As I begin my senior year here at Pitt, I can’t help but look back at all the little things that made this experience so special and unique. So, whether you are just starting out or are taking your final lap like I am, you can probably (or sometime will) relate to these iconic Pitt experiences.
1. Having a class in a nationality room
When you walk into your first day and realize you’ve got a nationality room, it is exciting! They’re beautiful, unique, and a somewhat interesting talking point when you’re in a pinch. You’ll probably take a picture or two and be amazed at your luck. However, this tends to wear off pretty fast when you realize that the wooden chairs (or worse, benches) are too hard and the room gets really hot and you can’t bring any food or drinks inside. But hey, at least you get to say you spent an entire semester learning in one of these cool rooms! (The Austrian room on the third floor is my favorite.)
2. Going to the top of the Cathedral
It’s definitely a bit of a trek as you have to take multiple elevators and stairs and doors and the like – but it’s all worth it for this view.
3. Seeing Pitt beat Penn State
If you were here last year, then you know how this felt. Let’s rally again for another amazing win this fall!
4. Trying to find a class in the Victoria building
Unless you’re a nursing student, you probably never spend time in this building. So, when you see on your schedule that your Readings in Nonfiction seminar is up there, you know you’re in for a tough run. Trekking up the hill and then winding through pre-med and nursing students to find your class can be a bit of a daunting task (I recommend finding your classroom BEFORE the first day) and forget it if you have a class right afterwards in the Cathedral, you’re going to be late every single day.
5. Missing the bus by a few seconds and watching it drive away
This right here is what true heartbreak feels like. And if you’re on upper campus and that bus was the 10A, you’re stuck waiting there for another half hour unless you want to make that trek yourself (spoiler alert: you don’t).
6. Getting your horns at Peter’s
An absolute must when you turn 21, Peter’s Pub is the place to go for this important rite of passage and iconic Pitt tradition.
7. Eating Sorrento’s while you’re drunk and thinking it’s the best pizza you’ve ever had
Another drunken essential, getting your $6 Sorrento’s pizza at midnight is an important part of being a student in Oakland. You’ll think it’s some of the best
8. Market Thanksgiving
Even if you aren’t on a meal plan anymore, us upperclassmen will still beg freshmen for a swipe to enjoy this Homestyle meal hosted before we go home for break.
9. Getting lost in South O and using Cathy’s light to guide you home
She is your beacon; follow her light back to campus when you can no longer tell the difference between Semple and Atwood.
10. Calling a Saferider when you’re too drunk to walk home
Alternatively, you’ll at some point opt for your own chauffer and call Saferider to get you home. You can also use this if you’re out late studying and don’t feel comfortable walking home!
11. Filling your phone (and your story) with pictures of Cathy from every angle
If you don’t have a hundred pictures of the Cathedral on your phone at any given time, you’re doing it wrong. How else can you make your friends at other school jealous of her effortless beauty?
12. Repping your Panther Pride wherever you go for the rest of your days
Once a Panther, always a Panther.