University of Pittsburgh - Computers

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Pitt's high-speed network supports all of the connections on campus, which include every residence hall, seven public computing labs, and e-mail kiosks scattered across campus. Students are happy with both the network speed and the University's support resources. There are trained technicians in every computing lab, one of which is opened 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the school year. In addition, the Technology Help Desk is continually staffed with technicians to help students work through computer problems. For those who bring their own computers, Pitt's networking assistants (ResNet) can come to your dorm room to directly assist with software troubles.

The University's computing services are expanding every year and are continuing to grow. A wireless network is available in most areas of campus, including dorm common areas, which allows students with laptops more freedom to work where they choose. Despite this growth, the facilities still lag behind some students’ needs. Labs can get very crowded during the day and during finals, and computers and kiosks are known for being slow when there is a high usage. If you're looking for a quiet place to work, be sure to check out the top floors of the Hillman Library, the Sutherland Hall lab, and Alumni Hall—these seem to be the less crowded. It's also common to find people waiting in line to use the lab's PC while the Mac and Linux computers remain open. It's beneficial to try these computers out when you have some time to learn your way around their operating systems to save time in the future.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Each residence hall has Internet... Each residence hall has Internet connections in all of their rooms, which is great if you have your own computer. The connection is lightning fast, and you definitely get spoiled. When you go home and use your regular Internet connection, you get so mad at it because it goes so much slower than the one you use at Pitt. 12345 Computers Report

Anonymous says:

Having your own computer is a must... Having your own computer is a must for almost any college, and this is just as true at Pitt. The dorms are equipped with high-speed Internet that has remarkably few problems or network outages. Bandwidth is definitely not an issue, and network/technology resources are relatively easy to access. There are quite a few computer labs on campus, so generally, crowding isn’t an issue; however, lab computers are notoriously slow and annoying. 12345 Computers Report

Anonymous says:

Don’t even think about... Don’t even think about procrastinating on papers around midterm and finals time, at least if you use the labs. They get crazy! Everyone fights for computers when it comes down to crunch time. That’s one of the nice things about bringing your own computer—you don’t ever have to wait at the lab. 12345 Computers Report

Anonymous says:

The residence hall network is... The residence hall network is average in and of itself—not great, not awful—but Computing Services offers timely and efficient service and help to students. The computer labs themselves are usually not too busy, and there are enough labs close to one another to accommodate the overflow. Having your own computer is convenient, but much less necessary than at other universities. 12345 Computers Report

Anonymous says:

The computer network is amazingly... The computer network is amazingly fast. It rarely goes down. The computer labs are almost never crowded, except for peak times during the day, such as around lunch time. Whether to bring a computer or not is up to you, but I know that I keep one just for convenience sake. 12345 Computers Report

Facts

Did You Know?

You can check out where the wireless network is available, as well as find information about computing labs, Pitt's remote printing program, e-mail kiosks, student software, and residential networking at www.technology.pitt.edu/for_students.html.

The Pitt Technology Help Desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to consult with students, faculty, and staff on computer problems and information services. To contact the help desk, call (412) 624-HELP.

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