University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Top Questions

Dorm life varies, usually people sneak in drugs or alcohol on a daily basis. It gets loud. There is no A/C. Pitt puts on events, but for the most part they're really lame. Dating is hit or miss...

There are the athletes that no one sees much of because they are always at practice. Once again there is the Greek Life. There are also House Parties all around Oakland. It is a real good party school, even if you don't visit the Fraternity Houses. However, I have never had a dull day since I decided to pledge. The football and basketball games are especially popular. Be careful tailgating though at the football games. There are always guest speakers, almost too many. Go to these events if your meal plan runs dry. They usually feed you some pretty good food before/after they talk. Also, there is a lot of free food everywhere, just look for the flyers. Dating scene? Don't get a girlfriend/boyfriend the first two weeks of college. You'll be missing all the fun. But yes, some people date. On Tuesday at 2am you are watching TV or procrastinating homework, unless you're a raging alcoholic. Drinking nights can begin on Wednesdays, but traditionally Thursdays. We like to be conservative on our Mondays and Tuesdays. I usually party Weds-Sunday in the beginning of the semester... which gradually becomes Thus-Saturday... which gradually becomes Friday... which gradually becomes not at all. Like I said before, I think fraternities/sororities aren't a solution to finding a good time, but they intensify your entire involvement on campus. You make a really close group of friends, but that does not mean you don't have other friends. I'm rooming with three of my good friends who are not in my fraternity, but I guess that's just how I approach my involvement in Pi Kappa Alpha. But we are the best fraternity on campus, so if you're going to join one, you know where to go. Sigma Sigma Sigma is also a good sorority to join. You can go to the Waterfront which is a brand new section of Pittsburgh that has plenty of shopping, restaurants, museums and theaters to go to. You don't need a car or gas money for anything. That's a definite plus.

The first few weeks of college are awkward. It takes everyone time, but eventually everything will fall into place. I had a hard time meeting people initially. I did not connect with the people on my floor, and in classes of 100+ students I did not speak out to introduce myself to others. Although it took a few months, I eventually found a group of close friends. Now, ~6 months later, it feels like I have known them forever.

Popular organizations: The Oakland Zoo (cheering section for the basketball team) is popular, but tickets are not that easy to come by. Football games are great fun, but are a 10-minute bus ride (at Heinz Field) away. I've said this several times before; but really, if you enjoy a hobby, you'll find like-minded individuals here at Pitt. Check out Pitt's "student organization resource center" (Google it) for some types of groups. Party scene: Good heavens, there is a party scene. Most of it occurs in South Oakland, several blocks from campus. Yeah, the neighborhoods look shady; but go with friends, and you'll be fine. Most people party only on Friday and Saturday, some also on Thursday. There are some who drink every night, but they'll drop out. Don't be them. "Excess in moderation." Don't drink two beers every night; wait until Friday, and drink all the beers. If you don't drink, don't come here. I'm kidding, don't worry. If you don't drink, and want to have fun, catch a (free for Pitt students) bus to SouthSide Works or Shadyside. I took my girlfriend to a jazz club, then an indie-friendly movie theater; there's always something to do. Frat life: Near non-existent. Something like 8{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are in a frat/sorority. I was in one for 36 hours, then walked out of my first meeting. I'm not a fan of paying $400 a semester to make friends, so that's that. However, within the sororities, they all seem to form very "sisterly" relationships with each other.

Pitt has a great social scene - whatever you're into, they usually have it. i used to wander down into Towers (the freshman dorms) at two or three in the morning to see kids playing magic cards on the tables. Sports are huge, especially Pitt basketball - but also the Penguins and the Steelers (when they won the superbowl in 2006, our campus went into a riot, setting cars on fire andpolice were called in - it was a blast, some of the most fun I've had in college.) Parties are prevalent, every weekend there's always stuff to do - but if you don't like to party, it's not an overbearing scene, and you can go your own way. it's fairly easy to date, there's lots of bars/restaurants/coffee shops/museums/parks/countlesss other date-things you can do. there are different sections of Pittsburgh, you have oakland, downtown, southside, waterfront, strip district, all with different sorts of fun activites to do. frats and sororities are not really all that much fun or all that prevalent. But if you're into that kind of thing, it's big enough to have fun.

See above

The biggest organization on campus is Black Action Society which holds some really nice events for its members. Pretty much there is a club for any interest you have- there is a ski club which gets you really cheap passes for skiing at Seven Spring Mountain Resort which is really sweet. The boys are cute here and most girls are pretty. I'm not in a sorority but there is a great greek life here. People party every day of the week here and there are seriously a million bars. There's the Waterfront if you don't drink and you can see movies or go out to dinner or go on the incline in Pittsburgh, which is a little train thing that goes up and down Mt. Washington. There is a ton of stuff to do here. Commuting, from what I heard, is terrible- don't do it just live in Oakland!

Sports, volunteer work and Greek life are the most popular school activities. Next year, I plan to explore a multi-cultural sorority with which I have become quite familiar, as well as hold greater participation in a music group that my very own friend and high school classmate, Alicia Bekany has founded at Pitt. I am part of the student-alumni association, have participated in various activities with my residence hall and spend quite a lot of time socializing with friends from my dorm, from classes and from other activities and experiences I have had at Pitt. My favorite form of volunteering is the English tutoring that I do, nearly on a daily basis. I made it known to everyone that I would be available to read, edit, advise and revise any type of English assignment, paper, report etc. should anyone ever need or desire the help. Little did I know that I would get a response from almost all of my friends! Some nights, I had two or three papers to work on. I even helped a friend go from a C to an A- average in her Composition class with some instruction and paper-writing help. I find great purpose in helping others achieve their goals, because ultimately, they are helping me achieve my goal of being a great teacher as well! On a typical Saturday night, even in the dead of winter, girls can be seen leaving the dorms clad in mere mini skirts, tanks and heels, already tipsy and headed out for a night of extreme partying. My friends and I, however, will most likely be found on a bus, headed to some outlaying area -- Squirrel Hill, the Waterfront, Southside Works and Shadyside are some of our favorites. Or perhaps we are holed in with ice cream and a movie for a night of relaxation. On the other hand, we might be studying, writing papers or catching up on school work. Further still, we might be throwing a lounge party, hitting up Market Central for a midnight snack, or having a sleepover in one of our rooms just for the excitement of throwing all of our pillows and blankets all over the floor and acting like kids again. There are a million things with which to fill a weeked in Pittsburgh. Between the museums, outlaying communities, academic buildings, restaurants, shopping areas and movie theatres, there is no reason at all to waste one's life with partying and sloppiness.

Pitt has a very neat social life. Pitt sports provide sports fans an outlet and the inner city environment gives everyone something to do even in the wee hours of the night.

Last year the girls on my floor weren't all that nice. I was friends with about 4 out of 27 people. No one's door was ever open and some of the girls formed a little clique and all they did was stand in the hall and loudly talk about everyone and cackle at obscene hours. The girls I mangaged to make friends with were amazing and we all became close with some guys on a lower floor. And as for 2am on a tuesday, we were usually found watching television telling dumb stories, mini golfing around the floor, just sitting in the hall being goofy, or some other shenanigans.