The University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus

Where would u like me to start? The city is shit, there is nothing to do here and it's basically a slum. Bring a gun freshman and don't leave your DR late at night! The professors are pompous arrogant assholes who care about nothing more than their paycheck. The school as a whole is not very "challenging" as ppl on here say. Most of the classes get a huge curve and u can pass just by sitting in the room, or at least showing up to exams and finals. One person told me "oh go ahead and dual major in math, you won't fail the hard classes they curve the grades so much". Wow, and u still like this school dude? This school is a degree mill. Come here if you are not looking to get much out of a university. The "teachers" are going to give you a book and basically say "don't bother me, you have a book!". Most of the positive reviews on here are from people who are just happy to be at a university, a good percentage of in state students come from community colleges. Do not, do not look at ratings and think that other schools ranked the same are...are just as good as this school. Tulane is ranked about the same but Pitt students will not get accepted at Tulane, and they don't have 60% of thier student body coming from a community college. In closing i'll say this, The University of Pittsburhg is a step up from a community college but it is not much more. IT IS A CRAPPY SCHOOL. THE END.

1st Year Female -- Class 2013

I am a part time student at The University of Pittsburgh. Nothing is set up for part time students. I asked a professor for help, he sent me to the Academic Resource Center, I went there only to be told that the person tutoring was not familiar with the chapter I was currently studying. Most academic help is set up during the day while I'm in work. I'm sure the school is great if you are a full time student. If you are a part time student, think twice before applying to the University of Pittsburgh!!

3rd Year Female -- Class 2011

Campus Aesthetics: B+, Faculty Accessibility: F

The biology department for undergraduates was disgusting. You pay a lot of money as a student and receive little in return. The faculty particularly in the lower level courses are not motivated, and not teaching the students to learn. Instead, its about working the system. Instead of investing in an education to gain some knowledge about the subject, its about worthless memorization, and just getting those credits. I grew up in this city, and went here because it was close to family, and I thought the science program would be the best in the region. However, I found the liberal arts teachers to be the best at this institution (IE history, dramatic arts, intro to art, those kinds of subjects).

The biology department seems more wrapped up in research, or others are just tenured and there for life. Classrooms are huge as well, making it difficult for students to access professors. Its difficult to schedule, and I know many students behind in subjects like chemistry because labs fill up before the lecture. In fact, for registration in organic chemistry for the Spring 09, the labs filled up in two days. Good luck (hence never finishing on time). The examinations are for the most part not an accurate reflection of whether the student has a grasp of the material or not. I know for some chemistry, physics, and bio departments the curve has been as low as 40% to attain a C grade. Ask yourself if its worth spending 1500-2000 per class to learn 40% of the material. I had a PhD tell me if the class average is that low, its a failure on the instructors part. Yet, I don't blame the instructors totally, when you get in a class of 260 students, its impossible to grade exams fairly and give partial credit for work. Exams in chemistry for example are usually 15-20 questions, multiple choice A-J, all or no credit.

As far as biology, most of the instructors I have had at the lower level are totally worthless. They fail to engage the student at all. Instead, there seems to be a total laziness on the instructors part to teach. Instead, most resort to the typical powerpoint lectures that use the same exact material from the book. The job of the instructor shouldn't be to read the book to students, they should instead engage in building upon the book material giving the students another point of view.

You're going to spend a good deal of money for this university. For me, the lack of lab space, less than motivated instructors, fighting for scheduling, and the depressing gray town of Oakland make this University not worth it.

Believe me, I know from a few friends who graduated from this university in the bio and chemistry departments, a degree here will not have an advantage over any other cheaper state college. Furthermore, most bio majors want to be pre med, and statistics will back up that a majority will never pass the MCATS. Having said that, ask yourself if its worth going to a university for pre med knowing that curves in the science courses can go as low as 40% and still pass?Some students I know thrive in larger classrooms, and somehow they are able to work into the labs and not have problems. I on the other hand haven't had that experience and will be pulling out to go to a more economical school. I heard better things about the graduate programs, also my experience with liberal art instructors has been good. Look at ratemyprofessors.com and take the rankings of students to heart is my only advice if you choose to come here.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2012

Friendliness: B, Individual Value: F