Part II.
Okay, so when I interviewed here, I was left with the impression that Pitt is a caring place (which it is for the most part), and that it is more laid back than other schools (more on this soon). As I have said, most of my classmates are smart, talented, and generally nice people. But probably like any other school out there, there's also a contingency of so called 'gunners' who tend to spoil PBL discussions (I should say, though, that my experience with PBL has been positive), and inject a certain competitve element into the air. Is this to be expected in any medical school? I can't say for sure, having attended only one place, but the answer seems to be 'probably'. I also can't say whether my particular class is an anomaly from other classes. Perhaps it is a bit more competitive than previous classes because when the school year began, the entering class's average age was 22.8 or so, compared with last year's average of nearly 25--maybe there's a correlation between a class's gunner mentality and the proportion of over-achieving undergrads who are used to high-octane performance in the classroom, and haven't yet had time to shed some of that gunner mentality. I do not know. What I have been at such long-winded pains to say, then, is that, at the end of the day, the setting of one's medical school probably doesn't matter nearly as much as one's disposition toward education, life, and other people. No matter where you are, you can--and should--"light your own corner" as I've once read somewhere.
I also have a minor quarrel with the school's use of syllabuses. They are outlines of lectures written by the professors who deliver the lectures. They are more than infrequently ridden with grammar/spelling errors, poorly edited, and sometimes even confuse rather than enlighten (e.g. perivascular 'root', when the intended wording was 'route'). I sometimes think that it would be better to use and supplement well edited textbooks instead, but again, this is only a minor quarrel. One last complaint is that courses come and pass quickly. We have an exam every two weeks, on the average, and cumulative (summative) exams are on Saturday mornings at 8am(!), so if you let the material slide by, it is rather hard to play catch-up. As for Pittsburgh, it tends to be what you make of it. There are certain megapolis amenities that I do miss, but I have grown to like the city quite a bit, except for its godforsaken weather, which in reality is probably not much worse than most east coast cities. I probably have more to say, and will be happy to answer any questions, but alas, I do need to hit the library, after neglecting my studies for several days. I apologize for the long-windedness, and hope you find this modestly helpful. Good luck on your decisions.
