U of Pacific McGeorge - Legal Scholars Day 03/04

[edalb007]

Anyone attend yesterday's Legal Scholars Day at UoP McGeorge? I went since they offered to pay for my flight/hotel & transportation. I originally wasn't very keen on the school, I didn't know much about the Sacramento area, nor had I heard very much about the school itself at all. What I had heard was that it was in a bad area, etc.

After attending Legal Scholars Day, I find myself strongly considering UoP. It was remarkably impressive, I thought. The day was spent touring the facilities, meeting faculty/students, sitting in on classes, etc. Probably about 100 other prospective students there (all accepted to UoP of course). I was especially impressed with the community. It seems like everyone there is so friendly, the students know all the staff, and vice versa. They were so happy to answer questions and just, in general, likeable. I haven't felt this way when visiting other schools.

The campus was surprisingly pretty, despite being more or less an island in the middle of a ghetto. But security was impressive, and very friendly. I didn't feel unsafe at all, nor would I knowing that they're there 24/7. It seems there are plenty of "nearby" living options that are affordable and NOT in the ghetto as well. Parking is good compared to other schools I'm familiar with, and best of all, free if you're a student/faculty.

Guess I just wnated to see if any others are as impressed with them as I am who might have attended this week, or will be attending next weeks Legal Scholars Day. Post your thoughts!

[flossy]

I'll be attending next week, and I'm really looking forward to it now.  Out of curiosity, which other schools have you visited?

[edalb007]

I'll be attending next week, and I'm really looking forward to it now.  Out of curiosity, which other schools have you visited?

Other than UoP McGeorge, I've visted U of San Francisco, Santa Clara, and UC Davis recently, and Loyola (LA), Pepperdine, and Chapman a few weeks back. Basically all the schools in California that I applied to. UoP McGeorge is the only one so far that has offered any sort of gathering like Legal Scholars Day. I'm hoping to visit U of Oregon and Seattle later this month. I expect to be impressed with Seattle since I've heard SO many good things about it, but we'll see how the ambiance is. That is just a diff. feeling for everybody.

[Matokah]

I, too, attended McGeorge's Legal Scholars Day yesterday and. . .WOW.  I seriously wasn't considering them either until yesterday.  I must say that I'm very impressed.  Everyone was genuinely friendly and I couldn't find anything really to complain about with it.

While the campus is surrounded by a ghetto, I didn't feel unsafe at all, either, and I was there over an hour before the event started, so I had plenty of time to get myself into trouble (there'll probably be pictures up on my weblog in a few days).

What kind of made me nervous was that, whilst on the plane home last night, I actually spoke to a Pacific graduate (from the evening program) that said they failed about the bottom third of their 1L class (I've heard this rumor before so I'm kind of curious to know why) and that a lot of people he knew had a tough time finding jobs.  Ack.  What to do?

Also, I don't know the Sacramento area at all, so I'm not very sure that I would be alright with living there after law school which seems like it's what I'd be doing if I went there. 

I can't say anything bad about the day, though.  It was just a wonderful experience getting to go there and meet everyone.  You'll have fun.  And probably get a lot of fun free stuff (yes, I'm currently wearing my sweatshirt as we speak ).

[edalb007]

Yeah, I was there an hour beforehand too, hehe. Was nice to look around and talk with a few people before it got started. The sweatshirts they gave us were awesome, I wore mine on the plane ride home

But yes...about the placement opportunities... That is my main concern, wondering about where I would be able to take the degree to. I spoke with some students about that actually... The few I spoke with indicated that they also did not intend to stay in the area upon graduation. Some said they already had contacts and prospects in the Bay Area, and Los Angeles, or knew graduates working firms in similar locations.

I dunno what to make of it all, but basically they made it sound like if I want to practice in California, a degree from McGeorge would put me in decent shape. Who knows, maybe they've completely deluded themselves? But you've got to admit, that school is definitely on the rise.


We'll see where else I get in, but McGeorge has gone from a "worst case scenario" school to a top prospect. And I'm not at all embarassed to say that. I feel strongly about their program and community. I'm glad you were impressed too


ps: I wonder if I have any inadvertant pictures of you Matokah, I took a bunch with my digicam. No idea what you look like though, haha.

[gidro]

I'll be attending next week, and I'm really looking forward to it now.  Out of curiosity, which other schools have you visited?

Other than UoP McGeorge, I've visted U of San Francisco, Santa Clara, and UC Davis recently, and Loyola (LA), Pepperdine, and Chapman a few weeks back. Basically all the schools in California that I applied to. UoP McGeorge is the only one so far that has offered any sort of gathering like Legal Scholars Day. I'm hoping to visit U of Oregon and Seattle later this month. I expect to be impressed with Seattle since I've heard SO many good things about it, but we'll see how the ambiance is. That is just a diff. feeling for everybody.

I am having a tough time deciding between UC Davis and UoP.  It sounds like you are more impressed with UoP after your visit to both schools.  What did you think about Davis on your trip there?

[edalb007]

I am having a tough time deciding between UC Davis and UoP.  It sounds like you are more impressed with UoP after your visit to both schools.  What did you think about Davis on your trip there?

Honestly, it'd be a tough choice if it came down to just these two for me. I really did enjoy myself at UoP, but it isn't at all like I hated visiting UC Davis.  I definitely enjoyed my visit there too, I just didn't feel the overwhelming sense of community that I had at UoP. I wish I could have spent some more time there to really get a feel for it. I think for sure if it came down to just those two schools for me I would need to visit both again, weigh the after-graduation employment options, where I want to go, etc. since Davis IS ranked quite a bit higher. Davis seemed like a really great school, no doubt about it.

All things considered, and this is only speculation of course, but I'd probably end up choosing Davis as long as they didn't completely turn me off on subsequent visits.

HTH

[BoscoBreaux]

After attending Legal Scholars Day, I find myself strongly considering UoP. It was remarkably impressive, I thought. The day was spent touring the facilities, meeting faculty/students, sitting in on classes, etc. Probably about 100 other prospective students there (all accepted to UoP of course). I was especially impressed with the community. It seems like everyone there is so friendly, the students know all the staff, and vice versa. They were so happy to answer questions and just, in general, likeable. I haven't felt this way when visiting other schools.

The campus was surprisingly pretty, despite being more or less an island in the middle of a ghetto. But security was impressive, and very friendly. I didn't feel unsafe at all, nor would I knowing that they're there 24/7. It seems there are plenty of "nearby" living options that are affordable and NOT in the ghetto as well. Parking is good compared to other schools I'm familiar with, and best of all, free if you're a student/faculty.

Guess I just wnated to see if any others are as impressed with them as I am who might have attended this week, or will be attending next weeks Legal Scholars Day. Post your thoughts!

I'm going next week, but I live in Sacramento and my job brings me into contact with lawyers in the Sacramento area, so I never hesistate to ask questions about what they think of the school, at least as far as reputation and quality of education is concerned:

WHERE WOULD I GET A BETTER EDUCATION, UCDavis or UPAC?: Generalizations, most of which are true, are thrown about. First, where will you get a better education? The most common answer of graduates from both school is: If you want to learn how to be a lawyer, UPAC is better; if you want to get a great overall education, kinda of like a liberal arts education with respect to the law, UCDavis is better. If you want to learn how to be a tough, well-prepared lawyer with top-notch research skills, go to UPAC. If you want to be a legal theorist, learn how to think like a law professor or a judge. go to UCDavis.

WHICH SCHOOL IS TOUGHER?: It's not even close: UPAC. UCDavis grads love that their school is small, and has a very uncompetitve student body. Professors are more supportive of their students, and students are more supportive of each other. There is no question about that. UPAC has a grueling workload, and is designed to simulate the workload that must be managed by a lawyer.

WHICH SCHOOL HAS BETTER JOB PROSPECTS?: It depends on where you want to work. In the Sacramento area, UPAC is very, very strong. Graduates are considered to be highly-prepared, very efficient, and tough. UCDavis grads tend to be, on average, a bit less prepared for the rigors of a law firm. Outside of Northern California, UCDavis has a higher ranking, and is a well-known name in education, and it will probably always be easier to get a job from UCDavis than UPAC.

But for most persons, these questions are academic: UCDavis' average LSAT is about 164, UPAC 158--a big difference.

UPAC is a very good school. It is rather "hot" right now, and has been for a few years judging by the explosion of applications they have been getting. Many, many persons are moving to the area, partially to escape the SF Bay Area's cost of living.  The school itself is the largest law-only campus in the country, and has a surprising number of features that one would expect only at a school located as part of a larger University. As for the neighborhood, much ado about nothing. First, most UPAC students don't live in the neighborhood, but rather live in what is known as "Mid-Town" Sacramento. The area in which the school resides is rather nice, and security forces make it very safe. The area outside the school area stinks, so you probably don't want to go jogging after class as night.  But of all the graduates of UPAC whom I asked questions, NONE consider safety to be a problem in attending the school.  (Oddly enough, it is UC Davis that has suffered from a rash of deaths, and one rather pecuilar "death by cop" incident.) It is, or should be, a non-issue. (No one seems to ever mention the drug dealers 25 yards from  New York University Law School's front door on evenings--I never heard anyone complain about that when contemplating admission to NYU.)

From an employer's perspective, the view of UPAC is similar to the view of a school like UC Hastings or Brooklyn Law School: you know when you are hiring a graduate of UPAC that you don't have to hold their hands, or teach them how to write, research, and present information. Top graduates of UPAC do very well for themselves (Attorney General of CA, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge, Federal Court Judges, Top Sports Agent in the country, etc.)

[BoscoBreaux]

Yeah, I was there an hour beforehand too, hehe. Was nice to look around and talk with a few people before it got started. The sweatshirts they gave us were awesome, I wore mine on the plane ride home

But yes...about the placement opportunities... That is my main concern, wondering about where I would be able to take the degree to. I spoke with some students about that actually... The few I spoke with indicated that they also did not intend to stay in the area upon graduation. Some said they already had contacts and prospects in the Bay Area, and Los Angeles, or knew graduates working firms in similar locations.

I dunno what to make of it all, but basically they made it sound like if I want to practice in California, a degree from McGeorge would put me in decent shape. Who knows, maybe they've completely deluded themselves? But you've got to admit, that school is definitely on the rise.

You bring up a  good point. No matter how good a school is, if no one knows it, it doesn't matter. UPAC is not well known outside Northern California. If you don't wish to practice in Northern California, then you would be better off going to any school which is in the area you wish to work. That is true of all schools, except perhaps the top 25 and a few other "national" schools.
Personally, I love this area (where else can you go skiing at an Olympic venue, then come home and mow the lawn in your shorts?). But unless I was living in the area or planned on practicing locally, I would go somewhere else, even if it meant going to a "lesser" school.
Locally, however, UPAC graduates are brutally loyal and you'd have no problem finding a job here.

[BoscoBreaux]

I am having a tough time deciding between UC Davis and UoP.  It sounds like you are more impressed with UoP after your visit to both schools.  What did you think about Davis on your trip there?

I'm waiting to get accepted to UC Davis first, but if I am, I think it will be a tough decision. UPAC offered me a big scholarship, and it would be cheaper for me than UC Davis. (That isn't saying much since UC Davis is one of the most expensive public law schools in the country.)  From what I have heard, the facilities at UPAC are better. Then again, UPACs facilities are worlds better than UC Berkeley's, but I wouldn't turn down Boalt Hall over UPAC over that. 
I think I'd like to go to UC Davis though, because I think I'd do better at a small school, but if everyone seemed more supportive at UPAC than UCDavis, a school known for being laid-back, it might make the decision very though. Now, just waiting on that darn letter from UC Davis...