Univ of Pitt (Pittsburgh, Bethel Park, California: apartments, credit, employment)

[skategal]

Hello!

I'm considering applying for transfer to the University of Pittsburgh. Any perspectives on student life there, and how difficult it would be to transfer?

Thanks for any help!

[Gerbil]

I attended Pitt and I really liked it. It's a very urban campus, so there are tons of things within walking distance, and there are constantly people around. I am not sure how easy or hard it is to transfer there, but if you have any other specific questions feel free to post.

[jazzfan]

Hi Skategal,

Are you thinking about an apartment near the University, or were you hoping to live in a dorm?
You may already know this, but transfer students are not guaranteed housing...just something to consider.

[roseis]

im about to transfer to Univ of Pittsburgh from LA this august. I've never been there before so as far as student life goes, i can only recommend visiting forums such as this and researching on the internet. I got in on a 3.7GPA, pitt has a rolling admissions and when i applied around february, it was the first school to offer me admission around early May. Pitt has a good reputation in undergraduate study. and the many new companies establishing locations in the area would be very helpful for internships and later on a possible employment if you would decide to stay in Pittsburgh. Housing is not guaranteed for transfers though. right now, im looking at several apartment options in N. oakland area because it's very unlikely this time of the year that i will still be able to get a dorm. plus if you're lucky, you might end up saving more if you live off campus. hope this helps.

[AppleChic24]

Hey There,
I just graduated from Pitt and I knew a bunch of transfer students. They apparently had less trouble getting in via the transfer, as opposed to directly applying. However, the housing situation is difficult for transfer students. It is hard to get on-campus housing, and you'll be put on a waiting list since housing is very competitive at this campus. I would recommend doing off-campus housing, since it is cheaper and more opportunities arise there. The only problem with that is there are a lot of slumlords in Oakland, so you will need to check them out first to make sure they are reputable and that they keep the apartment clean and cared for. As far as the academics go at Pitt, I feel like I got a great education and the faculty and advisors were very helpful in making sure you find the right major and the right career path. Here are a list of resources that might be helpful to you:

Pitt's web site's student section: Students | University of Pittsburgh

Pitt's Panther Central (they answer any question about anything): Panther Central

Here's an off-campus living guidebook from the University of Pittsburgh: Apartment Listings

This web site also helps with off-campus living: Landorslum.com: The landlord rating website.

I hope this helps you, please let me know if you need anything else, as I am going to grad school in Counseling Psychology and take special interest in helping students succeed. Best of luck to you!

[skategal]

The advice and insight has been tremedously helpful... I'm going for a campus visit at the end of the month... Thank you!!

[Katiana]

I went to Pitt many years ago straight from high school, so can't speak from personal experience. My niece applied to Pitt as a transfer student from the University of Colorado at Denver this year and got in with no problems. The major difficulty with transferring anywhere is that not all your credits are accepted, and you have to earn a minimum number of credits from the instituion that grants your degree, plus usually half the credits in your major. That is the policy at Pitt.

Anyone who intends to transfer anywhere needs to make an onsite visit and see if the new college is for them. I would not recommend transferring from LA or anywhere else w/o a first hand visit. BTW, I would recommend this for the University of Colorado as well, it's not an anti-Pittsburgh bias. Many students come to CU from out of state, especially California, and end up going back. Many Colorado students go out of state and end up back at CU. It's just the way it is.

[cpowers21]

When transferring, definitely check to see what all will transfer. When I was there a long time ago, some transfer students complained that some of their credits didn't transfer!
It is most definitely good to visit before. I was from the Bethel Park area, so visiting for me was easy.