What's so great about Upitt?

[angietron3000]

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I know I've seen a ton of SDNers raving about UPitt, I already have one acceptance but I just got their secondary today.. what makes them so great? should I send in the secondary? tell me something nice about upitt 🙂

 

[unfrozencaveman]

I am also really curious about this- I have an interview in a couple of weeks there...

 

[Rendar5]

They're just a really nice school, have a ton of animatronic dummies (no school will match them), a history of medicine elective if i remember right, and are one of the best EM programs around, though that's more residency than med school. I dunno. 2 years ago they were the second-most impressive school i interviewed at (Stanford was more impressive for me, but I think part of that was it was my first time in CA, and i got to have really warm weather while it was winter in NYC). I'm sure not everyone'll like it. I dunno, I just had a great experience there. (got in, but decided staying in NYC was right at the time for me. I do think that I would like to go there for EM residency, though).

 

[VFTW]

Dynamic curriculum, responsive administration, caring classmates, intelligent peers, incredible faculty, the best and biggest hospital system in the region, excellent specialty programs, a huge transplant service, EM is great, peds is great, psych is great, lots of great programs. A top-15 school that isn't all about resting on their laurels, but really wants to keep improving. You'll be in a top-notch environment with top-notch resources and peers. It is honestly one of the best medical schools in the country.

 

[hardy]

Nothing really... it's just that their marketing from the last few years starts to work. Pitt was nothing until UPMC started to buy up all hospitals in the region.

Oh, and before deciding, take a close look at Pittsburgh. Do you really want to spend 4 years there?

 

[DarkFark]

Nothing really... it's just that their marketing from the last few years starts to work. Pitt was nothing until UPMC started to buy up all hospitals in the region.

Oh, and before deciding, take a close look at Pittsburgh. Do you really want to spend 4 years there?

I didn't find the city of Pittsburgh to be bad at all. Part of that is I'm used to Baltimore, but nonetheless, it has some really nice aesthetics now that the steel mills aren't filling the sky with smog. Crime wise, they are safer than most of the east coast.

Also, if UPMC has the cash to be buying AND building new hospitals and labs, then why is that a problem?

 

[dilated]

Nothing really... it's just that their marketing from the last few years starts to work. Pitt was nothing until UPMC started to buy up all hospitals in the region.

Oh, and before deciding, take a close look at Pittsburgh. Do you really want to spend 4 years there?

What are you talking about? I grew up near Pittsburgh and UPMC has always been the premiere academic research center in the region. The only difference is that as it has grown it has eaten into the business of the community hospitals.

And as far as cities for medical students go, Pittsburgh is very solid. Lots of college students, decent nightlife and stuff to do, pretty safe, absolutely dirt cheap cost of living. Only real downside is crappy weather. Personally I'd definitely take it over any of the rural schools (Penn State and Dartmouth come to mind) and some cities (I don't want to live in NYC as a med student), although I'm not sure I want to go back right now.

 

[medicomel]

what's up with the weather? could you elaborate???

 

[hardy]

And as far as cities for medical students go, Pittsburgh is very solid. Lots of college students, decent nightlife and stuff to do, pretty safe, absolutely dirt cheap cost of living. Only real downside is crappy weather. Personally I'd definitely take it over any of the rural schools (Penn State and Dartmouth come to mind) and some cities (I don't want to live in NYC as a med student), although I'm not sure I want to go back right now.

I went to Pitt for undergrad and want to get out of this city. The economy here is crumbling badly. I suggest applicants go downtown and have a look at the stores, that explains everything!

 

[prana_md]

what's up with the weather? could you elaborate???

Please? Details? I feel so stupid when I have to ask this question in real life.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Please? Details? I feel so stupid when I have to ask this question in real life.

It is very, very cold in winter, and that lasts for a good five months. Need I say more? 😉

 

[medicomel]

hmmm. yep, sounds like they have similar weather to the windy city. 😉

 

[waterlily]

It's funny because I applied to Pitt but I decided that I wouldn't submit their secondary b/c I applied to too many schools already and I didn't know much about Pitt anyways. I ended up getting a pre-secondary interview invite so I thought mind as well go. So I went there not expecting much. Also, I had a bad cold when I interviewed so my energy level was totally low and felt like crap. Despite all that, I was completely impressed with the school and I've been on tons of interviews already and Pitt is probably one of the only schools that I was really impressed with. Pitt is definitely one of my top choices now. Pittsburgh is a cool city, and the faculty and students I met there were one of the nicest that I've met at any school. I think you just have to go there and see for yourself...it's just the very positive atmosphere there.

 

[medicomel]

i was the same way...kinda half-hearted about going there for an interview. i walked away feeling like it was my top choice. i loved the facilities, organization of the curriculum, vibe from the stuedents, and the city.

 

[dilated]

what's up with the weather? could you elaborate???

The aforementioned cold (which you're really going to get at practically any good school), definitely nowhere near as bad as Chicago, but also it tends to be cloudy and gray very often, especially in the winter. I'm sure you can get the % of overcast days, last I remember it wasn't that far behind Seattle. It doesn't rain that much, but it's kind of depressing in December. 😛

I went to Pitt for undergrad and want to get out of this city. The economy here is crumbling badly. I suggest applicants go downtown and have a look at the stores, that explains everything!

That's ridiculous. Yes, the downtown corridor is largely dead now, but guess what - it's because people don't want to go there because of all the other major shopping complexes that have opened lately. The reason the downtown department stores died is because parking is a pain and everyone would rather go to Waterworks and now South Side Works (which is a new, huge mall thingy about 10 minutes away from Pitt med by bus).

Not that the Pittsburgh economy is booming or anything, but it's silly to claim that the downtown retail corridor has any meaning. Pitt is rolling in cash now and the biomedical/scientific field is exploding, which is all that a medical student probably cares about.

 

[funshine]

I know I've seen a ton of SDNers raving about UPitt, I already have one acceptance but I just got their secondary today.. what makes them so great? should I send in the secondary? tell me something nice about upitt 🙂

Hey, seeing this thread just made me decide to complete my UPitt secondary after all 🙂 .

In defense of the weather, I have to say it's NOT that bad. It may be cloudy today, but it's also very bright outside, and fall is gorgeous here! We definitely get a decent number of blue sunshiny days, and you learn to appreciate them.

 

[gujuDoc]

I think I've mentioned this before, but a friend of mine now in med school, interviewed at UPitt and Vandy last year along with like 4 or 5 other schools.

He was most impressed with Upitt and Vandy, but sadly got waitlisted at both. Oh well, he's doing well where he ended up going so it worked out anyways.

But I believe he said it was something about the clinical facilities at those two schools that impressed him sooooo much.

 

[tigress]

Pitt, why won't you give me an interview???????????????????????????????
🙁 😡 😕 😎


(It seems like everybody who's gotten an interview was either pre-secondary or within a few days of submitting their secondary. Is anybody an exception to this rule? Because if not, I have nothing to lose by mercilessly begging for an interview. If there are exceptions, I'd probably be better of waiting to see what they decide on their own 😛)

 

[ti89]

Pitt, why won't you give me an interview???????????????????????????????
🙁 😡 😕 😎


(It seems like everybody who's gotten an interview was either pre-secondary or within a few days of submitting their secondary. Is anybody an exception to this rule? Because if not, I have nothing to lose by mercilessly begging for an interview. If there are exceptions, I'd probably be better of waiting to see what they decide on their own 😛)

I'm an exception (submit Aug 14th ish and then got interview end of sept).

 

[tigress]

I'm an exception (submit Aug 14th ish and then got interview end of sept).

woohoo! thanks for the hope 🙂
and congrats on the interview 👍

 

[imrep1972]

woohoo! thanks for the hope 🙂
and congrats on the interview 👍

I"m another exception. Complete early Aug, IV'd 9/20