So hi, my name is Silvia Larosa. I am an alumni of McGeorge from class of 2017. I'm just here to tell you a little bit about why I chose McGeorge.
So I chose McGeorge, to be honest with you it was my last application that I submitted. You know, on the night it was the first one that sent me an acceptance letter. So they wanted me to know what was going on right away. And the reason I chose it is because after touring multiple law schools, I realized that the minute I stepped foot on McGeorge campus, it felt so like home, like family.
First of all, one of the largest law school campuses have you on average, your law school is just one building, you know, multiple floors, multiple stories, maybe two buildings. Here you have got a quad area, you've got a shaded tree to work under, you've got a huge lawn, to just throw out a blanket and do your, you know, law school reading there. And I think that attracted me a lot to McGeorge.
I'm a huge nature person, but also what attracted me was, I was known by name, even my first day at admitted students day. Teachers wanting to talk to me wanting to be engaged, wanting to know where I was from, you know why I was choosing McGeorge, if I had made my decision yet, so I literally chose it because I knew I was leaving home, Los Angeles. And I knew I was doing this alone. And so I needed to be somewhere where I felt I was home, in a sense.
My favorite part of McGeorge, while my favorite part of McGeorge is that the family environment. My first year in law school was a big, oh my goodness. I went from being a teacher for five years to just going back to being a student. So that was a change. But the fact that teachers took me in as more than just an ID number, or as more than just a seat number in a classroom. You know, it wasn't you know, oh student 45 it was Oh, Okay, Sylvia, or okay Miss Larosa it was come see me at office hours, you know, you'd sit down in the office and they'd be willing to help you with whatever you want. Literally, they wouldn't hide the ball.
They'd give you the help you need, the information you need, the guidance you needed. And I think for me, my biggest memory at least my first year of law school was, I wasn't going home for Thanksgiving because of the fact that it was finals times. It was my first semester of law school and I was nervous and freaking out, like everyone probably is at that time. And I was invited to have Thanksgiving dinner, at one of my professors houses and it was myself and about four other students, law students. If that's not family, I don't know what it is.
But you know, this professor opened up her doors of her home and fed us for Thanksgiving. It was myself and three other law students who also were not going home. And it was the professor, her husband, her daughter and her son and her two dogs. So that's when I knew I made the right choice. So my favorite part of McGeorge has to be the fact that it's more than just a law school. It's a community that couldn't find any other way. It's a community. It's a family. And you get more than just your textbook material and you get more than what you pay for.
Best spots on campus? I alluded to it earlier. Definitely the lawn. I spent many days throwing out a blanket on the lawn and just sitting there and reading. I also like hidden corners in the library. I don't like to be bothered when I studied so there was like study rooms I could study by myself and that was just amazing. But on nice, sunny, you know, spring days, I like sitting underneath a tree or sitting on the bench style chairs that the lawn chairs they have. Those are really cool because I mean, you're stuck inside so long for so many hours that sitting out in the sun and with nature while learning law is actually pretty, it's pretty cool.
Best parts of Sacramento? Well, it's an up and coming city, and nothing's gonna replace LA for me duh I'm from LA I will always be an LA Girl. However, the fact that Sacramento had a soccer team that I could go with LA stuff on and still cheer for my team and the Sacramento Republic fans were very welcoming. Like they invited me to bars afterwards I was considered the rival you know. But I think Sacramento as a whole, just the city is very, let's watch out for each other. I like that it's a city with a small hometown feel. I mean, that's the best way to put it. It's a city, but it's not overwhelmingly suffocating, the city.
There's definitely nightlife. I'm not sure if you have enough time for that. But there's that. There is a sense of community no matter where you go from Oak Park to Midtown, to other areas such as Carmichael, and you're gonna find coffee shops. Oh my gosh, the coffee shops and the restaurants are everywhere. And it's awesome. It's awesome to have so many different places to go to that are not chains. We're known for a lot of our moms and pops and small businesses. Sacramento thrives on small businesses, but they're so good. Multiple coffee shops, multiple different restaurants to try. I think for me, that was pretty much the best thing like I made it a point to go to a different one each time. So I liked that part about Sacramento.
So what sets McGeorgia apart from other law schools literally goes back to the reason why I chose McGeorge. It's the fact that these other law schools when I went to their open houses and their campus tours and stuff, nobody knew my name, not the law student giving me a tour, not the teachers that were there. Literally no one knew my name. I was "Have you even applied?" "Have you applied yet?" You know, and it was like, well, I'm here for admitted students, you know, versus McGeorge.
It was like yeah, so how's your family, Who do you live with or when you come to Sacramento, who are you gonna leave behind and these are the law schools. It was like, okay, so this money is due on this day. You're pretty much gonna spend all your time in the books and, and then from other law students and other law schools. It was a very competitive vibe by which every school is competitive, with everyone wants to be on top of there we're lawyers. Let's be real. It's an A type thing.
But these other law schools would tell me stories about other students tearing pages out of books and whatnot, versus here at McGeorge. It's students emailing notes to each other. Like, we're not here to tear people down. We're here to help each other out. And so, if you miss a class, it's fine because you miss a class, someone's going to email you notes. So there's that. And I think that is my McGeorge spiel on why I chose McGeorge. Thanks.
Hey, good. How are you?