University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Top Questions

Since Pitt is such a large school, we really don't have just one set stereotype that applies to everyone - though Penn State kids like to peg us as the rejects from their school! One common stereotype might be the jock because you see our sports teams (basketball, for example) on TV pretty often. There may be a lot of student athletes on campus, but the "jocks" that you think of when you think of the "jocks" in your high school don't really exist. To the neighboring colleges and universities, Pitt might be considered the "party school". There is no shortage of students from Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne University that bus it over to Pitt on weekends for the parties. However, I think that is only because we are a larger school and more students means more Greeks means more parties. Otherwise, the party school stereotype is not entirely true when comparing it with other schools around the country.

Well, for one thing, Pitt is known for our large sports fan base; whether that's football, basketball, it doesn't matter. When I first decided I wanted to go to Pitt, it was my freshman year in high school. I thought it was an easy school to get into, but Pitt is starting to get really competitive. The kids here (especially those in business, engineering, or med) are no slackers.

Because the University of Pittsburgh is such a large and diverse school, there really isn't a single stereotype given to its students. You have extremely bright kids and not so bright kids, you have plenty of jocks but also engineering geeks (like myself). There are no prevailing stereotypes on the student body.

There's no clear or particular stereotype for the students at the University of Pittsburgh. However, there is a "public school" stereotype that is commonly associated with this school. Many people think that students of Pitt loves to party, only party, and always party. Another stereotype is calling Pitt students "low-end" students who couldn't get into UPENN or other ivy league schools. These two stereotypes aren't true, but there is a sense of truth to them. There are many fraternities and sororities in Pitt, and most of them involve partying. Often times their involvement with drugs and partying get into the news, which can ruin the image of the school, but that doesn't totally represent everyone in the school. Also, many students in the school have indeed applied to ivy league schools before they ended up to Pitt. The reason why they chose to go to Pitt is not usually because Harvard or Stanford didn't accept them. The reason is usually because the tuition of Pitt is significantly lower and more affordable than the tuition of most top-tier private schools. In the end, finances and money do come into play when making the final decision with a college.

There's no clear or particular stereotype for the students at the University of Pittsburgh. However, there is a "public school" stereotype that is commonly associated with this school. Many people think that students of Pitt loves to party, only party, and always party. Another stereotype is calling Pitt students "low-end" students who couldn't get into UPENN or other ivy league schools. These two stereotypes aren't true, but there is a sense of truth to them. There are many fraternities and sororities in Pitt, and most of them involve partying. Often times their involvement with drugs and partying get into the news, which can ruin the image of the school, but that doesn't totally represent everyone in the school. Also, many students in the school have indeed applied to ivy league schools before they ended up to Pitt. The reason why they chose to go to Pitt is not usually because Harvard or Stanford didn't accept them. The reason is usually because the tuition of Pitt is significantly lower and more affordable than the tuition of most top-tier private schools. In the end, finances and money do come into play when making the final decision with a college.

The common stereotype at Pitt is similar to that of any medium-to-large state school. In general, we fit the "work hard, party harder" category. There's always a party and the bars are never really empty no matter what day of the week it is, but you also won't feel lame if you hole up in the library and study before a particularly rough bout of midterms, because it's likely that at least some of the people you know will be doing the same thing. Most students are stereotyped as really into sports, since Pitt is a pretty good division 1 school. This is pretty accurate - I wasn't into sports when I came here, but being around so many people who were, I now understand football and have fun at games.

I'd say the stereotype is that Pitt students are pretty nice, friendly, happy, down-to-earth people (although I think those doing the stereotyping probably know that because Pitt is a pretty big school, there are plenty of exceptions). I think this is mostly true: Pitt students probably fit this description more so than kids at other schools. I've met a lot of really nice and friendly people, which has been my favorite part about college. However, what I've found more than anything is that it's pretty difficult to make a generalization/stereotype about the student body as a whole. Pitt is a pretty big school (with 18,000+ undergraduate), and thus there are a broad array of personalities, interests, and backgrounds. Another thing to note... I think there's a stereotype that Pitt is this big sports school with great basketball and football teams, and that there's a lot of school spirit and support for these teams. The football and basketball game are pretty fun, and lots of people go to them, but I definitely don't feel that stereotypical "ra-ra" atmosphere here.

I'd say the stereotype is that Pitt students are pretty nice, friendly, happy, down-to-earth people (although I think those doing the stereotyping probably know that because Pitt is a pretty big school, there are plenty of exceptions). I think this is mostly true: Pitt students probably fit this description more so than kids at other schools. I've met a lot of really nice and friendly people, which has been my favorite part about college. However, what I've found more than anything is that it's pretty difficult to make a generalization/stereotype about the student body as a whole. Pitt is a pretty big school (with 18,000+ undergraduate), and thus there are a broad array of personalities, interests, and backgrounds. Another thing to note... I think there's a stereotype that Pitt is this big sports school with great basketball and football teams, and that there's a lot of school spirit and support for these teams. The football and basketball game are pretty fun, and lots of people go to them, but I definitely don't feel that stereotypical "ra-ra" atmosphere here.

The majority of the kids are just normal prep kids who study a lot , haha. But its not ivy league geek bad. There are also a lot of Frat kids.

The stereotype of the students at the University of Pittsburgh is that of a "work hard, play hard" student body. During the week you will see students in the library, studying in the Cathedral of Learning (the Western Hemisphere's tallest educational building, and the fourth tallest educational building in the world!), or getting together with friends for a group project. However, due to the fact that we live in a city (Pittsburgh has been ranked one of the most livable cities in the world according to Newsweek!) during the weekends Pitt students also "play hard". Whether its going downtown to catch a show, heading to a neighboring community for some shopping, or just taking advantage of the activities going on around campus, there is ALWAYS something to do for students on the weekends!

The common stereotype at Pitt is similar to that of any medium-to-large state school. In general, the typical or average Pitt student would be stereotyped as someone who parties hard and often, is smart enough to accomplish some pretty cool things in academia, but most of the time is too lazy to put much effort into general school work (that's why we ended up at a state school - we have the option to be challegened if we choose to (and many of us do choose to challenge ourselves in our area of interest), but we can also coast by drunk much of the time and still graduate). Most students are stereotyped as really into sports, since Pitt is a pretty good division 1 school. This is pretty accurate - I wasn't into sports when I came here, but being around so many people who were, I now understand football and have fun at games. Since we're in a city, there's also a big hipster scene. The typical sorority girl essentially has a uniform (black Northface jacket, leggings, and Uggs), but Greek Life is small enough on campus that while you can definitely tell it's there, it's not overwhelming. The stereotype of geek essentially doesn't exist on campus - those who excel academically, win scholarships, and get papers published in research still manage to have vibrant social lives and are celebrated by their peers, not pushed into a "geek" category. There is a distinct stereotype for "those who take school way too seriously," which usually consist of underclassmen pre-med students. That stereotype largely exists because, like I said, the typical Pitt student is one who is intelligent enough to get by while being lazy, so most do.