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College Prowler

Off-Campus Housing

About 10 minutes (walking) from campus, there are apartments that some people live in called Washington Plaza. Most of the students live in either South Side or Mt. Washington (low or average budget). Both of these places are close to campus (about a five-minute drive). Shadyside is for the students that have money to spend (about a 15-minute drive), and Squirrel Hill also houses a few students.

Overall Experience

I am glad that I chose Duquesne, and I am very satisfied with the education I am receiving. The money you pay for tuition is outrageously high, but it is well worth it. It’s a small campus, so you can leave your room about 5 or 10 minutes before your classes and have plenty of time to spare. I believe Duquesne is preparing me to take the boards and receive my pharmacy degree without a problem. I don’t know what you plan on majoring in, but if it is something to do with health care, Duquesne will prepare you with the proper background.

Parking

Depending upon whether or not you get a permit, parking can be rough. I had a permit all of this past year, so it wasn’t too hard. It really depends on what time of day you try to park. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the worst days to park here. If you decide to park alongside a meter, be sure you put in enough money because fines are $20 for each ticket!

Safety & Security

All the dorms have people working at the front desks, and no one is allowed to enter the dorms until they swipe their student ID card. Each dorm room has its own specific card, so only people that live in that building can enter by swiping. The rest can either sneak in (which I understand has become very hard to do), or they must be signed in.

Transportation

Public transportation is top-notch. Pittsburgh International is easy to get to, and it is very nice. The airport’s pretty new and huge. The shuttle service there is free. It’s an easy flight for me back to Vermont.

Weather

I’d advise anyone attempting to pack a wardrobe for the school year not to rely on the seasons as a basis for what to pack. Just because the calendar says November does not necessarily mean we’ll have consistently cold weather, especially here in Pittsburgh. I’d suggest bringing both warm-weather and cold-weather clothing. One thing new students should deifnitely pack is an umbrella; it rains at least twice a week here, and climbing up the hills of campus in the rain can quickly ruin anyone’s day.

Academics

Most of the teachers that I have are pretty great. They’re always willing to meet outside of class with anyone who needs extra help. Class sizes are pretty small, but it also depends on your major. The major concentration and core classes usually run anywhere from 25–50 students. So, the student-teacher ratio is pretty good.

Athletics

IM sports are only big to the Greeks and freshmen. Freshmen will get teams together from who lives on their floor (it’s the RA’s responsibility to get the team started). There is football, soccer, basketball, softball, and volleyball—they are played throughout the year. Freshmen have their own league usually, so you won’t have to play against upperclassmen.

Campus Dining

The food is decent if you're careful. Options is generally safe and tasty, but I know a few people who have gotten food poisoning from Off Ramp and Towers. I personally got really bad food poisoning from Late Night this spring. Just be careful, don't eat anything that's been sitting out long. Going to meals early is generally a good idea. Fresher food tastes better, and it's safer. Just a heads up.

Campus Housing

Well, there are three different dorms for incoming freshmen: St. Martin’s, St. Ann’s, and Assumption. The nicest and biggest rooms are in Assumption, but Assumption is for the honors students—you have to be accepted into the Honors College to stay in Assumption. St. Ann’s is nicer than St. Martin’s because there are fewer floors, and the rooms are bigger.

Campus Strictness

Actually, this is the one thing that I found a little too harsh about Duquesne. I personally got caught by the RAs for drinking. They don’t usually get you in trouble with the cops for drinking unless you do it about three or four times. As for drugs, they have no tolerance. If they catch you, they will bring in the police, and you may be prosecuted.

Computers

The Internet in the dorms was really slow at the beginning of my freshman year, but the school worked on it a lot. By the end of my freshman year, it was much much better. Wi-Fi can be a little slow, but that's because it's so widely used. Also, the computer service guys are really helpful---just don't try to download free music.

Diversity

Over the past few years, Duquesne seems to have been making an effort to diversify their campus. I think this is critical in providing a well-rounded university atmosphere. That being said, the campus is mostly white with a strong upper-middle-class background—no surprise there; Duquesne’s expensive! This isn’t a huge issue, but students coming here on financial aid may sometimes feel intimidated. A-Walk often turns into a fashion runway of sorts. I just ignore students who are stuck on themselves and how much their parents make.

Drug Scene

Drug scene: very avoidable. However, if you are into that stuff, I am sure you can find someone that will supply it. My crew never really did that stuff, but I am not naive enough to say that no one did. I never had to witness drugs on campus. Some days I could smell it, but that is a long story. Anyway, it depends on your friends.

Facilities

All of the buildings on campus are very nice, and very well kept. We have a lot of activities that take place on campus, too. Famous people come in and talk, such as Harland Williams and Jamie Kennedy. The NiteSpot is a great place to hang out on the weekends, if you have nowhere else to go. There are games, big screen TVs, and free food!

Greek Life

Being a member of both a social and service sorority, I know a lot about this. Greek life is great! You’ll love it if you choose to do it. Greeks do dominate the social scene—but only the ‘Greek social scene.’ In other words, if you’re not Greek, you will still have a lot of friends. If you do choose to join, choose carefully!

Guys & Girls

As a guy, I love every second at this place. The girls outnumber us, and most of them are smoking. I’ve never seen a hotter campus! The hotties just seem to migrate here. I mean, wow!

Local Atmosphere

Pittsburgh is a football town—make no mistake about it. The majority of students at Duquesne are from Pittsburgh, and they love all Pittsburgh’s sports teams—particularly the Steelers and the Penguins. Duquesne does have a rivalry with the University of Pittsburgh, but as far as sports go, it’s not much of a rivalry, since Pitt is a powerhouse.

Nightlife

Being in the heart of an urban center, there are tons of bars and clubs around Duquesne. Definitely not a lack of things to do. Just make sure you have a designated driver. A favorite spot is the South Side since it’s just a quick walk with pretty views from Duquesne.

Off-Campus Dining

There’s a wide variety of restaurants, from fast food (McDonald’s, Arby’s, Long John Silver’s) to sit-down dining (Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s). The best Mexican can be found at Mad Mex and Chili’s. Try the Super Buffet for Chinese. And you can’t beat Red Lobster for seafood.