U Pitt

[SoulRFlare]

Hey all
I'm curious to hear opinions about Pitt: current students, interviewees, ppl who were accepted etc...
I've already read all of the the interview feedback, and I'd like to get more detailed reactions.
I'm interviewing there in December, and any input would be much appreciated.
Thanks

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[mlw03]

for starters, they don't do rolling admissions, so none of us are gonna hear whether we were accepted till early march.

it's a surprisinly impressive school. very solid program it seemed. modern curriculum, good teaching facilities, and the students were very friendly and sounded happy. only downside is it's damn expensive (~ $36K/yr for out-of-state). but definately a pleasant surprise and a place most people should be happy to get into.

 

[Eraserhead]

I just got my interview invite, I probably won't be able to make it till Feb due to money issues.

I'd like to learn more about the school in the meantime as well.

 

[skypilot]

They have a monopoly on the medical care in the area so the hospital is in a huge medical complex of interconnected buildings near a sports stadium in the middle of a college campus of 30,000 students. There are all kinds of restaurants and shops in walking distance, there is a good bus system, rents are cheap and you don't need a car. They are highly ranked for research. It is pass fail and all the classes are held in the morning. They are on a block curriculum which means you only take about 1 and 1/2 classes at a time. Students run the gamut from the laid back P=MD types to the hard driving MD PHD ones. The school looks for the not ultra-competitive students though. Students seemed very happy to be there.

 

[PianoGirl04]

Originally posted by skypilot
They have a monopoly on the medical care in the area so the hospital is in a huge medical complex of interconnected buildings near a sports stadium in the middle of a college campus of 30,000 students. There are all kinds of restaurants and shops in walking distance, there is a good bus system, rents are cheap and you don't need a car. They are highly ranked for research. It is pass fail and all the classes are held in the morning. They are on a block curriculum which means you only take about 1 and 1/2 classes at a time. Students run the gamut from the laid back P=MD types to the hard driving MD PHD ones. The school looks for the not ultra-competitive students though. Students seemed very happy to be there.

You took the words out of my mouth...these were my feelings exactly. It's an up-and-coming school that will probably break the top 15 soon (I think it's 17th or something like that now). However, there's not much housing within walking distance, and it's really expensive (PA residents get a small tuition break, so tuition ends up being around $25K for us).

 

[skypilot]

Originally posted by PianoGirl04
it's really expensive (PA residents get a small tuition break, so tuition ends up being around $25K for us).

You can afford it you're gonna be a doctah!

Actually seems like you save so much on housing and transportation that it might not be so expensive after all.

 

[PianoGirl04]

Originally posted by skypilot
You can afford it you're gonna be a doctah!

Actually seems like you save so much on housing and transportation that it might not be so expensive after all.

Correction: I can afford it AFTER I become a doctor. Now I'm just a poor college student.

That's somewhat true...housing is pretty cheap as cities go, and the entire public transportation system is free for students.

 

[auster]

Originally posted by PianoGirl04
You took the words out of my mouth...these were my feelings exactly. It's an up-and-coming school that will probably break the top 15 soon (I think it's 17th or something like that now). However, there's not much housing within walking distance, and it's really expensive (PA residents get a small tuition break, so tuition ends up being around $25K for us).

Sorry to disagree, but as a current second year, I can say that there is a ton of (relatively) affordable housing that is A) within walking distance (10-15 minute walk, if you take it slow), and B) not in the undergrad area... A bunch of my classmates live in several different somewhat fancy apartment complexes that have beautiful apartments for cheap... Of course, you pay a heck of a lot less if you live in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Bloomfield, Southside, etc...

 

[anxiousone]

i was wondering if anyone was experiencing the same situation as myself:

i turned in my application to upitt 2 months ago. they didn't reject me presecondary, and i'm guessing that's a good thing since they screen (plus, i'm not a pa resident). i would absolutely love to go there for medical school, but have heard no word since, and my status is "under review". do i have a shot at getting an interview? has anyone in the past waited for as long as i have and had any luck? does anyone have any additional info?

 

[PianoGirl04]

Originally posted by auster
Sorry to disagree, but as a current second year, I can say that there is a ton of (relatively) affordable housing that is A) within walking distance (10-15 minute walk, if you take it slow), and B) not in the undergrad area... A bunch of my classmates live in several different somewhat fancy apartment complexes that have beautiful apartments for cheap... Of course, you pay a heck of a lot less if you live in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Bloomfield, Southside, etc...

That's good to hear. My comments were based on what several people had told me as well as what I heard when I interviewed, but it's definitely better to hear what students have to say about this. For the most part, I was referring to the fact that a lot of students live in Shadyside because, well, "affordable" is a relative term. (So is "walking distance," for that matter.) Anyway, this was one of the only things that turned me off to Pitt...if it's not true, then great!

I just realized that I wasn't too clear in my first post...I meant that close housing was rare, but tuition was expensive (not that housing was expensive). Just in case anyone thinks I'm contradicting myself here.

 

[Bridaddy]

Originally posted by auster
Sorry to disagree, but as a current second year, I can say that there is a ton of (relatively) affordable housing that is A) within walking distance (10-15 minute walk, if you take it slow), and B) not in the undergrad area... A bunch of my classmates live in several different somewhat fancy apartment complexes that have beautiful apartments for cheap... Of course, you pay a heck of a lot less if you live in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Bloomfield, Southside, etc...

....and get shot (not kidding). My girlfriend goes to undergrad there, and he is right that there is affordable housing in walking/bus distance. I don't care all that much for the area because of the "local" population, but besides that, the surrounding area is great.

 

[SoulRFlare]

Originally posted by Bridaddy
....and get shot (not kidding).

This seems to be a problem with many urban schools...My sister goes to UCin, which is surrounded by some fairly tough neighborhoods. And Hopkins, where there are guards on every corner of campus.

 

[Sean2tall]

Get shot? That's crazy . . those neighborhoods are, for the most part, really nice! I have never heard anyone call Shadyside, Bloomfield, or Squirrel Hill a bad neighborhood before.

Anyway, I think Pitt would be a really nice school. As mentioned earlier, the hospital system is top-notch and it's the only game in town. They seem to be innovative with all they do. . minimally competitive and the block curriculum and so on. Plus there is a lot of cool stuff to do in Pittsburgh. Is it obvious that I am a Pittsburgh boy?

Sean

 

[auster]

Originally posted by Bridaddy
....and get shot (not kidding). My girlfriend goes to undergrad there, and he is right that there is affordable housing in walking/bus distance. I don't care all that much for the area because of the "local" population, but besides that, the surrounding area is great.

That's just not true - Shadyside and Sq. Hill are about the safest neighborhoods you can imagine in a city (other than the ultra ritzy parts of a city), and Bloomfield and the Southside are also both quite safe. I am not sure what you are looking for - but perhaps living in a bubble and never going out will provide the safety you seek? Even Oakland is safe - there are parts that I would avoid at night, but I have no problem standing outside at midnight to get a bus anywhere near the hospitals/medschool.

 

[Bridaddy]

Please.

I know of people who have been shot at. I can provide dates and time, and you can check the police reports. Squirell Hill has a prodominately jewish population, and by my experience is fairly safe.

That others areas are not what I would consider safe. I had a run-in with a violent panhandler and ended up having to call the police and file a report. He would constantly get drunk in the same place and after he wouldn't get his money, he'd threaten to slash tires and go get his "boys" from shadyside to come and stab me. This was a reoccuring problem, that is still going on.

You don't know me, so go take your bubble analogy and shove it where the sun don't shine. I'm sure D.C. appears to be a lovely, crime-free city to some people, and to others (at least it use to be) the murder capital of the US.

 

[beamiestface]

I lived in Shadyside this summer, and I definitely felt safe. I'm a 5'0" tall female and I hardly thought twice about walking by myself after dark.

 

[DrBodacious]

Originally posted by beamiestface
I lived in Shadyside this summer, and I definitely felt safe. I'm a 5'0" tall female and I hardly thought twice about walking by myself after dark.

I'd think twice, bad stuff happens in really small towns. Don't freak out but think twice.

 

[turkdlit]

Yeah, Pittsburgh is a "small town"...and as for Shadyside, its full of yuppies too worried about getting they're fur coats in the sludge during winter, let alone to bother some poor student. Pittsburgh is a very safe place to life and has one the nations lowest homicide rates. The only places you gotta look out for are The Hill DIstrict, East Liberty, maybe Friendship...you wouldn't live these places anyways if you went to Pitt Med...

 

[KBCoch]

I'm an MSI at Pitt, and I absolutely love it here! I really can't say enough. Make sure that you get a really thorough look on your interview day. I actually had a bad first impression on my interview day based on meager information. Luckily, I came back for second look weekend and saw a lot more of the city and met a lot more students.

In my opinion, Pitt is the ultimate in balance. It's balanced btw lecture and small groups. It's balanced btw science and non-science classes. Students work hard and play hard (almost harder sometimes). The faculty is great, and I actually love Pittsburgh. It seems that people who only visit Pittsburgh get a bad impression, but people who live in Pittsburgh love it. Also, I would say not to worry too much about being in walking distance. I thought I would want to be in walking distance too, but taking the bus to school is actually really convenient depending on where you live. There are actually three different FREE buses that I can take to school every morning (all the buses are free with your Pitt ID). So many students live within walking distance of each other and of places where everyone hangs out. I'm actually glad that I take the bus rather than walking.

I would be happy to answer any questions about Pitt. Students here are really happy and most of us like to gush about it.