What’s it Like to Live in a Hotel at College?

Vega Mani has become the type of student who shows up to class early. Not by choice — the first-year neuroscience major initially expected to be “running a little late” to her classes. But when your dorm is a 15-minute walk to most classes, and 30 minutes from some, you can’t exactly roll out of bed in the morning.

Mani is one of 250 University of Pittsburgh freshmen placed at the Hampton Inn in West Oakland this fall as the university grapples with its largest incoming class. After receiving a historic 65,000 applications, Pitt found itself with more students than beds, turning to hotels and off-campus apartments to house 400 freshmen.

Similarly, 90 Point Park University students have been placed at Downtown’s Wyndham Grand instead of the regular dormitories.

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