Student Profile
jennifer
- Class: Senior
- Major: Government
- Gender: F
- High School:
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
In so far as the atmosphere of Pitt, the 'big picture', the feeling one gets from walking around campus, it is full of pride. I love the campus, because I like the urban setting, and I LOVE the fact that I am not in a 'college town' that there is a whole city, plenty of things other than just school going on everywhere around me. READ: Oakland is NOT New York City. It is a decently sized city, with lots of things to do, but it is not New York City. I've actually heard complaints that Pittsburgh is too small, or there's nothing to do. They usually come from people from New York or Philadelphia, meaning, they haven't taken the time to look around. There is a thriving arts scene. Whatever your tastes in music, art, food, name it, you can find it. But it won't be thrown in your face. Yes, you will have to explore. Exploring is easy too. Until I tried to get around other cities without a car, I never realized what a truly wonderful public transit system Pittsburgh has. And it's FREE. A student ID from Pitt= FREE buses. They really pushed that when I came on a tour when I was looking at schools. It didn't seem important at the time. IT IS HUGE. You cannot afford to park a car here. I don't care how rich you are, a car is a waste of money here. With the public transit system here, you do not need a car. The city life is wonderful, the whole urban ambiance, makes the Pitt experience so much more rich.
Academic Life
Pitt is a large school. Enormous even. That being said, yes, there are going to be some lectures with 200+ students in them; some people cannot learn without one-on-one attention, without someone holding their hand....this isn't high school. Personally, I don't find it bothersome. I think it encourages people to take more challenging courses; the only classes with that many students are usually lower-level, introductory classes....upper levels, at least in my majors (political science and history) tend to have 35 or less students, and in that setting the professors usually get to know everyone's names, encourage participation and class discussions are common. The academic departments themselves are nationally recognized, enormous resources are available to students, and the professors are top-notch.
Student Body
Pittsburgh is a liberal city. Pitt is a liberal school. There are numerous student organizations on this campus representing that fact. Any group one can think of, probably has a club at Pitt, and if it doesn't, it can easily form one.
The Best Things
campus/surroundings.
The Worst Things
bookstore.
