McGeorge 2012 Forum

[annapavlova]

Whenever I hear McGeorge, I get a mental image of Ronald McDonald as the king of England.

which is funny, because you should be thinking about beautiful trees...

Probably. I just cannot help it.

And McGeorge has many beautiful trees Bosque - it's a very green campus!

[iheartlaw]

Reallly!? Can you guys tell me more about McGeorge! I didnt get to go to law day today =( i'm super bummed. damn employer. Can you tell me how the campus looks? Is it beautiful? Are the bulidings brick like ivy leagues or modern? How is the staff? Is the area nice? Are teh classes nice? How are the libraries? Anything and everything is very appreciated. <3 =)

[chiajuiteng]

Does anyone regret their decisions or gonna change decisions because of the new rankings? I already put down my deposit on McGeorge, but now I'm thinking if I should go with USF. I know it's not that much a difference, but I'm still worrying that McGeorge officially becomes a TTT. Anyonone???

[careerchange]

Ummmm...Yeah.

I am very upset. Do I want to move for a Tier 3 school???

Not good.

[iheartlaw]

bleh =\

i didn't think it would really change my decision... but it has...
i don't know what to do. reapplying next cycle is seeming to be the best solution... atleast for me. how did this happen! fkn gay.

[M_Cool]

Do you guys seriously think your employment chances are any different graduating from a low T2 school / T3 school? They aren't. They especially aren't based on one year's ranking. It takes a fair # of years for the perceptions about a school to change.

[iheartlaw]

Yeah?

Well if that's the case I'll still be happy about my acceptance. I', just scared employers who don't know McGeorge will look at the rankings and be like ummm where is McGeorge I dont even see it? Oh out of the top 100.... nvm thanks for applying!

[futurelawyer888]

USF has weaved in and out of the top 100 for a while now. I know several people who have become associates at top firms with a degree from there and many associates and partners who went to McGeorge (in San Francisco - not only Sacramento).

[annapavlova]

Yeah?

Well if that's the case I'll still be happy about my acceptance. I', just scared employers who don't know McGeorge will look at the rankings and be like ummm where is McGeorge I dont even see it? Oh out of the top 100.... nvm thanks for applying!

McGeorge will likely place the same in firms in Sacramento as it always has - nobody's opinion in McGeorge's region will change. Also, it probably won't matter in other places at all, seeing as how probably only the top 10% or better came get jobs out of the area.

That being said, my concern with McGeorge is the amount of money it will cost me to go there. If I'm going to go to a well-respected T3, I can do it in my home state at 1/2 the cost. Sure the rankings at that level are somewhat arbitrary, but its just the principal of the thing! Plus I have a few stronger T2s that will be only a little more in cost.

Point: I'm sure some people will have legitimate reasons for turning down McGeorge, but most will be due to rankings whoring. Am I being a rankings whore? I don't know, but I do know that, along with a lot of others, I have a lot to think about. So Iheartlaw, do the best for you, but know that the employment prospects will barely change at all (and if they do, its probably due to larger, more systemic reasons, like the economy).

[raimorris]

After reading about the rankings I was a little bothered that McGeorge is no longer top 100, but then I realized that the only reason they aren't is because they give people a chance to study law part time. The school hasn't changed, their academics are still great. They didn't fall out of the top 100 because their students aren't passing the bar at a good percentage. The school is still the same!! McGeorge is very respected in the Sac area and it will remain that way. So if you chose McGeorge because it was ranked 95th, then maybe you shouldn't go there. I chose McGeorge because I like their faculty, campus, administrators, and I like all the programs they offer. When I went to Legal Scholar's Day I knew that McGeorge was the perfect place for me to be at. Yes, it may cost money, but law school is expensive! Once again if you chose McGeorge because of their rankings and not because you felt a connection with the school maybe you should reconsider your decision (I am not speaking to a specific person, this is for every one who is having second thoughts about U of P). For people that felt the connection to McGeorge and are now considering a different school because of the rankings, think about this long and hard! Law school is an investment and you want to be happy with your investment. I know that I will be happy at McGeorge, and yes I could save 30,000 if I went to Rutgers-Camden, but I care more about my happiness and satisfaction.

[bobothecat]

I'm glad my deposit isn't due till May 1st. McGeorge was a serious contender, but I think Rutger-Newark is where I'm headed. I'm visiting all schools this upcoming weekend/week so who knows, that may change.

[Matokah]

You guys can read my take on the new ranking in the 48 page thread. I just posted it and am a 2nd year law student.

Keep in mind also that those rankings COULD change by the time you actually graduate. There are people who accepted and attended a tier 2 school that just switched to tier 3. Maybe next year it'll be back in the 2nd tier. Who really knows?

I was a tour guide at law day this past Saturday, and I'm sorry you guys missed it. Great turn-out, lovely weather, etc.

That said, here are some pictures I took about 2 years ago when I was visiting the area and the school. The first few are just of my condo complex since I was feeling all artistic. But keep going and you'll see some more of the campus. Hope this helps. It's 13 acres, 28 buildings (yes, I did memorize this for my tour ) and the largest law only campus ever, or so I've been told. Quite peaceful and lovely, in my opinion.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... f3dfa1dea0

[homebrewer]

You guys can read my take on the new ranking in the 48 page thread. I just posted it and am a 2nd year law student.

Keep in mind also that those rankings COULD change by the time you actually graduate. There are people who accepted and attended a tier 2 school that just switched to tier 3. Maybe next year it'll be back in the 2nd tier. Who really knows?

I was a tour guide at law day this past Saturday, and I'm sorry you guys missed it. Great turn-out, lovely weather, etc.

That said, here are some pictures I took about 2 years ago when I was visiting the area and the school. The first few are just of my condo complex since I was feeling all artistic. But keep going and you'll see some more of the campus. Hope this helps. It's 13 acres, 28 buildings (yes, I did memorize this for my tour ) and the largest law only campus ever, or so I've been told. Quite peaceful and lovely, in my opinion.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... f3dfa1dea0

Thanks for the pictures, I'm heading up there to take a look at the campus this weekend after the Santa Clara ASD. You don't happen to live in Citrus Heights, do you? That apartment complex looks extremely familiar...

[Matokah]

homebrewer: You're quite welcome. Sorry they're dated. They're all I currently have online. :\

Nope, I live in Arden in a condo complex (I'm a renter, too broke to own).

Enjoy your visit to campus this weekend. We've been having some lovely weather lately (it's 90F right now ). Won't be quite the same as during the weekday when more people are on campus, but I imagine since finals are quickly approaching, you'll see a fair amount of students you might be able to ask questions of if you need to.

[NayBoer]

If you're going to withdraw from McGeorge based on rankings, don't trade for USF. Until the rankings leak, USF was T3 and McGeorge was 95. Why would USF being 98 be any more secure?

They're the same schools with the same qualities as before, except for some slight ranking and scoring changes. Your opportunities are still probably better for McGeorge if only because the main competition is Davis and those folks can easily go to SF and elsewhere in the state or nearby. McGeorge will still tend to be the king in Sac, if only because over 1/3 of the registered lawyers there are from McGeorge.
http://californiabar.globl.org/stats.php?report=topca

There are McGeorge graduates throughout the state as well, and anecdotally they seem to be represented in neighboring states like NV (especially Reno/Sparks area) and Mountain West states. So there's some portability.

Not that it's clearly a better choice than USF. If you were fine with this choice last week, you should be fine with it now. The rankings make it seem severe, but there's clustering down the scale. That clustering means movement is larger and more frequent. What if this means McGeorge has gone from 95 to 105 - is that the end of the world?

For better or worse, your job prospects and expected educational quality from either school have not changed. Of course, if the trend holds then it will eventually be a different story.

[Matokah]

Wholly agree with NayBoer.

I would just like to add, though, that if you hope to find work in San Francisco after graduation, USF is a better option, if only because more alumni likely remain in the area. Same for McGeorge with Sacramento. As far as my experience shows, McGeorge has a positive and strong reputation with employers in the Sacramento area. Like USF, it's a regional school.

That said, don't let an arbitrary rankings change scare you off. Schools jump up and down the rankings on a continual basis. I've spoken to an admissions officer at the school via email today and was told that until they're sent the actual reports, we can't technically know why we dropped, but rest assured the administration will research it and if it's something that's feasible to change (for the better...for the people who were saying the part-time program's numbers were bringing us down, something tells me we're not cutting that program anytime soon. Sorry ), they'll work on it. Our administration really does seem to care about the school's reputation and student satisfaction. It's sort of neat, actually.

[Veritas]

Status changed to decision rendered today! Hoping for good news.

[temple]

As I understand it, McGeorge honed its strong local reputation as a tier 3 school. Since breaking into the top 100, it has always been near 100. So the recent drop into tier 3 isn't a huge surprise. One reason for the drop was a change in the U.S. News ranking calculation. This year the part-time / evening program was incorporated into the rankings. This a smaller program offered at McGeorge for people who work during the day and/or have families. These students generally take 4 - 5 years to graduate rather than the typical 3. While it's possible the part-time program put a dent in the rankings, it's a wonderful option that you may find yourself looking into during your law school experience depending on where life takes you {students may switch from part to full-time, or vice versa}.

A few things to consider ~
A few years ago they tightened their admission qualifications ... when they let in, en toto, their most highly qualified class ever. That class is graduating THIS year, so perhaps we'll see great things from them?
The current Dean Rindskopf-Parker represents the school quite well -- she is increasing McGeorge's exposure on both t.v., radio, and throughout the local community. Her background is as a national security expert in a number of different presidential administrations.
Many of the current & former professors are responsible for the most popular treatises & study guides on the market -- used by many a top law school (Contracts Nutshell series, Dressler on Criminal Law).
And there's always Anthony Kennedy, a McGeorge professor before joining the Supreme Court, who teaches every summer in the Salzburg program hosted by McGeorge.
The surrounding area -- Oak Park -- is pretty low income but it's nothing compared to rough neighborhoods found in larger cities. New Mayor / Former NBA Kevin Johnson has done a lot of rehabilitative work in Oak Park because it is where he grew up. McGeorge also employs their own full-time security force who are wonderful. As far as crime statistics, it's your run-of-the-mill college campus stuff : car broken into once or twice a year, fender bender between students, etc.
There is a high amount of turnover at the administrative & management level -- most notably a big change in the registrar's office this month - - but hopefully human resources will work to hold onto McGeorge's best talent in the future. Overall, McGeorge has a reputation for being a pleasant law school w/ a friendly student body, some brilliant professors, and a wonderful reputation in California's capitol.

[20160810]

I'm going to move this into the Class of 2012 thread. On a related note, if any of you guys are moving to Sacramento and have questions about the city, feel free to PM me. I grew up there and will also be living in Sac this summer. Cheers.

[123]

Hi, Do any of you know the grading curve...what's it like? are rankings based on the whole class or each class section? how tough is it to retain scholarship for 2l, 3l?

Thanks!

[temple]

Ranking is based on your division -- whether day or evening, not by individual sections.
Professors have discretion when it comes to increasing a student's grade by 1/2 for exceptional performance in class. This discretion is used, but rarely.
The point system for exams & how they correlate to letter grades can be found at this Link to Grading & Advancement Rules :
--LinkRemoved--

[tequilasunriseplz]

If anyone is interested in cheap 1L books let me know!

Wait until you hear what section you are in (or what professors you have) & then send me a message if you don't have book scholarship. I rarely check TLS so don't worry if it takes me a bit to get back to you.

I'm slightly crazy & have a different way of briefing (so no marks). My books are like new.

[Veritas]

I just got in off the WL. Any suggestions for whether I should take this over not going this year?

[20160810]

I just got in off the WL. Any suggestions for whether I should take this over not going this year?

Up to you, but if you come up to Sac to check out the school PM me. We can get some lunch or something.