Being a University of Pittsburgh alumni, we know firsthand what it’s like to get caught up in trying to balance school work and a social life. So much so that time passes in an instant, and the next thing you know, you’re reaching out for that diploma. We wish we could rewind and experience it all again. Until we come up with a working time machine, we’ll just have to relish in our memories and reminisce with past peers. If you’re lucky enough to be attending Pitt, take a moment to take everything in because nothing will ever be the same again. There are things we want to tell you. Things you’ll miss about University of Pittsburgh once you graduate.
Let’s get one thing straight— you all know you’re going to miss Cathy when you leave. It almost goes without saying! But we feel like we should talk about it anyway. What don’t we love about her? The architecture is beautiful. It made us feel like we were studying at Hogwarts. There’s no shortage of nooks and crannies with a few chairs and tables. Which means there are endless spots to cry alone about your student debt, study, and make out. We were lucky enough to have most of our classes in this building so we got to spend a lot of time in the beautiful and historic rooms.
And when we were hungry, we’d go downstairs and get some of the better food that the campus had to offer. Cathy has its own vibe. It’s way cooler than anything else on campus. She’s like the Beyonce that’ll leave you guessing the rest of the buildings names. Cathy was and always will be home base, a meeting place, a place to lose yourself, and (looking out at the view from the 42nd floor) find yourself again.
Where else could you go for yoga, a concert, and a carousel ride? No please, do tell. The University of Pittsburgh has a big lawn (like any other college) but with really cool extras. Like Conflict Kitchen, which showcases foods from countries in which the US is in conflict with. We stan a conscious university! From time to time they’ll have free exercise classes like yoga. And there’s always that one really interesting girl that’s determined to show off her hula hoops.
What we miss about Schenley Plaza was feeling like we were connected to nature, even though we were in a big city. It was a good place to take a break from studying just to stretch our legs. But the thing we miss the most about Schenley Plaza was the ‘groundhog’ effect it has on everyone. When springtime comes around, you’ll know it because every white girl will be on the lawn trying to get a tan and groups of guys will flock to the grounds to chase after a frisbee. We miss laying out in the warm sun, catching a soft breeze and being completely at peace.
Wait! Put that scrolling finger down! We came to talk about the good parts of University of Pittsburgh’s cafeteria aka not the food. Duh. Widely known as just “market”, this cafeteria was known for many many things. Food is not one of them. (Honestly it wasn’t that bad, we’re just divas) But on the brighter side of things, we love Market for the experiences we had in it. Going to market was 20% about eating and 80% about talking with your friends about what happened last night.
Market was essentially the watering hole. Everyone’s gotta eat, so naturally it’s the best place to hang out with friends while you pretend to study, ‘accidentally’ run into that hot guy from Bio class, and be entertained while the chef that’s cooking your stir fry almost burns your eyebrows off. Market is the common area where you saw everyone, if you wanted to or not. The thing you’ll be sad about the most is that you didn’t realise the last times you would see some of those people.
College is about way more than getting your degree. We used to think that it was! Originally, we went to a school where the people were downright nasty. It was not a good environment. The University of Pittsburgh really opened our eyes to what a good college community should look and feel like.
We miss when people wouldn’t offer a pen if we were looking in our bags for too long. We miss when people wouldn’t hold the door for one another and say “Thank you” and “You’re welcome”. We miss when the Black women who worked there would remember our names and ask “How you doin’ baby?”. We didn’t know what to expect going to Pitt as we’d never been to Pennsylvania before, but we can honestly say that the campus is home to some of the nicest people.
It’s easy to say that you’ll miss your friends and loved ones when you leave the University of Pittsburgh, but it’s a rare thing to be able to miss the whole community.
This next section is for the people who are over 21 or the lucky ones who got fake IDs. Ah Hemingway’s. The bar that’s everyone favorite. Everyone could agree on a place to go out to if it was this place. I mean, who doesn’t like gummy worms at the bottom of their pitchers? Hemingway’s is a true University of Pittsburgh classic. You can tell by how packed it always is on the weekends.
What you’ll miss the most about Hem’s is the atmosphere. You can feel the tension evaporating off of everyone’s shoulder’s once they step in. You’ll miss it’s cozy (a nice word for cramped) vibe that forced everyone to get along. Most of all you’ll miss the experiences had here. The good and bad news you’ll receive over a drink. And you’ll miss the best friends that you made in the girl’s bathroom that night.
Peter’s Pub is a University of Pittsburgh phenomenon. Everyone remembers this place firstly as the place you get your horns when you turn 21. It’s always the first stop on a long list of bars that you crawl through when your friends celebrate your birthday on that magical year. It is confusing as it’s both a bar and a club but we’re used to it by now. The one thing we could never wrap our heads around is why they were selling popcorn?
Whatever the heck Peter’s was it was one crazy mashup. You’re going to miss that there will never be a place quite like it. A place where you can get a drink, dance it off, have another drink, eat a movie theatre snack, have another drink, and make out with a random, all while wearing viking attire. Memories are sure to be made here and you’ll miss the chance to have one last night at Peter’s.
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