University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Top Questions

Football and basketball games and a must go! So incredibly fun and a good break from studying! Plus our football team plays at Heinz field!

The student body is pretty diverse. Personally, I feel there is an increase in minority undergraduate admissions. People come from all different backgrounds, and there's usually a student activity group designated to them: Black Action Society, College Dems, GLBT groups, College Republicans, a variety of Asian and Southeast groups, etc. The biggest event of the year (from my point of view) is Student Government Board elections held in December. There's activities going on everywhere. Many of the graduate students and TA's are from other countries, so sometimes they're hard to understand (as English is their second language). Most of the students are pretty smart. A large amount of, if not all, students are in the top 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of their graduating class and have taken at least one AP or Honors course in high school. Pitt, along with many other nationally ranked institutions, look for well-rounded candidates and not just 4.0 students that didn't do anything else but study.

The student body is diverse at Pitt, a large majority of the students hail from PA, NJ, OH and WV. Most of the students drink and party regularly. Most of the students smoke. Pitt students are also generally loud. If you're a ditzy sorority girl or a mead-head frat boy you will fit right in. There is an underground culture of hippies and bike-kids that is very very cool, but they're hard to find (particularly if you are a freshman). Moreover, that group really dislikes most of the other people on campus, so they don't try to mix in with the general student body much. Campus is flooded with bums, violent evangelicals that will harass you non-stop, drunks, and working people. It's easy to get lost around campus.

Very mixed group of students. Most come from eastern PA. I like the independent feel of being a student at Pitt. With a lot of small schools, it almost feels like you are in high school all over again. Students know how to walk to class by themselves, eat sometimes by themselves and hit the library by themselves. That does not mean everyone does not do things together, it's just that I feel students here can act more independently when needed. In the city itself sometimes there is a feel of more black-white distinct groups. I guess it is not a huge problem, but I can definitely tell which students are from the area and which are not by the way they interact with people from different backgrounds. Fortunately, these people are increasingly becoming in the minority. And maybe, I only notice it because my community is so integrated with people from various cultures that anything slightly different is very noticeable to me. Students have been politically active this past year, but then again I've only been there for one year. The political viewpoints are very center. (Believe me it's my major and I've had plenty of conversations with people on all sides of the table. Most are very reasonable and open to new ideas.)

Being from Pittsburgh, I thought the students at Pitt would be similar to those i went to high school with. I was wrong. I have met people from across the country and across the world. Although Pitt is not one of the most diverse schools, may different nations and groups of people are represented, people I was never exposed to before.

There aren't really cliques on campus; leave that fun in high school. Largely, people hang out with some friends from high school (who also attend Pitt), and their roommates. There isn't much of a racial or socio-economic divide; that really doesn't matter in 2008. Now there are some groups that tend to keep to themselves. The "flamboyant" gay subculture definitely is self-contained; as is the punk/anarchist (in my opinion, dirty-looking) group. But really, no judgment on anyone! Come to Pitt to learn and enjoy yourself. What do most students wear to class? Class is very casual. I've seen a lot of athletic shorts and T-shirts in the spring, and sweatpants/shirts in winter. Yeah, you'll see a few overachievers who want to impress the professors by dressing in business formal every day (it doesn't work!); but for the most part, wear what is comfortable to you. Teachers care a lot more about your class participation than your GQ-ability. Are students politically active? Annoyingly so. I've participated in both the Pitt Republicans and Liberatarians groups; but there's a far, FAR greater number of Pitt Democrats on campus. They are loud, they have pamphlets; and oh, sweet mercy, they are irritating. If there's an African country in peril, they're organizing an event to help. Get used to fliers and pamphlets being shoved at you. If you're a left-winger, you'll fit in great with the majority of the campus. If you're more conservative, you'll definitely find a place, too. I can tell you firsthand that the Pitt Republicans do their jobs well. If you're a Commie, there's a group for you, too. Libertarian? There's a group, but they don't really do anything. (Ron Paul gave a speech in spring 2008, though.) This is a long entry. So what should you take away from all this? The Pitt student body is made of students. It really doesn't have a set definition. You won't find much, if any, discrimination or outright disapproval of who you are. Now, if you're wearing a sundress and heels, but have a beard, you may get some chuckles. But just be you.

there is little racial/gender discrimination on campus. nearly every minority has thier own student group with thier own activities and such. even for gays/lesbians is a pretty open atmosphere - there is a gay/lesbian group that has a fairly knwon presence on campus - and its not unusual to see gay/lesbian couples holding hands on the streets. it'shard to tell whose rich/poor, unless you're a frat or sorority person - which by the way, are not the only ways to have fun on campus, most people don't really like the parties thye throw. there is both a college republican and democrat club on campus, and we often have political speakers at Pitt - Ann Coulter, karl Rove, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, etc. most people are form PA, but there is a good number also from Jersey, Ohio, new York, even as far as virginia, new hampshire, california, and seattle. Pitt is like any other campus though, most people aren't sure where they want to go after they graduate, finances are not a usually discussion at dinners/parties/etc. people hold their views, but rarely do issues of conflict ever arise out of them.

No comment - being a graduate student is a little bit different as I have a full time job...so I am not sure of these issues.

Pitt is very diverse. I graduated in a class of 250 with only 3 minority students in high school, so it was really cool to get to see different cultures and meet really cool people. They just put in a new dining hall under the Towers (where most freshmen live) which is awesome!

I meet one of my best friends (and future roommate) at Pitt this year. She is Korean. Knowing her has opened me up to a culture, entirely different from my own. Everything that she has taught me, from Korean phrases, to cuisine tips, to fashion, study habits and more has had a great impact on me, not simply because she is Korean, but because she has an entirely unique and beautiful perspective on life. As I corrected her English papers and made suggestions for improvement, she in turn, educated me on the ins and outs of first year biology and calculus, simply because I was interested to learn about them. I value her friendship especially because she opened me up to so many new ideas, pastimes and internationally significant facts. Every racial, religious and economic background in the world can be found within the halls of Pitt. Yet somehow, I have already forgotten, when looking around the large expanse of my packed dining hall that we are different at all. Rather I view each of us as unique, multi-faceted individuals with a combined wisdom and power that could move mountains.