U. Pitt c/o 2009!!!!

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mwhelan said:
there's my two cents. hope it's helpful for someone.
Thanks, mhwelan. Everything I hear/read about Pittsburgh seems pretty positive, and a recent search of realtor.com turns up what appear to be some amazing values in terms of a housing purchase.

Can I ask your advice? I have a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old. The former will be in Kindergarten next year. What neighborhoods should we be looking at? Did you go to Pittsburgh public schools?

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liverotcod said:
Can I ask your advice? I have a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old. The former will be in Kindergarten next year. What neighborhoods should we be looking at? Did you go to Pittsburgh public schools?

Good neighborhoods for families:
Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Highland Park. Some parts of Greenfield. Those are all in the city limits. Just outside is Edgewood, which is very nice. Squirrel Hill and Shadyside are probably the best in terms of being close to Oakland, where Pitt is. The East End in general is nice and has great things like sports leagues, good nursery schools, food co-ops, etc.
I went to public school all the way through. The magnet schools for elementary school are based around languagues (Liberty=Spanish, East Hills=French, etc one even has Japanese these days, i think). Kids start learning languagues in kindergarten. You get in by lottery, so it's a tad difficult, but the neighborhood schools are also good for elementary.
A little anecdote: When I had just completed 2nd grade we moved to Northern California for a year. In CA I was placed in 4th grade instead of 3rd grade. When I moved back to Pittsburgh the next year I was placed back in 4th grade. The Pgh Public Schools were a full year ahead of the elementary schools near Stanford.
There are two good public high schools in the city - Allderdice and Schenley. They send students to better colleges than the private schools a lot of years. There's a tracking program in the Pgh Public Schools that starts in elementary and goes all the way through that offers 'scholars' classes in elementary and middle school and 'CAS' classes in high school that are better/more challenging than AP classes in a lot of cases. I was totally prepared to compete at Yale after my public school education.

I'm sure things have changed a bit since I left 7 years ago, but I am a BIG proponent of public schools based on my own experience in Pittsburgh. If you do decide on Pittsburgh, you might want to look into the magnet school lottery for elementary schools pronto.
 
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pinkice said:
Just wondering...
a) On a scale of 1 to 10 how certain are you that you'll be attending Pitt in the fall - comments welcome
b) Are you attending second look weekend? What do you expect out of it or what have you heard from others?

a.) 9. Unless some other school gives me great financial aid...
b.) Unforunately, no, I have a schedule conflict. I'd love to check out the school again, though, and meet some potential firstyear classmates. People who go should report back... :)
 
liverotcod said:
Thanks, mhwelan. Everything I hear/read about Pittsburgh seems pretty positive, and a recent search of realtor.com turns up what appear to be some amazing values in terms of a housing purchase.

Can I ask your advice? I have a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old. The former will be in Kindergarten next year. What neighborhoods should we be looking at? Did you go to Pittsburgh public schools?

I am going to repeat what I said before. I have lived in many different places, many different countries and by far Pittsburgh is one of the worst cities to live in the world. Depressed people, failing economy, horrible weather, all young people are living Pittsburgh, that is why geriatrics is so big in Pittsburgh
 
Without Wax said:
I am going to repeat what I said before. I have lived in many different places, many different countries and by far Pittsburgh is one of the worst cities to live in the world. Depressed people, failing economy, horrible weather, all young people are living Pittsburgh, that is why geriatrics is so big in Pittsburgh

to each his own, but i can't imagine that it's much fun to be so negative all the time. perhaps you should try getting out more often...
 
pinkice said:
Just wondering...
a) On a scale of 1 to 10 how certain are you that you'll be attending Pitt in the fall - comments welcome
b) Are you attending second look weekend? What do you expect out of it or what have you heard from others?

a) 9. If I get into one other school I am waiting on that is closer to home, I might, might consider it. But for now I am pretty set on Pitt :)
b) I am definitely going. I want to see the school again, talk to students, look for apartments, and see how things work at Pitt without the high-sheen of interview day when everyone is on their best behavior. Also, since I didn't think I was going to get in, I didn't pay enough attention to important stuff on interview day :) I was too nervous. So I need to learn some more about the curriculum, etc.

Wax - thanks for your opinion on the city, but it's depressing!!! I am sure people appreciate the honesty, but this thread is where we come to get excited about Pitt :) Can you think of anything about Pittsburgh that is good for medical students to know?

Mwhelan: thanks for the info! I love to hear about Pittsburgh!

Boardchic: congratulations!! :clap: :clap: I was rootin' for ya! Do you think you're going to come?
 
Does anyone know when any movement, or how much for that matter, typically occurs on the Pitt waitlist?

P.S. Congrats everyone-- you big bunch of smarty pants.
 
Hey there, I think they have a fair amount of movement as seen in waitlist threads from years past. GOOD LUCK! :)
 
have any of you who were accepted to Pitt -- received any further information since the original acceptance packet -- any financial aid applications or 2nd look information (other than the announcement that there would be one) Thanks!
 
favorite said:
have any of you who were accepted to Pitt -- received any further information since the original acceptance packet -- any financial aid applications or 2nd look information (other than the announcement that there would be one) Thanks!

I received an email before I was accepted (it was supposedly sent to all applicants) that gave me the website to look up financial aid stuff. Go to the Pitt website nad click on financial aid. They have a list of due dates (April 1st if you are applying for school need-based aid). Yeah, I would get on that if I were you (at least file the FAFSA...it's a b*tch), if you plan on applying for aid.
 
criminallyinane said:
Boardchic: congratulations!! :clap: :clap: I was rootin' for ya! Do you think you're going to come?
Thanks! I appreciate the support.
I'm not sure yet where I'm going... but Pitt definitely seemed like it would be a great place to be. The students there seemed more laid back and friendly and normal than at any other school I visited.
What are the dates of second look? I'd like to go back and see the school again and meet all of you!
 
boardchic said:
Thanks! I appreciate the support.
I'm not sure yet where I'm going... but Pitt definitely seemed like it would be a great place to be. The students there seemed more laid back and friendly and normal than at any other school I visited.
What are the dates of second look? I'd like to go back and see the school again and meet all of you!
The dates for second look are April 8 & 9...looking forward to meeting all of you!
 
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boardchic said:
Thanks! I appreciate the support.
I'm not sure yet where I'm going... but Pitt definitely seemed like it would be a great place to be. The students there seemed more laid back and friendly and normal than at any other school I visited.
What are the dates of second look? I'd like to go back and see the school again and meet all of you!

Second Look Weekend Info:
Arrive by 6:00pm on Friday, April 8. Leave after 2:00pm on Sunday, April 10. I received a packet with information, a schedule and a form about staying with a student that I faxed in. However, I was accepted to the MD/PhD program at Pitt in December so I might just be receiving everything earlier. I'm sure you could get in touch with the Admissions Office for further info.

Financial Aid info (from the email they sent me):
The financial aid section of our website is now ready for you to apply for financial aid for the 2005-2006 academic year.
School of Medicine Need-Based Scholarships and Loans:
The deadline for applications for School of Medicine Need-Based Aid is April 1, 2005. Go to: http://www.medschool.pitt.edu/future/future_04.asp and choose Filing Dates: School of Medicine Need-Based Aid for details and links to the necessary forms.
Please read our instructions carefully before completing your FAFSA.

ONLY Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, and Alternative Loans:
Go to: http://www.medschool.pitt.edu/future/future_04.asp and choose Filing Dates: Stafford and Alternative Loans for suggested filing times, details and links to the necessary forms.

If you have any questions, please contact the office.
Office of Admissions & Financial Aid
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
518 Scaife Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
412-648-9891
 
Just wondering...
a) On a scale of 1 to 10 how certain are you that you'll be attending Pitt in the fall - comments welcome
b) Are you attending second look weekend? What do you expect out of it or what have you heard from others?


a)This is tough- I LOVE this school but it's too expensive and I'm already chin deep in loans. If the research scholarship came through, its beyond 10. We've already picked out our fave real estate postings but I think we're running mainly on optimism.

b) I think I'm coming for the second day. I'm traveling with family so I don't know how many events will be kid/husband friendly. We want to scope out the city and surrounding areas anyway.
 
Without Wax said:
I am going to repeat what I said before. I have lived in many different places, many different countries and by far Pittsburgh is one of the worst cities to live in the world. Depressed people, failing economy, horrible weather, all young people are living Pittsburgh, that is why geriatrics is so big in Pittsburgh

Wow, must have been staying in a REALLY bad part of pittsburgh!

well it is true that the yuppies tend to leave, and that as a result geriatrics is so big, but i think it's more about Pittsburgh not having quite as much interesting varied things to do as maybe a NYC or a DC or an LA (as mwhelan put it so well--btw mwhelan, i remember you from hs!!!! Congrats on Pitt MD PhD!!). But then again, are you going to be going out for fun most of the time, or studying?

Pitt is an awesome med school. I underestimated its caliber before I actually got on the wards, and being outside of pittsburgh currently, I'm constantly surprised by how well known the name is, and how impressed people are by both the medicine and the research goign on at pitt.
 
pinkice said:
The dates for second look are April 8 & 9...looking forward to meeting all of you!

Does anyone know if Pitt pays for students to come out?

I'm hurting for $, but I would still like to visit.
 
criminallyinane said:
Could Seek and Destroy please edit his post to make it clear that I didn't write those things? He added his own comments...

I just wrote a long reply only to have my computer eat it, but basically, I am wondering if you are a current student or not. I was under the impression that training in WISER started in the second year and was a required course... is that untrue? Also, don't EM and gas electives in the fourth year use WISER? How hard could it be to get an EM or gas elective? Those are both huge departments. If the students really don't use WISER at all as you claim, then I am wondering why they take us on that long tour of the facility and show us videos of med students learning in there. Is it all a big lie? :laugh: Bummer...
Hmmm, don't listen to a first or second year on Wiser. Unless things changed (I'm a third year), we typically start going late 2nd year and then continue during select rotations third year, and in many 4th year electives. During anesthesia you go twice/week ,once per week for 4 hours in medicine, and then daily in CCM elective, and in other 4th year electives, including EM, anesthesia, etc. And the CCM elective is popular, but it is held during virtually every period of fourth year, so if you want to do it, you can. I've found Wiser quite useful - when it came time to intubate, etc during anesthesia, I had done it on a dummy which at the time (after intubating "his" esophagus) I thought I had killed. Better to do THAT on a dummy.
 
Tra La La said:
Does anyone know if Pitt pays for students to come out?

I'm hurting for $, but I would still like to visit.

Ditto. The fact that they haven't sent us any info on second look weekend yet and it's only 2.5 weeks away makes me think that they don't. And the closer that weekend gets, the more expensive plane tickets are. They need to get their act together and send us some info soon.
 
PookieGirl said:
Ditto. The fact that they haven't sent us any info on second look weekend yet and it's only 2.5 weeks away makes me think that they don't. And the closer that weekend gets, the more expensive plane tickets are. They need to get their act together and send us some info soon.

I second this. I'm a$$-broke! I'll call them later today and inquire re: details and maybe getting them to help pay for the plane ticket. Jezz! If Case western can pay for people's second looks and put them up in a hotel and ine them and dine them, Pitt ought to be able to as well (Pitt has more money, right?).
 
Tra la la, if your tag line is 'UCLA or UCSF', why do you think Pitt should pay to have you come out for a free vacation? Some people's sense of entitlement is amazing, and good luck in Derm, Optho, Gas, or Rads, I'm sure you'll love the ROAD to life.
 
scott858 said:
Tra la la, if your tag line is 'UCLA or UCSF', why do you think Pitt should pay to have you come out for a free vacation? Some people's sense of entitlement is amazing

Word to your mother.
 
Is anyone from the Northeastern region (Penn, NY, Delaware, etc) who is going to second look weekend interested in car-pooling to Pitt? :D
 
scott858 said:
Tra la la, if your tag line is 'UCLA or UCSF', why do you think Pitt should pay to have you come out for a free vacation? Some people's sense of entitlement is amazing, and good luck in Derm, Optho, Gas, or Rads, I'm sure you'll love the ROAD to life.

C'mon, dude. Don't hate.

I'm seriously considering Pitt. I applied for that academic scholarship program and I would definitely considering attending if I were fortunate enough to receive it.

Right now, however, from a financial standpoint, UCSF or UCLA would be better options (esp. if I got no $$$ from Pitt).
 
scott858 said:
...why do you think Pitt should pay to have you come out for a free vacation?

Since when was going to Pittsburg akin to vacationing?

I'm kidding!
 
Tra La La said:
Since when was going to Pittsburg akin to vacationing?

I'm kidding!



Perhaps you should learn how to spell the name of the city first.....
 
RoccoWJ said:
Perhaps you should learn how to spell the name of the city first.....
RoccoWJ-do you know anything about the Second Look Week-end or when we will get more info about it? Thanks!
 
uptoolate said:
RoccoWJ-do you know anything about the Second Look Week-end or when we will get more info about it? Thanks!

I called the admissions office yesterday and they told me that a current student is in charge of second look and we'll be getting emails about it pretty soon.
 
RoccoWJ said:
Perhaps you should learn how to spell the name of the city first.....

Good one. :thumbup:

Pittsburgh
 
congrats to all who have been accepted! I'm a first year at pitt. It's a great place. Just thought i'd chime in with a few of my thoughts

Weather
I'm from Cali and I've managed to survive the winter. In fact, I kind of liked it. We even had a few anomalous near-60 degree winter days. Only recently have I really begun to want the cold to end. The sun does make an appearance, even in the winter. Though i've heard that this winter was sunnier than usual.

Safety
The part of oakland in which scaife and the hospitals are is perfectly safe. If you cross Forbes Ave into the area where the undergrads live, it starts to look a little sketchy. But there's really no need be in that area. I think i've only walked through there 2 or 3 times. The surrounding neighborhoods are also safe and family friendly.

Transportation
There are about 20 buses stop at the bottom of the hill. Then you can either walk up the hill to scaife, or you can go through Children's and Presby hospitals (I highly recommend this route during the winter). It takes the same amount of time to walk through the hopsitals as it does to walk up the hill. So there's no need to have a car for the purposes of getting to class. In fact, it's better to take the bus because you don't have to deal with parking in oakland. However, it might be nice to have a car for errands, groceries etc. I don't have a car and i haven't had a problem all year. But i am likely going to get a car this summer.

Ruskin
Ruskin is the university-owned apartment building (not dorm) for health professional students (med, dental, nursing etc.). I live there and i think it's great. It's a little pricier than other places that you might find, but i think it's worth it for the convenience. It's a 10-15 minute walk or a 2 minute bus ride+5 minutes to walk through hospitals/up the hill to scaife. Many first years live here. There are studios, efficiencies, one and two bedrooms. The apartments are all very different so don't think that if you've seen one, you've seen them all. I think there will be a few Ruskin folks opening up their apartments for second look so you can get an idea of what they're like.

Second Look
It's the weekend of April 8-10. Last i heard, the online rsvp webpage will be up in the next day or two (don't quote me on that though)

hope that helps.
 
couldn't have said it better myself
 
For those who are interested, check your e-mail for info on Pitt's second look weekend. Hope to meet some of you there! :D
 
I got the email! I'm psyched about second look! See you all there :)
 
criminallyinane said:
I got the email! I'm psyched about second look! See you all there :)

Geez, I'm kinda pi$$ed....I wish Pitt had sent out info re: the weekend weeks ago (so that I could have bought a reasonably-priced ticket). I just paid an arm and a leg for a ticket to Pitt (from Providence, RI). But, it's ok (I keep telling myself this) because I looove Pitt so much...this is an investment (I'm still trying to rationalize the expense).

See you April 8th!!!
 
Due to the expense of buying plane tickets to Pittsburgh and the slowness of train travel, I've decided to drive to Pittsburgh. It's 9 hours from Boston and that's where I'm heading from. Anyone want a ride and willing to help with gas? PM me. I'm leaving on Thursday April 7th sometime between 1-3pm and will return on Sunday, leaving Pitt around noon. If you're on my way to Pittsburgh, I'm happy to pick you up. My husband (also admitted to Pitt for med school) will be joining us for the ride home from Pitt.

Warning: I like to sing in the car.
 
does anyone know when pitt hands out financial aid packages?

thanks
 
CalGoldenBear said:
does anyone know when pitt hands out financial aid packages?

thanks

I asked them that during second look. I've heard conflicting reports from "they go out next week" to "April 20th."
 
ads99 said:
I asked them that during second look. I've heard conflicting reports from "they go out next week" to "April 20th."

I talked to Amber at the financial aid/ admissions office and she said that they get finalized April 20th and sent out thereafter.

ADS--sorry to hear you won't be there. Where did you and your husband decide? My SO and I (who you did meet-- he said you were asking my name on here) are still up in the air but feel good about Pitt right now.

M
 
PookieGirl said:
I talked to Amber at the financial aid/ admissions office and she said that they get finalized April 20th and sent out thereafter.

ADS--sorry to hear you won't be there. Where did you and your husband decide? My SO and I (who you did meet-- he said you were asking my name on here) are still up in the air but feel good about Pitt right now.

M

Right M, I know who you are. Once again, sorry about messing up your name.
Good luck to you and your SO. I'll PM you.

ADS
 
Hey, for those of you who will be going to Pitt next year (congrats!), my friend has an awesome 2-BR apartment to sublet and/or lease. I've seen it, and the space is really huge. It's right on the 71D and 500 bus routes, and they run very frequently. The parking is really cheap too, and we all know how insanely difficult it is to find parking in Oakland. It's available for sublet starting in either July or August, and then the sub-tenants can take over the lease for the following year. So basically, you could stay there from the beginning of July through next August (and then renew if you like it) or from the beginning of this August to the end of next August. It's really a good deal. Here's the Craig's list ad he posted:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/apa/66593908.html

630 Clyde St. Apt. 302

A huge 2 bedroom apartment available July 1st onwards. It is a quick walk to both the UPitt and CMU campuses. It is right on 5th Avenue so you can catch any bus to class since they all go by 5th.

Comes equipped with a dishwasher, furnished with shelves, and comes carpeted. There is even a patio. Washing machine is located in the basement. There is a garage for a very low monthly fee.

PARKING - LOW Pittsburgh residental fee - just need to get a Zone license for 10 bucks for the whole year since this area is zoned. SAVES you $$$.

All utilities included except electricity. It is already wired for DSL/Cable connection.

The floor plan is here. The place is huge, you can easily have 4 people or more live here comfortably.

http://www.prudentialrealty.com/prc/FloorPlans/CS-1002.swf

http://www.prudentialrealty.com/cgi-bin/ezdb.cgi?my_db/prclist+search+display+900000565&

Please contact the Building manager Ron Womble if you want to see the place. Make sure to let him know it is Apt 302, and we can vacate by July 1.

His # is: (412) 621-7563

E-mail me at [email protected] if you have any further questions.
 
Congratulations to the incoming c/o 2009 :clap:

Hi PianoGirl04, hapkidochic, and RoccoWJ. :D
 
Does anyone know when Pitt's start date is? Is there any kind of orientation thing beforehand, and if so when that starts?

(I did search Pitt's website for this but the only 2005-2006 calendar I could find was for 4th years.)

Thanks. :)
 
CaMD said:
Does anyone know when Pitt's start date is? Is there any kind of orientation thing beforehand, and if so when that starts?

(I did search Pitt's website for this but the only 2005-2006 calendar I could find was for 4th years.)

Thanks. :)
I know their White Coat Ceremony is on 8/14 (which is a Sunday) at the other schools I was accepted to the ceremony fell between the end of orientation week and the beginning of classes. Hope this helps
 
pinkice said:
I know their White Coat Ceremony is on 8/14 (which is a Sunday) at the other schools I was accepted to the ceremony fell between the end of orientation week and the beginning of classes. Hope this helps

It does help. Thanks. :) I'd still appreciate exact dates, though, if anyone has those.
 
So, I had a conflict with Pitt's second look weekend, but my parents want me to go check it out again before making a final decision, and I'd like to go check out apartments around Pitt, too. I e-mailed the admissions office about a self-scheduled revisit, but they haven't gotten back to me yet.

So, current Pitt students: any chance I could tag along to class with one of you, and perhaps crash on your floor? Say, May 6th or May 9th? I'm almost certainly going to Pitt, but just to humor my mom... (Or if you have any suggestions for finding someone who'd be willing to take me to class, like e-mailing the people who signed up to host for interviews, post away.)

Thanks!
cw
 
I think this would be useful info for everyone starting Pitt next fall.

I did a search for recommendations for cell phone providers for students at UPitt and only found 1 thread and it recommended Verizon. Can anyone vouch for the quality of any other providers? (Specifically I'm wondering about Cingular. Maybe the new Cingular + ATT is pretty good?)

Did anyone attending 2nd look notice good coverage while wandering Scaif (and any other pertinent areas)?
 
CaMD said:
I think this would be useful info for everyone starting Pitt next fall.

I did a search for recommendations for cell phone providers for students at UPitt and only found 1 thread and it recommended Verizon. Can anyone vouch for the quality of any other providers? (Specifically I'm wondering about Cingular. Maybe the new Cingular + ATT is pretty good?)

Did anyone attending 2nd look notice good coverage while wandering Scaif (and any other pertinent areas)?

I've heard that only Verizon works in Scaife. Not sure about the coverage of the other providers around the rest of campus though.
 
I used AT&T throughout my undergrad career in Pittsburgh. Generally good coverage, can't complain.

Cingular/AT&T in Rochester on the other hand isn't too good. But that's neither here nor there. Well actually it is but you needn't concern yourself with it. Aye cap'n.
 
doc, my Verizon coverage was fine everywhere that weekend, including Scaife and Ruskin. However, I did notice that most of the natives seemed to have Cingular, and while I noticed Cingular stores around, I didn't notice any Verizon stores. But like I said, my phone worked fine and I'm not planning on switching.
 
As for cell phones, I can only vouch for Verizon. Even then there are some dead zones in Scaife (library, 3rd floor teaching lab and Lecture Room 4, where we have all our classes). I've been told by people with other carriers that they get absolutely zero reception in Scaife, but I don't know which carrier they have. I've seen people with Sprint and Cingular phones, but T-mobile seems to be nonexistent.

Cece, if you still have the list, definitely email the interview hosts. Or even the second look hosts. The MS2s won't be able to help you since they're ending spring break and jumping into board studying now. Of the MS1s, one of us could probably help you out. I don't think we have any exams around that time - our big neuro exams are this coming Monday and May 13.
 
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