| University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, located in the neighborhood of Oakland (ten minutes to downtown by the free buses). The campus is urban and close to a few other colleges, including Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne. The university is known for the Cathedral of Learning, the gothic structure that provides the upward theme that seems to mark its ever-continuing attempts to rise above the middle of the pack in America's collegiate system. In undergraduate education, Pitt has gained some renown for pharmacy, engineering, english, philosophy (though all the philosophy classes seem terribly boring). Freshmen coming to Pitt should kno that the city itself is pretty entertaining. The Greek system isn't overpowering in the social scene. Local bars vacillate in permissiveness of underage drinking (i recommend the korean takeout place on Forbes or Cumpies). Music and clubs are great in the Strip District, but there's a decent music scene at Laga and the Beehive.
Dorm food is edible on good days. The local resteraunts provide a wide variety of ethnic food, but the best value is the $4.06 pizza at Antoon's, down the street from Dave and Andy's Ice Cream. Studying at the Library is a gamble (though, supposedly, Playboy had it voted a great place to hook up in finals week). Finding random rooms in the Cathedral of Learning or Masonic Temple works well.
Pitt is a perfectly average public university, but the only thing that really sets it apart is the semi-prestigious medical school UPMC. It does offer a good honor's college for people interested in further challenges. | 
