University Times

The 144 comments that non-returning students wrote on their survey forms ranged from praise ("I would say that, overall, I was very satisfied with my stay at Pitt") to damnation ("Pitt is a terrible school") to ambiguity ("The University of Pittsburgh is a great educational institution. But, it is not for me.")

A few students made a point of explaining that their departures should not reflect badly on the University. They said they left because of health problems, work and family commitments, the need to take a break from school — even to play baseball, in one student's case.

But most of the comments were critical.

"Comments made by the largest number of respondents (40) regarded staff (e.g., faculty, advisers, food service workers, financial aid personnel, etc.) and were, for the most part, negative," noted Pitt's Office of Institutional Research, which conducted the survey.

Of those 40 responses, 19 criticized the University's student advising services, saying advisers were unhelpful or gave poor advice.

Sixteen students said Pitt is too big and treats students like numbers.

Another 11 called faculty, staff and administrators rude and impersonal. Eight singled out the Financial Aid staff as being unhelpful.

Twenty-eight students complained about limited offerings of courses and majors. Eleven students pointed to racial tension and crime at the Pittsburgh campus.

Necessarily, the students' comments were anecdotal. But they represent the voices of 144 individuals who committed time, money and effort to enroll at Pitt, and who earned passing grades, only to leave before finishing their degrees.

Here is what some of them had to say:

"In general, people are treated as numbers, not as people. The employees of the college don't want bothered with difficult problems. They just give a quick answer, whether it's a solution or not, instead of taking the time with that person to help them find a proper solution to their problem (especially in Financial Aid!). I have always wanted to attend Pitt. When applying to colleges, I only applied to Pitt. Now that I have attended one semester, I do not want to return. I ran into some financial aid problems, and they were never resolved, so I decided to find another college that would help me. And I did!"

"The attitude of the non-teaching staff was in most part rude. Also, some of the teachers appeared to be more involved with their own research than they were with my class. Finally, there were not enough wholesome social activities for the NON-DRINKER. The social life of many students seemed to revolve around drinking and drugs. Things need 'cleaned up.'"

"I realize that Pitt is a big school with a large population; however, I do not think there is any reason for a class to have over 200 students! Also, in a class this size, it's very hard to get your questions answered. I do not like the fact that if I want to ask a question, I have to make an appointment or go see the instructor during the two free hours they have during the week. Therefore, although Pitt has a lot of good things, I think I'll find a school with a better teacher/student ratio."

— Three full-time, in-state CAS students

"My biggest complaints are: 1) Child care difficulties in scheduling and attending classes. 2) Testing and credit by exam guidelines not flexible enough. 3) Impersonal attitudes towards parents by administration and some faculty. 4) Campus unsafe after dark. 5) Parking hassle and expense."

"The calculus requirement for a B.A. in psychology was ridiculous to me. I'm a busy woman. I don't have the time to torture myself over a subject I won't use in my profession. I ended up at another college."

— Two full-time, in-state CGS students

"I was originally a pre-med major at Pitt. I was highly dissatisfied with the size of my classes and lack of personal attention I received, as well as poor advising. However, when I transferred into the music department, I was satisfied with the advising and personal attention. I still thought that the requirements were not as extensive as I hoped. My major reason for leaving was the racial tension and lack of unity within the student body. Not to mention the resulting violence. I personally saw more violence than I cared to in my three semesters at the University. I was a victim of a random gang attack on a PAT bus in the city. I was jumped and beaten up on the bus. They were members of a gang. They didn't take or steal anything from me. Yet, eight grown males found it necessary to beat up a 5'3", 110-lbs. woman. When I tried to report it to the school, I was stonewalled. I wanted students to be aware of the dangers of taking a bus at 7 at night. Considering the violence in Oakland, I felt that school security and education on safety was very inadequate."

— A full-time, out-of-state CAS student

"I was very unhappy with the teaching assistants. Three of mine were unable to easily understand English. This made questions in recitations difficult to ask. Also, for the tuition I was paying, I felt that the professors should teach my lecture classes, not the TA. Whenever I transferred, the Financial Aid office was reluctant to send my transcripts, which resulted in late fees."

"Tuition is too, too high! It is an incredible chunk of the budget for a part-time (ergo, no financial aid) independent student. I have 80 credit hours under my belt and a 4.0 GPA. Surely there must be scholarship money available for me. Ha! I can't carry a football, I am white, and my husband makes a decent income. (Never mind the fact that we're still paying his student loans.) I greatly regret that it is not working out for me to continue my education, but at the rate tuition keeps going up, I need to save my tuition money for my daughter's college education."

I am a University of Pittsburgh employee. When I started taking classes, the cost was $5 a credit and a small charge of around $12 for fees. At the present time, it costs around $73 to take a three-credit class that used to cost around $30…So, I don't take classes every term."

— Three part-time, in-state CGS students

"Course majors are generally offered weekdays during a.m. hours. If you are married, with children and full-time employment, it makes it difficult to schedule these classes. The CGS was not an option because of my major. Also, in CAS you are only allowed to take two external studies courses. I would be a student there still if this rule were lifted."

— A part-time, in-state CAS student