University of Pittsburgh - ComputersCollege Prowler3.46

Computers:

B

(explain this grade)

Comparable Schools'
Computers Grades:

Quick Stats

Wireless Access

Yes - Resident halls, academic buildings, student union, library

24-Hour Labs?

Yes - David Lawrence and Sutherland Hall (Tuesday–Thursday)

Computer Labs

7 - total

Operating Systems

  • Linux
  • Mac OS X
  • Sun Solaris
  • Windows XP

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

Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:

JanisC says:

University of Pittsburgh 2012

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

No Wireless in the Dorms

D

Despite claims that the wireless on the rest of campus can often be accessed from the dorms, signal is intermittent at best and the quality of the wireless is poor. I've gotten speeds of as low as 2 mbps and have never observed much higher than 60-70mbps on the wireless. Pitt claims to have high speed internet access, but even on a wired connection, the service is only average at best. There is no file sharing at Pitt, either, as the school is adamant that there be no illegal activity taking place on their self-policed network. Additionally, students are not allowed to have a router in their rooms, making the lack of wireless even more problematic. If you have a desktop or only use your computer at a desk, being chained to the wall isn't much of a problem, but otherwise it's best to invest in a long, durable cable. On the other hand all the dorms with lounges have low signal (to prevent access outside the lounge) wireless internet available for use.

Computers: February 12, 2010
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Midnight0247 says:

University of Pittsburgh 2015

Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences

Easy Access Computer Labs

A-

The computer labs are very accessible. There are many located all throughout campus and some are open 24 hours. There is almost always an open computer. The wireless internet is very reliable all over the campus.

Computers: March 17, 2010
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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.

Computers
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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.

Computers
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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.

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Facts

Charged to Print?

No

Special Software & Hardware Discounts

Adobe products, ArcView, Clementine 7.1, EndNote, Mathcad, Mathematica, Minitab, Oracle, SAS Statistical Software, S-Plus, SPSS

Free Software

Mac OSX, Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visual Studio NET, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Mulberry, Norton AntiVirus

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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