The University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus

I'm a double major student at the University of Pittsburgh coming from the Miami area in Florida. I'm doubling in Econ as well as mechanical engineering and hope to do well. Now on to the opinion at hand. Pitt was a different environment for me and one that I didn't enjoy. I tend to be a very social friendly person and reach out to many people of many cultures and races. With that being said I was surprised at the close-mindedness of my fellow peers to step outside their racial shell and learn one another as people. I felt isolated and forced to join the population of my skin color when all I wanted was to be looked at fairly and evenly. My friend base is quite eclectic with a multitude of backgrounds and when I came to Pitt the friends I thought I made that weren't the same race as me became strangers with each passing day until I became an outsider to their lives. To continue, there were too many people who were,for lack of a better term, "fake". There were too many people who came into friendships as one person and changed at the first sign of trouble. I've never seen such treachery mixed with that much brutality as I've seen there. Faculty. Well they range from department to department and could vary depending on the subject but all in all you have to reach out to them. Though alot are full of themselves and attempt to make you look foolish if one just chooses to attend their office hours they shall show you the respect you crave. A lot of these professors are under pressure and it's clear to see why they trend towards sour attitudes and a murky persona. If you have asthma please don't attend this university the amount of smoking on this campus is none I've ever seen. At the University of Florida there are smoker designated areas but here everyone I mean everyone either smokes or chews. If that's your forte then that'll work great for you. UPitt Is basically a great school for white kids from a rural area who want to experience something different. The kids of other races just try to fit in and it doesn't bode well on the pursuit of camaraderie within the university. I've been called stupid nigger enough times to make klan members ponder on their membership. I expected diversity and acceptance but was chewed and spit out. It was nice to talk to some people who have never seen a black person before that I won't forget. Academics, well, it's as challenging as you make it. My curriculum consist of a lot of math, physics(not anymore), engineering courses, etc. I don't find it challenging for the vast majority of teachers I have had teach slow but, I can tell that they're only doing that for the kids who don't take college as seriously. To sum it all up Academically Pitt is a great school but lets their reputation, medical students, UPMC, and polio vaccine pull them up the rankings. The environment is fairly dirty and the air is still saturated with carcinogens. The students due to their ignorance and lack of exposure reject one another and occasionally break their habits for a select few. The parties..eh they're alright if you only like drinking, drinking and more drinking. Girls are easy when they're drunk but most of them are hell while sober. If you can chug beer, have a bigger body type, smoke weed, and have any type of drug possible to distribute. This college is for you for that's what counts here if you're a guy. If you're a girl watch out for those CEO's and HO's partys they're called that for a reason. If the students weren't so ignorant and alot of times dumb I'd really enjoy my time there. I wanted something new, I got it, and I've learned. This is probably what the rest of america is outside of Miami and I thought I had it bad.

1st Year Male -- Class 2014

Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Individual Value: F

Pitt was the worst decision of my life. When I was choosing colleges my family ran into financial troubles so I had to settle for a full ride to Pitt's honors college and it was a terrible experience all around. Firstly, the university touts the idea that 'there is no in or out of the honors college' which is just fine for the kids that are out but a little insulting for the kids that are in. The honors college is nothing but a dorm building and an office in the cathedral. My membership in that community seemed very superficial and none of my suitemates seemed to feel like the honors college really existed. I'm sure I didn't explore 100% of the resources that it had to offer but you really shouldn't have to look for those resources harder than I did. Also the students just pissed me off. It seemed like no one was really focused. Never did I get a sense that I was among people that were ambitious and dedicated to their future. On the plus side it was easy to get A's and impress professors, but otherwise I just felt miserable that all my hard years of work in highschool were for nothing. The social scene is good enough though the campus is downright shitty. If you want to drink you will not have a problem but make sure you don't do it in your dorms because the RA's are inhuman-ly vigilant. If you get caught there is a non-negotiable $275 fine, a letter home to the parents (which is absurd), a month long alcohol class (which will be the only class you actually go to) and a judicial record. About 10% of my dorm got caught with alcohol over the year which doesn't sound like much but you really shouldn't have to fear the RA's in your building. They should be there to help you, not screw you over. (If you are pre-med please disregard the following) Pitt doesn't cater to A students. About 20 students from my highschool went to pitt and all were B-C students who took average difficulty courses in highschool. Please please please do not go to this school if you want to be challenged. I spent the worst year of my life at pitt and started considering a transfer after being there for a month. I am going into my first semester at my new school (a top 10 school) feeling like a freshman again. I can confidently say that my first year at pitt taught me nothing worthwile.

1st Year Male -- Class 2013

Perceived Campus Safety: A, Education Quality: F

As an undergrad my biggest concern is the that the vast majority of those teaching the classes are grad students. Roughly half of my classes involved relatively inexperienced people feeling out how to teach, grade, amount of work to assign, etc... Socially, once you turn 21 things become more fun, but for younger students there is very little to do at night. Also, the city environment seems to isolate students from each other; the few times i've been to other colleges I was surprised by the much more relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I would never recommend pitt to any other english majors.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2011

Campus Maintenance: A-, Innovation: D-