Before classes begin, Pitt keeps first years busy with a full schedule of events designed to help students settle in to life at college.

While the higher level of diversity is encouraging, the higher test scores are not as beneficial to the University as they might seem.

This year’s incoming first-year class will be the most ethnically diverse in Pitt’s history. It will also have the highest number of out-of-state students.

While the intentions of the former orientation program appeared well-meaning on paper, the program was redundant, inconvenient and unhelpful.

Looking at how my first year at Pitt actually unfolded, though, I recognize that while I did enjoy the freedom and novelty, I had not anticipated the feelings of anxiety and loneliness that can come with uprooting one’s life and diving headfirst into a completely new environment.

Before the class of 2023 officially arrives at Pitt, I want to present five things that I wish I had known before setting foot on campus.