Pittsburgh

The city of Pittsburgh has changed from the industrial "smokey city" of the 1930s to a major center of business and high technology. In 1985, Pittsburgh was named America's most liveable city by the Rand McNally Places Rated Almanac, and it continues to rank high in their ratings. What makes Pittsburgh so liveable is its safe neighborhoods, low cost of living (substantially lower than such urban areas as New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago), and an abundance of educational, recreational, and cultural activities that are readily accessible.

Just a few miles from Carnegie Mellon University is the downtown Golden Triangle, where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers merge to form the Ohio. The Golden Triangle includes a thriving shopping district, fine restaurants, and theaters for the performing arts. At historic Heinz Hall and the Benedum Center, you can see the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Broadway road shows and musicals, and the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.

Pittsburgh sponsors a number of city-wide events, including the Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, a regatta, folk festival, and free concerts in many of the city's parks. Within walking distance from the CMU campus are Carnegie Institute's Museum and Music Hall, the Scaife Art Gallery, Phipp's Conservatory, and the city's main public library.

Sports fans can enjoy professional sports year round. The Pirates and Steelers play at Three Rivers Stadium, and the Penguins perform at the Civic Arena. Although the city is the 13th largest metropolitan area in the United States, one can travel 50 miles in almost any direction and be in wilderness. Outdoor enthusiasts can ski, hike, sail, fish, or camp at locations an hour or less from Pittsburgh, including the Seven Springs and Hidden Valley ski resorts and Ohiopyle, where there is very good whitewater rafting.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon has long been devoted to liberal professional education. Approximately 6600 students are enrolled at Carnegie Mellon, while the faculty currently includes approximately 700 members. This makes Carnegie Mellon large enough to include many very strong research programs, but small enough to foster good inter-departmental communication and a sense of neighborly involvement in university life.

The University consists of seven colleges--Carnegie Institute of Technology, The College of Fine Arts, the Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Mellon College of Science, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Urban and Public Affairs, and the School of Computer Science. Department of Statistics faculty members have ties to the teaching programs and research activities of all seven, as well as with other programs and activities at neighboring University of Pittsburgh. This special status ensures that graduate students in statistics will have an opportunity to interact with students and researchers in diverse fields of study.

Carnegie Mellon's campus is on the edge of Schenley Park, a huge and hilly expanse of grass and forest that includes a golf course, an ice rink, an outdoor pool, and many miles of jogging trails. The University of Pittsburgh is also adjacent to the campus, as are both residential and commercial areas.

Housing

Most graduate students choose to live within walking distance of the campus in Oakland, Shadyside, or Squirrel Hill. The University is located in the area called Oakland, which has a distinctive collegiate atmosphere, with theaters, restaurants, night clubs, and museums. The more sedate Squirrel Hill offers a number of speciality shops, ethnic restaurants, and movie theatres, while Shadyside features quiet, tree-lined streets and a very chic shopping district.

Assistance in finding housing is available through the Carnegie Mellon Housing Office's Off-Campus Housing Advisory/Referral Service. Up-to-date listings are maintained on the availability of: one, two or three bedroom apartments, houses for rent to students, rooms in private homes, students who are looking for roommates to share their apartments, and students who would like to share someone else's apartment. For further information concerning available housing alternatives at Carnegie Mellon, local callers may dial (412) 268-2139. The toll-free number for Pennsylvania callers who are outside the city of Pittsburgh is (800) 242-3728. For callers outside of Pennsylvania, but within the continental United States, the toll free number is (800) 245-6219.

Health Services

A pre-entrance physical examination by the entering student's own physician is required. The University also expects every student who is enrolled to have adequate health insurance coverage. A voluntary health insurance program is available to all students. Foreign students, married or single, are required to purchase illness-accident insurance especially designed for Carnegie Mellon students and their families. Students who purchase health insurance through the university are expected to make payment in full upon enrollment. In the event that payment in full for health insurance constitutes an extreme hardship, a limited number of students who are receiving regular monthly payment from Carnegie Mellon may make arrangements for quarterly payments. The first payment is due upon arrival at the university.

A health educator, two registered nurses, one physician, and a physician's assistant staff the Health Services Office which is located in "E" Tower, Morewood Gardens Dormitory. Emergency and minor treatment by the department staff is given without charge. The physician is available during office hours to all full-time students.

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