University of Pittsburgh SOM Class of 2010

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anybody got their financial aid package yet? ths
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ouli said:
anybody got their financial aid package yet? ths
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No, did you? I think they're gonna start sending them out in May.
 
HSteacher said:
No, did you? I think they're gonna start sending them out in May.
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The financial aid folks at Pitt are pretty good regarding your Federal forms... although, I gotta say, the Institutional Fin Aid App stuff is TOTAL crap unless you fit specific demographics. When I was at Pitt they had tons of Jewish, Hispanic, and African American financial aid, but NADA, zero, zip, zilch for Joe Schmo. Fine, I'll say it- what's new? They still require you to fill it in constantly (why? I dunno, it's a Pitt thing). Anyways, don't sweat about your finaid package from the University. All you really need is the cost of attendance sheet that they put together (you'll need that to get your FAFSA processed correctly).

I just started looking at this board- I'm a graduated MD/PhD from Pitt, finishing my Intern year. If anyone has specific (ie focused) questions about housing, feel free to hit me up for a No BS answer. I had a hard time with that when I came out here from San Diego...
 
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How generous is the fin aid at Pitt? I've heard they give out pretty good packages the first year, but start skimping each year after that. Is this true?
 
funshine said:
How generous is the fin aid at Pitt? I've heard they give out pretty good packages the first year, but start skimping each year after that. Is this true?
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Nah! That's just weird rumor. You'll be able to count on pretty much the same living budget year after year. Like I said- expect nothing from the school, it'll all be your gov't loans.

As far as housing, DO NOT buy the "party line" of Shadyside, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Ruskin... there are a lot of decent areas, just steer clear of Tunnels and Route 28. Both cause major traffic. Parking is available and reasonable on campus. Commuting will get you a nicer pad, esp for the non-traditionals, people with dogs, or if you just don't want to run into your freaky classmates when you're out having a good time. :smuggrin: I've lived 10-15 minutes away for the past 7 years and love it up here (Observatory Hill).
 
Did anyone receive their anticipated reward package yet?
 
dagst said:
Nah! That's just weird rumor. You'll be able to count on pretty much the same living budget year after year. Like I said- expect nothing from the school, it'll all be your gov't loans.

As far as housing, DO NOT buy the "party line" of Shadyside, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Ruskin... there are a lot of decent areas, just steer clear of Tunnels and Route 28. Both cause major traffic. Parking is available and reasonable on campus. Commuting will get you a nicer pad, esp for the non-traditionals, people with dogs, or if you just don't want to run into your freaky classmates when you're out having a good time. :smuggrin: I've lived 10-15 minutes away for the past 7 years and love it up here (Observatory Hill).
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hey dagst,

thanks for your input. other than the craigslist, is there any good housing list for pittsburgh? i just want to stay off any major highways and freeways to avoid traffic and driving over ehh... 30mph on snow.
 
dagst said:
Nah! That's just weird rumor. You'll be able to count on pretty much the same living budget year after year. Like I said- expect nothing from the school, it'll all be your gov't loans.

As far as housing, DO NOT buy the "party line" of Shadyside, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Ruskin... there are a lot of decent areas, just steer clear of Tunnels and Route 28. Both cause major traffic. Parking is available and reasonable on campus. Commuting will get you a nicer pad, esp for the non-traditionals, people with dogs, or if you just don't want to run into your freaky classmates when you're out having a good time. :smuggrin: I've lived 10-15 minutes away for the past 7 years and love it up here (Observatory Hill).
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I disagree. I mean, sure... don't buy the party line. But if you don't live in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, or Ruskin, you're not going to be near your classmates. If you don't care about that, then fine. But if you're a person who likes to be social then you're going to be sorry.

And I don't see why you'd want to drive into school every day if you don't have to. Sure, it's possible. But it's so much easier to just use the buses.
 
dagst said:
Parking is available and reasonable on campus. Commuting will get you a nicer pad, esp for the non-traditionals, people with dogs, or if you just don't want to run into your freaky classmates when you're out having a good time.
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It is? Where and how much? I asked a friend who went to Pitt UG and he said he dropped like 350 a semester for a terrible lot up on top of the mountain by Sutherland Hall. Is there a special deal for med students?
 
dilated said:
It is? Where and how much? I asked a friend who went to Pitt UG and he said he dropped like 350 a semester for a terrible lot up on top of the mountain by Sutherland Hall. Is there a special deal for med students?
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You buy parking "cards" (magnetic security cards) at a booth near the Emergency Department. Last year they were 3$ per day- it may have gone up, but expect somewhere around that price. You'll have to show your SOM ID to get your card. The lot is located behing Trees Hall (the old gym)- it's a secure parking garage with shuttle service to the front door of Scaife Hall.
 
Economist said:
I disagree. I mean, sure... don't buy the party line. But if you don't live in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, or Ruskin, you're not going to be near your classmates. If you don't care about that, then fine. But if you're a person who likes to be social then you're going to be sorry.

And I don't see why you'd want to drive into school every day if you don't have to. Sure, it's possible. But it's so much easier to just use the buses.
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Well that's an asinine comment. :laugh: You should probably consider that I did both my MD and PhD at Pitt, and have lived here for all but the first year. I know of which I speak. You're certainly entitled to your own opinion, but statements like "if you're a person who like to be social then you're going to be sorry" are clearly not based on experience. In other words, I don't think you should state that as fact.

My social life most certainly never suffered by not living in Ruskin/Shadyside. In fact, I made a lot of friends that I wouldn't have otherwise met. PLUS I still could hang out with classmates at any time. It's not like you get kicked out of the "cool kid's clubhouse" because you don't live in Shadyside (or... maybe you would). I get a lot of requests to have BBQs at my place (because I can afford a 2bd house with a yard here). Yeah, I'm a real hermit. :rolleyes: If you think that living 6 miles from many of your classmates will inhibit your "bonding" or "social experience", you may have larger issues. Sorry if that sounds caustic, but your comment serves only to perpetuate pure crap.

Regarding the commute and busses, I lived on Emsworth Ave, Shadyside, with 2 roomies in a crummo, overpriced, 3bd1ba apartment. It took me 35 minutes on average for a 2.2 mile commute in the morning to get to Pitt. The buses are often full to capacity in/around Shadyside, so your "wait time" will vary from a few minutes to over 30. Since you never quite know what bus will have space for you, you'll want to leave your apartment about an hour before classes start. Buses in Shady/Oakland tend to stop every 100 yards or so. When you add heavy traffic into the mix, and consider that you're wedged between a wino and a 'hood rat, it becomes a painful morning ritual.

FWIW, the bus service isn't exclusive to Shadyside! Yes, I can take the same Port Authority buses into Pitt, and yes, it's still free with your ID (that's a system wide thing- you can go anywhere with your ID including the airport). It takes me 45 minutes door-to-door, but the buses here are on time and never crowded. I can reliably walk to the corner, get a bus at the scheduled time (within reason), get a SEAT on the bus, and be at Pitt in 45 minutes. I can even ride with the same Winos and 'Hood rats.

This brings me to another point- almost none of you (let me repeat that) ALMOST NONE OF YOU will be taking the bus when you hit your 3rd year rotations. You will frequently have to be in the hospital way before the bus can get you there. Especially Surgery, Internal Medicine, OB/Gyn. Some rotations are pretty slack, and you can get away with the bus, but most people don't want to be bothered with it. Ask the seniors how many of THEM take the bus anymore.
 
SungHyun7 said:
hey dagst,

thanks for your input. other than the craigslist, is there any good housing list for pittsburgh? i just want to stay off any major highways and freeways to avoid traffic and driving over ehh... 30mph on snow.
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You can try the pittsburgh post-gazette and (I think) the city paper for classified ads, but also talk to your Temple student counterparts. West Penn Hospital (two blocks away from Shadyside Hospital) is a Temple SOM clinical campus. Since most of their students are coming in from Philly, they've organized a nice list where students and landlords post available properties. If Pitt doesn't have a similar list by now, I know for a fact that Temple/West Penn does. Don't be shy about asking- the guy who runs that site is really cool/approachable.

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but you'll probably want to travel the major roads/highways in winter because they're the first to get plowed and salted!! Your smaller back streets will be plowed last, if at all. Also, the back streets can be incredibly narrow with cars parked on both sides... especially Mt. Washington, which I wouldn't recommend anyways. Don't worry too much about driving in the snow, and, God I hope you do more than 30! ;) It's really not bad, especially on the freeways.

I recommended a few neighborhoods specifically for "favorable" traffic patterns and cost of housing: Westview, Ross, BenAvon, Highland Park, Bloomfield, Observatory... pretty much anywhere north or northeast of Pitt. If you've got specific neighborhood questions, hit me up and I'll give you my opinion (whatever that's worth).
 
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30-45 minutes just to get to class? Hmm, I think I'd rather live in Oakland within walking distance, even if it means the apartment's going to be crappy. The buses were really crowded when I visited...my hosts said they just "got used to it" but what do you do during those 45 minute busrides? Study for class? Wouldn't you freak out on exam days?

For anyone who's looking: I found the area between Shadyside and Friendship to be quite nice...there are a bunch of condos on Hemingway which you can buy for around 200K, and I believe a lot of doctors and residents live here. I'd check out prudential online, schedule an appt with a realtor and look around for a day before deciding.
 
dagst said:
I recommended a few neighborhoods specifically for "favorable" traffic patterns and cost of housing: Westview, Ross, BenAvon, Highland Park, Bloomfield, Observatory... pretty much anywhere north or northeast of Pitt. If you've got specific neighborhood questions, hit me up and I'll give you my opinion (whatever that's worth).
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thanks again dagst. temple idea is a great one except i do want to be with other pitt students at least for the first couple years. but the other areas you had listed really look great. i guess i won't be signing any 1yr contracts yet. :) i'll be in the prematriculation program anyway, so i think i'll look into this further in june & july while i'm in pitt.
 
Who else is doing the Premat program? I'm on the fence. I don't have a strong science background (other than pre-reqs) so I'm thinking it might be good to get a head start. On the other hand, it moves my moving-to-Pittsburgh timetable way up to mid-June ... kinda scary.
 
I was thinking about the pre-mat program, but all of my friends that are in med school say dont do it. They say these programs don't really help that much and to just take the summer to relax because 1st year is long enough as is. Just what I was told...

Jim
 
funshine said:
30-45 minutes just to get to class? Hmm, I think I'd rather live in Oakland within walking distance, even if it means the apartment's going to be crappy. The buses were really crowded when I visited...my hosts said they just "got used to it" but what do you do during those 45 minute busrides? Study for class? Wouldn't you freak out on exam days?

For anyone who's looking: I found the area between Shadyside and Friendship to be quite nice...there are a bunch of condos on Hemingway which you can buy for around 200K, and I believe a lot of doctors and residents live here. I'd check out prudential online, schedule an appt with a realtor and look around for a day before deciding.
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Bingo! Good observation- either A) live within walking distance in Oakland or B) Drive and accept it.

When I took the bus from my area, I always had a seat so I could read, study or do crosswords. You will generally be STANDING on a crowded bus from Shadyside. And Hell Yeah it's anxiety provoking when you're on your way to an exam and you have to think about whether your bus will be on time!! :eek: Most people drive on those days anyways... throw down the 3 bucks, you'll be much happier.

That area around Friendship isn't so bad, not a bad choice at all for a place. However, you won't be walking from there (it's around 2 miles- count on 200 days of precipitation/yr).

Your money will go further in "other" areas- example: there are NEW (nice) houses (HOUSES) around the corner from me on the market for 149K. :)
 
JDWflash44 said:
I was thinking about the pre-mat program, but all of my friends that are in med school say dont do it. They say these programs don't really help that much and to just take the summer to relax because 1st year is long enough as is. Just what I was told...

Jim
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i heard pretty much the same thing. but it's been awhile since some non-traditionals like myself sat on a desk with a textbook open, so we may need to warm up a little bit before the marathon. :p
 
SungHyun7 said:
i heard pretty much the same thing. but it's been awhile since some non-traditionals like myself sat on a desk with a textbook open, so we may need to warm up a little bit before the marathon. :p
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Just relax. You'll have plenty of time to study.
 
Hello Future Panthers!

Congratulations on getting accepted to one of my first choice schools (I just took the MCAT and am applying this summer)! Any advice? I'm def. planning on applying early (early June)...

I'm out of state but Pittsburgh is ~4 hrs. from my home town. :love:
 
dagst said:
Sorry if that sounds caustic, but your comment serves only to perpetuate pure crap.
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I'm not gonna get into an argument on here, and I certainly respect your opinion. But I don't think it's pure crap at all. Take orientation week. You'll have at least 3 nights with events in Shadyside. Our class goes out after every exam, and every one of those has been in Shadyside. On weekends, there is always a big group that goes out in Shadyside or Oakland. On Wednesday nights, there is a big group that goes out in Squirrel Hill. A lot of people have movie nights, poker nights, or whatever at their apts. And all of them live in one of those 3 neighborhoods.

So yeah, you can say it's pure crap... but the reality is that those three neighborhoods are where at least 75% of my class lives (and it's probably closer to 90). The buses are a pain sometimes, I agree. But honestly I never think about it. I leave 30-40 minutes in the morning... but if I drive in, I only save about 10 minutes. There's a lot of traffic getting into Oakland no matter where you're coming from.

And it's stupid to determine where you're going to live your 1st year by what your schedule will be like 3rd year. I don't plan on living in Shadyside 3rd year, but I'm certainly glad I do for these first two.

If you're buying a house (which a lot of MD/PhD's do) then it's a totally different ballgame. But if you're just renting an apt, you can't go wrong by being in the "Big 3."

I would encourage all of you to come out for a few days, maybe email the people you interviewed with or stayed with during second look, and decide what you want.

Taking the opinion of just one or two people, as you can see, may not clarify things completely.
 
dagst said:
You buy parking "cards" (magnetic security cards) at a booth near the Emergency Department. Last year they were 3$ per day- it may have gone up, but expect somewhere around that price. You'll have to show your SOM ID to get your card. The lot is located behing Trees Hall (the old gym)- it's a secure parking garage with shuttle service to the front door of Scaife Hall.
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So do you buy a card with a certain money value and then use it whenever you want or something? That's a lot better than a per semester one because I'd probably just take the bus in most days and then for exams and stuff drive. Cool.
 
how many % of the first year has a car in pittsburgh?

i'm debating whether to bring my car at all... or maybe just store it somewhere for the third year rotations.
 
SungHyun7 said:
how many % of the first year has a car in pittsburgh?

i'm debating whether to bring my car at all... or maybe just store it somewhere for the third year rotations.
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I would say over half have cars and it could be more than that... but honestly I'm not sure what the % is. I can only think of a few people I know that don't have cars, so I'm guessing it could be a very high %.

If you have a car, definitely bring it. Pittsburgh is not NYC, SF, Boston, or Philly. Public transportation only gets you so far and it's not exactly a dense city, so you can't just walk to most things.
 
Economist said:
I would say over half have cars and it could be more than that... but honestly I'm not sure what the % is. I can only think of a few people I know that don't have cars, so I'm guessing it could be a very high %.

If you have a car, definitely bring it. Pittsburgh is not NYC, SF, Boston, or Philly. Public transportation only gets you so far and it's not exactly a dense city, so you can't just walk to most things.
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that's great news! thanks. :)
 
just out of curiosity, are there any tennis courts (indoor or outdoor) near campus?
 
There are outdoor courts in Schenley Park, which is pretty close to school... just on the edge of Squirrel Hill. There are also some indoor courts in Pittsburgh. I know a few people from our class played over the winter.
 
To those who are attending the Pre-matriculation program, are you planning to get housing before or during the program? I saw on the schedule that they have a day devoted to "Housing Search" so I am debating whether to just stay in temp housing (dorm) in the beginning and look for a more permanent housing later.

What are you all doing? Do you think that good housing will be gone by then (late June/July)?
 
joyous said:
To those who are attending the Pre-matriculation program, are you planning to get housing before or during the program? I saw on the schedule that they have a day devoted to "Housing Search" so I am debating whether to just stay in temp housing (dorm) in the beginning and look for a more permanent housing later.

What are you all doing? Do you think that good housing will be gone by then (late June/July)?
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I'm getting housing before then, but I'm sure you'll be able to find good places in late June/July. It just fit my schedule better to find a place now and move in June.
 
joyous said:
To those who are attending the Pre-matriculation program, are you planning to get housing before or during the program? I saw on the schedule that they have a day devoted to "Housing Search" so I am debating whether to just stay in temp housing (dorm) in the beginning and look for a more permanent housing later.

What are you all doing? Do you think that good housing will be gone by then (late June/July)?
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if you're just looking for a vote, i'm trying to get the housing before the program. i thought i can always get another place later if something better comes up.

i found the following two websites helpful:
www.craigslist.com
www.fastrental.com

hope it helps!
 
Thanks for your responses. I would prefer to find housing before the program begins but I don't have the time to look for apts right now. Also, I would like to have a roommate preferably a fellow med student so I'm not sure what to do at this point. Any suggestions?
 
joyous said:
Thanks for your responses. I would prefer to find housing before the program begins but I don't have the time to look for apts right now. Also, I would like to have a roommate preferably a fellow med student so I'm not sure what to do at this point. Any suggestions?
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how about negotiate for month to month, find a summer sublet, or just live in the temp housing and wait to meet some people in the program?

at least that's what i'm thinking. i would personally prefer to live with my classmates than alone even at the same price & condition.
 
HSteacher said:
You may want to stay away from Mozart Apartments. Check out this link I found about them:

http://bandit.pc.cs.cmu.edu/mozart/
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OMG, I'm having flashbacks from renting as an undergrad! I've definitely outgrown my parents co-signing my lease. Back to CraigsList ...
 
Unfortunately, even if you went a while not having to have your parents cosign your lease while you had a job, few people in pittsburgh will rent to someone with no income (ie any kind of student) without a cosigner. I've rented at two different places and both have required it, and many of my friends have had to do this as well. Not saying you won't be able to find a place that doesn't require this, just letting you know you might have to look a little harder.

I had pretty good luck with sterling, but I've had some friends with very bad experiences with lobos (with a name like that, go figure) and mozart.

I would really recommend if at all possible to see the exact apartment you will be renting in person... there are lots of sketchy landlords here and you really want to minimize your chances of having your ceiling falling on you or your landlord steal your stuff or fun things like that (these have actually happened to people I know) while you're trying to study.

h
 
It's dawning on me, now. This is a college town, and where there are students, there are always shady landlords. Yech. I've been so happy living as a grown-up for the past 8 years ...
 
I'm an MS-1 looking to sublet my apartment for June and July this summer. The apartment is a nice one-bedroom for only $450/month without utilities. THe utilities are never that expensive during the warm months, though--they will probably amount to about $30-$40/month at the most. The apartment is within walking distance to Walnut St. in Shadyside and the huge beautiful Giant Eagle on Centre Ave. There is parking included and laundry in the basement for only 75 cents/load. It is also directly on the bus route of the 71A, which comes about every 10 minutes and brings you directly to Oakland and Pitt. It stops literally across the street from my house. Let me know if you are interested in coming to Pittsburgh a bit earlier this summer to get settled and would be interested in subletting.
 
Has anyone heard anything about financial aid?
 
bkflaneur said:
Has anyone heard anything about financial aid?
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I called and was told that letters will be mailed out next week (monday). aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrh.. this is making it difficult for me to drop other schools.
 
ouli said:
I called and was told that letters will be mailed out next week (monday). aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrh.. this is making it difficult for me to drop other schools.
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When I called they said they are not mailing by postal mail but are sending them online. I guess they are still figuring out what they wanna do. I hope I get it by teh beginning of next week. I graduate next week and I did want to be worried about droping school and financial aid stuff :-(. So much for getting everything settled this week.
 
Did everyone else get a pitt e-mail account? I was thinking this was how they were going to send financial aid information.
 
prana_md said:
Did everyone else get a pitt e-mail account? I was thinking this was how they were going to send financial aid information.
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I got one but haven't accessed it. Is anything there?
 
I heard that pitt's email has a long and short version. The one we got in the mail, is that a short version and the long version being [email protected]? Does anyone know?
 
The "short" one is your @pitt.edu address. You'll (very occasionally) get stuff from the university on this... mostly regarding your tuition account. The "long version" that you posted above is your med school account. That's the main email you'll be using.
 
I know most people here have already been accpeted, wonder if any of you know anything about the waitlist people, is the admission starting to select people from the waitlist pool yet? or is the class filled already?
 
jody1211 said:
I know most people here have already been accpeted, wonder if any of you know anything about the waitlist people, is the admission starting to select people from the waitlist pool yet? or is the class filled already?
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I'm sure there will be a lot of movement after May 15.
 
Economist said:
The "short" one is your @pitt.edu address. You'll (very occasionally) get stuff from the university on this... mostly regarding your tuition account. The "long version" that you posted above is your med school account. That's the main email you'll be using.
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Thanks for the clarification. So I guess that means you will have two separate email accounts then.
 
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