OFFICIAL: UPitt Class of 2008!!

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Aralie said:
Hello potential Pitt Med 2008 classmates! :D I finally got up the courage to post here. I'm from the west coast and have no idea what east coast weather is like. What should I expect in terms of Pittsburgh weather?

Well I'm not a potential classmate but having lived in or near Pittsburgh for 23 years I think I can answer :).

In the winter, lots of snow. Weather usually ranges from 20-40 degrees, sometimes colder, sometimes warmer. Rarely goes down to the single digits but it happens. In the spring, lots of rain. Weather ranges from low 30s in early spring to 80s towards the end of spring, but is usually around 50 to 70 degrees. Summer, lots of rain. Very humid almost all the time. Weather is usually around 80 degrees, ranges from 60s to 90s though. Fall is much like spring, but tends to be less rain (I think). Cool weather, 50s and 60s usually, sometimes dips to 40s and below, sometimes goes up to 80s.

In short, weather is very unpredictable here. Except for rain. It rains A LOT.

My favorite days are when it's sunny but raining/snowing at the same time. That's always fun.

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If anyone is still looking for a roommate feel free to PM me or reply here.

I'm male, non-smoker, low maintanence kind of guy.
 
Congrats to the Pittmed class of 2008!!! (that's scary) You'll love it there. From a Pittmed Class of 2003 member.
 
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Hey Everyone---

So this is also my first post on this board and, like Aralie, I am coming from the west coast. I'm excited to say that I FINALLY know I am going to Pitt for sure. Can't wait to meet everyone.... :thumbup:
 
BUMP

Any updates folks? And welcome to Aralie, Fumoffu, & uclalee! :D
 
Hey everyone,
I am headed up to Pitt on Sunday - Wednesday to look for an apartment.. so if anyone else is gonna be there and wants to meet up for a drink or something, pm me! -Eric
 
Hey...a bunch of us are already here in Pitt doing the prematriculation program. Stop by the Office of Minority Affairs and ask Paula Davis where we are - next week we meet every morning from 9 to 12 to do anatomy so go by the office around 11:45 or so. As far as I know, people who arrived just a few days ago have already found good housing!
 
surfej said:
Hey everyone,
I am headed up to Pitt on Sunday - Wednesday to look for an apartment.. so if anyone else is gonna be there and wants to meet up for a drink or something, pm me! -Eric

i'm doing the same thing, surfej. sounds like a few of last year's ms1's that i met at 2nd look will be around, so hopefully we'll be going out at night.

i've never used them before, but try sending me a private message and we can get in touch! i'll have internet access until late tonight, then maybe again sunday.
 
Or maybe we should all start introducing ourselves on Pitt's bulletin board... I'll post there if I get a chance today.

-Lion
 
Add another one to the list from the West Coast! I can't wait until Fall...

I do need roommates and an apartment though.
 
Congrats Arusak,

You made a great choice as long as you can weather the winters here. Looking forward to meeting all of you in the fall. Feel free to post/PM if you have any questions.
 
Hey everyone,

I just put my deposit down for an apartment in Squirrel Hill. It's on Hobart Street right off of Murray. Anyone else living in Squirrel Hill? I can't wait to meet you all!

:D
 
hey everyone, i just got back from pittsburgh a couple days ago and put down a deposit for a place at 6209 kentucky ave in shadyside. ill just copy and paste what i wrote on the pittmed board. basically ive talked to a couple of people but nothings definite yet so im looking for two people to share this three bedroom with.

hery everyone, i just finished looking at apartments in Pittsburgh and came away with a great place. its a 3 bedroom apartment that takes the second and third floors of a house, the first floor is its own apartment and is being rented by a girl i think in her twenties. its got central air, a driveway, all three bedrooms are huge, large living room connected to the dining room, and a huge kitchen with new appliances including dishwasher. the stairs and third floor are all carpeted and the second floor is hardwood in real good condition. the entranceway is private from the first floor apartment and is pretty big itself for bikes, coats, shoes etc. theres also washer and dryer in the basement but i think they were coin operated.its on a side street in shadyside so its a really nice and quiet area with plenty of street parking but still only a 10 minute walk at most to all the stuff on walnut st and 1 block from the busline. its really really nice and only opened up recently because one of the current roommates is moving in with her boyfriend so i want to try to sign a lease as soon as possible. im going to try to talk to the landlord and maybe put down some money as a deposit so he can hold on to the place until i find some definite roommates but i dont want to wait for more than a couple weeks. i took some pictures of the place too so if you want to take a look if you cant see it in person email me at [email protected]. the rents 1200+utilities and the rooms are all pretty much the same so itll be just over 400 a person which is ridiculously cheap, at least from what im used to.

so thats the apartment, about me, im a 22 year old guy who graduated from northwestern earlier in the winter. i just hung out all last quarter at school having fun thinking its my last chance before the next four years. ive never had a problem with any roommates and honestly cant think of any habits i might have that are annoying. im definitely going to bust my ass at med school but i like to go out whenever i can. oh, id prefer roommates who are non smokers but thats about it, im open to guy or girl roommates and the downstairs bedroom has its own full bath so having both shouldnt be a problem. thats it, if this sounds interesting to you please let me know as soon as possible and ill answer any other questions you might have. oh yeah, i was at second look weekend so if you were too let me know, maybe well be able to remember who each other are. thats it, thanks.

this is the link to the pictures i took
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeAOGbRmyZtGzjY
the kitchen only shows about a fourth of the room and the living room picture about 2/3 becuase one of the tenants was sitting on her couch and i doubt she wanted me to take a picture of her.
 
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I envy all of you who are going to attend this fine institution. I am interested in attending Pitt next fall, specifically because I am interested in the concentration in women's health that is available at the med school...what great academic enrichment programs! Since y'all have been successful in gaining admission to this amazing school, do you have any tips or pointers for interviewing, what the adcom looks for, etc? What struck you as being important to Pitt when you were interviewing? What do they like to know/see about a candidate?

Thanks!!!!
 
Hi everybody, I just got accepted off of the waitlist yesterday, and will be joining the class of 2008. I'm excited to meet all of you, is anybody still looking for a place to live and roomate(s)?
 
Hello guys!

I have been idle for quite a long time! Eric, if you are still in town, I would be glad to catch a drink with you buddy (Pitt over UF, eh). Also, if anyone has any question about Pitt, I will be happy to answer them.


Just IM ME: Rocpen321

See you Aug 15!

Rocco
 
stinkycheese said:
I envy all of you who are going to attend this fine institution. I am interested in attending Pitt next fall, specifically because I am interested in the concentration in women's health that is available at the med school...what great academic enrichment programs! Since y'all have been successful in gaining admission to this amazing school, do you have any tips or pointers for interviewing, what the adcom looks for, etc? What struck you as being important to Pitt when you were interviewing? What do they like to know/see about a candidate?

Thanks!!!!
hey Stinky,
Just be yourself. Once you get an interview it means you look great on paper but we wanna make sure you have some personality. The students here as a whole are very active, so just tell us what you're interested in, whether it's research or the Simpsons.

btw, never too early to start kissing up to the 08'ers as they will be interviewing you! ;)

welcome c/o 2008 :)

~sunflower
 
Hey everyone! Random question... can anyone help me figure out how to waive or accept the health insurance that Pitt has for med students? I have my own insurance, so I'm trying to find the website where I can waive their option, but I haven't had any luck on the my.pitt.edu page or any of the med school pages. :confused:
 
Does anyone know the date by which we have to accept/decline the medical insurance?
 
does anyone know anything about orientation and what we do for week?
 
Good question - I'll post on the med student website's bulletin board.

Anyone participate in previous chats or is going to do so tonight? I missed the past two because I've been in class, and will be tonight.
 
Thanks for the help, H&T!
 
No problem at all. Guess no one made the chat tonight?
 
Hi,
I am trying to decide between the following 3 lenders that Pitt sent us in the preferred lender list.

AAMC / MEDLOANS
ACCESS
AES

Any recommendations? and reasons?

Thanks
 
I think that I used the one that automatically transfers the money to the school so you don't have to worry about endorsing checks when you get there. Don't have my info here with me, but I remember it being the choice in the last column on the right.
 
Hey ya'll,

Well, after the apartment hunt, which was a major pain in the butt, myself and another incoming student found a pretty nice place in squirrel hill on Pocusset st, off of Wightman. It seemed like the management group, walnut capital, will be pretty attentive... anyway, I look forward to meeting the rest of ya'll in August! I am also trying to find out about the orientation schedule because I have to get my folks to the airport on that Monday morning, so if you have any information I would appreciate it! Thanks -- Eric
 
I haven't actually gotten anything from the office about which lender to use for my Stafford loans. Should I have by now?

All I got so far was my acceptance package, and one thing from Student Affairs asking for immunization information. A financial aid package was e-mailed to me and I returned it signed a while back.
 
duka said:
does anyone know anything about orientation and what we do for week?

Hello!

I have been noticeably absent in posting to this site.

So here goes?

Orientation Week will be a great time. We are currently in the final stages of organizing the events for Orientation Week. Basically, it kicks off with the White Coat Ceremony on Sunday the 15th of August. During the following weekdays there will be many events ranging from workshops on diversity and the various services that are accessible to you as a Med Student to basic CPR training and an Activity Fair (usually starting around 9 AM and ending in the early afternoon). Time will be allotted so that you can take care of mundane issues such as getting a a Pitt ID to establishing your utilities. Each night will have a theme-- Starting with Sunday Night where there will be Games on the Cathedral Lawn, a movie in Schenely Park, and drinks and food at a Pub in Shadyside, to a Cruise along the Three Rivers on Wed., a Culture Crawl on the following Fri., a water park outing on Saturday followed by a night on the town and White Water Rafting on the following week. It will be a phenomenal time. You will meet your classmates, and your fellow senior PittMed students, make new friends, learn more about Pittsburgh, and be eased into medical school.

Preliminary details for the Orientation Week were recently submitted to the Office of Student Affairs to be included in upcoming mailings to accepted students. Please feel free to contact members of the AMSA Board who are in charge of organizing Orientation ([email protected], [email protected]) if you have any questions regarding Orientation or life at PittMed in general.

Congratulations on making a wise choice to attend Pitt. We will post a final schedule once is becomes available. It might be a good idea to start a list of when people are planning to move here along with potential contact information. If so interested, and would like to meet current Pitt Med students and matriculants, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Regards,
Christos
MS-2 Pitt Med
AMSA President
 
Wow! Thank you Christos! I was just about to post that I got a response on the bulletin board about Orientation, but this provides much more detail. Thanks again!

And Fumoffu, it took a while for me to get the e-mail - received on June 2nd - and I had my financial information in close to a month prior. Maybe it won't take so long since it's July and most folks may have their stuff in already, but it wouldn't hurt to call. I can also e-mail you what they sent in the meantime since it's standard.
 
Thanks Christos!
 
For all of the people who have been asking about housing on here...Pittsburgh truly has a renter's market, and it would be to your advantage to come here and look. Those school-owned apartments (Ruskin) sound like a ripoff compared to what's out there if you looked. A previous post said that a 300 square foot Ruskin apartment was $580/month. I found a beautiful two-bedroom in Shadyside that is 1200 square feet for $950/month, which translates to $475 each. We found this apartment on our first day out. So even if you can come out for only 2 days, it's worth it!

-incoming CMU grad student :)
 
beamiestface said:
For all of the people who have been asking about housing on here...Pittsburgh truly has a renter's market, and it would be to your advantage to come here and look. Those school-owned apartments (Ruskin) sound like a ripoff compared to what's out there if you looked. A previous post said that a 300 square foot Ruskin apartment was $580/month. I found a beautiful two-bedroom in Shadyside that is 1200 square feet for $950/month, which translates to $475 each. We found this apartment on our first day out. So even if you can come out for only 2 days, it's worth it!

-incoming CMU grad student :)

Hi beamiest!

I may have written the previous post about Ruskin. No, you're right, it's not the best deal in town, but the 300 sq. feet does not include non-living space (bathroom, kitchen, closets), so it's probably about 500 or so sq. feet (give or take a few). I was upwith a friend looking for housing, and we had a rough time finding things because people didn't get back to us like we hoped that they would about certain apartments. Also, the $580 includes all utilities, and the building is for med students and PhDs so it's not too bad for the price (at least it's okay for a year while folks are getting acclimated to the city).

Best,
H&T
 
As a second year who will be moving into Ruskin, I have to say that Ruskin is one of the best apartments for medical students. True, more affordable apartments exist in the market, but in terms of convenience, no apartment beats Ruskin. It's literally a 10 minute walk to school. You will appreciate this convenience when the blizzard hits starting in November or so.

If you can get a two-room double, the cost is $400 per apartment with all utilities included, but those are among the hardest apartments to get. Another caveat about Ruskin though is that once you move in, you CANNOT move to another apartment in the building. If you prefer to live with another student, the safe bet is to move there second year once you meet some classmates who you know you will get along with.
 
hey everyone- already started a thread, but posting here in case people hadn't seen it;

just calling out to any pitt' 08ers in the DC area- would be great to meet up in the next couple wks before orientation etc. begins.

send me a pm if you're interested.
 
if anyones still looking for an apartment, one of our rooms just opened up because our third roommate got in off the waitlist to her top school. i posted the information about the apartment earlier, i think its on page six right now. were open to guys or girls and your roommates would be two guys, im 22 and i think hes the same. email me at [email protected] if interested
 
Heal&Teach said:
Hi beamiest!

I may have written the previous post about Ruskin. No, you're right, it's not the best deal in town, but the 300 sq. feet does not include non-living space (bathroom, kitchen, closets), so it's probably about 500 or so sq. feet (give or take a few). I was upwith a friend looking for housing, and we had a rough time finding things because people didn't get back to us like we hoped that they would about certain apartments. Also, the $580 includes all utilities, and the building is for med students and PhDs so it's not too bad for the price (at least it's okay for a year while folks are getting acclimated to the city).

Best,
H&T
Ruskin is pretty expensive compared to what you can get in shadyside, which is only a short bus ride away. (plus you don't wanna go to the Dirty Bird -- err, I mean Giant Eagle -- in Oakland!)
 
sunflower79 said:
Ruskin is pretty expensive compared to what you can get in shadyside, which is only a short bus ride away. (plus you don't wanna go to the Dirty Bird -- err, I mean Giant Eagle -- in Oakland!)

Uh.. the dirty bird? :laugh: I'll drive to over to Shadyside and hope that I don't run out of eggs and milk too often. :D Thanks for the heads up sunflower. :)
 
When are you guys movin up to the Burgh? I'm debating whether to move up on the weekend of August 1st or August 8th...
 
I really want to move up much earlier (beginning of August), but my apartment won't be ready until the 13th. So I'll have a pretty tight move before White Coat/Orientation. I might try to come up around the 10th or so, and staying with friends, but I'm not sure about that either since I'll be driving around with stuff in my car for a few days (don't really want to put it in storage for only a few days).
 
Move in the weekend of the 1st! I'll be moving to Shadyside around July 30th, and will be completely new to the city. I'm hoping there'll be at least a few people around to explore with.
 
I think I might try and move my stuff up the weekend of the first. Get the apartment set up, go home and then come back for white coat. All of us early movers should all try and get together the weekend of the first.
 
I bet there's a number of people moving in early. I'd say in a week or so, we should put a thread up on the PittMed Introductions forum rounding up everyone who will be around.

I'm right near all the cafes/bars on Walnut Street, so if I can find some furniture in time, everyone could gather at my place.
 
I will be moving to Shadyside August 7th and would definitely like to have a get together/go out with everyone else who is around. I'm very excited to meet all of you and it seems as if the first couple weeks should be alot of fun. By the way, did anyone get a schedule for our White Coat Ceremony yet?
 
Just got the schedule in the mail today! :) Doesn't look too bad at all, and there are lots of social activities planned - including a beach party. :D
 
congratulations to everybody starting med school at PITT
way to go
 
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