The first week in March, I had the opportunity to travel to Northern California with about 50 other Jesuit High School college counselors. We had a wonderful conference, talking about all of the updates in college admissions, and then we visited six colleges and universities (U of Pacific, U of San Francisco, Cal-Berkeley, St. Mary's College, Stanford U, and Santa Clara U). They varied in size, environment, program offerings, and rigor.

Usually on big trips like these, there are one or two schools that I'm not particularly impressed by...but not on this trip. I could honestly see many students from the East Coast taking the 5 1/2 hour plane ride to either San Francisco or San Jose to any of the six schools I visited. Over the next few weeks, I will try to write about each college and give my feedback...and of course, add some of my pictures! First up, and probably the least known of the six, University of the Pacific located in Stockton, California.

Here’s everything you need to know about Pacific, plus my personal perspective below.

Key Stats:

UP has about 3,800 undergraduate students
The campus is 90 minutes from San Francisco and a little over an hour from Sacramento
There are 18 Varsity sports, all Division 1 (including water polo), and they are in the West Coast Conference, which has schools like Gonzaga and BYU
Although the name of the college may make you think the school is on the water, it is actually pretty far from the ocean, and has a desert climate...cool in the morning and at night, but warms up during the day
A community-based school, most activities happening on campus, and UP offers over 180 organizations, 18 Greek Houses, 10 Honor Societies, and 4 service clubs
The average salary 10 years after graduation for UP students is the 5th highest in California and top 40 in the country
UP is currently spending $1,000,000 on a student success initiative

Academic Info:

UP has 80 different academic programs, a huge number for a relatively small school.

College of the Pacific: This is their liberal arts college, and all students will take at least a few courses in this college
Conservatory of Music: Recognized as one of the nation's top conservatory, and oldest one west of the Mississippi. One of its programs is music education, which has a 100% job placement rate. Also UP offers a music industry major (does not require an audition) and is good for students who want to go into the business side of the music industry
Benerd School of Education: one of their smaller schools, which offers 4 year Bachelor degree and teaching credentials
Eberhardt School of Business: A relatively small business program, but with great facilities. A fully accredited school of business which allows students to run a $3,000,000 investment fund. Students can also receive a Masters in Accounting through this school.
School of Engineering and Computer Science: Offers 8 different programs and all students do at least one 6-month co-op program where they work full-time.
School of International Studies: Students can receive a BA in majors such as Global Studies, International Relations, and Commerce. All students in this school must study abroad at least once.
Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Offers PharmD options and also has Speech-Language Pathology, which is the fastest growing job field in California.
Dugoni School of Dentistry: Students in this program will start at UP for their undergraduate studies, then finish at the dental school located in San Francisco.

Admissions Stats:

UP has a 55% acceptance rate
Averages include a 3.5 GPA, 1190 SAT, and 24 ACT
When students apply, they will be reviewed by their major, so it may be tougher to get in applying for engineering as opposed to the liberal arts college
Their pre-dentistry program takes about 70 students per year and they look for a 3.8 GPA, 1400 SAT, or 31 ACT
Their pre-pharmacy program takes about 130 students per year and they look for a 3.74 GPA, 1310 SAT, or 29 ACT
They are a Common Application school, $35 application fee, and test scores are required
They have both Early Action (November 15th) and Rolling Admissions application options

What’s special about University of the Pacific:

The ACCELERATED PROGRAMS! University of the Pacific has a lot to offer, but what stands out the most is their dedication to getting students graduated and working as soon as possible. Most students graduate within four years, and are working or in graduate school within six months. UP actually has a 4-year guarantee, with an actual contract and was the first school to do this. In addition to making sure their students have graduated in four years, UP offers many incredible accelerated programs. Some of the best include:

5 year MBA program, where students can get their MBA or Master's in Accounting
2+3 or 3+3 or 4+3 Pharmacy and Dental programs. The first number is how long a student would study at UP before going to professional school. So yes, super competitive students could actually becomes dentists or pharmacists in 5 years...incredible!
3+3 Law degree, where students would do 3 years at UP, and then have guaranteed admission to the UP Law School, which is located in Sacramento, the capitol of California.

Personal Perspective:

I was pleasantly surprised with my visit to University of the Pacific. It is in a beautiful part of the country, and it was a gorgeous ride from San Francisco. You can definitely tell there is a ton of school spirit there, and the administration truly cares about the students. They want them to have a great college experience, and be prepared to tackle their career upon graduation. I love their accelerated programs, and I think this could be a really big draw for students from the East Coast. At most schools, it often takes close to 8 years to become a dentist or pharmacist, but a UP student could potentially do this in 5 years...saving both money and time!

Although the campus is amazing, with really nice facilities, Stockton is not the most exciting city. The campus is not in the middle of the city, but it is not far. UP is a place I think many young men and women could be happy at, and is definitely worth a look!

Joseph D. Korfmacher