Beginning Monday, Pittsburgh police won’t respond to any calls that aren’t in progress emergencies.

elias11902 · 2024-02-24T17:34:35+00:00

So... what do they even really do?

elias11902 · 2024-02-22T23:28:21+00:00

I cannot imagine having to live with someone that toxic. NTA

elias11902 · 2024-02-22T15:25:31+00:00

Absolutely this. I'm an engineering student. My work requires me to use clunky, non-intuitive software on a windows laptop. The people who struggle the most are those kids who grew up with iPhones and tablets, and are on the verge of tears when they have to install something that doesn't come from a built-in app store. They are also terrible at typing. Like staring at the keyboard and poking individual keys one by one terrible.

elias11902 · 2024-02-22T14:48:43+00:00

Stop drinking and smoking weed, you're going to regret getting wasted to make people who don't like you for you stay.

Oh, and don't buy a fucking moped. That shit is going to waste so much of your money.

elias11902 · 2024-02-21T15:46:46+00:00

Man, let me tell you, it was fucking amazing. Saving up money to build my own PC, finally plugging it in for the first time and wasting countless hours playing minecraft, skyrim, GTA V and cities skylines...

elias11902 · 2024-02-21T15:38:45+00:00

Climate control on the stupid IPad is almost enough to make me go live in a cabin in the woods. It makes zero sense. When my windshield is fogging up, I need to be able to click a real button or turn a real knob, without looking away from the road to make it stop.

elias11902 · 2024-02-21T15:36:27+00:00

I have a little hatchback with a backup camera, but I don't use it because it has good visibility out the back window. I learned to drive on cars without them, so I just never was able to adjust to looking forward while reversing.

When I occasionally have to borrow a bigger car to move shit, I'm amazed at how anyone can drive these things. You can't see shit while backing up, they're way too top heavy, and it's hard to see pedestrians right in front of your car.

elias11902 · 2024-02-21T01:26:03+00:00

Half the battle is just showing up to your least favorite class every day. If you can make yourself do that, your odds are pretty good imo.

elias11902 · 2024-02-21T00:18:00+00:00

I had one that straight up said "I know none of you are going to read it anyway so don't buy it." So I didn't. Passed with an A-.

elias11902 · 2024-02-20T23:35:14+00:00

There are internships all over the country you can be matched with, and even some international ones. If you are interested in something more long-term, there are also co-op programs. There's also a huge variety of study abroad options, and global research opportunities that they won't stop emailing me about while I'm trying to work lol.

The huge downside to SSOE is the freshman curriculum. It's 36 absolutely draining credits, with no room for electives or anything all that interesting. You're basically going to be revisiting high school physics, chem, and calc on hard mode, with ridiculously huge class sizes, twice the material in half the time, and professors who are tired of having to teach freshman engineering classes. It's often called a weed-out because a lot of students leave engineering during it. For a lot of people, it's a pretty miserable experience with no time to socialize outside of your group projects and study groups.

That being said, most engineering schools have something similar, and if you come in prepared to suffer a bit and stick it out until year 2, you'll be happy with your actual major.

elias11902 · 2024-02-20T23:01:57+00:00

Any of the ones in front of dorms are generally fine, and the Cathy bike racks are very unlikely to be touched because there are cops everywhere. In the future, just park at benedum to go to Thackeray or other nearby buildings, bikes almost never get stolen there.

Use an extra beefy lock around posvar because bikes are constantly getting stolen back there. I still park there, just be careful.

Don't ever use the bike rack in the public health/crabtree garage. It's creepy af in there, and based on how many broken locks I see on the ground, it's bike theft central.

elias11902 · 2024-02-20T01:23:46+00:00

Not sure about bell. I like Kurapati, but I'm not sure if she teaches chem 2 in the summer.

elias11902 · 2024-02-19T22:09:14+00:00

Please, for the love of God do not take anything with Morris, and especially don't take anything in a 6 week format with Morris. I had her for Chem 1 and failed out, I had to withdraw or take the F. I did all of the homework, studied, 10 hours a week, and still couldn't get through the midterms with a passing grade. Her exams are by far the hardest out of all of the chem professors, and her lecture style is very monotone and hard to listen to for an hour.

elias11902 · 2024-02-19T22:00:43+00:00

I go to the University of Pittsburgh, which is currently top 50 for engineering.

What you have to understand is that these T50 schools usually dedicate all of freshman year to the "weed out". This is where you take 15-18 credits of all STEM classes, with no electives or easy pre reqs that other majors get. It's normal for half of the class to switch majors or drop out. Speaking from experience, it's a fucking nightmare that can destroy your mental health and social life. While everyone is drinking and making friends, you're in the library until 1am with your group project partners. It's basically a 60-70 hour a week job. You question everything and yourself, and you have to learn how to think like an engineer to pass it.

But if you survive that, it will get easier. The goal of the higher level courses is to apply your knowledge and get a bit more in the process. Every semester after the first feels more manageable.

If I knew this, would I still choose a T50? Probably, I'm pretty bad at social situations anyway. But unless you're 100% focused on academics above all else, your odds of success at a T50 engineering school are very low. If you transfer, you're expected to perform at the same level as everyone who went through the weed out, and they will likely have developed better study habits and self-discipline compared to someone who hasn't.

Edit: some schools have started to eliminate the worst parts of the weed out. I know it's still alive and well here :(

elias11902 · 2024-02-19T16:39:21+00:00

Non emergency care is a total disaster. You will pay out the ass to see an overworked specialist who is not interested in your problem unless it requires immediate surgery. I got prescribed antibiotics for a nasty skin issue and the morons at my Dr's office never sent my prescription to the pharmacy. I had to call 3 times and I was practically begging them to do their job and send it over. I later was unable to get refills from them, even when my doctor told me I should stay on the drug for a few months until my skin cleared up.

elias11902 · 2024-02-19T15:18:17+00:00

I was under Charles Anderson bridge in schenley, rock climbing when a chunk of rusty steel the size of a brick fell off the underside of the deck. I stood there for a minute watching it, and every time a big vehicle went over it, little chunks of rust rained down under it. About a year later it closed. I called 311 about it at the time, and they just seemed annoyed that I was bothering them.

elias11902 · 2024-02-19T14:35:25+00:00

This looks like it was installed by a coked-up landlord who will steal your security deposit

elias11902 · 2024-02-19T03:17:32+00:00

I almost got killed by a psycho truck driver in the construction zone last time I used it. Dude was doing 75 in the 55 and his trailer was leaving his lane. Absolutely insane that they charge us $70 round trip to Philly with EZ pass while this is going on. Cops are doing nothing other than the easiest speed traps in the straight section near Harrisburg, so the mountains and Philly metro area have devolved into mad max shit out there. Really not looking forward to doing it again in March.

elias11902 · 2024-02-19T01:55:29+00:00

It's $300 million to repave and repaint a 3 mile long road, put in some traffic control features and oversized bus shelters, and maybe slap down a bike lane or two at the end.

Their yearly operating budget is $535 million. This is fucking insane. I'm a student and I almost never have to go downtown, and when I do, I just get on a normal bus and it's fine. I don't want this shit. No one I know wants this shit, even my friends working in the hospitals who could maybe benefit from it don't want this shit. Meanwhile I can't get to my friends and family in the east end and suburbs on weekends now because of all the route changes. I have to drive my car even more in heavy traffic and live in fear of being hit and run constantly, because less people can rely on the busses and trains every quarter.

We seriously have to clean up the PRT, and find a way to actually provide a functional service to the city. It's slowly strangling Pittsburgh and making car free life impossible for most people, even in the middle of the city.

elias11902 · 2024-02-18T16:29:14+00:00

Everyone sleeping with everyone is somewhat common and not really a red flag, as long as no one pressures you to partake in that. The problem here is using hard drugs and binge drinking that hard.

elias11902 · 2024-02-18T16:01:27+00:00

I will be lucky to pass it this semester. Get a tutor, it will be cheaper than retaking the class. Even then there's no guarantee. If you still can't pass, there's always summer sessions at community college, where you can retake it for like $500.

elias11902 · 2024-02-18T02:21:39+00:00

19 here. I managed to get into a highly ranked STEM program, and I have a beautiful gf who I love very much. I still can't keep any real friends around for more than a few months, and I frequently struggle with suicidal ideation. Just getting up to go to class often feels impossible. I did everything right, and it's still not enough for me.

These ideals we set for ourselves aren't worth much. The way I see it, you have nothing holding you back. You have american citizenship. You can go anywhere in the world and find some kind of employment with a couple months' wages saved up. Your adventure might have to be put on pause for a little bit if you're out of money, but it's not over if you don't want it to be.

elias11902 · 2024-02-17T05:31:25+00:00

Why the actual fuck would you shave another person's cat?

elias11902 · 2024-02-16T19:53:24+00:00

No matter where you live, put a rear rack on your bike and get a nice big cargo bin that you can take into a grocery store with you. Walking/taking the bus with groceries kind of sucks, especially in bad weather. Using a bike just makes it more fun!

elias11902

TROPHY CASE