You guys do understand that Duquesne is academic walk with about 8 buildings on each side. I never had to cross a street and rarely left 2-3 buildings. At Pitt, when I did a schedule with my advisor, I was going all over the place. I believe his name was Steve Sapolski?
I get it, Duquesne is in the city, but I didn't go to college for campus life etc. I went for a piece of paper and that's it. I talk to all of 0 people from college. You all got more out of your college life, and that's great, it's what you wanted.
I got to my guaranteed parking spot at Duquesne from the parkway or 28 in about 3 minutes. A very easy drive. When I went, I started paying $7500 a semester, by the time I graduated, it was $9000 a semester. No idea what it costs now.
I think some of you are taking me as bashing Oakland as a city campus, dangerous, etc and i'm not. I just don't see anything down there worth going to see....but some of you seem to be there all the time. For school, it was too big for me to want to navigate. City life is not for me.
It definitely was the height of absurd when i attended. My advisor was in the cathedral (and on a floor that required those dreaded slow elevator rides). Registration itself at Thackeray. Had to occasionally get special permission for some classes that filled quick or I was taking out of sequence at times so had to sojourn to places like Alumni Hall (now called something else, Eberly or something?) and in Benedum Hall (I had a double major). I don't have much else to compare to, possibly all universities in the mid 80s were as equally inefficient ... but the process was ... frustrating at times. Frustrating with shin splints!
Honestly, I know Pitt is perceived today as an Ivy quality school now, thanks to sucking at sports (at least what many of the posters here say)
... but ... honestly, when I was there, some of the academics and especially administrative stuff left some to be desired.
A number of my profs were meh, some worse than that. Some were good as well, one or two (no more than that) flat out great...but overall I was closer to the Mendoza line than Ted Williams. Some classes were real dogs... several, actually. I find that rather disappointing in retrospect.
I had a great SOCIAL experiences at Pitt, "came of age" and all that, and remember that most fondly. I AM a city guy, and Oakland with all its culture, diverse establishments, hustle, bustle. Yeah, and major college sports, with proximity to pro sports and major corporations and all the different neighborhoods etc., appealed greatly to me, still do.
Maybe its why I am fairly indifferent on appeals to support Pitt ,the 'institution', rather than the Pitt sports teams foremost. I would have succeeded as well or better at a different school, probably...but with a less rich experience. Especially at a cowflop academy like our non-rivals (my 2nd choice of a school was Ohio State).
I donate about equally today to both sides (and its telling that they are divided into sides): sports and academics. But if push came to shove, football would get it over CAS (more likely, neither would win... other charities would get the nod).
