University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Top Questions

I am a political science/English double major and am working towards a Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies certificate as well. I've found the professors to be very helpful and invested. There are a ton of extra curricular items for my major that allow me to supplement my learning.

At first, you're going to be doing Gen Ed requirements and those are usually 200+ kids per class, so it's pretty much a lecture. But after that you start specializing and there's more like 10-30 kids per class. You get to know everyone throughout the semester and it becomes more enjoyable (but the work does get harder). It really depends on your major though. Almost all the students here take the school seriously, the library is packed from morning to evening. And during finals week it's impossible to find a table. Of course there are some slackers that won't work, but they won't get the grades required for a job.

Classes at the University of Pittsburgh can be very large. The lecture set up of classes can accomodate hundreds of students. But, some classes also have recitation sections where a smaller group of around 20 students meet and discuss any questions regarding what was gone over in the lecture. Class participation is very common in lectures and is sometimes a grade requirement in recitations but it can start very interesting discussions so it is very beneficial. I also often overhear my classmates continuing a discussion after class is over so that shows other students enjoy this aspect as well. Some students can get competitive, especially in the science classes, but it does not interfere with the learning experience. I am in the School of Arts and Sciences studying a major in Psychology and because of this I have to take a lot of general education classes to fulfill requirements. Sometimes it can be frustrating having to learn material that I would not otherwise be using in my career, but a lot of the time there are really interesting classes available. The most unique class I have taken is either Russian Fairy Tales or Vampire: Blood and Empire. I never would have learned about those topics anywhere else and it was really enjoyable to learn more about areas that I knew a little about previously. My favorite class that I have taken so far is Psychology of Gender. I was really nervous about taking it at first because it was only offered online and I had never taken a class in that format before. But, the material was just as easy to follow as in an actual in-person class because there were video lectures and a discussion board where all the students posted questions or comments they had about that week's material.

I love my school in that Pitt students understand the importance of education. I remember the first day I visited Pitt back in 2010 during my senior year of high school. It was finals week, and everywhere I went, students were intensely studying. There were student son the lawn, at the bus stop, in restaurants, leaning on the light post, and they were all studying! This is the primary motivation for me to come to Pitt and continue to earn good grades. When you surround yourself with students that want to do well, you naturally want to do well in school also. I am from Springfield, Massachusetts. Many people ask me "how did you hear of Pitt? Isn't that so random for you to be here?" Well, it wasn't random at all. First of all, Pitt is one of the top tier schools in this nation. I had a 4.67 GPA in high school I was the salutatorian. I wanted to go to a school that fits my academic standards and can provide me the academic challenge that I need, and I chose Pitt for that reason. The best thing about this school is that it is a large school that has every department that there is (majors such as nursing, communication, business, theatre arts, neuroscience), which attracts students of all interests. Students that come to college with no clue of what they want to do in life will find the answer to that because students are provided so many opportunities here at Pitt to explore different fields of study and to find the field that they ultimately fall in love with. The professors at Pitt are so friendly, and they all want their students to success and earn good grades. Either big classes with 200 students or smaller classes with 8 students, professors are always there to help their students learn, study, and understand course concepts. This doesn't mean that students shouldn't take initiative! Students should attend office hours and email professors on a regular basis in order to develop a relationship with their professors. After all, students need professor recommendations when the time comes for scholarship or internship applications, and you have to get to know professors in order to get well-written recommendation letters.

The academics at Pitt are extremely varied, which is good because it means there's something for everyone's preferences. A lot of the intro classes are several hundred people (the biggest being 300-400), so it's easy to get lost in them (which, in classes you don't really care about and want to be able to skip without being docked attendance points, this is great). A lot of the upper-level classes within majors are smaller and more intimate, around 20 or 30 students, and in this case the professor will know your name. This is generally a good thing though, because in your major, you usually want the opportunity to be more engaged. My favorite class was Intro to Poetry Writing, which isn't even close to either of my majors. As a freshman science major it was the first small class I had ever had, so I liked that, and also my professor was really young, cool, and understanding. He listened to the interests of the class, which helped us decide what to read, and made assignments really flexible so that we could tailor them to our individual interests. Though the typical Pitt student might be stereotyped as lazy in regards to homework, most Pitt students are actually pretty intellectual, and random intellectual conversation is, while not prevalent, definitely not out of the ordinary. I've walked by students sitting around randomly debating nuclear energy, and one of my friends met his current girlfriend because they got to talking about social issues in society today at an otherwise typical twenty-first birthday party. One great thing about the Pitt student's laid-back attitude is that most students aren't competitive academically. The one glaring exception to this is pre-med students, and if you're taking what's considered a weed-out class for pre-med students (intro biology or organic chemistry) and you are not pre-med, it will be an awful experience because you literally won't be able to get an A without giving up 30 hours a week to the library. The school's liberal arts and academic requirements are relatively easy and painless, especially if you're coming in with some AP credits. The "global" requirements are a bit hefty if you don't study abroad, but just the mere act of studying abroad (regardless of the classes you take abroad) will knock out anywhere from 2-3 of them. Most of the professors at Pitt are pretty approachable, friendly, and willing to see you outside of class (I've had a few in the hard sciences which aren't very approachable though). I've definitely gotten the opportunity to get really close to a couple professors, one of whom serves as essentially a mentor to me, and I've even been to his house and met his wife and children. In most cases professors are willing to talk to and establish relationships with students, but usually this is something the student must initiate. The education at this school isn't really geared toward getting a job for the most part - we have a strong liberal arts program, and the second best philosophy program in the nation (and philosophy majors are notorious for not having jobs when they graduate). That being said, the engineering school and any pre-professional track (pharmacy, med, dental) are clearly geared toward getting you a job/into the relevant professional schools.

The academics here are decent. There's a lot to address, so I'll start out by talking about class difficulty. Maybe the easiest way to explain class difficulties would be to categorize classes as either "easy" or "hard" (this is obviously a generalization, in reality, the difficulty of classes would be more accurately described as a spectrum, rather than two groupings). Easy classes you can get by by going to class and paying attention, and doing (maybe) a few hours of work per week outside of class (depending on the class, some mixture of reading, practice problems, projects and/or essays). Examples of "easy" classes that I've took include Intro to Macroeconomics, Intro to Sociology, Social Psychology, Logic, Modern Philosophy, and Brain and Behavior. "Hard" classes are different. They require you to go to class and pay close attention and take notes. They might require an average of an hour or two a day of work. It can be easy to fall behind in these classes if you are confused during lecture and can't find the time to catch up. This can be bad. Because the material is usually cumulative, if you fall behind, it has a snowball effect, because if you didn't understand last weeks lecture material, you'll have no clue what is going on in this weeks lecture. Also, what makes "hard" classes hard is often the tests. Sometimes (ex. Introductory Biology I and II) you'll put a good amount of time in, and know the material pretty well, but not do well on the test because of tricky/unfair questions. For example, in many science classes, class averages for tests will often/usually be in the 60s, and sometimes 50s. Assuming that the majority of the class isn't very stupid/lazy, this probably indicates either a hard test, or bad teaching. With that said, getting an A is never out of the question if you work hard (and smart). It's kinda hard to compare these "hard" classes with AP classes because AP classes seemed slower and more spread out, and also because high school is just different than college. However, I think these hard classes are a little/moderately harder than AP classes. Examples of "hard" classes that I've taken include Honors Calculus, Biology I and II, and Organic Chemistry I. I've also heard that physics classes tend to be hard. Regarding the quality of professors, some where decent, some were disappointing. I haven't had that inspiring professor yet, although once in a while I hear of those cases. Again, it may be easiest to explain professors' quality as "good" or "bad". "Good" professors explain things in a logically consistent, and moderately clear way, and they'll also be pretty organized and fair. (A "truly good" professor, I think, not only explains things in a logically consistent way and is decently organized and fair, but they should make the material as clear as it can be, make it interesting and stimulate your thinking, and also provide the students with study material and practice questions that make it very easy for the student to study. I haven't had any "truly good" professors yet, although I've had some reglar "good" ones). "Bad" professors are very frustrating to encounter. They might not explain things in a logically consistent way, they might be confusing, have a bad accent, be very boring and not thought provoking, be disorganized and expect kids to know things that they shouldn't be expected to know, they might be lazy and not provide much to the students to study, and not prepare much for their lectures. I'm probably forgetting some characteristics of bad professors, but you know one when you see one, it's common sense. I obviously haven't had anyone who has all these (bad) characteristics, but I've definitely had professors with enough of them where I'd loosely categorize them as "bad". Hopefully, if you do get a bad professor, it'd be in an easy elective. If not, it'll be difficult to pull of a good grade, and you might not be as knowledgeable and interested in a core class for your major. At Pitt, there's a pretty normal ratio of "good":"bad" professors. It's important not to think of the quality I've been describing in absolute terms, but rather in relative (to other colleges) terms. I think that Pitt is pretty average academically. Regarding scheduling, often times it can be frustrating and difficult to get into the classes you want (let alone getting the time slot that you want). Sometimes you may not even get into a class that is required for your major (ex. organic chemistry labs, biology labs). Another issue is that some (important) classes are only offered in fall, and others are only offered in spring. Still, the scheduling inconveniences are probably comparable to other schools (maybe a little worse than other schools). Regarding the class "styles", it definitely depends on the class. I've been in a lot of natural and social science lectures. These have all been lectures with little if any class participation (although sometimes kids ask questions). Even during the recitations there isn't much participation. (Even in discussion oriented recitations, like Modern Philosophy and Intro to Sociology, kids aren't very eager to participate. Usually you'll get 2-4 students who are the "talkers" amongst a group of 20 students) However, it may be the case that I simply haven't encountered a class with much participation. I suspect that in some of the arts/humanities classes, as well as upper level classes in any field, the kids in the class are there because they like that field, rather than because it's a prerequisite, and thus are more inclined to discuss things. Regarding the academic requirements, although they're pretty standard as far as colleges go, I still think they're a bit much. I have to take like 2 arts/humanities classes, 3 international related classes, and a literature class (in addition to the requirements I've already fulfilled), which seems a bit much considering I'm a neuroscience major. I think I could get enough exposure to these fields in 2-3 classes rather than 6. Regarding the work ethic of students, it's hard to say because there are so many different types of kids. Most kids go to class (usually), try to pay attention (mostly), do some reading and homework throughout the week, and cram a good amount before the test. There are other kids that don't take work very seriously and don't do much work outside of class, and will also often miss class. Then there are kids who take work pretty seriously. These kids almost always go to class and pay attention, and they'll do a good amount of work throughout the week. Two last messages. To people for whom Pitt may be a reach school, I think that with hard (and smart) work, you'll absolutely be fine. I don't think the difficulty level will be too high, as long as you put in a good amount of time and effort, and be efficient as well. To people who may have Pitt as a safety school, a few things to consider. Don't worry about it being too easy. You can definitely challenge yourself by taking a heavy/difficult course load, and you could gain valuable experience by volunteering, doing research, or participating in a club. On that note, because Pitt is such a big research university, there are a lot of opportunities to do research (one of Pitts strengths). You can also take graduate level courses (or courses next door at carnegie mellon). I know plenty of kids who could have went to an Ivy league school, but chose Pitt, and are definitely being sufficiently challenged. Also, lots of kids from Pitt win international scholarships, and go on to competitive graduate/professional schools. I think that shows that Pitt has a lot of resources that can allow you to achieve anything.

I am currently in the College of Business Administration and the staff has done an excellent job preparing me for my internship search, and eventually a job search. In the business school, even the introductory classes are relatively small, approximately 100 students. All of the professors hold office hours and are extremely willing to meet with students during or outside of the assigned hours. Student participation, even in the bigger classes is definitely a common aspect of class, and most often incorporated into each student's grade. If a student approaches or contacts a professor multiple times, it is safe to assume that the professor will recognize that student in the future. The School of Arts and Sciences has much larger introductory classes, such as economics and psychology, with class sizes up to 400 students. In these larger classes, participation is slim to none. I have found that students in academic focused groups are rather competitive when it comes to grades and jobs, more so than students that are not involved.

Professors rarely know your name in intro classes (size range of 60-400 kids.) But in any other class, personal communication with professors is common. Class participation is usually voluntary but I'd recommend it because it helps you learn and the professor will get to know you better if it seems like you care about the class. The classes aren't bad. I've taken everything from Calculus to Psychology and the time I spend studying isn't too much more than highschool, but the classes are not "Easy A's".

One of the greatest things about Pitt is that our school has 18,000 undergraduates, yet only 6{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of our classes are 100 students are more. If you are in one of those classes that is over 100 students, once a week you will break down into what is called a "recitation". These recitations do not go over any new material, and is instead a time to review old material and ask questions you might not have been able to ask in lecture. In addition to the recitations, all professors and teaching assistants (regardless of class size) are required to hold office hours. If you still need more help, Pitt has the MAC (Math Assistance Center) the WAC (Writing Assistance Center) and the ARC (Academic Resource Center). These are all free tutoring services that are available to students. At Pitt we take our academics very seriously, and there are a lot of resources available to students to ensure they have the most academically stimulating experience possible.

The academics at Pitt are extremely varied, which is good because it means there's something for everyone's preferences. A lot of the intro classes are several hundred people (the biggest being 300-400), so it's easy to get lost in them (which, in classes you don't really care about and want to be able to skip without being docked attendance points, this is great). A lot of the upper-level classes within majors are smaller and more intimate, around 20 or 30 students, and in this case the professor will know your name. This is generally a good thing though, because in your major, you usually want the opportunity to be more engaged. My favorite class was Intro to Poetry Writing, which isn't even close to either of my majors. As a freshman science major it was the first small class I had ever had, so I liked that, and also my professor was really young, cool, and understanding. He listened to the interests of the class, which helped us decide what to read, and made assignments really flexible so that we could tailor them to our individual interests. Though the typical Pitt student might be stereotyped as lazy in regards to homework, most Pitt students are actually pretty intellectual, and random intellectual conversation is, while not prevalent, definitely not out of the ordinary. I've walked by students sitting around randomly debating nuclear energy, and one of my friends met his current girlfriend because they got to talking about social issues is society today at an otherwise typical twenty-first birthday party. One great thing about the Pitt student's laid-back attitude is that most students aren't competitive. The one glaring exception to this is pre-med students, and if you're taking what's considered a weed-out class for pre-med students and you are not pre-med, it will be an awful experience because you literally won't be able to get an A without giving up 30 hours a week to the library. The school's liberal arts and academic requirements are relatively easy and painless, especially if you're coming in with some AP credits. The "global" requirements are a bit hefty if you don't study abroad, but just the mere act of studying abroad (regardless of the classes you take abroad) will knock out anywhere from 2-3 of them. Most of the professors at Pitt are pretty approachable, friendly, and willing to see you outside of class (I've had a few in the hard sciences which aren't very approachable though). I've definitely gotten the opportunity to get really close to a couple professors, one of whom serves as essentially a mentor to me, and I've even been to his house and met his wife and children. In most cases professors are willing to talk to and establish relationships with students, but usually this is something the student must initiate. The education at this school isn't really geared toward getting a job for the most part - we have a strong liberal arts program, and the second best philosophy program in the nation (and philosophy majors are notorious for not having jobs when they graduate). That being said, the engineering school and any pre-professional track (pharmacy, med, dental) are clearly geared toward getting you a job/into the relevant professional schools.