An explanation of the new Pacific Priority program
Announced in an email on March 4, Pacific University launched a new undergraduate program called Pacific Priority. Directing its focus towards motivated students with the intent of pursuing academics at a higher level, Pacific Priority has three different branches: The first is a four year graduation guarantee, assuring students that Pacific University will provide them with the course to fulfill their desired undergraduate degree within the standard four year period of education; the second branch is similar in that it guarantees students coming into Pacific University with an associate’s degree will be able to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in two years or less. Both of these programs are equally reliant on the students’ own grades and academic performance to guarantee their eligibility.
The final branch—and arguably most influential—is the Pacific Priority Graduate Program, which ensures incoming freshman and undergraduate juniors a spot in the Pacific University Graduate School, granted they have met all the requirements to be accepted.
Given Pacific’s ten mastery programs, this is an optimal opportunity for those wanting to continue on to a graduate schools that Pacific offers. It is also an ideal way for incoming freshmen and other undergrad students to start setting up their futures after they finish their bachelor’s degree. Removing the stress of applying for graduate school off their backs—but that also brings us to the hornet nest this program has stirred up.
Announced mere weeks after graduate school applications were due, many current seniors at Pacific y were not aware of this program’s existence, let alone guarantee. This caused current seniors to spend time and money on various other graduate school applications without knowing their ability to save a seat in Pacific’s program. For many students, this was keenly frustrating to hear after finishing up graduate school applications or already making prior commitments following graduation. Unfortunately, because of this untimely implementation, seniors who are interested in this program will receive delayed admission as certain courses are already filled. That has left some students in the graduating class of 2024 feeling left out in the cold.
On the bright side, this will be a golden ticket for every other undergraduate class. Especially for the current high school students looking at schools that can efficiently get them from a bachelor’s degree to a masters. The Pacific Priority helps put Pacific students as a top priority to excel at the next level of education—and also builds stronger and longer connections for students to the college.
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