~*~University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Class of 2011 ~*~

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the social events sound great - i'm planning on going to all of them!

couple questions - anyone else bought their plane tickets for thanksgiving yet? i was looking at the weekly calendar for M1s and trying to figure out whether "thanksgiving recess 11/21 to 11/25" means we have wednesday, the 21st, off, or if our break starts after classes wednesday. does anyone know for sure?
also, has anyone who's down there now checked out the student gym?
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I'm planning on going to most of the social events. The rafting is the same weekend as the MSTP/PSTP retreat so I'll be going rafting with that group on Sunday. I'm wondering if we'll be going to the same place.

We have Wednesday off for Thanksgiving (check the daily calendar). I'm not going home since my parents are coming.

The gym (Peterson's) is nice, but it can be kinda busy later in the day. If you are not living in Darragh, you might want to look into renting a locker. It's $25/semester. PM me and I'll look for the phone number. Also, there's a few racquetball courts there so if anyone plays or is interested in learning how to play let me know. I have two sets of everything so don't worry is you don't have gear.
 
Is anyone else bringing their car to school? Apparently the parking permits are drawn by lottery on August 1st... do you guys know if most med students end up getting a permit?
 
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ABSOLUTsher07 said:
Is anyone else bringing their car to school? Apparently the parking permits are drawn by lottery on August 1st... do you guys know if most med students end up getting a permit?
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how do we get in that lottery?
 
Erina said:
how do we get in that lottery?
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I believe that's if we are living in Darragh for the parking. We aren't going to need it since we're taking the bus in and I believe the parking at the hospital is free on the weekends for us.
 
shantster said:
I believe that's if we are living in Darragh for the parking. We aren't going to need it since we're taking the bus in and I believe the parking at the hospital is free on the weekends for us.
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ahhh makes sense haha. thank goodness for the free buses, although it's probably not a bad walk from where we'll be living, right?
 
Erina said:
ahhh makes sense haha. thank goodness for the free buses, although it's probably not a bad walk from where we'll be living, right?
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It's 2 miles. I'm planning on walking down 5th until one of the buses catches up to me. There's no reason to keep walking if I find it.:)
 
Cars aren't really necessary in Pittsburgh, unless you need to get to an outlying area of town quickly. The University of Pittsburgh has an arrangement with Port Authority that allows you to use your student ID as a bus pass, and Oakland is a hub for many of the main routes (54C goes everywhere (Southside, Oakland, Strip District, North Side, etc., etc.), 28X goes to the airport, 61's and 71's go downtown, 61's go to Squirrel Hill, 71's to Shadyside, East Liberty, etc.). Additionally, trying to find parking during the semester is a PITA, as all of the pesky undergraduates think that they need to bring their cars, too. Pitt is a big school, so parking in Oakland is at a premium (you might consider leaving your car at your apartment and bussing/walking in).

Re: banks. Citizen's Bank and PNC are ubiquitous, and both offer weekend banking at certain locations. The Citizen's Bank in Squirrel Hill is open on the weekends for limited hours, and both Citizen's and PNC have arrangements with Giant Eagle for in-store banking, so they are open for select hours on the weekend.

As a native (grew up here, moved back in 1998 for graduate school), I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about the city - PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
 
I need my car to drive to Pittsburgh and home during the year (from MN and can't afford plane tickets/parents think this is a better idea). Any parking options (living in Darragh) if I don't win the lottery?
 
MaiPenRai said:
I need my car to drive to Pittsburgh and home during the year (from MN and can't afford plane tickets/parents think this is a better idea). Any parking options (living in Darragh) if I don't win the lottery?
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There's plenty of reasonably safe on-street parking in Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze, both within 2-3 miles of the med school. It's not ideal, but it would be easy to park on a side street in Squirrel Hill and then walk or take the bus to Oakland.
 
Quix said:
Cars aren't really necessary in Pittsburgh, unless you need to get to an outlying area of town quickly. The University of Pittsburgh has an arrangement with Port Authority that allows you to use your student ID as a bus pass, and Oakland is a hub for many of the main routes (54C goes everywhere (Southside, Oakland, Strip District, North Side, etc., etc.), 28X goes to the airport, 61's and 71's go downtown, 61's go to Squirrel Hill, 71's to Shadyside, East Liberty, etc.). Additionally, trying to find parking during the semester is a PITA, as all of the pesky undergraduates think that they need to bring their cars, too. Pitt is a big school, so parking in Oakland is at a premium (you might consider leaving your car at your apartment and bussing/walking in).

Re: banks. Citizen's Bank and PNC are ubiquitous, and both offer weekend banking at certain locations. The Citizen's Bank in Squirrel Hill is open on the weekends for limited hours, and both Citizen's and PNC have arrangements with Giant Eagle for in-store banking, so they are open for select hours on the weekend.

As a native (grew up here, moved back in 1998 for graduate school), I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about the city - PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
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I agree with this for the most part, but I've found my car useful while here. The bus system is nice, especially for getting to school, but it has it's flaws. If you want to see a later movie at Southside Works or the Waterfront, it can be a pain with the buses ending around midnight. There isn't a good way to get to UPMC Shadyside on the bus unless you happen to live on Centre or N. Negley (away from the major part of Shadyside) so I've been walking ~1 mile to my lab every day. The bus system is also not that reliable on the weekends and I've had to wait around for a bit to get to Peterson's. Another thing that's lacking is a bus between Squirrel Hill and Shadyside. If you live in one area and want to go out in the other you'll need to have your car or walk.

I'm extremely happy that I have my car with me, and having parking included with my apartment was a big plus since street parking can be somewhat of a pain in Shadyside.
 
MaiPenRai said:
I need my car to drive to Pittsburgh and home during the year (from MN and can't afford plane tickets/parents think this is a better idea). Any parking options (living in Darragh) if I don't win the lottery?
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That is one long drive. I can't even imagine driving home to Wisconsin during the school year.

However, I will admit that I'm one of those people that hates driving distance because I can't do the things I normally do on planes (e.g. nap) when driving.
 
Quix said:
Cars aren't really necessary in Pittsburgh, unless you need to get to an outlying area of town quickly. The University of Pittsburgh has an arrangement with Port Authority that allows you to use your student ID as a bus pass, and Oakland is a hub for many of the main routes (54C goes everywhere (Southside, Oakland, Strip District, North Side, etc., etc.), 28X goes to the airport, 61's and 71's go downtown, 61's go to Squirrel Hill, 71's to Shadyside, East Liberty, etc.). Additionally, trying to find parking during the semester is a PITA, as all of the pesky undergraduates think that they need to bring their cars, too. Pitt is a big school, so parking in Oakland is at a premium (you might consider leaving your car at your apartment and bussing/walking in).

.
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Glad to hear I can at least get around without a car (even if it is a pain sometimes). While Philly's transport system isn't the best, it's been good enough for six years sans car so I'm worried about going to a less "urban" city and feeling stranded all the time!

Anyone know how much the bus fare is for non-Pitt students?
 
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shantster said:
That is one long drive. I can't even imagine driving home to Wisconsin during the school year.

However, I will admit that I'm one of those people that hates driving distance because I can't do the things I normally do on planes (e.g. nap) when driving.
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Well, Wisconsin is on the way...so if you're short on cash around Christmas and want to come along for the ride I'm sure there'll be room :)

Speaking of parking, I just got my space in the "OC" lot in the mail. Anyone know where that is? Is that bad or good (not that it matters, seeing as I will use it regardless)
 
For all those Darragh St. apartmenters, when are you moving in? If anyone has moved in yet, how are the apartments looking (i.e. carpet, etc)... I only got to see them when they were still under construction. Can't wait to meet everyone!
 
MaiPenRai said:
Well, Wisconsin is on the way...so if you're short on cash around Christmas and want to come along for the ride I'm sure there'll be room :)

Speaking of parking, I just got my space in the "OC" lot in the mail. Anyone know where that is? Is that bad or good (not that it matters, seeing as I will use it regardless)
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Thanks, but I'll be flying since Midwest goes direct to Milwaukee.

I believe the OC lot is behind Peterson's so it's across the street somewhere.
 
did anyone get the Myers-Brigg evaluation stuff in the mail yet? I thought we were supposed to get it last week, but I haven't received anything from Pitt.
 
I've been looking out for it, too. No dice.
 
Hey, does anyone know when we receive our first tuition bill? I'm assuming it won't be until after they finish awarding all the financial aid packages...
 
katester25 said:
There's plenty of reasonably safe on-street parking in Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze, both within 2-3 miles of the med school. It's not ideal, but it would be easy to park on a side street in Squirrel Hill and then walk or take the bus to Oakland.
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Is street parking in Squirrel Hill/Shadyside free and can I park there overnight?

I'm looking forward to meeting you all next week!
 
mattguy132 said:
Is street parking in Squirrel Hill/Shadyside free and can I park there overnight?

I'm looking forward to meeting you all next week!
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There's certain streets that are nonpermit parking. PM me and I could give you a few in Shadyside that were around my last apartment. You can park overnight since that's where people who don't have offstreet parking (which is actually somewhat hard to find an apartment that offers it) park their cars. Otherwise the permit parking is 2 hours and goes from ~8 to either 6 or 9, depending on the street, and Sundays are nonpermit. You won't be able to get a permit since they need proof that you live there in order to be able to purchase one. It is kind of a pain because sometimes the streets will be filled and so you'll have to park in the permit section no earlier than 2 hours before the permit hours end and make sure you move you car no later than 2 hours after they begin the next day.
 
stiffany said:
ditto :(

Anyone moving into Darragh tomorrow??? Less than 2 weeks till white coat! :hardy:
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Hi everyone! So, here's a bit more info for people moving into Darragh within the next week or so. I just moved in yesterday, and it's definitely taken a bit of getting used to. Everything still smells strongly of spackle and paint, so those with sensitive noses, be warned. The inside of the buildings are all done, but the immediate surroundings are still very much a construction zone. Gravel and men in hard hats are everywhere, the sidewalk in one part is pretty torn up, except for the one area immediate to the main entrance. The main entrance (the future courtyard area) isn't handicapped accessible yet (ie: it's maybe 10 or so steps). There are side entrances on the building that lead to the stairwells, but they're really only exits right now, since the card scanner isn't installed.

Only wireless internet is currently available (it's the PittNet that is in Scaife and the BST as well - you can log into it using your my.pitt.edu user name and password) and wired internet is apparently still in the process of being set up (it wasn't working last night at least). Conveniently, there's internet/phone/cable jacks in every room. According to the housing office, the cable should be working already, but since I don't have a TV yet I can't quite confirm that.

Hm, that's about everything Darragh-related I can think of for now. Looking forward to meeting you all at white coat!! :D
 
rhapsodyln said:
Hi everyone! So, here's a bit more info for people moving into Darragh within the next week or so. I just moved in yesterday, and it's definitely taken a bit of getting used to. Everything still smells strongly of spackle and paint, so those with sensitive noses, be warned. The inside of the buildings are all done, but the immediate surroundings are still very much a construction zone. Gravel and men in hard hats are everywhere, the sidewalk in one part is pretty torn up, except for the one area immediate to the main entrance. The main entrance (the future courtyard area) isn't handicapped accessible yet (ie: it's maybe 10 or so steps). There are side entrances on the building that lead to the stairwells, but they're really only exits right now, since the card scanner isn't installed.

Only wireless internet is currently available (it's the PittNet that is in Scaife and the BST as well - you can log into it using your my.pitt.edu user name and password) and wired internet is apparently still in the process of being set up (it wasn't working last night at least). Conveniently, there's internet/phone/cable jacks in every room. According to the housing office, the cable should be working already, but since I don't have a TV yet I can't quite confirm that.

Hm, that's about everything Darragh-related I can think of for now. Looking forward to meeting you all at white coat!! :D
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Hey Rhapsody. Thanks for the info! Do you know if the elevator that's supposed to be there is up and running yet? I'm currently envisioning carrying boxes up three flights of stairs since the outside ramp isn't available yet...:eek:
 
Are we suppose to mail in the Myers Briggs evaluation before orientation? And what pages do we include (the booklet says just the first page, and the letter didn't clearly indicate what they wanted included)?
 
ABSOLUTsher07 said:
Are we suppose to mail in the Myers Briggs evaluation before orientation? And what pages do we include (the booklet says just the first page, and the letter didn't clearly indicate what they wanted included)?
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Yeah, the info about that was a bit inconsistent. I just mailed the whole thing in.
 
ABSOLUTsher07 said:
Are we suppose to mail in the Myers Briggs evaluation before orientation? And what pages do we include (the booklet says just the first page, and the letter didn't clearly indicate what they wanted included)?
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i thought the booklet said to tear off the first page and then turn the booklet in...so i think im going to keep the page that has the explanations of the different types and i'll mail the rest of it in. unless someone else has a better idea?
 
Hi All,

I have a few questions:

Has anyone received their bill and/or know when it will be sent?
Also, have you all ordered your textbooks/instruments already?

Hope everyone is well and enjoy the last week of summer!!
 
duqpitt said:
Hi All,

I have a few questions:

Has anyone received their bill and/or know when it will be sent?
Also, have you all ordered your textbooks/instruments already?

Hope everyone is well and enjoy the last week of summer!!
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i don't know specifically about the bill, but i was told by the financial aid office last thursday or friday that they had just started doing the financial aid stuff for first years. so hopefully that means all the financial things will be happening very soon.

and i haven't ordered anything yet...i figured i'd wait until we got to school to see when the used book/instrument sale is.
 
Is the Darragh St. apt elevator up and running yet???
 
ABSOLUTsher07 said:
Are we suppose to mail in the Myers Briggs evaluation before orientation? And what pages do we include (the booklet says just the first page, and the letter didn't clearly indicate what they wanted included)?
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The letter in the packet said to bring it to the first day of orientation, so I'll do that I guess, even though earlier we were told to mail it back.
 
Yep, the elevator is definitely up and running. You can reach it from the main courtyard area (near the parking lot) on the 2nd floor. Most people moving in have been propping open the main card-access doors to help with the moving process - there are little wedge thingies there that you can use.

* By the way, the main entrance is handicapped accessible, if you go to it from the parking lot, it's all on the same level. So, if you have a dolly or cart type thing, you can definitely bring it to help you move. I hadn't realized this before because yesterday was my first time in the parking lot.

In other Darragh news, the washer/dryer units are a bit on the small side, relative to other standard sized machines you may be used to. I found this out the hard way when I realized it would take me an entire day to do all my laundry as opposed to an hour and a half.

We had our first fire alarm yesterday, which showed us that the fire alarm system is increeeeedibly sensitive. (The person who set it off was just cooking dinner, and didn't even burn anything...) Hopefully they'll take care of this, and make the detectors turn on only when they detect smoke or an actual fire. The alarm, by the way, is ridiculously loud in the hallway. I think there was one immediately over my door. However, it's pretty well muffled when you're in the rooms, which makes me wonder if I'll hear the alarm if it's late at night or something ... :scared:
 
hi guys,
i'm an MSII and there is no reason for me to be procrastinating right now...but anyway

pitt does its tuition billing online. you access it at my.pitt.edu, then go to student services, then pittpay. login with your pitt (not medschool) id and password which you probably don't have yet.

if you have a car and will be living in shadyside or any other place with permit parking, go downtown to the parking office with your lease, and i think your car registration and driver's license to get a permit sticker. i got a bunch of tickets when i first got here because i didn't take care of that. also watch out for street cleaning, which is the first and third monday and tuesday of every month.

parking in oakland is usually a nightmare unless you get a university parking permit, which is pricey. so few people drive to school unless they live far away. check out the bus schedules too online. if you're in shadyside, chances are you'll be taking the 500 or 71D that runs along 5th. if you're closer to centre ave., then the 71A. elsewhere, i'm not an expert.

for anatomy, you will need netter. if you register for AMSA you get a free one, and the membership fee is (i think) a little less than the cost of a new netter purchased elsewhere. you can split the price of a dissection kit and/or a grant's dissector (book) with your anatomy lab group.

anyway, enjoy orientation and PM me if you have any other questions
 
When did Pitt send out the my.pitt.edu username and password information? It seems that most of you have this as you're living in Darragh and have access to the internet - I must not have gotten a letter or email.
 
Phoenix2185 said:
When did Pitt send out the my.pitt.edu username and password information? It seems that most of you have this as you're living in Darragh and have access to the internet - I must not have gotten a letter or email.
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I received mine in April. It came from Computing Services and Systems Development by mail. I would contact them if you haven't received yours yet. Their phone is 412-624-HELP (4357).
 
I just got an interview invite for Oct. 3rd; since they like to use first and second year students, I think it'd be really funny if one of you ended up being my interviewer. ;)
 
Quix said:
I just got an interview invite for Oct. 3rd; since they like to use first and second year students, I think it'd be really funny if one of you ended up being my interviewer. ;)
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Awe, congrats Quix! I really hope it works out this year and that you'll be able to join us next year. :)
 
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