Frequently Asked Questions

As a college student, 80% of your time will be spent outside of the classroom. The OCC provides structure and purpose to your free time, allowing you to maximize your Pitt experience and position yourself for future success. 

When our students graduate, they will face stiff competition from their peers as they seek job opportunities and admission to graduate/professional schools. Increasingly, students are finding that it takes more than just academic success to truly set themselves apart. 

Completing the OCC is a clear indication to employers and graduate schools that you have taken the time and initiative to invest in your holistic development and personal growth. Not only will you have gained hands-on experience in the areas deemed most important by employers, but you will also have sharpened the skills needed to effectively articulate such experiences to a range of audiences. 

Certainly, the OCC will shape you into a more attractive candidate for future, post-college opportunities. More important, however, the OCC will help you realize the best version of yourself. 

Open to all Pitt students, regardless of major or career path, the OCC aids in the development of highly desirable character traits and life skills. Upon completion of the OCC, you are eligible for the following benefits: 

• OCC Honor Society quarter zip
• Green cord of distinction for graduation 
• OCC Advantage Grant 

From the Suitable mobile app:  Download the free Suitable mobile app and track your OCC on the go!  Once you’ve downloaded the app, sign in with your non-alias Pitt email address.From myPitt portal:  Search for OCC and click on the tile with the green script ‘OCC’ logo.  You will be redirected from myPitt to your OCC profile in Suitable.  Make sure to favorite this tile by clicking the heart so it is easy to find in the future! 

Please note: Suitable hosts multiple dashboards in their platform.  To ensure you are working within the OCC, make sure you see the OCC script logo in the top left corner of your profile.  To change dashboards, simply click the logo and select the correct dashboard.  For more information about the different experiential learning programs at Pitt, visit catalog.pitt.edu.

The OCC is made up of 9 competency areas (also called milestones).  You must complete all 9 milestones to complete the OCC and apply for the OCC Honor Society.  To view activities, programs and events for each goal area and start earning points, log in to your OCC profile and follow the tips below! 

Here are a couple tips to get started: 

• Click on Activities in your Suitable profile to see what’s coming up for OCC credit.
• You can attend an event and scan a QR code to earn credit!
• You can also self-report an experience according to the activity’s description.
• Sometimes we will ask for a short reflection and sometimes you will need to upload a document (ex. your reviewed resume) to receive OCC credit.
• Click on Achievements > Milestones in your Suitable profile to see your progress to completion.

The Career Ready Guide© is an interactive, online course inspired by the 8 NACE career readiness competencies that students can complete in about 4 hours.  Developed by a team of leading career development professionals, Career Ready Guide© empowers learners to understand, assess, develop, and articulate the universal “soft skills” valued by employers. 

To access the Guide, students should log in to their OCC profile and search “Career Ready Guide” under Activities.  Instructions on how to log in to the Guide will be in the description.  You will earn 75 points under Career Preparation if you complete the Guide in full.How do I officially complete the OCC after I’ve earned at least 150 points in each competency area? 

Once you have completed all 9 OCC milestones, you should submit your OCC Honor Society application in Suitable.  The application can be found by clicking on the Outside the Classroom Curriculum badge in the Achievements tab.  Once our office reviews and approves your application, we will reach out to you about attending a New Members Orientation. 

Once you have attended a New Members Orientation, you are an official member of the OCC Honor Society – congratulations! This means you have taken the initiative to fully engage in your Pitt experience and acquire important soft skills for the workplace. Among the many member benefits, you will receive a green cord of distinction to wear at graduation. Learn more about the OCC Honor Society. 

No - the Honors OCC is its own program for students enrolled in the Honors College at Pitt. However, since we both use Suitable, sometimes events will count toward both the OCC and the Honors OCC (Yay, double credit!). Don't forget - the also OCC has an Honor Society, which is also different than the Honors College OCC!

Suitable is the software platform we use to track and record OCC experiences. Fun fact: Suitable was created by a Pitt Alumnus! 

The OCC is all about experiencing the most Pitt has to offer - both inside and outside the classroom. With Pitt's colors being blue and gold, the combination of the two make green, which represents the holistic college experience. 

First, check that you are looking at the right dashboard - you should see the green script OCC logo. If you see something different, switch to the OCC dashboard to view your credit. If you are still not seeing the activity you attended, email us at occpitt@pitt.edu. 

While we try our best to make sure QR codes are displayed at all OCC events, sometimes mistakes happen! You always have the option to self-report the event (see the FAQ about self-reporting) or email us at occpitt@pitt.edu. 

There are two ways to earn OCC credit for an activity. You can scan the QR code at the event or you can self-report your experience by logging in to your OCC profile and writing a brief reflection and/or uploading a document proving your completion. Log into your OCC profile and go to Activities. Under the “Types” dropdown, select “Tasks.” Then, toggle from “Upcoming” to “All.”  This will show you a list of all the tasks in the OCC that require either a reflection, survey, or document upload.

If you know of an event you think qualifies for OCC credit, feel free to add it to our curriculum! Once you're logged in to your OCC account, click "Activities" and you will see the option to request a new activity in the top right corner. Our office will review and approve your activity and a QR code will be emailed to you. IMPORTANT! The QR code MUST be displayed so attendees can earn OCC credit! 

Powered by Suitable, Pitt’s Catalog of Opportunities offers students the ability to find, track and share co-curricular activities and achievements in Business, Global, Honors, OCC and more. Think of the Catalog as a listing of everything co-curricular at Pitt - the only difference from the University Events Calendar is the Catalog lives in Suitable so other dashboards (like the OCC!) can adopt activities for OCC credit. 

Please note that events approved for OCC co-curricular credit do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the University.