University of Pittsburgh
Reviews

Good but Limited

Pitt dining is not terrible, but dining halls offer a very limited menu. There are only two on campus that accept "Dining Passes," which offer an all-you-can-eat buffet to students that are open until midnight every night. I definitely got tired of the food offered at the dining halls because they serve the same things every day. In terms of using you "Dining Dollars," which work at several places on campus and work the same way as cash, there are many more options. These range from sit-down restaurants to coffee carts located at various locations on campus. Pitt does not offer a lot of meal plan options for freshmen, and the ones that they do offer are huge. I would suggest more Dining Dollars than Dining Passes, because you WILL get sick of eating Market Central every day, and not as big of a meal plan as an upperclassman if you choose to get a meal plan.

Tough but Fair

The variety of courses Pitt offers are incredible (last semester I took a class on vampires!). The curriculum is tough, and the professors expect a lot from their students but that is how they understand who deserves to be there and who really doesn't care about their education. They are ALWAYS available to offer help though, and provide you with the resources to succeed (such as the math center, the writing center, or personal tutors). It's not easy but if it was- it wouldn't be worth your time.

Psych at Pitt

The psychology department at Pitt is known for its outstanding research and opportunities in the community. With Western Psychiatric Institute right on campus, students can volunteer and intern there and get ahead in the tough job market. The teachers in this department are tough but fair, and the material is very up-to-date and often incorporates the newest studies and experiments (even some conducted right on our campus) that have changed and influenced the field of psychology positively.

Pitt Is It.

I absolutely love it here. The campus is ideal if you like the urban environment. There's ALWAYS something to do! You can go see a movie, go shopping, eat great off campus food in the South Side Works, a 5 min bus ride away (and you ride the buses free as a pitt student). There are also multiple art museums and the Phipps conservatory which we get free admission to. Pitt has a vast variety of majors, so if you're undecided, this is a great school for you. It's also an accreditted university so whatever major you choose, you'll get a good education. People put Pitt down for being a large school, but I personally like it; it's like a "small world" kind of school, if you know what I mean. You can have a close group of friends then a lot of acquaintances. Also, you can have an embarassing crazy night at a party and you won't be known as "that guy/girl" around campus like you would at a small school. Speaking of parties, Pitt is a bit of a party school. If you like to drink, you'll find good parties at the frats on upper campus as well as good house parties in south oakland. If you don't like to drink that's cool too, I don't find Pitt to be a place where people put pressure on you to drink. As far as activites go, Pitt holds a club fair each semester, which is very eye opening to everything going on. You can also join intramural sports easily,if you aren't at the varisty or even club level. Dorms are also pretty nice at Pitt. If you're a girl, try to live in Holland. It's all girls and no air conditioning BUT the rooms are incredibly spacious. I lived there my freshman year. Towers rooms are very small but there is AC and it's a very social dorm. Both Towers and Holland are the most common freshman dorms and they have the BEST locations on campus. Going back to Pitt's size, even though it's large, you can always find what you need and people to help you. I swear there's a department for everything. Computer Services, Study Abroad Office, Housing Department, etc etc etc. Ok I've rambled on enough. Choose Pitt! HAIL TO PITT!

I Love My Major

the professors are nice, helpful, and I'm very satisfied

All Over the Place

There's several computer labs all over campus equipped with Macs and PCs, but when the labs are crowded they can be a little slow. However, we can rent out the library's laptops and scanners, and we can even text a number and a computer lab and get a text back saying how many computers are open.

Hard Work

Pitt has gotten increasingly selective with its admissions. You'll have professors who expect a lot out of you. But, if you got in, chances are you can handle it. The great thing is that your peers are just as smart as you.

Registration Process

Registration dates/times goes by credits, so even if youre a freshman if you came in with AP credits you will register for classes before other freshman who didn't and as you get older you get to register earlier and earlier so as you get older you're more likely to get classe syou want and at time syou want, but generally I haven't had many problems. Even if a class is full professors will often let you in if you emil them.

Loving It

Love University of Pittsburgh, it has so much opportunity and everything is very accessible and you can find anything within any budget. Students get great discounts!

FREE

Never have any problems getting around campus or the city! Its all free with student ID.

ALL Accepted

See all students interacting and participating in eveything together and have never seen any type of harrasement.

Always an Interesting Experience

I know from many of my 21+ friends that the bar scene is a good time and there are plenty of options. However for someone underage like myself, its either a house party, fraternity party, or just hanging out in a dorm/apartment. Pitt's transportation system is very well and I use it often when getting places as well as using the city's buses that students have access to through our tuition. Parties are always fun but sometimes you never know whats going on on campus and many people wander around campus looking for a party that isn't full and is crazy. Being a part of greek life, I sometimes get the scoop on parties, however I also have the choice to just enjoy a night hanging out at my fraternity house.

Pitt's nightlife is reflected in my title because no two nights are the same and sometimes you never know what you might see at a party.

What Strictness?

Due to the size of the campus, it is very uncommon for the police to bust parties, whether they be at fraternities or at off-campus houses. The university forces know that students party, and as long as someone is not being obnoxious in public, they do their best to be lax about the subject. Students are also allowed to have anyone in the dorms at any point in the day, and can even have members of the opposite sex stay overnight.

Freshmen Dorms Are Crowded

Towers is where you want to be freshmen year but its loud and crowded. It is worth it though because you are close to everyone and make most of your friends that way. Upperclassmen housing in Bouquet and Ruskin are the best but hard to get unless you have a very low lottery number

Diversity at Pitt

University of Pittsburgh has an extremely diverse campus. During my time at Pitt I have met so many different individuals of all different ethnicities/races, economic backgrounds, and sexual orientations who all have varying political beliefs, religions, and interests.

Great

As a doctoral student I am mostly using academic facilities, which are excellent. I am pleased with how many undergraduate students I see who really take their education seriously.

Great!

Transportation is great! Not only is there the port authority bus system that runs throughout the city and outside of pittsburgh but the university it self has a shuttle that travels around campus, and there is also safe rider that runs almost 24 hours to make sure that the campus is always safe and keeping students out of trouble.

Lots

There are many different races and cultures at this university; there are three girls on my floor from China!

Don't Own Off-Campus Housing

From what I have seen the houses are very nice but there are a few sketchy areas that don't seem very safe. There are more of the better homes than worse homes. The prices are reasonable.

Greeks at Pitt

Fraternities have most of their houses on the hill on upper campus. A few are located elsewhere in oakland. 9 of the sororities are located in a single dorm building, with each floor belonging to a different house. One sorority has a house off campus, and the remaining sorority is located in a different dorm. Greek life makes up only about 10% of the campus, but if you pay attention, you'll notice that that 10% actually runs the campus. Nearly every major organization on campus is run by Greeks. If Greek life is not for you, You'll still be perfectly happy and can ignore the entire scene. If it is for you, it opens a lot of doors on campus. Greeks do not act like they are better than non-Greeks, and most non-Greeks enjoy attending the fraternity parties.

Diversity, Smarts, and Boots.

Diverse. We have alot of International students. Not to mention first-generation diversity. Ask around and 75% of the people you ask are probably Pre-Health (Med, OT, PT, Dentistry, Pharmacy, etc). Repping PITT is BIG. PITT attire is everywhere. So are yoga pants and rainboots. Mainly for girls.. But you never know. The variety of guys & girls is nice. Whatever you're looking for, we've got it here.

Everything!

Whatever you may be interested in you can find at Pitt. Every region of not only the US but the world is represented on campus which makes it easy to find someone that fits your interests!

Night Life

There are a large number of fraternities around campus. I can't really say what their parties are like, I prefer to just hang out with my own friends. It's easy to get to the South Side, where there are a lot of clubs, bars, and late-night restaurants.

Rain, Rain, Rain and More Rain

If you are wondering what the weather will be like tomorrow in Pittsburgh and don't feel like checking Weather.com. You might as well dress for rain, because well chances are... It will be raining some point in the day.

Not Too Bad

The freshman dorms are alright, try to get Towers if you can. It is the most centrally located of the options and is usually pretty fun on the weekends. Its where you'll meet most of your friends freshman year. If you get a good lottery number for your sophomore year, stay on campus and select Ruskin, its spacious and has a kitchen. Otherwise try and move off campus, preferably to a house in South O.