at Pitt (because it was a required core course, and he hated it, and it was a loooong class period because it was condensed for summer school). He paid me to go and take notes for him. I was not impressed by the intellectual prowess or ability of the students in that course. The instructor was excellent, though, and didn't care that I wasn't a Pitt student.

(The class was NOT held in the Cathedral of learning, but in a building I had to access by crossing a suspended pedestrian bridge over...5th Ave? Forbes? Not sure, but the building was super ugly.

Do you even put any thought into your posts? Yes, I looked at Ivy's as my sister went to one and I visited on several occasions. I didn't like the feel of them but the bigger issues was they didn't have my major or my parents would have paid for one if I got in. So, yes I have a comparison.

Pittsburgh culture is very different than other places. It is not a fraternity feel or school nor are the dorms. It may have been the particular floor or dorm your brother was in but that is not the case at all. A snob like yourself would not fit into a place like Pitt, just like my sister would not have. But for others of us it was a great experience and school where there is a little bit for everyone and most kids find their place there.

Are you seriously bragging that your brother paid you to attend his class? That is so bizarre. I can't imagine the professor not caring you were not in the class and taking notes for your brother who choose not to attend.

And, I loved 3 hour classes. Get them done for the week. I did a lot of them. I'd take 2-3 per day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pitt ranks high for OOS students and high for diversity of students. I don't know why the "Ivy" and now UVA pps are working overtime defending their choices over Pitt. Nobody said it was better or prettier than Harvard or UVA. For VA residents, outside of UVA and W&M, most rank it higher than any VA college. Agree to tour on one of the Pitt organized tour days. The buildings we visited were very cool. I'm sure there's basic ones as well. DS scored a huge dorm room w/ private bath freshman year and an on campus apartment second year. And a job in his major by graduation.

I'd say Pitt is on par with Virginia Tech (and UMD, for that matter). Otherwise, your statement is pretty much true.

I'm the pp and I don't disagree with you. In our case, DS had decided he wanted an urban campus and wanted a little space from the many many students he knew at Va Tech. So Pitt became an easy choice.

[Anonymous]

My brother and I both attended Pitt. We both now have great paying jobs. We LOVED our time there. We were under no delusion that we were at an Ivy League school -- luckily we both recognized the outstanding education we were able to get at in-state prices. It feels great to have gotten a world-class education without having to carry debt.

Our sister, on the other hand, needed lots of brick buildings in order to feel secure about her choice. My brother and I would have felt stifled in that environment though she enjoyed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother and I both attended Pitt. We both now have great paying jobs. We LOVED our time there. We were under no delusion that we were at an Ivy League school -- luckily we both recognized the outstanding education we were able to get at in-state prices. It feels great to have gotten a world-class education without having to carry debt.

Our sister, on the other hand, needed lots of brick buildings in order to feel secure about her choice. My brother and I would have felt stifled in that environment though she enjoyed it.

[Anonymous]

It is baffling to me how snobby people here are about their college choices. I went to a top ranked high school in Westchester County, NY which proportionally produced just as many (probably more, actually) ivy attendees as high schools like Churchill and Langley, yet the kids who were heading off to BU and Pitt were just as psyched and proud as the ones heading off to Harvard and Penn - and the kids who were heading off to ivies didn't seem remotely as full of themselves about it as people here are. There is such a sense of insecurity here. Is Pitt as competitive to get into as Harvard - of course not. But is it an awesome school with some top notch departments and I have heard mostly positives, both from kids I knew who attended 20 years ago and from parents of current high schoolers who considered it or attended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No personal experience with Pitt, but I've gone to grad school and worked with several Pitt alumni. They're all smart and just really good people. I'd take a dozen Pitt grads over an insufferable Ivy grad any day.

This is a good point. You meet people from Pittsburgh (the city) all over the world and they are usually really nice, interesting, down to earth people. And there is a worldwide 'bugh network. My first big firm job in DC was definitely a Pittsburgh thing. About 15 partners in my first DC firm were from Pittsburgh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is baffling to me how snobby people here are about their college choices. I went to a top ranked high school in Westchester County, NY which proportionally produced just as many (probably more, actually) ivy attendees as high schools like Churchill and Langley, yet the kids who were heading off to BU and Pitt were just as psyched and proud as the ones heading off to Harvard and Penn - and the kids who were heading off to ivies didn't seem remotely as full of themselves about it as people here are. There is such a sense of insecurity here. Is Pitt as competitive to get into as Harvard - of course not. But is it an awesome school with some top notch departments and I have heard mostly positives, both from kids I knew who attended 20 years ago and from parents of current high schoolers who considered it or attended.

It isn't "people" on this thread; it is one person who obviously needs help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is baffling to me how snobby people here are about their college choices. I went to a top ranked high school in Westchester County, NY which proportionally produced just as many (probably more, actually) ivy attendees as high schools like Churchill and Langley, yet the kids who were heading off to BU and Pitt were just as psyched and proud as the ones heading off to Harvard and Penn - and the kids who were heading off to ivies didn't seem remotely as full of themselves about it as people here are. There is such a sense of insecurity here. Is Pitt as competitive to get into as Harvard - of course not. But is it an awesome school with some top notch departments and I have heard mostly positives, both from kids I knew who attended 20 years ago and from parents of current high schoolers who considered it or attended.

It isn't "people" on this thread; it is one person who obviously needs help.

It's all over DCUM, sadly. More people need to be openly cheerleading for the non-name-brand schools because the stigma's got to stop. Tuition is out of hand and it's only going to get worse. I have a smart, high-achieving kid who is attending our lowest priced in-state option -- and it's not UVA -- and we are delighted with his choice for many reasons. Yet we still feel the need to have to explain it away to those who are so status-oriented.

[Anonymous]

Pittsburgh is a great city. I would move there in a second if I could. That said, I would never send my kid to Pitt. Oakland is terrible, it doesn't have the urban campus feel and there just isn't a lot of identity. If you are thinking this is something akin to Boston College, Villanova or Georgetown, let me just say that Oakland ain't Chestnut Hill. In addition, you are looking at a small, fragmented alumni network that isn't going to help you a lot down the road. All generalizations, of course but that doesn't mean they are without merit.

There are worse places to go to college but if you have options, I would consider them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pittsburgh is a great city. I would move there in a second if I could. That said, I would never send my kid to Pitt. Oakland is terrible, it doesn't have the urban campus feel and there just isn't a lot of identity. If you are thinking this is something akin to Boston College, Villanova or Georgetown, let me just say that Oakland ain't Chestnut Hill. In addition, you are looking at a small, fragmented alumni network that isn't going to help you a lot down the road. All generalizations, of course but that doesn't mean they are without merit.

There are worse places to go to college but if you have options, I would consider them.

No one is making an argument that Oakland is Georgetown or Chestnut Hill! If that kind of setting is a deal-breaker, there are scores of charming, bucolic college towns that fit the bill. Oakland is like Cambridge -- a mishmash of old, new, quirky, collegiate. And what about the alumni network is small and fragmented?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pittsburgh as a city consistently ranks among the best places to live in the U.S. and has going in at lesser 20 years. Frankky, if I were offered a job there I would go tomorrow.

https://www.google.pl/amp/amp.fitt.co/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-best-city/

+1

I have visited Pitt twice, once with each DC, and loved it (and Pittsburgh generally) both times. It has strong academics and is in a wonderful neighborhood. It gets harder to be admitted each year.

I would send my child in a heartbeat.