2012-2013 University of Pittsburgh Application Thread

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aspiringdoc3 said:
How common/substantial are scholarships at Pitt? I received a scholarship with my acceptance but I don't know what it means really since I don't know what the average student is offered.
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I just received the envelope. I received a scholarship, too, but the scholarship I got at my state school is about four times as much as this one. Deci$ion$, deci$ion$...😕:idea:😴
 
churrytree said:
I just received the envelope. I received a scholarship, too, but the scholarship I got at my state school is about four times as much as this one. Deci$ion$, deci$ion$...😕:idea:😴
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You're right, it is a tough decision. While I was wait listed here I received full tuition for my state school. It is hard to justify paying $160,000 premium (possibly $300,000+ with interest) for a name that won't change much if anything in four years time... a lot of people have to make this type of decision upon acceptances to top 20 schools, and it's likely a contributor to their high turnover rates. This decision gets significantly harder as the cost difference gets smaller...
 
PreMedOrDead said:
You're right, it is a tough decision. While I was wait listed here I received full tuition for my state school. It is hard to justify paying $160,000 premium (possibly $300,000+ with interest) for a name that won't change much if anything in four years time... a lot of people have to make this type of decision upon acceptances to top 20 schools, and it's likely a contributor to their high turnover rates. This decision gets significantly harder as the cost difference gets smaller...
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Congratulations! Indeed, a full-ride scholarship is hard to turn down! Best of luck to you on your decisions and let me know what you decided and why. I think I'm gonna try to apply for external scholarships, too, but I've been so lazy now that the interview season is over.
 
I sent a letter of intent last Monday and have yet to hear back. Do they usually send confirmation e-mails if they get update letters / LOI's? ... or should I just have faith that they received it and attached it to my file?
 
PreMedOrDead said:
You're right, it is a tough decision. While I was wait listed here I received full tuition for my state school. It is hard to justify paying $160,000 premium (possibly $300,000+ with interest) for a name that won't change much if anything in four years time... a lot of people have to make this type of decision upon acceptances to top 20 schools, and it's likely a contributor to their high turnover rates. This decision gets significantly harder as the cost difference gets smaller...
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When I was choosing between medical schools, cost was indeed an important factor. I eliminated one school that I loved because the extremely high tuition/COL was not worth it over a much cheaper place. In the end, though, I went with Pitt because I thought that I would be happier here, even if it's slightly expensive. I don't regret my decision. Pass/fail is also great! 😛

You have to weigh your options and decide what's best for you. If money is going to stress you out, then pick the cheaper school. There are small scholarships that you can apply for once you're here, but they probably won't make a huge dent in your overall CoA.
 
So is it safe to say that if you get pull from the wait list, your chances of receiving any kind of grants/scholarships is about 0%?
 
PreMedOrDead said:
You're right, it is a tough decision. While I was wait listed here I received full tuition for my state school. It is hard to justify paying $160,000 premium (possibly $300,000+ with interest) for a name that won't change much if anything in four years time... a lot of people have to make this type of decision upon acceptances to top 20 schools, and it's likely a contributor to their high turnover rates. This decision gets significantly harder as the cost difference gets smaller...
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Congrats on the full-ride, that's pretty awesome. I'm a 3rd year at Pitt and think its a fantastic school, especially once you start clinical rotations (where there is much more variability between med schools). I will honestly say though that I don't think there's a med school in the country that's worth turning down a full ride from a state MD school. Feel free to PM me with any questions if you'd like.
 
DoctwoB said:
Congrats on the full-ride, that's pretty awesome. I'm a 3rd year at Pitt and think its a fantastic school, especially once you start clinical rotations (where there is much more variability between med schools). I will honestly say though that I don't think there's a med school in the country that's worth turning down a full ride from a state MD school. Feel free to PM me with any questions if you'd like.
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Well I really liked Pitt! But unfortunately they made the decision for me. A second tier wait list seems like game over. Maybe in four years from now 😉
 
Just to be sure, premed neuroticism peaking here, there's nothing accepted applicants should be handing in right now to accept the acceptance right?

My letter says we send a deposit after May 15th.
 
Does the forms on the online portal save permanently for you guys?

For example, a couple days ago I checked off and submit the "Terms and Conditions"...and it said "Response sent".

But then, when I return to the same page later on, it appears like I never checked it or submitted it?

Do these things stay permanently checked on your guys' portals?
 
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Blais said:
Does the forms on the online portal save permanently for you guys?

For example, a couple days ago I checked off and submit the "Terms and Conditions"...and it said "Response sent".

But then, when I return to the same page later on, it appears like I never checked it or submitted it?

Do these things stay permanently checked on your guys' portals?
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Samesies.
 
what terms and conditions?? I haven't done anything since being accepted - is there something I need to do to hold a spot?
 
BurghStudent said:
Just to be sure, premed neuroticism peaking here, there's nothing accepted applicants should be handing in right now to accept the acceptance right?

My letter says we send a deposit after May 15th.
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med144 said:
what terms and conditions?? I haven't done anything since being accepted - is there something I need to do to hold a spot?
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Go onto the website where you submitted your secondary. There will be a couple forms/surveys to fill out.
 
Blais said:
Does the forms on the online portal save permanently for you guys?

For example, a couple days ago I checked off and submit the "Terms and Conditions"...and it said "Response sent".

But then, when I return to the same page later on, it appears like I never checked it or submitted it?

Do these things stay permanently checked on your guys' portals?
Click to expand...

churrytree said:
Samesies.
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You're fine. The same thing happened last year and I called and they said the responses go through, the website just doesn't show that the next time you log in. If you're going to worry about it, just call and ask and they'll let you know for sure, but I wouldn't worry.
 
Ismet said:
You're fine. The same thing happened last year and I called and they said the responses go through, the website just doesn't show that the next time you log in. If you're going to worry about it, just call and ask and they'll let you know for sure, but I wouldn't worry.
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Thanks for the tip!

Here's another question: The "learning survey"... how is that data used by the school?

Do they actually adjust the curriculum to match the class characteristics, or ... ?
 
Blais said:
Thanks for the tip!

Here's another question: The "learning survey"... how is that data used by the school?

Do they actually adjust the curriculum to match the class characteristics, or ... ?
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I don't remember the learning survey, but you will take a Meyers-Briggs test before matriculation and they use that to analyze the class and as a factor in determining groups for PBL. I assume the learning survey will be used similarly.
 
Ismet said:
I don't remember the learning survey, but you will take a Meyers-Briggs test before matriculation and they use that to analyze the class and as a factor in determining groups for PBL. I assume the learning survey will be used similarly.
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Makes sense.

I have another 😀... My interview was a long time ago (so I don't remember specifics), but I recall they took us on a tour of petersen event center.

Why?

Was there a student gym? cafeteria? some sort of classes? just a nice building (very pretty lobby)?

Any thoughts?

EDIT: Also, is the field house equip open to med students?
 
Blais said:
Makes sense.

I have another 😀... My interview was a long time ago (so I don't remember specifics), but I recall they took us on a tour of petersen event center.

Why?

Was there a student gym? cafeteria? some sort of classes? just a nice building (very pretty lobby)?

Any thoughts?

EDIT: Also, is the field house equip open to med students?
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Yes, the Petersen has a very nice, very large gym only open to students. Plus racketball courts.
images


There's also a food court with a Burger King, sub place, coffee/smoothie place, pasta place, and Bruster's Ice cream. Plus the best basketball student section in the country 😀

All Pitt facilities are usable by grad students, but I know that for Trees and the Fitz fieldhouse, you're only allowed to use them at certain times (since sports teams use them for practice). Trees Hall (up the hill from the Petersen) has an Olympic sized pool, weight room, full basketball courts, and a rock wall. We're allowed to join intramural sports, and I know we have volleyball, basketball, and soccer teams
 
Ismet said:
Yes, the Petersen has a very nice, very large gym only open to students. Plus racketball courts.
images


There's also a food court with a Burger King, sub place, coffee/smoothie place, pasta place, and Bruster's Ice cream. Plus the best basketball student section in the country 😀

All Pitt facilities are usable by grad students, but I know that for Trees and the Fitz fieldhouse, you're only allowed to use them at certain times (since sports teams use them for practice). Trees Hall (up the hill from the Petersen) has an Olympic sized pool, weight room, full basketball courts, and a rock wall. We're allowed to join intramural sports, and I know we have volleyball, basketball, and soccer teams
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Yea, I was pretty sure about the gym. Looks good!

Few more...

Are any particular AOC's much more popular than the others -- and how about the inverse...any AOC's that get hardly any interest?

You were involved in interviewing, iirc. How do you go about that? Just fill out an app and boom you're scheduled? Or did they have to interview you for a interviewer position? Do you get to interview as much as you like -- or was there some sort of framework in place (i.e. "each med student may only interview 1 applicant per week")

iPads... Required for MS1/MS2? Recommended? Little use with current curriculum?
 
Blais said:
Yea, I was pretty sure about the gym. Looks good!

Few more...

Are any particular AOC's much more popular than the others -- and how about the inverse...any AOC's that get hardly anyone?

You were involved in interviewing, iirc. How do you go about that? Just fill out an app and boom you're scheduled? Or did they have to interview you for a interviewer position?

iPads... Required for MS1/MS2? Recommended? Little use with current curriculum?
Click to expand...

AOCs - I don't know too much about the different ones because at this point for MS1's it just means going to monthly meetings/journal club/etc. I think Neuro, Global Health, and Resuscitation might be pretty popular, and I've gone to meetings for the Resuscitation one, but I don't think my scholarly project will be in that field, so I doubt I'll end up getting the certificate.

I'm pretty sure most of my class was involved in interviewing. You just sign up and you go to an hour "orientation" where they give you tips/tell you what to do. MS2's interview until November, then MS1's take over.

iPads not required, but a good number of people in my class have them and use them frequently. Very convenient for portability and you can use them to listen to lectures (unfortunately you can't speed up lectures on the iPad like you can on a computer). I have an iPad and I used it a lot in the beginning of the year but now I mainly use it to watch Netflix at the gym 🙂D) because I podcast lectures and want to speed them up.

Feel free to ask more questions (I love gushing about my school!) but I'm off to bed and I'll answer in the morning!
 
Ismet said:
AOCs - I don't know too much about the different ones because at this point for MS1's it just means going to monthly meetings/journal club/etc. I think Neuro, Global Health, and Resuscitation might be pretty popular, and I've gone to meetings for the Resuscitation one, but I don't think my scholarly project will be in that field, so I doubt I'll end up getting the certificate.

I'm pretty sure most of my class was involved in interviewing. You just sign up and you go to an hour "orientation" where they give you tips/tell you what to do. MS2's interview until November, then MS1's take over.

iPads not required, but a good number of people in my class have them and use them frequently. Very convenient for portability and you can use them to listen to lectures (unfortunately you can't speed up lectures on the iPad like you can on a computer). I have an iPad and I used it a lot in the beginning of the year but now I mainly use it to watch Netflix at the gym 🙂D) because I podcast lectures and want to speed them up.

Feel free to ask more questions (I love gushing about my school!) but I'm off to bed and I'll answer in the morning!
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Heh, yeah it is late. I better get some sleep myself.
Thanks again for all the help!
 
Ismet--Are med students also able to get $5 basketball tickets for the Oakland Zoo (Pitt basketball student section, for those who may not know)?
 
Hey Ismet (and other Pitt medical students),

Accepted applicant here and I would LOVE your insight on a few questions.

What is your favorite and least favorite thing about Pittsburgh and Pitt, each? What, in your mind, makes Pittsburgh "the most livable city?"

I've heard that there isn't too much racial/ethnic diversity at Pitt and in Pittsburgh; is this true? Can you speak to other dimensions of diversity, including socioeconomic status?

How do you suggest finding an apartment? I'd be moving with my fiance and we'd prefer our own 1BR or studio.

Finally, what type of student would not be a good fit at Pitt?

Thank you thank you thank you!!! Really appreciate your time and contributions to the forum!!
 
EDIT: oops...long post 😳

What is your favorite and least favorite thing about Pittsburgh and Pitt, each? What, in your mind, makes Pittsburgh "the most livable city?"
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Pittsburgh Favorite - It's a very welcoming and "homey" city. It has the excitement of a city but it's not as overwhelming as larger cities like NYC or Chicago. I just love that there is so much to do (museums, shopping, theaters, etc) within a manageable radius of campus, and you can get almost anywhere with public transportation. Housing is relatively cheap compared to other cities, too, and there is very little crime. It's a good place to be 👍

Pitt Favorite - Everyone here is so supportive! My classmates are awesome, we have great mentors in the upper classes, and most of the faculty and administration make themselves available and open to feedback. It's easy to tell that a lot of the faculty are enthusiastic about teaching, especially since all the facilitators for PBL are volunteer. There's also so much school pride, as you can probably tell by the number of current students who help out on this thread 🙂

Pittsburgh Least Favorite - The weather. This winter and last winter have been very mild with a couple sprinklings of warm days, but for the most part, winter in Pittsburgh is overcast and grey and summer is hot and humid. There are definitely worse places to be, and since I'm from PA anyway I'm fairly used to this kind of weather, but people from California/west and Florida probably have a harder time adjusting.

Pitt Least Favorite - As I'm sure you noticed during your interview day, the facilities are fairly old compared to a lot of other medical schools. This is definitely not a make or break factor for me, but lecture halls and study rooms could use a renovation to allow for more space. (I think it might be in the works though)

I've heard that there isn't too much racial/ethnic diversity at Pitt and in Pittsburgh; is this true? Can you speak to other dimensions of diversity, including socioeconomic status?
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Pitt as a school is very diverse, especially the medical school. That's very noticeable when we're in small group and people start contributing knowledge from their own life experiences. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is one of the country's least diverse cities, but the diversity is actually growing, as a lot of the population growth is due to minorities. Pittsburgh is divided into neighborhoods (Oakland, Shadyside, etc) and they all have their own diversity and socioeconomic status. As a whole, the majority of Pittsburgh residents are white, but you can step into certain neighborhoods and have the completely opposite demographic. We have a LOT of organizations geared towards underserved patients in these neighborhoods. For example, there's a group of students working to open a free clinic in Braddock since the hospital there was shut down. Braddock's population is mostly African American, and something like 40% is below the poverty line, and they don't have a hospital nearby anymore, so a free clinic would be very beneficial there.

How do you suggest finding an apartment? I'd be moving with my fiance and we'd prefer our own 1BR or studio.
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Pitt has an office of off campus housing that has a list of rental companies. (http://www.ocl.pitt.edu/apartments/index.html) I used that list plus apartmentratings.com just to make sure there weren't horrible ratings. Also when you guys make your FB group (I'm assuming soon?) people will start chiming in with what they found, and I'm sure current students will join in and help out. 🙂

Finally, what type of student would not be a good fit at Pitt?
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Overly competitive "gunner" students. Our class at least is very collaborative, and even the classes above us that have H/P/F are not overly competitive. Other than that, I think our class has so many different personalities that there isn't one set type of person that wouldn't fit. You'll get a pretty good sense at Second Look if you come!
 
Thank you so much! I realize that was A LOT of questions, and I appreciate your time!!
 
Sorry if it was asked before...

In regards to the MS1/MS2 schedule, are the first activities in the AM typically lectures?

For example: 8AM-Noon Lecture, 12:30-4PM PBL/lab/etc.

...or will the [mandatory attendance] PBL be scheduled for first thing in the AM?

Also, does the day typically begin at 8AM or 9AM?
 
Blais said:
Sorry if it was asked before...

In regards to the MS1/MS2 schedule, are the first activities in the AM typically lectures?

For example: 8AM-Noon Lecture, 12:30-4PM PBL/lab/etc.

...or will the [mandatory attendance] PBL be scheduled for first thing in the AM?

Also, does the day typically begin at 8AM or 9AM?
Click to expand...

Varies by the course. Anatomy usually started at 8 am, while immunology rarely started before 9 am. Sometimes PBL is scheduled for the early morning (i.e. today we had our Methods and Logic in Medicine course at 8:30, which is a required small group class), but yesterday our required microbio lab was at 11 am and the PBL resolution was at 2 pm. Sorry if this isn't helpful!

I should also mention that anatomy lab is not mandatory to attend. No attendance is taken, so groups tend to split the work up however they feel necessary. Histology lab was completely optional as well. The only mandatory labs we've had so far are in microbiology. PBLs are always mandatory, though.
 
Blais said:
Sorry if it was asked before...

In regards to the MS1/MS2 schedule, are the first activities in the AM typically lectures?

For example: 8AM-Noon Lecture, 12:30-4PM PBL/lab/etc.

...or will the [mandatory attendance] PBL be scheduled for first thing in the AM?

Also, does the day typically begin at 8AM or 9AM?
Click to expand...

This varies by day of the week and by course. Some classes had us in PBL at 8am, others had PBL in the afternoon, but I'd say the majority of required stuff has been late morning/afternoon. The only constant is Wednesday mornings, which is when you have your courses other than the basic science course, like MDM, ethics, MLM, behavioral medicine, etc. Sometimes those are lectures, sometimes they're mandatory small group sessions.
 
penguinism said:
Varies by the course. Anatomy usually started at 8 am, while immunology rarely started before 9 am. Sometimes PBL is scheduled for the early morning (i.e. today we had our Methods and Logic in Medicine course at 8:30, which is a required small group class), but yesterday our required microbio lab was at 11 am and the PBL resolution was at 2 pm. Sorry if this isn't helpful!

I should also mention that anatomy lab is not mandatory to attend. No attendance is taken, so groups tend to split the work up however they feel necessary. Histology lab was completely optional as well. The only mandatory labs we've had so far are in microbiology. PBLs are always mandatory, though.
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Thanks!

Ismet said:
This varies by day of the week and by course. Some classes had us in PBL at 8am, others had PBL in the afternoon, but I'd say the majority of required stuff has been late morning/afternoon. The only constant is Wednesday mornings, which is when you have your courses other than the basic science course, like MDM, ethics, MLM, behavioral medicine, etc. Sometimes those are lectures, sometimes they're mandatory small group sessions.
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Oh, so Wednesdays are the day for those longitudinal courses? (The curriculum map on their website doesn't seem to go into great detail.)

Also, I read something (from a few years ago) that said pitt med students can take two 3-credit courses per semester in the undergrad basically for free. I haven't looked at the class offerings, but an occasional audit might be fun.

Do you know if that undergrad option still stands?
 
Blais said:
Thanks!



Oh, so Wednesdays is the day for those longitudinal courses? (The curriculum map on their website doesn't seem to go into great detail.)

Also, I read something from a few years ago that said pitt med students can take two 3-credit courses per semester in the undergrad. I haven't looked at the offerings, but an occasional audit might be fun.

Do you know if that undergrad option still stands?
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Yes, Wednesday mornings are the longitudinal courses. Basic science courses are M/T/R/F morning and T/W afternoon. You will have a doctoring-type course (interviewing, physical exam, etc.) on one of the remaining afternoons. We usually have 2 afternoons completely off.

Yes, the undergrad option still stands. We also have mini-electives that are for medical students only, and they are really fun!

Edit: General daily calendars can be found here: http://www.omed.pitt.edu/current-students/calendars.php
It doesn't go into specific hours, but maybe it can help you get a better sense of the curriculum.
 
Blais said:
Oh, so Wednesdays is the day for those longitudinal courses? (The curriculum map on their website doesn't seem to go into great detail.)

Also, I read something from a few years ago that said pitt med students can take two 3-credit courses per semester in the undergrad. I haven't looked at the offerings, but an occasional audit might be fun.

Do you know if that undergrad option still stands?
Click to expand...

Yeah Wednesday is the only day you'll have those non-basic science courses (you still have basic science in the afternoon). The only other courses are medical interviewing/physical exam/advance physical exam and that's on Monday, Thursday, or Friday afternoons depending on when you're scheduled.

Yes, you can take 6 credits at the undergrad. A couple people in my class have taken some courses. You can also take 1-credit phys ed classes like dance and rock climbing 🙂 Pitt undergrads can take courses at CMU too, but I'm not positive if the 6 credits we're allowed cover CMU as well.
 
penguinism said:
Yes, Wednesday mornings are the longitudinal courses. Basic science courses are M/T/R/F morning and T/W afternoon. You will have a doctoring-type course (interviewing, physical exam, etc.) on one of the remaining afternoons. We usually have 2 afternoons completely off.

Yes, the undergrad option still stands. We also have mini-electives that are for medical students only, and they are really fun!

Edit: General daily calendars can be found here: http://www.omed.pitt.edu/current-students/calendars.php
It doesn't go into specific hours, but maybe it can help you get a better sense of the curriculum.
Click to expand...

Ismet said:
Yeah Wednesday is the only day you'll have those non-basic science courses (you still have basic science in the afternoon). The only other courses are medical interviewing/physical exam/advance physical exam and that's on Monday, Thursday, or Friday afternoons depending on when you're scheduled.

Yes, you can take 6 credits at the undergrad. A couple people in my class have taken some courses. You can also take 1-credit phys ed classes like dance and rock climbing 🙂 Pitt undergrads can take courses at CMU too, but I'm not positive if the 6 credits we're allowed cover CMU as well.
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You're both great.

UPSOM should give you a stipend for your service! 😀
 
Blais said:
You're both great.

UPSOM should give you a stipend for your service! 😀
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I wish. 😎 Ismet's right, though, they do give us a fair portion of free meals. I think I'm getting 3 meals this week, not too shabby!

Speaking of stipends, I need to finish my summer research proposal...
 
Important, game-changing question:

Does everyone in Pittsburgh like Wiz Khalifa?
 
I just watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Loved the movie and just realized that was set in Pittsburgh, too! Starting to like the prospect of going to Pitt more and more now.
 
churrytree said:
I just watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Loved the movie and just realized that was set in Pittsburgh, too! Starting to like the prospect of going to Pitt more and more now.
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Yep! That tunnel they drive through is the Fort Pitt tunnel, and it gives one of the most amazing views of the city when you're coming from the west on 376. If you get a chance if/when you visit Pittsburgh again, you have to see it. I guarantee you'll fall in love. 🙂

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs1o_te4mRM[/YOUTUBE]

It's better at night, but none of the videos do it justice. Gotta see it in person 🙂
 
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This is awesome!! Thanks so much for posting it. When I was watching the movie, I was like, "Wow! That city is really nice!" And then at one point you see the Cathedral of Learning and I was like, "Wait, that is REALLY familiar!" 😛 And the movie was SO good.
 
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