University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Forum

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Mulliganstew

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Mulliganstew » Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:38 pm

Are the scholarships usually enough to make the tuition competitive with schools in its category? I noticed when looking at McGeorge that it was like 30K a year which is about right for private schools in California, but not right enough for me. :wink:

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Ipsa Dixit

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Ipsa Dixit » Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:47 pm

belladona wrote:Do you know what my changes are of getting in if I am waitlisted?

oh and do you know is MCgeorge prefers students from instate or out of state? or does it not matter bc it is a private school?

THanks!
I don't think they have a preference for in state vs. out of state.

I don't know your chances. You are split so who knows. Write a great personal statement and get some really good letters of rec to help your application. There are also two programs at Pacific: Day and evening. You may have a better chance to get into evening division than day division. Good luck :)

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FrenchiePatootie

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by FrenchiePatootie » Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:51 pm

I think out-of-state kids do pretty well there. Lots of Nevada kids end up going.
Last edited by FrenchiePatootie on Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Ipsa Dixit

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Ipsa Dixit » Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:51 pm

Mulliganstew wrote:Are the scholarships usually enough to make the tuition competitive with schools in its category? I noticed when looking at McGeorge that it was like 30K a year which is about right for private schools in California, but not right enough for me. :wink:
I am not sure what you mean by scholarships being enough to make the school competitive. The question is whether you are competitive enough an applicant to get a scholarship. They'll negotiate on scholarship $$ (or at least they have in the past), but if you're not a competitive applicant, there's no reason for them to try and entice you to come. Scholarships for 1L are merit-based, I believe, and you must stay in the top third of the class to keep your scholarship for the next year.

There are a lot more scholarship opportunities for upper division students than first year students. Many are based on grades, but not all. Some are based also on leadership participation and just particular niches (e.g. geographical, and I think there is a scholarship with a specific preference for evening division students with kids.)

Tuition is around $37k and goes up a little every year. I would not be surprised if it hits $40k in the next couple years..

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Mulliganstew

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Mulliganstew » Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:20 pm

Sorry, what I meant was are there enough scholarships available (given that I am like the best student ever) to keep the tuition around the 20K a year mark?

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Ipsa Dixit

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Ipsa Dixit » Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:11 pm

I don't have insight on the number of merit scholarships available for incoming first year students. You should poke around lawschoolnumbers.com and look at the scholarship $$, GPAs, and LSAT scores from prior years to give you some idea.

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Bhpreppy » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:40 am

When do they send out decisions? Is there a status checker for this school?

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by soulflyaw » Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:30 pm

I just received confirmation that I would be receiving a scholarship. Should I call the school and begin negotiating? I'm really going to need as much money as possible to help me along the way.

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belladona

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by belladona » Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:07 am

how long did it take everyone to receive a decision.

Been almost a month....

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Ipsa Dixit

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Ipsa Dixit » Tue Dec 23, 2008 1:56 pm

soulflyaw, it couldn't hurt to give them a call or write them a letter about scholarships. I expect you'll need to provide a good reason for them to increase the scholarship amount. I'd wait until January since the school will be closed until January 2.

Bhpreppy and belladonna, I don't know when they send out decisions. I applied pretty late when I decided to go to law school (March) and I received a decision in less than a month. I don't know why this is, but am guessing it could be because they had a better sense of how the class was shaping up and my numbers were over their 75th percentile.

Good luck!

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americangirlinparis

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by americangirlinparis » Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:50 pm

In re: to the questions about LSAT/and UGPA and odds of admittance that were floating around earlier -

From what I've noticed and heard (this is completely unscientific mind you), McGeorge tends to admit a class with numbers around the average. That's not to say AT ALL that with a lower GPA or lower LSAT than the average incoming student you won't be admitted (especially with really strong "soft" factors). But from what I observe there's not a HUGE spectrum between the stats for the top of the class and the bottom. But then again, we don't talk about LSAT score or GPA anymore...there was one guy walking around talking about his LSAT score at the beginning of the year, but he wasn't making tons of friends :D

Also, I know that Adam Barrett in admissions is really willing to work with people. I've heard stories of people increasing their financial aid after letters/phone conversations with either him or the fin. aid. office. However, I think December/January is a little early to negotiate, especially considering that the majority of the acceptances haven't gone out yet and they don't really know what the 2012 class will look like yet.

The merit scholarships for 1Ls are renewed after first year if you're in the top third of the class...be prepared to work HARD to achieve that. There are a lot of students who have scholarships and nobody wants to lose theirs. I also really want to echo what the others said - McGeorge is competitive. No doubt. But not in the way you see depicted in movies and books - nobody's going to steal library books or refuse to share their notes with you if you're sick and miss class. I've been really surprised by how strong the sense of camaraderie is here, both with other students and the faculty staff. If quality of life says anything, the students here are busy, study hard, but play hard too. People are over all really happy, and the faculty/staff are very supportive and helpful.

Good luck to all of those waiting for decisions, and congrats to those who've already been accepted (and props to you for getting everything in early)! Hope some of you will be joining us next fall!

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belladona

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by belladona » Tue Jan 06, 2009 2:39 am

still waiting...

shinkirou

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by shinkirou » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:25 pm

hey everyone!

I just got my acceptance letter from mcgeorge yesterday, which I am quite excited about. I'm just wondering, would you recommend on or off campus housing?

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Bhpreppy » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:37 pm

Is there a status checker for this school? I'm really curious!!!! I've been complete for over a month now.

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Ipsa Dixit

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Ipsa Dixit » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:40 pm

shinkirou,

I live off campus and would recommend that, but that's just because I like my place off campus and prefer to get away from the school. Plenty of people live on campus and it certainly is convenient. Pros and cons either way, just figure out what your priorities are for your living situation.

Bhpreppy,

I have no idea if the school has a status checker (I am guessing you mean some kind of online tool.) You could call the admissions office and ask. I doubt it though because the school's website isn't that great in terms of finding information.

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americangirlinparis

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by americangirlinparis » Tue Jan 06, 2009 4:49 pm

shinkirou wrote:hey everyone!

I just got my acceptance letter from mcgeorge yesterday, which I am quite excited about. I'm just wondering, would you recommend on or off campus housing?
Congratulations!

I live on campus and the other poster was right on, there are pros and cons each way. There are times when I wish that I could "get away", but I have overall really enjoyed my apartment. I'm in a furnished unit, so that helped lift a lot of the stress of moving from out of state at the beginning of the year. And you can't beat the commute! It takes only a minute or two to get to all my classes and I don't have to deal with traffic. Plus, if I have a question about something or need to do something in the library or another office, it's as simple as walking out the door and across campus.

For what I'm paying in rent/garage fees (the furnished one bedrooms are the pricier side, I know townhouses w/ a roommate are a pretty good deal on rent!) I could be in a comparable apartment off-campus but the convenience takes it for me. As of now, I'm planning to stay in my apartment next year too.

That being said, it's really all personal preference!

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by shinkirou » Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:30 pm

Thanks a lot everyone!

Bhpreppy,
I don't think there is a status checker for Pacific.

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niners49

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by niners49 » Tue Jan 06, 2009 10:22 pm

i just wanted to throw my hat into this discussion real quick, even though i'm not a UoP student. they really pulled out all the stops to try to woo me. all you guys will be impressed with their courteous approach. even Dean Barrett is really cool; when i tried to renegotiate my scholly with him last year, we deviated from the topic and talked about sports (he's a celtic guy, i'm a laker guy, we got into it a bit). he increased my scholly and went out of his way to let me know. i know little else about the school, but in my book, their admissions department get's an A+ in my book.

btw, i'm at santa clara. i still feel guilty for declining UoP's offer to this day, considering the lengths they went for me. but hey, you gotta go where you want to go....

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by rs24 » Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:59 am

New to the forum and TLS, but I've learned a lot just from 20 mins of browsing.

I received my acceptance letter from McGeorge about two weeks ago. It was a safety school, but deep down I really want to go to McGeorge. Their int'l law program really impresses me. I'm still waiting on some schools back east and in Norcal (Berkeley, Davis, Hastings). If I get into Berkeley, it would be a no-brainer, but I am seriously considering McGeorge over Hastings or Davis (if I were to get in). I hear McGeorge is a school that is on the up and is ranked #16 in intl law. However, it is a private school and I don't think it will make up for what I would be paying at a UC public law school.

I know this isn't a decision I will have to make right away, but I can't help but to contemplate. Any advice is greatly appreciated and any knowledge of the programs (especially intl law) compared to Davis or Hastings is also greatly appreciated. I often hear stuff like "The name and prestige of the school is more important than their specialties or concentrations". Choosing a law school is kind of a big deal, so I don't want to f*ck it up. thanks

peace

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by LSATahhhh » Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:01 am

rs24 wrote:New to the forum and TLS, but I've learned a lot just from 20 mins of browsing.

I received my acceptance letter from McGeorge about two weeks ago. It was a safety school, but deep down I really want to go to McGeorge. Their int'l law program really impresses me. I'm still waiting on some schools back east and in Norcal (Berkeley, Davis, Hastings). If I get into Berkeley, it would be a no-brainer, but I am seriously considering McGeorge over Hastings or Davis (if I were to get in). I hear McGeorge is a school that is on the up and is ranked #16 in intl law. However, it is a private school and I don't think it will make up for what I would be paying at a UC public law school.

I know this isn't a decision I will have to make right away, but I can't help but to contemplate. Any advice is greatly appreciated and any knowledge of the programs (especially intl law) compared to Davis or Hastings is also greatly appreciated. I often hear stuff like "The name and prestige of the school is more important than their specialties or concentrations". Choosing a law school is kind of a big deal, so I don't want to f*ck it up. thanks

peace
:?

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Ipsa Dixit

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Ipsa Dixit » Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:36 am

rs24, how do you feel about Sacramento?

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rs24

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by rs24 » Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:52 am

haha, ipsa dixit, your question makes my decision even more complicated. I like (not love) Sac and I can see myself spending a lot of time studying because the city isn't very exciting. The Bay Area is more expensive (and exciting), which is one of the main reasons I'm questioning Hastings (expensive downtown SF or a long commute and may even turn out to be more expensive than McGeorge if you accumulate all the costs). The geographic location is important to me, especially because I've spent a lot of time overseas and my family is in NorCal. I know I will have to take all this into consideration, but right now I want to focus on the academic aspects. Very good question though.

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by stevededalus » Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:00 am

rs24 wrote:New to the forum and TLS, but I've learned a lot just from 20 mins of browsing.

I received my acceptance letter from McGeorge about two weeks ago. It was a safety school, but deep down I really want to go to McGeorge. Their int'l law program really impresses me. I'm still waiting on some schools back east and in Norcal (Berkeley, Davis, Hastings). If I get into Berkeley, it would be a no-brainer, but I am seriously considering McGeorge over Hastings or Davis (if I were to get in). I hear McGeorge is a school that is on the up and is ranked #16 in intl law. However, it is a private school and I don't think it will make up for what I would be paying at a UC public law school.

I know this isn't a decision I will have to make right away, but I can't help but to contemplate. Any advice is greatly appreciated and any knowledge of the programs (especially intl law) compared to Davis or Hastings is also greatly appreciated. I often hear stuff like "The name and prestige of the school is more important than their specialties or concentrations". Choosing a law school is kind of a big deal, so I don't want to f*ck it up. thanks

peace
I think it depends on where you want to practice and what you want to do. McGeorge places well in Sacramento, but you might be better off at Hastings or Davis if you want to work elsewhere in California, especially Hastings for San Francisco.

Tuition at McGeorge is slightly more than Davis or Hastings, but cost of living in Sacramento is cheaper than in Davis or San Francisco. McGeorge also gives more scholarship money, I believe. If you get into Davis or Hastings, you may be able to negotiate for financial help from McGeorge that makes the cost difference negligible.

Good luck.

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by rs24 » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:21 am

steve, thanks for your input. I completely concur with your post. I did receive a scholarship and that will play a huge part in my final decision. As of now, I'm not too concerned with the job prospects in the different regions of California. However, I would imagine that most firms throughout Cali would consider a degree from Davis, Berkeley or Hastings much more desirable. I'm really interested in Intl Law, so I'm going into the law school decision making process with the international focus mentality. I know that can easily change though, so on the other hand, I don't want to throw all my eggs into the intl law basket. Thanks again, your help (and anyone's help for that matter) is greatly appreciated.

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Ipsa Dixit

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Re: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Post by Ipsa Dixit » Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:40 am

I don't really know what you are looking for with international law, but you can see what international-related electives were offered in fall 2008 semester at --LinkRemoved--

and in spring 2009 semester at --LinkRemoved--

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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