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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD suffered through 4 years. She did not enjoy college and was happy to graduate. With that said, she got a job and is excelling. Most of her friends felt similarly. It’s just a really hard school and the location isn’t great. She will not make the same mistake for grad school.[/quote]

Why do you say that about the location? My kid is considering Pitt, which is right next to CMU, and the location seems good to us - near several colleges, seems pretty vibrant. Thanks![/quote]

I went to Pitt and I am from Pittsburgh.  I love Pittsburgh.  I will give you the most factual assessment I can.  This is all about personal preference. My comments will focus on "location" (that term is not defined in the comment above).

First, CMU is 15 minutes walk up the street from Pitt.  It's close but not the same exact neighborhood and campus experience.  I liked the CMU area less.

I liked the central campus area at Pitt.  I liked the "urban feel" in the sense that there were people of all ages in the area of campus.  And that felt normal.  It was not a sea of 20 year olds in school gear.  There are a lot of cultural amenities right in Oakland and Pitt's fanciest buildings are right smack in the middle of things.

I found going to class and seminars in the Cathedral of Learning very inspiring.  Architecture makes a statement and that statement of civic hope was always in the back of my mind.  There are lots of campus buildings that feel like great places to be (Frick Fine Arts and the lounges at the William Pitt Union were some others).  I also liked my dorm (large single room) and cafeteria setup.  I think I would like the new Honors dorm and the exercise to walk to and from there would literally be good for you.  (There is a bus.)  The city of Pittsburgh also has a lot to offer.

Here is a short list of the cons, and I'm going to be harsh to save time:

-[b]Pittsburgh has a small job market.[/b]  That's how I ended up in DMV.

-The collegetown around Pitt has not improved sufficiently since I graduated.  Many of the retail buildings are old and not renovated since I left.  Which means they are creaky and grungy.  The retail and restaurant mix has also not improved due to overall US economic trends.  Lots of reasons for this.  It's just not competitive with an Ann Arbor, a Cleveland Park, etc.  And the ethnic restaurants are mediocre from a foodie POV.  I've been back to sample.

-Similar to collegetown, Oakland housing (much of it in buildings dating from 1900-1960), has not been systematically renovated.  I know what those buildings were like 30 years ago and I would have expected more total replacement by now.  I lived in the dorms the entire time because the off-campus housing was not appealing.

-I am fine with Pittsburgh weather.  I also have Cornellians in my family.  We are all fine with Pittsburgh and Cornell weather.  I didn't find MoCo weather different in a way that affected my mood, my life, etc. except DC has more humid summers and less snow.  So I liked Pittsburgh weather better.  A lot of people on here don't agree with me.  I just don't relate to these complaints.  I can enjoy a grey day or a rainy day just as well as a sunny day.  This artwork series nailed it. These pictures make me reminisce fondly.

https://www.felixdelaconcha.com/en/portfolio_page/one-a-day-365/

-I have heard recent class size complaints on here.  I had a mix of class sizes and was satisfied.  Can't say how your DC would be impacted.

I would do Pitt again. I got the maximum stretch I could handle during my BA studies.

Just make sure the cons above don't bug you.  [/quote]

It is much better these days...ironically because of many CMU start-ups like Duolingo and AI/robotics companies.

Also, Pitt hospital system is massive these days, though admittedly not a big driver of jobs for undergrads (though it has also spawned some start-ups).[/quote]

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