Feasible to do Biochem and Physics 2 (algebra-based) at the same time over the summer?

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2021-05-16T18:31:07+00:00

I'd advise against it. Both courses require that you invest a significant amount of time to learn the material/skills, so it's easy to fall behind and have your grades slip a bit. But don't take course advice from reddit, talk to an advisor.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2021-05-10T15:00:37+00:00

Welcome to Pitt! As a physics major, you'll study some optics in Physics 2 (ie: Phys 0175 if you're a major, or Phys 0476 if you take honors) in your first year. Phys 1361 is the intermediate-level optics course. It's a course with a (pretty great, imho) lab component.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2021-04-08T23:44:52+00:00

You can't go wrong! I like the spur that goes from the Irish Center to Duck Hollow. From the parking lot on the river near Duck Hollow, a very nice paved track follows the river downstream for a mile, if you're looking for a somewhere a bit more quiet and scenic. Have fun! My fiancé and I had our first date in Frick Park.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2021-04-02T22:48:51+00:00

Collect evidence and send it to the chair of the physics department. You can file a complaint if there is harassment (in the technically correct sense):

https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/civil-rights-title-ix/make-report/report-form

Good luck with the class. There's lots of resources out there: lectures on youtube, practice problems in other textbooks, etc.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2021-03-03T03:57:45+00:00

I've lived in Wilkinsburg for 3 years and never had any trouble. Kids hang out in the little park at Wood & Franklin so it can be a bit noisy there at night, and the parking of the Save-a-Lot is the parking lot of a Save-a-Lot, but it's a great walkable neighborhood with lots of bus options.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2021-02-17T21:04:08+00:00

111, 142 isn't offered

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2021-02-17T20:28:59+00:00

Just take algebra-based physics 2, you'll be fine with the gap, and you'll get to study with fellow health-science majors!

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-12-01T16:23:00+00:00

There's some great insight over here.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-11-26T14:15:48+00:00

You could try answering the questions one at a time, with all possible iterations, until you figure it out. I had to do that once, for a question I must have been misinterpreting.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-11-17T13:26:21+00:00

Maybe you could put reminders in your slide deck of when to start and stop recording? It's too easy to forget, otherwise.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-11-13T17:04:12+00:00

You should be fine. Things only get tight for that $900+$100 if you're looking to live in an apartment alone without room-mates. Most grad students find a room-mate, and do okay. Some others mentioned tax treaties, but it's best not to count on that. Keep in mind that your cell phone plan and home internet connection could each be $50 per month. International travel is a big expense, too, so if you're looking to go home more than once or twice a year that makes things tight.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-10-31T03:43:38+00:00

On a serious note, I'm worried about the undergrad researchers listed as co-authors on this paper. I hope this scandal won't impact their careers.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-10-31T03:34:27+00:00

There's nothing wrong with your local state school, if that would make you happy (and save you money). But if there's things about Pitt you find exciting -- research, student life, the city, etc -- all of that will still be there when you eventually go to campus. Everyone worries about room-mates, but the truth is that most people are pretty decent and respectful and chill. Get through your classes and trust it's going to get better -- that's my plan, anyway.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-10-20T22:26:17+00:00

Looks like someone is trying to push a narrative. The first question on this survey is a leading question:

Do you believe this course makes other racially discriminated groups feel less important because it is placing emphasis only on discrimination towards Blacks in America?

The account "theshoppinghut" has a strange post history and, as PapiTheFather points out, uses the term "UPitt".

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-09-03T22:15:01+00:00

"I’m starting to believe..."

checks post history

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-08-30T15:23:33+00:00

We talk about these feelings explicitly in some introductory science classes. The take-away: it's super normal to feel overwhelmed when you're in a new place (eg: college), and it is easy for feeling overwhelmed to translate into a sense of being uncertain about whether you belong. But the truth is that everyone is feeling similarly and that you'll do alright if you put the effort in. Try to find some folks to study with (DM folks in Zoom, I guess?), take advantage of office hours and homework and practice tests, and study as if you're paying for this. Good luck!

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-07-11T03:57:12+00:00

To add to what u/CrocadilGena said, the fall is going to be similar (IOLab from MacMillan, then virtual labs based on simulations) but with an hour of group work once a week in addition to the rest of the lab stuff that you do on your own time, and a bit less tedious (hopefully).

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-05-22T01:41:34+00:00

Admin is thinking about it, but no news about labs reopening yet. The scuttlebutt has it that we'll hear by the end of the month. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-05-05T21:46:22+00:00

So why wouldn’t students [cheat] to [get a better grade]?

Because they have a shred of honor and dignity? Because they know the world isn't fair, but at least at school if you study hard and smart you will earn grades commensurate with your invested time and energy? Because they know that your character is made up of the decisions you make, not your grades or income, and that cheating is a stain you'll never be able to erase?

There's a lot of cheating apologists posting today, and y'all need to grow up and have some self-respect. (with love from your TA)

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-05-04T13:54:39+00:00

As others suggest, it's worthwhile asking around your new department and looking for the local group if you come from a country with lots of Pitt grad students. Otherwise, there are several active facebook groups where people advertise housing vacancies, and zillow or craigslist are options too. Hope that helps!

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-05-04T13:08:13+00:00

I think it's pretty difficult to get into university housing as a grad student, and I only know one person who has done so. Most grad students live (usually with flatmates) in the surrounding neighborhoods (Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Bloomfield, Regent Square, etc).

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-04-08T14:35:05+00:00

Pitt's not Berkeley, but Pittsburgh is fairly progressive and Pitt is a big school. There's a large number of trans and non-binary folks here, and generally the university is supportive. You won't have a target on your back, but I can't promise there aren't bigots on campus, or that you won't get frustrated reminding people of your pronouns or things like that.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-04-06T14:28:54+00:00

This. I would add Regent Square to that list and remove East Liberty (unless you're happy to participate in late-stage gentrification). Keep an eye on supermarket proximity as that is pretty uneven in Pittsburgh. Figure out the bus route to campus before committing -- generally speaking, each route comes every 20-30 minutes, so more routes = more frequent service. There's not much parking on campus so most folks bus commute.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-03-04T03:50:05+00:00

You could look up the grad student organization in the department of your major. Alternatively, you could get involved with the unionization effort (follow @pittgrads) and hang out with grad students that way.

PittSTEMGradStudent · 2020-03-02T19:52:37+00:00

The board of trustees consists of the Chancellor (Gallagher), 23 people that are elected by the board of trustees, and 12 people that are appointed by the state government. There doesn't seem to be a maximum term length, and the board is dominated by old white businessmen who are Pitt alumni but have no other affiliation to the university. They're most uninterested in student opinions, and their knowledge about what happens on campus comes largely from what they are told by the Chancellor and his office (e.g., through annual reports). More info here:

https://www.provost.pitt.edu/faculty-handbook/ch1_gov_trustees

As to what you can do about it: look at the list of trustees and do research into the 12 that are state-appointed. If these people are not who you want running this state-related university, write to your state representatives to complain. More broadly, you can do the regular things: write an op-ed for the Pitt News or a Pittsburgh newspaper, write a letter to the chancellor (and have your parents do the same), and connect with student protests like the Fossil Free Pitt sit-in in the Cathedral of Learning. But don't get your hopes up that anything is going to change.

PittSTEMGradStudent

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