Everything I’ll miss most about Pitt now that I’ve graduated

Leaving Pitt is bittersweet. On one hand, this is my home and has been for the past four years. On the other, I’m still staying in the city for law school—although currently I’m torn between Duquesne and Pitt—so school hasn’t really ended for me.

However, on the off-chance I do decide to leave, here are some of the things I will miss most about the University of Pittsburgh.

Me graduating this past Sunday

The O (Essie’s Original Hot Dog Shoppe)

The O and I have a love-hate relationship. True story: when I was a freshman, I took a MegaBus down to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to see this guy I was dating (he turned out to be a jackass). I had a fun weekend, even though Harrisburg is and always will be boring, and when I came back, I was confused about what bus to take to get back to my dorm room in Tower B. I ended up taking a cab – well, actually it was a rickety van driven by a Slovenian couple. It was cheap, probably because the driving was so unsafe, so I decided to go for it. When I got back to Oakland, I forgot that I didn’t have cash on me and, of course, the driver didn’t take plastic.

I ended up having to go into the O to use their ATM, but mine and the cabbie’s wires must’ve gotten crossed at some point because his English wasn’t so hot and he thought I was attempting to duck out on the bill. He chased me into the O. I wasn’t running because I was trying to cheat him, I was running because he was chasing me. But when I got into the O, chased by this maniacal, alarmingly-fit cabdriver, I managed to point to the ATM and communicate that I wasn’t cheating him, I just had to get cash out. It was a major scene, and I was super embarrassed. Also, despite the fact that I had no idea who this man was, nor did I ever see him again, I felt strangely indignant that he took me for a thief.

It was two years before I could go into the O again, safely certain that no one would remember me as the suspected thief hauling ass to escape an enraged Slovenian cab driver. Now that I’m broadcasting the story on a Pitt news site, this may jog some memories. If, by some wild chance, you were a witness to this, don’t attempt to discuss it with me further because it’s still a sore subject.

The O’s hotdogs are good too.

The faculty

Not the administration, because they’ve always been kinda mean to me, but my professors were awesome. In four years, I’ve only had three bad experiences with professors, but I won’t name names. Still, four years, three bad experiences—that’s not a bad ratio. My adviser, Katherine Francis, was also wonderful as well. She was always super helpful.

The Pitt counseling center

Had to give them a mention. Their events were always well-intentioned and thoughtful, and I went to them when I was having emotional troubles my junior and senior year. I will say that they need a larger staff. Of all the millions Pitt rakes in, they should be able to hire more counselors, as there are students struggling right now who need to see someone, but the waiting list is long and the appointments too far apart. The counselors there are great—I want the Pitt counseling center to expand on this good thing they’ve got going.

The Bigelow Bash

I went to this every year and always loved it. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, and if I remember correctly, there was always nice weather. It was a blast, and I hope Pitt keeps it up.

The dining hall (sometimes)

It was hit-or-miss, but the quesadillas were always good, and I liked the salad bar, too. Also, grilled cheese and French fries made me put on a good ten pounds freshman year. I still have those ten pounds, but c’est la vie. Plus, the dining hall staff were really friendly, and I could tell they cared a lot about us.

The Pete

Yeah, it was on a hill, and yeah, the hill sucked to walk up, but the gym there had a lot of machines, and the new stadium is amazing.

The Pitt News

They’re kinda our competition, but I’ll give credit where credit is due. I thought their editorial pieces were always spot-on. More people should read the Pitt News. That’s my edict as I depart Pitt—go read the Pitt News. And The Tab. Basically, be a consumer of local news because it’s more informative when it comes to what’s happening outside of your door.

The Cathedral

Naturally. I’ve never seen a building like it before, and I don’t think I will again. Even though the classrooms were uncomfortable and had serial killer fluorescent lighting, and 99.9 percent of the seating there gave me back spasms, the architecture, nationality rooms, and Harry Potter vibe made it all worth it.

The Cathedral of Learning, home to beautiful architecture, uncomfortable seating, and glowing Christmas decorations each December

Hillman Library

Hillman (nicknamed Hill by me because that’s how attached I got) and I became very acquainted. I grew oddly territorial of the place, not unlike my 23-pound Maine Coon cat, who is outraged if someone comes within 50 feet of my (read: his) apartment. But I won’t bore you with cat lady stories.

Instead, I’ll bore you with a brief overview of my irritation at the fact that some people only use the library for finals week, crowding out those of us who were always there consistently. There should be a library loyalty card, where those of us who are there all the time get preferred seating. Just kidding (or am I?).

We get the New York Times free

I always picked up the NYT, and no, I never really read the whole thing (or even half of it—newspapers are hard to unfold and refold), but it was still nice that we got it for free, particularly as it costs $3.00 or however much at Starbucks.

Honorable Mention: The bookstore

Schoolbooks were crazy expensive, but there was a nice selection of for-fun books upstairs. Also, there were also a lot of little extra things (lip gloss, highlighters, mandala coloring books, stuffed animals, Vera Bradley stuff, etc.) that I was usually too broke to buy but liked looking at anyway.

I’ll miss Pitt a lot, and this article has even made me a little emotional, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t excited for law school. And who knows? I might end up choosing Pitt over Duquesne (even though the latter gave me a fat scholarship), therefore making this article irrelevant—which wouldn’t be a bad thing.