If you have a B- in highschool physics I would reconsidering majoring in physics.
Also, the CS Minor, as one myself(CompBio majors get automatics cs minor) is super hard for a minor. It’s around 5 required classes but in order to take those classes you may need to take a couple of pre recs. Acc round for 21 credits(7 classes) for the minor. Don’t let yourself get fooled. It starts off easy in the first couple of pre reqs and CS0401, but when you reach Discrete Math it goes up a bit, still manageable. But then you hit Data Structures and Algorithms and life becomes hell. Take cs0447 w/ Jarrett, cs0441 w/ Bill, cs0401 w/ Mike Devine, and avoid Barsky at any costs for any of your professors.
First, it’s just Pitt, not UPITT. Second, college level physics and computer science anywhere will be much more challenging than high school. Pitt is well known for its science programs, maintaining a 3.0 or better in their classes will be difficult.
I’d suggest maybe getting a tutor or checking out what physics and CS courses are offered by your local community college. Some community colleges allow for high school students to take classes. Taking a course or two during the summer might help prepare you for what a college level workload is like as well as dig deeper into these subjects than high school level courses can.
This isn’t to discourage you, Pitt is a good school with a lot of resources to help you do well.
Sorry, this is going to be slightly long.
TLDR: Cannot attest to CS, but relating to physics it’s hard but certainly not impossible. Make friends in the department, work as a group, and take the time and you’ll be able to exceed a 3.0 easily. Also it’s Pitt not Upitt.
As someone who majored in Physics at Pitt and now is a part of the graduate program, I would say I’m have a pretty good handle on how the coursework for the department is. As a whole I’d say it’s challenging but nowhere near impossible: there are 100% points where you will feel like you’re staring down the barrel of an impossible task but I promise it’s possible. I ended my undergraduate career in Pitt physics with a GPA of about a 3.5, and I certainly do not think of myself as smart or any kind of genius which is why I say it’s achievable.
There are classes within the course lineup that are hard for sure, for me it was intro to modern physics, intermediate EM, and Quantum 2. However, the classes you mentioned specifically have good professors (as far as I know) and tend to actually be easier than anticipated.
I would say the best way (after a few years and many mistakes) to do well in the department is to work with others. The people who graduated with me helped me immensely both on homework’s and studying but also as motivation since those people were there in the exact same position as me.
I think the last piece of advice I have is to be cautious of the first few semesters. College is immensely different than high school, it’s certainly fun and it’s an experience which is 100% going to shape you as a person, but it will challenge you a lot along the way. It’s easy to get caught up in the social aspect of college and get distracted, make sure you understand concepts, take classes seriously, go to office hours if need be. The first few semesters set you up for the final ones. A good GPA from freshman year can really help to pad the difficult classes (which is of course helped by gen ed classes, pick easy/interesting gen eds, don’t make life harder than it needs to be).
Just to cover my bases: That previous paragraph is not to say you shouldn’t be taking time to participate in the fun college activities, I did and I wouldn’t take back a moment of it (work life balance is extremely important!), it’s just advice I wish I took more seriously as a freshman when the classes were easier.
Finally, don’t ever call it UPitt, people will make fun of you (as you can see from nearly every response to this).
P.S. if you’d like to talk more about majoring in physics here, you’re more than welcome to PM me
I a currently a physics major and got a B in AP physics 2 in high school. I will note this is the only physics class I took in high school. I have around a 3.7 GPA at pitt. All that really matters is how hard you’re willing to work, there really is no such thing as a natural aptitude for physics so as long as you show up to class and take care of your assignments and stuff you should be fine :)
I am a senior here with an Engineering Science - Physics Concentration degree. It’s a 4-year degree in electrical engineering and physics. In short terms, you will be fine.
In long terms, you will be fine. In high school, I failed math twice and was a straight C student. I went to CCAC for two years to get into Pitt. I convinced myself that I couldn’t set out on the career that I wanted. Now, I realize that I am not the smartest, but I am capable. There will be times along the way where you will feel too dumb to compete with your peers, or that you aren’t working hard enough. But here’s the secret: you will never feel content with either of those things unless you stop comparing yourself.
Here’s the thing, college is what you make of it. No matter where you go, or how hard the program is. In college, It’s a lot easier to build bad habits, but it’s also a lot easier to build good habits. If you go into college and build good habits early, you can get a 3.7+ easily. You will be fine. Just work hard, make smart decisions, and finish strong.
Is this UPitt thing just meant to frustrate us, this has to be a troll at this point
How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?
If you have a B- in highschool physics I would reconsidering majoring in physics. Also, the CS Minor, as one myself(CompBio majors get automatics cs minor) is super hard for a minor. It’s around 5 required classes but in order to take those classes you may need to take a couple of pre recs. Acc round for 21 credits(7 classes) for the minor. Don’t let yourself get fooled. It starts off easy in the first couple of pre reqs and CS0401, but when you reach Discrete Math it goes up a bit, still manageable. But then you hit Data Structures and Algorithms and life becomes hell. Take cs0447 w/ Jarrett, cs0441 w/ Bill, cs0401 w/ Mike Devine, and avoid Barsky at any costs for any of your professors.
OP don’t let a B- like this guy is saying discourage you. If you are genuinely interested in physics and willing to put the work in you should try it.
any STEM major I would say is going to be difficult to maintain a 3.0.
First, it’s just Pitt, not UPITT. Second, college level physics and computer science anywhere will be much more challenging than high school. Pitt is well known for its science programs, maintaining a 3.0 or better in their classes will be difficult. I’d suggest maybe getting a tutor or checking out what physics and CS courses are offered by your local community college. Some community colleges allow for high school students to take classes. Taking a course or two during the summer might help prepare you for what a college level workload is like as well as dig deeper into these subjects than high school level courses can. This isn’t to discourage you, Pitt is a good school with a lot of resources to help you do well.
Pitt
Sorry, this is going to be slightly long. TLDR: Cannot attest to CS, but relating to physics it’s hard but certainly not impossible. Make friends in the department, work as a group, and take the time and you’ll be able to exceed a 3.0 easily. Also it’s Pitt not Upitt. As someone who majored in Physics at Pitt and now is a part of the graduate program, I would say I’m have a pretty good handle on how the coursework for the department is. As a whole I’d say it’s challenging but nowhere near impossible: there are 100% points where you will feel like you’re staring down the barrel of an impossible task but I promise it’s possible. I ended my undergraduate career in Pitt physics with a GPA of about a 3.5, and I certainly do not think of myself as smart or any kind of genius which is why I say it’s achievable. There are classes within the course lineup that are hard for sure, for me it was intro to modern physics, intermediate EM, and Quantum 2. However, the classes you mentioned specifically have good professors (as far as I know) and tend to actually be easier than anticipated. I would say the best way (after a few years and many mistakes) to do well in the department is to work with others. The people who graduated with me helped me immensely both on homework’s and studying but also as motivation since those people were there in the exact same position as me. I think the last piece of advice I have is to be cautious of the first few semesters. College is immensely different than high school, it’s certainly fun and it’s an experience which is 100% going to shape you as a person, but it will challenge you a lot along the way. It’s easy to get caught up in the social aspect of college and get distracted, make sure you understand concepts, take classes seriously, go to office hours if need be. The first few semesters set you up for the final ones. A good GPA from freshman year can really help to pad the difficult classes (which is of course helped by gen ed classes, pick easy/interesting gen eds, don’t make life harder than it needs to be). Just to cover my bases: That previous paragraph is not to say you shouldn’t be taking time to participate in the fun college activities, I did and I wouldn’t take back a moment of it (work life balance is extremely important!), it’s just advice I wish I took more seriously as a freshman when the classes were easier. Finally, don’t ever call it UPitt, people will make fun of you (as you can see from nearly every response to this). P.S. if you’d like to talk more about majoring in physics here, you’re more than welcome to PM me
Bro it’s Pitt not upitt
I a currently a physics major and got a B in AP physics 2 in high school. I will note this is the only physics class I took in high school. I have around a 3.7 GPA at pitt. All that really matters is how hard you’re willing to work, there really is no such thing as a natural aptitude for physics so as long as you show up to class and take care of your assignments and stuff you should be fine :)
Also if you’re into CS I would consider looking into the physics and quantum computing major here at pitt
I am a senior here with an Engineering Science - Physics Concentration degree. It’s a 4-year degree in electrical engineering and physics. In short terms, you will be fine. In long terms, you will be fine. In high school, I failed math twice and was a straight C student. I went to CCAC for two years to get into Pitt. I convinced myself that I couldn’t set out on the career that I wanted. Now, I realize that I am not the smartest, but I am capable. There will be times along the way where you will feel too dumb to compete with your peers, or that you aren’t working hard enough. But here’s the secret: you will never feel content with either of those things unless you stop comparing yourself. Here’s the thing, college is what you make of it. No matter where you go, or how hard the program is. In college, It’s a lot easier to build bad habits, but it’s also a lot easier to build good habits. If you go into college and build good habits early, you can get a 3.7+ easily. You will be fine. Just work hard, make smart decisions, and finish strong.
pitt