Congratulations! And thanks for sharing!Yes, my packet included a merit scholarship letter. In contrast to merit scholarships, I believe the need-based scholarships are awarded later.
Congratulations! And thanks for sharing!Yes, my packet included a merit scholarship letter. In contrast to merit scholarships, I believe the need-based scholarships are awarded later.
Anyone else in PA (or mid-atlantic states) not get their packet in the mail yesterday?
edit: any other accepted students still waiting on the packet as of 2/2?
Thanks for (potentially) opening up a spot early, and best of luck wherever you decide on attending!Just withdrew my acceptance. Hope it goes to one of you guys!
I was wondering if any of the current students could speak a little about the neighborhoods they live in etc. I'm a little older and would likely buy a house and am scoping out all potential options. All suggestions welcome! Also, feel free to PM me if you prefer to keep the convo more confidential.
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Oakland - Where campus is, undergrads. It's divided into sections. "West Oakland" on the map above is where Scaife is. Central Oakland is where the Cathedral of Learning is and all the undergrad buildings.
South Oakland - Cheap places, many of which are falling apart, lots of undergrads, can get pretty loud. There are some nicer sections where some med students live but in general I wouldn't recommend it.
*North Oakland - Junior/senior undergrads typically live here as well as many graduate students (there are a couple leasing companies that will only lease to non-undergrads). A bit quieter but there are some off campus frats there that can get a little loud on weekends depending on what street you're on. Main buses run through here as well as the Pitt shuttle which drops off right in front of Scaife. Pricier because of convenient location.
*Shadyside - Probably most popular place to live. Despite name, it's one of the nicest neighborhoods (think shady because of trees, not because of sketchiness). Again, you can access all the main buses and be at the school in less than 15 minutes. Lots of places to eat, grocery store, hospital where you can rotate for IM and surgery, and shopping.
*Bloomfield/Garfield/Friendship - This is close to Children's Hospital. Older neighborhoods, cheaper, many houses. Several people live out here, but there are fewer buses that connect them with Oakland. A bike would come in handy here.
Lawrenceville - Used to be worse but has been gentrified, now is the "hipster" neighborhood of Pgh. They literally call Lower Lawrenceville "LoLa." No idea about how much it costs to live there, but there are a lot of new, good restaurants. Probably one of the reasons Pittsburgh is #1 in Zagat this year. Harder to get to campus from here via bus.
East Liberty - Another neighborhood going through gentrification, there's a pretty big divide in SES living here which is a topic of debate. Generally cheaper to live here, but they're building a bunch of fancy new high tech apartment buildings there, right across the street from dilapidated store fronts and Section 8 housing. This is also where Target is, down the street there's stores like Anthropologie and West Elm. It's weird and somewhat uncomfortable. I feel totally safe there, even alone at night, more like uncomfortable because of the stark divide and the middle to upper class take over.
Highland Park - This would be a little too far away for my comfort, but people do it. Nicer area, lots of houses, lots of doctors. Probably pricier but I'm not sure. This is where the zoo is! Had a friend who lived adjacent to the zoo and could hear lions roaring from her place.
Point Breeze - Bit longer commute (15-20 min) but doable. Lots of apartments in houses, decently priced. Couple blocks away from Trader Joe's and the relatively new Bakery Square with fancy stores and stuff.
*Squirrel Hill - A bit farther out, you can find some cheaper places, older neighborhood again with a ton of places to eat and shop. There is a large Jewish community in SH, ton of doctors live here. Several buses run from SH to Oakland but not as much as Shadyside, and it's farther so it will take you a bit longer to get to school. Closest hospital is in Shadyside.
Greenfield - I just think of this as "a little past Squirrel Hill" because I don't exactly know where SH ends and Greenfield begins 😛 Some students live here, pretty much the same applies as SH.
Regent Square - Pretty much all houses, a lot of doctors live here. I know a couple med students who live here but they're married/families. Pretty far away from campus but the commute is doable. This is a really really nice neighborhood if you're coming in with a family.
Southside - I would not recommend living here. Apartments are hella expensive in the newer area of town, and the older side has a lot of bars/clubs that are loud and more of the undergrad scene. Fine to visit, not to live.
Also rule #1 of Pittsburgh is to avoid crossing a bridge or going through a tunnel on your commute. Despite being the "city of bridges" and having multiple tunnels to get in and out of the city, Pittsburgh drivers are afraid of the tunnel monster and there will inevitably be traffic on any given bridge/tunnel. Basically disregard everything below the Monongahela and above the Allegheny in terms of living unless you want to spend like an hour trying to get into campus in the morning.
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If in anyone's apartment/house search they come across a place or an area they want to know more about, feel free to shoot me a PM.
Edit: Just went through and starred the places I'd highly recommend in terms of ease of getting around, quality of living, as well as price (somewhat).
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Oakland - Where campus is, undergrads. It's divided into sections. "West Oakland" on the map above is where Scaife is. Central Oakland is where the Cathedral of Learning is and all the undergrad buildings.
South Oakland - Cheap places, many of which are falling apart, lots of undergrads, can get pretty loud. There are some nicer sections where some med students live but in general I wouldn't recommend it.
*North Oakland - Junior/senior undergrads typically live here as well as many graduate students (there are a couple leasing companies that will only lease to non-undergrads). A bit quieter but there are some off campus frats there that can get a little loud on weekends depending on what street you're on. Main buses run through here as well as the Pitt shuttle which drops off right in front of Scaife. Pricier because of convenient location.
*Shadyside - Probably most popular place to live. Despite name, it's one of the nicest neighborhoods (think shady because of trees, not because of sketchiness). Again, you can access all the main buses and be at the school in less than 15 minutes. Lots of places to eat, grocery store, hospital where you can rotate for IM and surgery, and shopping.
*Bloomfield/Garfield/Friendship - This is close to Children's Hospital. Older neighborhoods, cheaper, many houses. Several people live out here, but there are fewer buses that connect them with Oakland. A bike would come in handy here.
Lawrenceville - Used to be worse but has been gentrified, now is the "hipster" neighborhood of Pgh. They literally call Lower Lawrenceville "LoLa." No idea about how much it costs to live there, but there are a lot of new, good restaurants. Probably one of the reasons Pittsburgh is #1 in Zagat this year. Harder to get to campus from here via bus.
East Liberty - Another neighborhood going through gentrification, there's a pretty big divide in SES living here which is a topic of debate. Generally cheaper to live here, but they're building a bunch of fancy new high tech apartment buildings there, right across the street from dilapidated store fronts and Section 8 housing. This is also where Target is, down the street there's stores like Anthropologie and West Elm. It's weird and somewhat uncomfortable. I feel totally safe there, even alone at night, more like uncomfortable because of the stark divide and the middle to upper class take over.
Highland Park - This would be a little too far away for my comfort, but people do it. Nicer area, lots of houses, lots of doctors. Probably pricier but I'm not sure. This is where the zoo is! Had a friend who lived adjacent to the zoo and could hear lions roaring from her place.
Point Breeze - Bit longer commute (15-20 min) but doable. Lots of apartments in houses, decently priced. Couple blocks away from Trader Joe's and the relatively new Bakery Square with fancy stores and stuff.
*Squirrel Hill - A bit farther out, you can find some cheaper places, older neighborhood again with a ton of places to eat and shop. There is a large Jewish community in SH, ton of doctors live here. Several buses run from SH to Oakland but not as much as Shadyside, and it's farther so it will take you a bit longer to get to school. Closest hospital is in Shadyside.
Greenfield - I just think of this as "a little past Squirrel Hill" because I don't exactly know where SH ends and Greenfield begins 😛 Some students live here, pretty much the same applies as SH.
Regent Square - Pretty much all houses, a lot of doctors live here. I know a couple med students who live here but they're married/families. Pretty far away from campus but the commute is doable. This is a really really nice neighborhood if you're coming in with a family.
Southside - I would not recommend living here. Apartments are hella expensive in the newer area of town, and the older side has a lot of bars/clubs that are loud and more of the undergrad scene. Fine to visit, not to live.
Also rule #1 of Pittsburgh is to avoid crossing a bridge or going through a tunnel on your commute. Despite being the "city of bridges" and having multiple tunnels to get in and out of the city, Pittsburgh drivers are afraid of the tunnel monster and there will inevitably be traffic on any given bridge/tunnel. Basically disregard everything below the Monongahela and above the Allegheny in terms of living unless you want to spend like an hour trying to get into campus in the morning.
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If in anyone's apartment/house search they come across a place or an area they want to know more about, feel free to shoot me a PM.
Edit: Just went through and starred the places I'd highly recommend in terms of ease of getting around, quality of living, as well as price (somewhat).
What is your opinion of the Darragh apartments? I know it's a bit pricier than some other places, but it's still cheap compared to some other cities where I've lived and it's super close to the school. I am a very social person and would love to live close to friends/classmates.
FYI for those of us that we're wondering-- they have indeed notified all who have a dean's scholarship, and the rest of fin aid scholarships and stuff adhere to the normal deadline of April 1st.
By mail in the acceptance packetNotified via mail (and nothing in portal)? I still haven't gotten a packet and I can't even log into my portal anymore. It keeps asking me reset my password :l
Does anyone happen to know or speculate whether or not being IS or OOS has a better chance of being admitted from the waitlist? Thanks
Got one as well. Best to work on it, so when we get accepted we don't have to rush to make deadlines.Were al WLed applicants emailed by financial aid? Got it yesterday
I think letters of interest and intent are important for this particular school. During interview day they specifically told us that it helps to write a letter closer to the time decisions go out (I interviwed on one of the first interview days) letting them know we are still interested.I'm under the impression that Pitt is receptive to letters of intent, but I really don't know if they take it into account or if they just say that they do. There are a number of adcoms, like @mimelim, @gyngyn, @Goro, and @LizzyM who basically discount the value of these letters of intent entirely (at least at their respective schools.) I think their rationale is logical.
However, as we know, every school is different. Anyone happen to know whether a letter of intent at Pitt is taken into consideration at all? Perhaps only in certain cases will it actually make a difference? Maybe it only functions to have the adcom look or think about your application for an extra second or two?
Any thoughts on this? Thanks!
That is how I read it too. What I got from it is that we send them the money after April 30th but no later than May 13th. Hopefully, I am not interpreting it wrong.question for everyone who got their packet in the mail already - am I understanding correctly that we don't submit a deposit until AFTER april 30th? just confused by their wording since all of the other schools where ive been accepted had us send the deposit in right away
Nope, never got confirmation e-mails for any of the updates I've sent since interviewing.For those of you who have sent letters of intent/updates, did you receive a confirmation email? Thanks!
I am looking in the Shadyside or Squirrel Hill area and maybe even Lawrenceville because I saw some awesome newly refurbished loft-style apartments on craigslist. I would LOVE a house (2bd/2ba) to share with my boyfriend and cats. Hoping for something with a basement to re-create our darkroom. We pay $2250/month now, but my boyfriend will be looking for a job and I will be living off of loans, so ideally I would like something that goes for way less than that, especially if I have to cover the whole rent until he finds a job. Like you, I will definitely pay a little more for comfort. I am well past the dorm-like living days.I am curious what kinds of living situations and costs people are anticipating. I, for example, ideally would like to live in a roomy house (I have dogs), with a roommate who is a fellow classmate, and I'd rather pay more but be super comfortable (read: quiet, with killer kitchen, own bathroom, etc). For me, $1500/month (for my portion) seems more than reasonable. What are you guys leaning towards? Just getting a feel for what others might expect, especially since I come from a city which gives so little for so much...
I am looking in the Shadyside or Squirrel Hill area and maybe even Lawrenceville because I saw some awesome newly refurbished loft-style apartments on craigslist. I would LOVE a house (2bd/2ba) to share with my boyfriend and cats. Hoping for something with a basement to re-create our darkroom. We pay $2250/month now, but my boyfriend will be looking for a job and I will be living off of loans, so ideally I would like something that goes for way less than that, especially if I have to cover the whole rent until he finds a job. Like you, I will definitely pay a little more for comfort. I am well past the dorm-like living days.
As someone who also came from an expensive area I can assure you that you'll be pleasantly surprised at the cost of living here. Depending on the location $1500 can get you a decent 3br house (one of my classmates living in Squirrel Hill is splitting a 3br for $1200 so pays only $400/mo). If you're splitting with one or more people then a nice place for less than $1000/person/month is more than doable. When you're looking for a place make sure you ask about heating and cooling costs, though. If it's not included and is an old system it could add a chunk of change to monthly costs.I am curious what kinds of living situations and costs people are anticipating. I, for example, ideally would like to live in a roomy house (I have dogs), with a roommate who is a fellow classmate, and I'd rather pay more but be super comfortable (read: quiet, with killer kitchen, own bathroom, etc). For me, $1500/month (for my portion) seems more than reasonable. What are you guys leaning towards? Just getting a feel for what others might expect, especially since I come from a city which gives so little for so much...
Lawrenceville is up-and-coming and has a lot of really great trendy restaurants and shops, but the major issue is getting to and from school. The buses don't run as regularly ( I think the 93 is your best bet and runs every half-hour) so you have to plan ahead a little more. Plus, the bus system here isn't always super reliable, especially when the weather is bad. I know some of my classmates that live in Lawrenceville will usually bike to and from school when the weather allows, but that gets difficult in the winter.I am looking in the Shadyside or Squirrel Hill area and maybe even Lawrenceville because I saw some awesome newly refurbished loft-style apartments on craigslist. I would LOVE a house (2bd/2ba) to share with my boyfriend and cats. Hoping for something with a basement to re-create our darkroom. We pay $2250/month now, but my boyfriend will be looking for a job and I will be living off of loans, so ideally I would like something that goes for way less than that, especially if I have to cover the whole rent until he finds a job. Like you, I will definitely pay a little more for comfort. I am well past the dorm-like living days.
As someone who also came from an expensive area I can assure you that you'll be pleasantly surprised at the cost of living here. Depending on the location $1500 can get you a decent 3br house (one of my classmates living in Squirrel Hill is splitting a 3br for $1200 so pays only $400/mo). If you're splitting with one or more people then a nice place for less than $1000/person/month is more than doable. When you're looking for a place make sure you ask about heating and cooling costs, though. If it's not included and is an old system it could add a chunk of change to monthly costs.
Lawrenceville is up-and-coming and has a lot of really great trendy restaurants and shops, but the major issue is getting to and from school. The buses don't run as regularly ( I think the 93 is your best bet and runs every half-hour) so you have to plan ahead a little more. Plus, the bus system here isn't always super reliable, especially when the weather is bad. I know some of my classmates that live in Lawrenceville will usually bike to and from school when the weather allows, but that gets difficult in the winter.
prologue to medicine program - your thoughts?? (accepted students received an e-mail about this)
sounds great to get used to studying/learning again, but sounds crappy to miss out on 5 weeks of relaxing/traveling/enjoying summer...
I wouldn't even consider doing it unless I'd been out of school for years. I'd rather stash up on money and/or experiences before going back to being poor/busy 😀prologue to medicine program - your thoughts?? (accepted students received an e-mail about this)
sounds great to get used to studying/learning again, but sounds crappy to miss out on 5 weeks of relaxing/traveling/enjoying summer...
I think it's so you still have a summer break.
I would do the program just so I'd have an excuse to quit my job and move sooner.
Having graduated from undergrad 10 years ago, this would probably help me get back into the groove. I also do not mind getting to Pittsburgh sooner, so I can settle into my new lifestyle. I have one big hurdle standing in my way. My mom is being evaluated for a liver transplant and I offered to be a live liver donor. They will not even evaluate me until they put my mom on the transplant list, which they should be discussing soon. I would need 4-6 weeks to get back to normal-ish after surgery. I just don't know when this will happen, but at least the doctors know I have med school on my horizon. When they find out that I am going to Pitt, they love to remind me that Pitt did the first liver transplant. 🙂 Just wish I knew when things were happening, so I could commit to programs like this.
Thanks Immuno!!!! I am trying to keep focused on my work and helping my mom get better. I want to leave for med school knowing that she will be able to live a normal life again and maybe get to see me graduate four years from now. I hate seeing her have these hepatic encephalopathy episodes where she cannot even remember my name. I hope the transplant team will decide to do it and sooner rather than later. My whole family just wants her back to normal as soon as possible.Aww trini! Here for you if you need anything 🙂
Thanks Immuno!!!! I am trying to keep focused on my work and helping my mom get better. I want to leave for med school knowing that she will be able to live a normal life again and maybe get to see me graduate four years from now. I hate seeing her have these hepatic encephalopathy episodes where she cannot even remember my name. I hope the transplant team will decide to do it and sooner rather than later. My whole family just wants her back to normal as soon as possible.
I personally thought the prologue to medicine program was great, especially if you've been out of school for a few years. You get a head start on anatomy (Dr. Schumann spends a couple weeks covering the topics that historically give people the most trouble), you get to knock off the rust and get back into study mode, you get to know some of the faculty (and let them know you), you get a chance to explore and familiarize yourself with Pittsburgh before the classes get in the way (Dr. Pettigrew gives a couple great tours), you have a chance to make some good friends before all 150-ish classmates show up, and they give you some money to do all this. I was surprised that it wasn't filled up last year.prologue to medicine program - your thoughts?? (accepted students received an e-mail about this)
sounds great to get used to studying/learning again, but sounds crappy to miss out on 5 weeks of relaxing/traveling/enjoying summer...
Sent a LOT and update yesterday. Received confirmation a few hours later.For those of you who have sent letters of intent/updates, did you receive a confirmation email? Thanks!
Hmm, I sent a LOI and didn't recieve any confirmation. Should I call the office and ask or is it the norm to not recieve confirmation?Sent a LOT and update yesterday. Received confirmation a few hours later.
First tier waitlist. Reallllllly hoping I get in. Loved Pitt
Hmm, I sent a LOI and didn't recieve any confirmation. Should I call the office and ask or is it the norm to not recieve confirmation?
nope. just sent one email. received a message back generally promptly. however, I would think that either a reply or no reply is fine. there doesn't seem to be a need for confirmation.It seems the general consensus is that they don't send confirmations for updates and letters (several people have reported this already on the thread) hahaha I'm not sure why kale&cake received a confirmation but it sounds like he/she sent a lot of updates so perhaps whoever was on the receiving end felt the need? Not sure, but I don't think it is the norm to receive confirmation hehe
thank you! It would be a dream come true!Congrats! 🙂
when did you submit your application?Just got that PSTP interview invite 😎