Rhode, Kate

Why you chose Pitt:

Pitt was actually the last school I ever visited (and I visited a lot of schools). Once I saw Pitt, I knew it was the school for me. I loved the city-feel of the campus, and I was really impressed by all of the undergraduate research opportunities. I also knew I wanted to pursue medical research, so the close location of UPMC was a huge plus. But more than anything else, I chose Pitt because people seemed happy here (and after a year on campus, I can now confirm that we are). I’ve really found a family here at Swanson, and I still love the campus as much as when I first saw it.

Advice to First Year Engineering Student:

Go to office hours! Having a good relationship with your professor is so important, and they can provide so much one-on-one help. Professors definitely want to help you, and you’ll be glad you went come test-time. Plus, all of our professors are pretty interesting people, so they’re also just cool to talk to!

Extracurricular involvement and or Future Goals:

I am an active member of the Pitt chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society, as well as the Pitt Science Policy Group, which explores the intersection of scientific research and policy formation. This semester, I’m also conducting ALS research with Dr. Kolarcik in the Systems Neuroscience Institute.

After graduation, I intend on attending graduate school with a focus on neural engineering.