University of the Pacific Admission
University of the Pacific Undergraduate Program
University of the Pacific Application

The Facts

The University of the Pacific, located in the town of Stocktoon, California , is perhaps best known for its multitude of distinguised professional programs that give students real-world experience from the time they step foot onto campus. The schools include programs in dentistry, business, pharamacy, law, engineering, education and music, among others. These schools allow freshmen to enter into professional programs well-ahead of schedule, and in some cases, well-qualified undergraduates are offered an MBA with just one more year of official study. The undergraduate engineering program has its students alternate between periods of study and full-time, paid work. The pharmacy and health science schools allow students to pursue Doctor of Pharmacy degrees in just three years, and in law, there’s a six year bachelor’s and JD degree; students take three years of undergraduate and three years of law.

With a student to faculty ratio of only 14:1, most classes have fewer than 30 students and are primarily discussion-based and hands-on. Teachers and administration are both quite accessible, and make sure the students take advantage of their services. Guidance counselors also say that the unviersity is very attuned to student’s financial needs; it was the first school in the California system to commit to matching Cal Grants for incoming freshmen. More than 75% of freshmen receive financial aid, and the community of Stockton, where the school is housed, offers community service scholarships in return for volunteer work.

Admission is not nearly as competitive as other California schools; last year, around 4,500 students applied and 3,173 were admitted while only 818 actually enrolled. The Class of 2004 had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1050 to 1278 and an average cumulative ACT score ranging from 22 to 27. Over 70% of admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average GPA of approximately 3.45.

The Social Scene

The U of the Pacific campus looks as if it was pulled right out of New England with its ivy-laced brick buildings and long stretches of green. The campus is over 175 acres, but the actual academic portion of the campus is quite small. Stockton is located about equidistance between Sacramento and San Francisco, and is also about 4 hours away from Lake Tahoe; for these reasons, most students own cars, and students who don’t seem to have no trouble hitching rides. The student body is quite diverse, with the largest out of state population coming from Hawaii. Although the university was founded by Methodists and has a resident pastor, it welcomes many religions from Islam to Judiasm.

One out of four students is involved with Greek life, and because the actual town of Stockton doesn’t really offer much, the Greek houses tend to dominate the social scence and often hold large bashes and fundraisers for various causes. The theater and music departments are constantly offering various concerts and shows, and the campus even boasts its very own private movie theater.

What's Good

“There is a real sense of community here. Everyone keeps an eye out for eachother.”

“The teachers are remarkably accessible and make sure all the students know it.”

“Even though Stockton is a bust, students come up with their own ways of having a lot of fun.”

What's Bad

“Everyone here is pretty conservative and not terribly accepting of other viewpoints.”

“The administration can be pretty snooty, especially when you come to them with a complaint. They think the school is perfect.”

“Don’t eat campus food. It will make you ill, guaranteed.”

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