University of Pittsburgh class of 2013

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
clinicallabguy

clinicallabguy

Larry N. Gology
15+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
Messages
303
Reaction score
77
I didn't see a thread for Pittsburgh, so I'm starting one. I'm super excited to be accepted at Pitt. Who wants to join the party? :D
Members don't see this ad.
 
It's about time someone made one of these :) Welcome to Pitt!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I'm currently Wait Listed.... But hoping to join the party... Can't believe I have to wait till late May or June!!!! (Or later!!!....or not at all!!!)


This is by far my top choice.
 
It's Pittsburgh for sure now! I was waiting on my state school's decision before I decided. But, since they declined I know where I'm going to be in 7 months! It's going to be Pittsburgh!
 
clinicallabguy said:
It's Pittsburgh for sure now! I was waiting on my state school's decision before I decided. But, since they declined I know where I'm going to be in 7 months! It's going to be Pittsburgh!
Click to expand...

Welcome! :)
 
Hey guys. Just wanted to say hello. I was actually accepted to Pitt Med on Oct 17 (what can I say, I remember because it was a wonderful day!). Didn't realize that anyone had created a thread for the Class of '13. Not sure where I'll end up yet...but I LOVED PITT!! I also really really enjoyed the town, don't know why it gets a bad rep! Cheers.
 
Hey guys,
Congrats on all your acceptances!
Does anyone know when second look is?
 
Hi all, congrats to everyone!

I think I'll be going to Pitt and loved the school from what I saw on my interview, but I'm a little wary of the city. I stopped by Wendy's after the interview and the guy at the counter looked at me and was like, "Wow, you speak English really good!" and as an Asian from Los Angeles, I was kind of in shock. I mean, I laughed it off and the guy seemed to be genuine in his compliment, but that would NEVER happen in LA.

So, although I love the school, I have this weird feeling about the city, like it's still in the dark ages in terms of race... I know I'm making rash judgments based on one encounter, so I'm hoping someone out there who knows the city well can dispel this sinking feeling I have about moving to Pittsburgh...!
 
Last edited:
yankeehotel said:
Hi all, congrats to everyone!

I think I'll be going to Pitt and loved the school from what I saw on my interview, but I'm a little wary of the city. I stopped by Wendy's after the interview and the guy at the counter looked at me and was like, "Wow, you speak English really good!" and as an Asian from Los Angeles, I was kind of in shock. I mean, I laughed it off and the guy seemed to be genuine in his compliment, but that would NEVER happen in LA.

So, although I love the school, I have this weird feeling about the city, like it's still in the dark ages in terms of race... I know I'm making rash judgments based on one encounter, so I'm hoping someone out there who knows the city well can dispel this sinking feeling I have about moving to Pittsburgh...!
Click to expand...

That's funny...it reminds me of one of my first experiences with Pittsburgh. I was flying in for my interview (from San Jose) way back in 1999. The nice elderly couple sitting next to me was from Pittsburgh. They were proudly telling me how diverse Pittsburgh was...one of them said, "We have Poles, Czechs, Germans, Italians and Irish all living together" I politely choked back my laughter and let them continue to extol the virtues of Pittsburgh. One of the last things they said to me was that Pittsburgh is like a fungus...it will grow on you. Funny thing is that they were right. I have many fond memories of my time at Pitt and of Pittsburgh...they even made a Steelers fan out of me (after the Forty-Niners of course). If you decide to go to Pitt, I'm sure you won't regret it.
 
just wanted to join the party and say hello...i was excited when i received "the call"...pittsburgh is a decent city with a country town feel......everyone gets along for the most part especially for the steelers....this is steeler country.....i drew up in the pittsburgh area and i really enjoyed it.....not much during college because i was never home much....but one thing that pitt has alot of is culture....i always knew it was a great place to raise kids and looks like ill be raising my son there....and if its such a great town to raise a child why wouldnt it be great for anyone else?
 
Hey everyone.

Just wanted to say hello as a future member of the Pitt SOM class of 2013! I totally fell in love with Pitt at my interview and am really excited to be there for the next four years. I've never lived on the east coast (Californian born and raised) so I'm really looking forward to the change (never lived in snow before :p). I'm pretty sure that I want to do the Global Health area of concentration, so if anyone has any feedback about that program, I'd be glad to hear about it.

Can't wait to meet my future classmates at revisit in April :) (which I believe is April 2-4).
 
hey everybody! I'm really happy to be considering Pitt. unfortunately, i probably won't be able to go to second look :( Is anyone from SDN going and if so can they fill us in about the info provided?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
creamsicle said:
Hey everyone.

Just wanted to say hello as a future member of the Pitt SOM class of 2013! I totally fell in love with Pitt at my interview and am really excited to be there for the next four years. I've never lived on the east coast (Californian born and raised) so I'm really looking forward to the change (never lived in snow before :p). I'm pretty sure that I want to do the Global Health area of concentration, so if anyone has any feedback about that program, I'd be glad to hear about it.

Can't wait to meet my future classmates at revisit in April :) (which I believe is April 2-4).
Click to expand...


i'm from ca too! are you from nor cal or so cal? i'm from the bay area
 
I just asked this in the secondary thread, but for those of you going to second look--have you heard about who your host is (or if you have a host for sure)? Thanks!!

EDIT: Heard from my host today.

And DRLyss--I'd be happy to tell you about second look!
 
Last edited:
Hey everyone. I wasn't able to go to second look. How was it? Was there any really important information that I need to know?

If there was it would be great if someone could PM me?

Question for current Pitt students: I haven't heard back from financial aid, but I think that I will either have to ask Pitt to expand the student budget for me or get private loans. I am married and will have two kids when I start, so the ~$17,000/yr student budget for cost of living probably won't hack it. Do you think I can get them to expand it, or am I stuck with private loans? Thanks.

I will probably talk to the Fin Aid department after I hear back about my award status.
 
clinicallabguy said:
Hey everyone. I wasn't able to go to second look. How was it? Was there any really important information that I need to know?

If there was it would be great if someone could PM me?

Question for current Pitt students: I haven't heard back from financial aid, but I think that I will either have to ask Pitt to expand the student budget for me or get private loans. I am married and will have two kids when I start, so the ~$17,000/yr student budget for cost of living probably won't hack it. Do you think I can get them to expand it, or am I stuck with private loans? Thanks.

I will probably talk to the Fin Aid department after I hear back about my award status.
Click to expand...

The way financial aid is set up (here and everywhere) is that you can't get federal and certain private student loans for above the cost of attendance budget that they give. That said, I would call the financial aid office and talk to someone and express your concerns based on your current situation. They are able to increase the cost of attendance budget if you meet certain criteria that can be documented and the increases are proportional to what these extra circumstances and costs are. Financial aid offices get audited by the government from time to time to make sure that they meet the government standards for what they assign to cost of living expenses.
 
I just got off the WL and I'm looking forward to meeting other students who will be in my class!
Does anyone have any idea where they'd like to live yet?
 
Last edited:
Congrats Miss Doc!
I'm sure Ill be going to Pitt, but I have no idea where to live. My interview host lived in the Oak Hill Apartments in Oakland and their place was super nice/clean/big/cheap, but I've been told by several sources that Oakland is not a good place to live... so I dunno.
Are you considering that summer program?
 
Last edited:
Hi Slade,
Thanks, and congratulations to you too!
I'm definitely going to the summer program, I think it would be a good opportunity to check things out! I've heard the same things about Oakland too. I've been looking at apartments in Shadyside, I heard that that's a good neighborhood and close enough to the school to be convenient. I'm so excited I can hardly wait. I'm glad to meet someone else who will be there as well!
 
Slade said:
Congrats Miss Doc!
I'm sure Ill be going to Pitt, but I have no idea where to live. My interview host lived in the Oak Hill Apartments in Oakland and their place was super nice/clean/big/cheap, but I've been told by several sources that Oakland is not a good place to live... so I dunno.
Are you considering that summer program?
Click to expand...

my boyfriend and i were going to look at one of the oak hill apartments...until i read reviews online that talked about drug deals and how you should buy a gun if you were going to live there.
 
I agree. I would probably stay away from the oak hill apartments based on reviews. Apparently they're trying to change things, but Darragh is probably a lot better for that location (albeit more expensive, I'm sure). As for living in oakland, I wouldn't say it's overall a bad place to live. If you live in South Oakland, you're with most undergrads. I've lived in north oakland for 5 years and have been happy. On Bellefield/Dithridge there are a few apartment buildings that students live in and are affordable/within walking distance to school. I've never had to take the bus to the hospitals. I lived in the Pennsylvania on Dithridge and have been pretty happy with it.
 
Welcome to the Class of 2013! As far as housing, I'd like to make a vote for checking out Squirrel Hill. The rent tends to be a tad on the cheaper side than Shadyside and personally, I think it has more amenities. There are two movie theatres plus a grocery store, a bookstore, and several, um, bakeries ;) It's also nestled between two great parks and there are about a dozen buses that will take you to and from Oakland. There's also just this great sense of a "neighborhood" with people invested in something more than school, something that I think takes on a new meaning when med school gets "all consuming."
 
Hi,

I am an entering M1 (class of 2013) at UPitt and I was hoping to find out both the experiences of previous students as well as whether people in the same class as me are going to participate in this program. I am going to medical school directly after undergrad and hope to get an academic edge through this program. I wouldn't really be in it for the whole diversity/settling-in/house-hunting/exploring-the-city aspect of the program. Does anyone have any advice they could share or personal experiences with the program?

Thank you.
 
So to all the current students out there, are there any annual formals/dances hosted by Pitt? Should I bring any dresses with me? :laugh:
Also, what's the word on the Darragh Street Apartments? Do people generally like them? Thanks.
 
Miss Doc 2 B said:
So to all the current students out there, are there any annual formals/dances hosted by Pitt? Should I bring any dresses with me? :laugh:
Also, what's the word on the Darragh Street Apartments? Do people generally like them? Thanks.
Click to expand...

yup, there are a couple dances each year. and there is a semi-formal dinner during orientation that you'll want to dress up for.

i think the main appeal of the darragh apartments is that they're super close to the school. i don't think you get much space for the price you're paying, so you're really paying mainly for the convenience of being nearby and being able to wake up 10 minutes before class starts. people do seem to like the apartments, from what i've heard. consider, though, whether or not you want to live in the same building as a bunch of your classmates--i thought it might feel too much like a dorm haha. and when i'm not in class, i like to escape--not that i don't love my classmates! i just don't want to be around them 24/7 :p

i think the darragh st apartments are a good way to meet people, though
 
From an outgoing member of the class of 2009 (originally 2003), welcome to PittMed! The city really IS going to grow on you -- I fell in love not just with the town and the Steelers (which you will learn to pronounce "Stillers"), but with a Pittsburgh girl who I'll soon be marrying. The med school itself has some very bright spots and some very dark holes, but overall, you're going to do well if you come here.

That said: I'm having to leave the Burgh because the best academic route for me was on the other side of the country. If anyone's looking to buy (i.e., you're MD/PhD, CSTP, or have some kind of long-term plan here), I have a two-bedroom condo for sale in an insanely great location in Squirrel Hill. (It might also be available for rental, pending condo board approval.)

Photos etc. available here. Price negotiable for a fellow Pitt student. PM if interested.
 
doc 2 b, I think all of the university-owned buildings (including the Darragh appartments) are completely taken. I called a couple of times but they don't even have a waitlist... There's a million places on Craigslist though, just look for appartments in Oakland (the area immediately surrounding the school) or Shaydside (nicer, but a little further away) for example. :)
 
Im there like swimwear! Lol...
 
Does anyone have specific recommendations for apartment complexes in Shadyside or Squirrel Hill?
 
Would someone who has received their financial aid letter mind posting the 2009-2010 tuition, cost of living, etc breakdown? I should get my letter soon but I'm curious to see what the latest numbers are!
 
Last edited:
It seems like no one lives in the dorms. Is there a reason for this? Can someone tell me pros and cons of that? The admission form asks where you're going to live, and I can't really decide without knowing the ins and outs of both options...
 
I think the dorms are only for undergrad. If you're talking about the Darragh appartments, I think those are pretty full.
 
Yeah that's what I meant - the Darragh Apts. That's the "on campus" option for Pitt Med students right? What are the pros and cons of living there?
 
pros - convenience
cons - price, and basically, they're full, so it's probably not even an option at this point, maybe next year?
 
So are people doing Comcast or Verizon Fios or Verizon High Speed (is that just DSL?) for internet? I've been comparing packages, but I was wondering if anyone actually has any of these services yet, how they perform, and what they really cost. I'm from an area with Cox so I have no experience with these ISPs. Thanks!
 
Mnterayjack said:
So are people doing Comcast or Verizon Fios or Verizon High Speed (is that just DSL?) for internet? I've been comparing packages, but I was wondering if anyone actually has any of these services yet, how they perform, and what they really cost. I'm from an area with Cox so I have no experience with these ISPs. Thanks!
Click to expand...

most people around here will be doing comcast. in my apartment, that's the only option--verizon fios hasn't reached everywhere in pittsburgh yet and most apartment buildings won't let you put a dish up.
 
Am I the only one that's not in Pittsburgh, yet? I saw the letter on the zone that recommends that we be there by August 2nd, but I'm not even leaving until August 3rd and arriving on August 6th or 7th.

Down to the wire!

Anyway, I'm excited to meet you all a week from Sunday! This is exciting and nerve racking at the same time.
 
clinicallabguy said:
Am I the only one that's not in Pittsburgh, yet? I saw the letter on the zone that recommends that we be there by August 2nd, but I'm not even leaving until August 3rd and arriving on August 6th or 7th.

Down to the wire!

Anyway, I'm excited to meet you all a week from Sunday! This is exciting and nerve racking at the same time.
Click to expand...

I am moving in Sunday to Oak Hills. It is gonna suck since I threw my back out today.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MedScat
Temple University (LKSOM) MD Class of 2022!
Replies
25
Views
9K
formerfinancefuturedoctor
F
L
La Universidad Central del Caribe class of 2021
Replies
2
Views
2K
Janedoe7
J
D
Quinnipiac (Netter) Class of 2020
Replies
49
Views
7K
loconoko
L
S
2012-2013 University of Michigan Application Thread | Allopathic
Replies
0
Views
1K
sk943821
S
F
2012-2013 Ponce School of Medicine Application Thread
2
Replies
99
Views
22K
HirsuteAnthony
H
Top