University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Forum

[beckamarie88]

I did a little bit of apartment hunting in Sacramento a couple of weeks ago. My absolute favorite area was Natomas. It is a newer area and the prices are very reasonable. The only problem is the drive to McGeorge. It is only 10-15 minutes away, but with traffic it could be much more.

[jribe]

be careful with natomas- has a very high crime rate. especially south natomas. I would suggest going for a higher priced area if you're concerned with safety.

[beckamarie88]

be careful with natomas- has a very high crime rate. especially south natomas. I would suggest going for a higher priced area if you're concerned with safety.

Thank you for the info! It looked like such a nice area when I was there!

[jribe]

that's the problem with a lot of areas of sacramento (and a lot of other near by areas) - there are pockets of "bad" area in the seemingly nice areas. I had to stay in natomas for about 12 weeks while getting my series 7 license for work; and at first it looked nice, but after driving around for food and and such- yikes. There were reports on the news every night about robberies, rapes etc. I would go for a nicer area like Folsom that's farther out.

[trinacria1383]

Sac local. Any questions RE McGeorge, housing or Sac in general hit me up.

[francheezy]

Can anybody recommend any particular apartment complex or cross-street in the Arden area that is SAFE and fairly new, close to a grocery store and the freeways, and possibly where other students also live?

[A'nold]

Haha, don't let anyone tell you guys differently, McGeorge is located in DA GHETTOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Ipsa Dixit]

Haha, don't let anyone tell you guys differently, McGeorge is located in DA GHETTOOOOOOOOOOO!

Dude. Seriously? We know you think McGeorge looks like a bad high school populated by unfriendly students located in "da ghetto."

I don't think anyone has said the school isn't in a shady area, just that the campus itself is pretty safe. The area is also fine during the day though I guess that may really depend on how sheltered a life one has lived up to this point.

[djshack]

Haha, don't let anyone tell you guys differently, McGeorge is located in DA GHETTOOOOOOOOOOO!

Dude. Seriously? We know you think McGeorge looks like a bad high school populated by unfriendly students located in "da ghetto."

I don't think anyone has said the school isn't in a shady area, just that the campus itself is pretty safe. The area is also fine during the day though I guess that may really depend on how sheltered a life one has lived up to this point.

Here's the deal: As someone whose parents live near Sacramento (and have for the past six years or so), but somone who lives in a bigger, more urban city (San Francisco), I'll explain it. McGeorge is in Oak Park, one of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in Sacramento proper. If someone knows Sacramento as "the city," or considers it to be a big, dirty place, then yes, McGeorge is in the "ghetto."

However, if you've ever been to a REAL big city (i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Boston, etc.), and spent some time there (i.e. lived there), you know what a true bad neighborhood looks and/or feels like. Oak Park is bad relative to Sacramento or smaller, nicer suburbs, but it's simply not THAT bad. So, take what people tell you on here FWIW. Many of you will not find Oak Park to be all that scary. Just don't be an idiot and wander around the dark, unlit park at night (but would you wander around Golden Gate Park, Central Park, or Boston Common at night?).

[stevededalus]

North Natomas isn't horrible or dangerous; it's just sort of boring and not worth the 20-minute drive, in my opinion. Especially when you have more interesting and closer options in midtown, East Sacramento, Curtis Park and Land Park. If you have kids, I could see living in Natomas or Folsom, but otherwise, I wouldn't think it would make sense for a McGeorge student.

[trinacria1383]

Haha, don't let anyone tell you guys differently, McGeorge is located in DA GHETTOOOOOOOOOOO!

Dude. Seriously? We know you think McGeorge looks like a bad high school populated by unfriendly students located in "da ghetto."

I don't think anyone has said the school isn't in a shady area, just that the campus itself is pretty safe. The area is also fine during the day though I guess that may really depend on how sheltered a life one has lived up to this point.

Here's the deal: As someone whose parents live near Sacramento (and have for the past six years or so), but somone who lives in a bigger, more urban city (San Francisco), I'll explain it. McGeorge is in Oak Park, one of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in Sacramento proper. If someone knows Sacramento as "the city," or considers it to be a big, dirty place, then yes, McGeorge is in the "ghetto."

However, if you've ever been to a REAL big city (i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Boston, etc.), and spent some time there (i.e. lived there), you know what a true bad neighborhood looks and/or feels like. Oak Park is bad relative to Sacramento or smaller, nicer suburbs, but it's simply not THAT bad. So, take what people tell you on here FWIW. Many of you will not find Oak Park to be all that scary. Just don't be an idiot and wander around the dark, unlit park at night (but would you wander around Golden Gate Park, Central Park, or Boston Common at night?).

+1 If anyone feels truly threatened or unsafe in Oak Park then clearly they've never been outside the burbs.

[homebrewer]

Wow that was fast. Went complete 3/05, decision mailed 3/18. The Fees section of the status checker added two tuition deposit fees ($150 and $100 due 5/1 and 6/1 respectively), I hope that's a good sign!

[Rotor]

Wow that was fast. Went complete 3/05, decision mailed 3/18. The Fees section of the status checker added two tuition deposit fees ($150 and $100 due 5/1 and 6/1 respectively), I hope that's a good sign!

Either that or they are starting to troll for real dummies who are happy putting seat deposits down for a school they've been rejected from!

I think it's safe to say at this point: Congrats!

[careerchange]

I believe I am accepted as well! Same with me. Decision Rendered today, and the tuition deposits are filled with $150 and $100.

This is my first acceptance so I am VERY happy!!

[homebrewer]

Yup, the letter came Friday. In with $18,000 renewable (top 1/3) and first year books. From "Complete" to "Decision Rendered" it took 9 business days. I wish their next legal scholars day wasn't so close to the deposit deadline.

[careerchange]

Yup, the letter came Friday. In with $18,000 renewable (top 1/3) and first year books. From "Complete" to "Decision Rendered" it took 9 business days. I wish their next legal scholars day wasn't so close to the deposit deadline.

Congrats! I expect my decision to come on Monday or Tuesday. I could only hope to get some money! I don't have as good of an LSAT as you, but my GPA is good. Hopefully I get in, and then get some $$. You must be very happy.

[belladona]

finally after 3 months of waiting I called them and told them that I had to make a decision the 1st of April for another law school

They then decided to let me in.

How nice. lol

[careerchange]

On the admitted students site, is the password a random password or is it your birthday, login ID, etc? Just wondering.

[homebrewer]

On the admitted students site, is the password a random password or is it your birthday, login ID, etc? Just wondering.

They give everyone the same password. The admitted students site has the exact same information that you find in the admitted students pamphlet. The only "extra" on the website is the ability to download the orientation manual.

[careerchange]

I am officially in!!! I am so excited! There is a VERY good shot that I will be in Sacramento this fall with my family in tow!

I have been so impressed with the admissions office. I met many of them including the Dean at the LA law forum and they were by far the nicest there. And I'm not saying this because I just got in there. They were so nice. I am just thrilled to be in.

[A'nold]

First time I've been back to this thread in awhile. Dang guys, way to jump all over me here. Sheeesh! Just because I say the area is ghetto does not mean:

1. That I don't like the school or the admin. there. They are all great (have been so far) and the campus is secluded, which is nice.
2. That I haven't "lived anywhere outside of a suburb" LOL!!!!! Not to give out too much info. on myself here but trust me, I know what life in the "ghetto" is like.

Anyway, I don't understand why people can't critique certain parts of a school without people acting like they are blasphemous. I am making a very hard decision and so are the rest of you. McGeorge is a good school but I definitely am coming in with my eyes wide open. Just because an area "isn't as bad as people think" (a description cited over and over again about places like Detroit, Newark, etc.) doesn't mean it still isn't ghetto, haha. I'm sure you'd be less likely to be shot by a gang member in Lincoln, NE than you would outside of the McGeorge campus, so yeah, I don't see why I'm getting crap here.

[Ipsa Dixit]

It's not that critiquing the school is "blasphemous" (trust me, bitching about law school is a national pastime among law students), it's that your use of hyperbole (e.g. blasphemy... seriously?) is irritating and hard to take seriously. If that's your perspective, that's fine. However, those who do not find your overexaggerations credible will shoot them down in favor of information that they think is more accurate and useful to others. Perhaps that clarifies.

I think the school has problems, but location isn't really one of them and some I have are probably more law school in general complaints.

Congrats to those who have been admitted.

[snaps]

It's not that critiquing the school is "blasphemous" (trust me, bitching about law school is a national pastime among law students), it's that your use of hyperbole (e.g. blasphemy... seriously?) is irritating and hard to take seriously. If that's your perspective, that's fine. However, those who do not find your overexaggerations credible will shoot them down in favor of information that they think is more accurate and useful to others. Perhaps that clarifies.

I think the school has problems, but location isn't really one of them and some I have are probably more law school in general complaints.

Congrats to those who have been admitted.

that begs the question: what do you consider to be some of the school's problems? the students on the student panel last week apparently couldn't think of any...or everything that they thought of was in the process of being fixed.

[Ipsa Dixit]

The school's web site sucks/is not user-friendly.

Tuition is crazy expensive. I am guessing it will hit $40k either this coming academic year or the next.

There's not a lot of opportunity for electives and if you want to do a certificate program, that will pretty much eat up all the credits you could have used on electives. McGeorge has a lot of required classes. This year, they reduced the unit requirements for some required classes to free up more time for electives, but there are still a lot of requireds.

I have heard complaints about the housing office not being very responsive to problems and that the units are overpriced considering they have not been updated in a long time (I do not live on campus so I am just telling you what I have heard, not what I have experienced.)

Some profs are bad teachers, but I am not sure there is really any accountability for that. Some profs are great teachers, but are not retained.

Information comes really piecemeal from all over campus. Sometimes I feel inundated with messages. There are also duplicate messages. I think it's more on the students that there is not a more unified student voice on campus.

The writing program seems to have inconsistent standards. Some profs just do there own thing. I think they made some changes with the program this year, but I don't know much about it. Also, the credits for writing classes do not reflect the actual work put into them. In fact, if I recall correctly from last year, the second semester first year writing class was worth 1 unit while we spent 1.5 hours/week in class.

I do not get why law school is three years long or why it is the way it is other than "but that's the way we've always done it."

There is a lot of support for students on campus, but the school and legal education in general is not without its problems.

[snaps]

thanks for being honest, ipsa. appreciate it.

if you had to make the decision over again, would you still choose mcgeorge? are you happy with your choice and the school overall?