Anonymous wrote:OP here, what's the connection like between Pitt and Carnegie Melon students? Do kids comingle a lot and/or do they tend to do grad at each other's institutions?

Anonymous wrote:If your son visits Pitt, I bet he'll love it. It's an impressive campus with many beautiful buildings, the students are happy, the University is a supportive place. I know many folks who started with Pitt as a "safety" and then chose it over higher ranked schools. It has high school spirit (fun football games, basketball games, traditions, etc) and high research funding, which translates into research opportunities.

Make sure to visit the Cathedral of Learning, the William Pitt Union, the sports complex / gym.

We're a white family, so I can't comment on Black students' experiences, but it did seem like Pitt had more diversity than other schools we visited. Good luck to your son!

Anonymous wrote:I hope you get some Black Pitt families to respond to you, but I have lived in Pittsburgh for nearly 30 years, and I have a grad degree from Pitt.

Everything others have said is basically true. Pittsburgh has come a long way in the time I’ve been here, and it really is a Meds and Eds city now (with some fairly significant finance and banking as well). As a side note, it is far easier to find a decent meal here now. It’s not NYC or DC, but there is more diversity in cuisine now.

I know so many people who have sent their kids to Pitt, and very few have regrets. Many of them are admittedly on the faculty or staff of Pitt so the free tuition may be tempering their sentiment, but it truly does seem that Pitt grads love their school. People here are worried about cuts to research funding, though. Pitt and CMU are a huge chunk of the local economy.

It’s downtown, but you might want to drop by the August Wilson Center to learn not just more about Pittsburgh’s famous playwright, but Black history and culture in Western Pennsylvania.

Anonymous wrote:White family here, but while on a recent visit, I spoke with a couple black upperclassmen. One in particular spoke of how a professor noticed her (as a woman first) and encouraged her to pursue a STEM degree.

My son is a current student and loves the urban campus and ability to get anywhere in the city on buses. He’s gone to both football and basketball games but doesn’t live and die for it. We’ve attended a few games, and there’s great school spirit. It’s a big school. He’s been able to get into most classes he wants, sometimes off the wait list. Most professors are great. He’s also had an opportunity to be involved in research.

While you’re there, you’ll see the Cathedral of Learning on your tour. Definitely check out the Carnegie Museums and the botanical gardens.

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP! I'm a Pitt & Michigan grad. I am white. Graduated in the 1990s. I still have family there.

Pittsburgh was/is a blue collar town. It has a bit in common with Baltimore in feel. But since the city was hit so hard with recessions in the 1970s and 1980s, it got somewhat right-sized and modernized. Pitt and CMU were critical to the economic resurgence of the city. The job market has been decent for health care and engineering jobs lately.

I will tell you a few things that I observed from being a student at Pitt. I'd say that the Black students I saw were frequently hanging out mainly with each other but they seemed to be having fun and enjoying each other's company. I remember reading about the Black Action Society in the school newspaper. I went to an MLK day presentation in my dorm hosted by a Black RA that absolutely made a lifelong impression on me. At that time, there was a Black Studies major with a variety of electives. (It's now the Department of Africana Studies.) I also remember seeing some of the Black Greek pledge stuff in passing. And senior year, I had a single that was in a hallway where a bunch of Black friends had chosen adjacent single rooms to be near each other. So I guess I would say that I observed that Black students seemed befriended, happy, and comfortable socializing publicly. But did clump together.

I personally just had a few very distant acquaintances among the Black students. I had a very small social circle which actually skewed Jewish (although I am not) and towards Honors College kids. Incidentally, I felt the school was very comfortable for Jewish students as well.

Pitt has always been very focused on study abroad and international relations. And because of this, there are scholarships and assistance to study in all corners of the world. Pitt also has a lot of language majors and certificate programs. And there are lots of international graduate students. I think these factors help ensure an appreciation for diversity as part of the mainstream of the Liberal Arts College at a minimum. There's also the College of General Studies which is for non-traditional students. I think colleges that support the needs of non-traditional students also tend to be more broad-minded.

I can say that at the University of Michigan, in my MBA program, I actually had closer interactions with Black peers. I had both Black student friends and teammates on group projects. One of these MBA friends was actually married to a Pitt classmate of mine whom I had never met. So we eventually closed that loop. I also went to the Black Business Student Association's annual conference to hear the speakers, and that warmed some peers up to where they took a little more interest in me than a passing hello. So that felt like a little more organic integrated experience. But that was also due to the much smaller cohort size and shared academic program. Hundreds in the program vs. thousands in a college.

Back to Pitt. I feel like Pitt's campus is very similar to GWU in feel (mix of office buildings and university buildings). But Pitt has more glamorous academic buildings like the Cathedral and the William Pitt Union. Regarding your son's interest in sports, I can say that the newer North Shore sports stadiums in downtown Pittsburgh are considered very nice. The Pirates and Steelers are really important to city morale. Pitt football in the new pro stadium gets good reviews from many, although I liked it being on campus as it used to be. When I was in school, Pitt basketball was the big draw and I believe it still has the most fun fan experience. It's also directly on campus. Pitt had a strong marching band and cheerleading to accompany sporting fun.

I'm not sure that my parent-times experiences are very helpful but hope they set a bit of a floor that things would be okay. I would recommend reaching out to the Black Action Society to connect with current, in-group perspectives. I noticed the Treasurer's e-mail is directly findable from the BAS dues pay Google form. I've pasted below some other links and info that might help.

Best wishes and I hope you decide that Pitt is a great fit for your family. I'm very proud of Pitt and glad I chose it. If you drop a few more hints on what kinds of things your family likes to do and what your kid plans to major in, I can make some more suggestions for your trip.

Links:

https://www.africanastudies.pitt.edu/undergraduate/recent-graduates

https://www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/fraternity-and-sorority-life/national-pan-hellenic-council-nphc

https://experience.pitt.edu/bas/leadership-team/

https://experience.pitt.edu/bas/contact-us/

https://www.alumni.pitt.edu/s/1729/alumni/interior.aspx?sid=1729&gid=2&pgid=3178

To learn more about Pitt Alumni Affinity Networks contact:

Cassandra Hayt
Director, Constituent Relations
+1 412-624-7702
cah242@pitt.edu

Antonio Quaterman
Director, Identity Networks and Special Projects
+1 412-624-7318
aquarterman@pitt.edu

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure what PWI is but Im from North of Pitt and my son was admitted for business this year. He really liked it! My classmates who went 30 years ago, really liked it! My friends kids who are there now, really like it. That is all you will hear about Pitt, everyone really likes it. That is a good thing. My son ultimately got into some top 10 schools for his major so he is going to one of those but Pitt hung in there a while as a top potential. But the also gave no merit which did not endear the parents as much. I liked the location. I know Pittsburg is not too far, not too dangerous, and filled with good people. All I can say is that I never met an unhappy Pitt student but in the end it was not for us.