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USC (University of Southern California) MPP/MPA/MPL


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Congratulations! If my experience is universal, any funding offers will come in the mail. Mine arrived around two days after admission, and it seems like most people's have been in a similar time frame.

 

 

Just got the email to check my status about half an hour ago.

 

I'm accepted with no mention of funding. Excited and worried all at the same time, though according to some in this thread I should expect a letter in the mail soon.

 

That was my experience too. I got my e-mail this past Thursday and then a funding letter in the mail on Friday. Hope you get good news!

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To everyone in the forum,

Is USC the top choice school for you? If it is, why are you choosing it over other programs? Which other programs are you hoping to get into?

I am interested in starting a conversation about people's interest in the Price School.

I actually only applied to USC (huge risk, I know, I got lucky). I considered applying to other schools, but I figured that I would restrict myself to just SoCal/LA because of 3 reasons:

1) location/geography: big things happening in LA and so much potential for positive change. LA = "living laboratory" I also currently work full time and would like to continue working through school (gotta pay off loans somehow).

2) alumni network/school connections: Trojan family is real, esp in SoCal.

3) meets academic expectations: I went to an info session and came out really excited at all he opportunities available at USC Price. Opportunities internationally, Sacramento. Classes seem to fit my needs and what I want to learn.

I'm pretty biased towards USC because 1) I put all my eggs in the USC basket and 2) it's also my alma mater, but ultimately, its the best option for me for all the reasons listed above. Really looking forward to the deans merit event since it seemed like a lot of past applicants got a lot of out that day.

I looked into other discussions about this topic and I thought this one from 2013 was helpful:

Edited by AHAC
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Hi, everyone. Congrats!

 

I applied without any work experience...but got accepted(less hopeful about $$$ scenario..)

 

 

Did any of u guys get full tuition coverage(or similar to that amount)? If so, can I ask how many years of work experience you had?

 

Thanks!

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Hi, everyone. Congrats!

 

I applied without any work experience...but got accepted(less hopeful about $$$ scenario..)

 

 

Did any of u guys get full tuition coverage(or similar to that amount)? If so, can I ask how many years of work experience you had?

 

Thanks!

I also got the full tuition and had 3-4 years of work experience

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Hi, everyone. Congrats!

I applied without any work experience...but got accepted(less hopeful about $$$ scenario..)

Did any of u guys get full tuition coverage(or similar to that amount)? If so, can I ask how many years of work experience you had?

Thanks!

I have a little over 1.5 years of experience and I got half tuition.

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Everyone who recieved half-tuition, how are you feeling about the cost-benefit of USC? I recieved half, which is great, but now I'm am on the fence as it's still basically 16k base tuition per year. I know USC has a fantastic reputation, and it's the best offer I have on the table at the moment, but I was curious to see how others with similar offers were viewing the burden of the remaining 60k+ we'd have to cover for two years. Anyone in the same shoes?

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Everyone who recieved half-tuition, how are you feeling about the cost-benefit of USC? I recieved half, which is great, but now I'm am on the fence as it's still basically 16k base tuition per year. I know USC has a fantastic reputation, and it's the best offer I have on the table at the moment, but I was curious to see how others with similar offers were viewing the burden of the remaining 60k+ we'd have to cover for two years. Anyone in the same shoes?

 

I'm in the same boat. I like the program a lot, and the idea of relocating to the west coast sounds awesome to me, but I think the money will stop me from attending. At least $32k for tuition and fees + $40k - $50k living expenses = A LOT.

 

I don't know if I can justify that amount of loan debt for this degree, though it's very tempting to think that it doesn't matter because of IBR and loan forgiveness for public service. Big, scary decisions forthcoming  :unsure:

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Congrats to fellow admits!

 

 

I received the Dean's Merit half-tuition scholarship, but I'm wondering when our federal financial aid will be considered (for those who filled out the FAFSA). Has anybody heard back from the school? On USConnect in the finaid portal it reads (in review) and has been that way for a couple weeks now. I'm hoping for additional aid to complement the scholarship! Otherwise, USC would incur a lot of debt I'm worried about as previous posters have mentioned. 

Edited by kooyah
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I have a letter supposed to be delivered to me that requires sig - did anyone have to sign for their acceptance letter?

 

The site still says no decision. I applied to SC (MPL) and UCLA (MURP). 

I didn't have to sign for anything. I was notified by e-mail about acceptance and then the next day a large envelope came in the mail with scholarship information. The mail carrier just left it in my box though.

Edited by Wain
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Congrats to fellow admits!

I received the Dean's Merit half-tuition scholarship, but I'm wondering when our federal financial aid will be considered (for those who filled out the FAFSA). Has anybody heard back from the school? On USConnect in the finaid portal it reads (in review) and has been that way for a couple weeks now. I'm hoping for additional aid to complement the scholarship! Otherwise, USC would incur a lot of debt I'm worried about as previous posters have mentioned.

I filled out my FAFSA and did the enrollment/housing form on USConnect at the end of February and I am still "in review".

Re: cost/benefit. I don't know what programs you guys are admitted to but the MPA program seems like it worked with a full time job. If you look up the USC schedule of classes, you can get a good idea of what your class schedule will be to see if you can take up part/full time work to offset tuition/living costs. I think this masters degree will be worth it for career advancement, networking, and the opportunities to learn/try/do different things so I'm looking forward to it and I think it's worth the $30k risk. And IBR/public service forgiveness is something I would take advantage of.

For MPA admits, you can save money if you have 2+ years of experience and take stats before matriculation. If you haven't taken stats in the past 3 years, you can take stats at a community college ($300 vs $3000).

I'm waiting for the financial aid stuff and the deans merit event to submit my SOI, but i will most likely be attending this fall.

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Hello All Congrats! If you haven't heard back, I do know one person who wasn't admitted until almost April and did receive some modest aid. You're not out of luck, until you're actually out. 

 

I wanted to address the cost-benefit, or benefit-cost :-) question. I had a fairly easy choice. I could pretty clearly see the writing on the wall that I needed to get ahead in the game and I needed a Masters degree to supplement my B.A. in History, which didn't too much for me in job terms.

 

Things I like about USC Price:

 

1. People. Lots of people. USC Price in 2013-14 had 920 masters students, 240 people in executive programs, and 54 in PhD programs. For comparison, UCLA Luskin has 571 students in all programs, Chicago Harris has 167 students, and Harvard just over 1000.   

 

2. Yes, You Can Work! It is entirely possible to work a full-time job (or two part-time jobs, I did) while being a full-time student (although you probably don't want more than 8 units). USC Price really encourages students to practice what they learn and learn from practicing. 

 

3. Los Angeles is big and diverse. USC is big and diverse. You will have the opportunity to meet and work with the full panoply of people. There are 88 cities in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County has more registered non-profits than anywhere else in the country. We are a global mecca of culture and are building strong connections with Asia and Latin America. 

 

Strengths: Weather, Diversity, Culture, Networking, Local Government, Economic Development, Non-Profits, Trojan Family.

 

Weakness: If you want to spend a lot of time buried in books, looking at snow, and planning your next advance in the federal government this probably isn't for you.

 

Finally, on finances. I was out of college a few years before going back. The student loan systems has changed dramatically since I started by my undergraduate education in 2004. Interest rates are now tied to the market, we have IBR and Pay as You Earn (10%), and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. I would focus a little less on finances and more on where you see yourself coming out of the various programs. 

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Does anyone know about the availability of assistantships for Price MPP students? Are they common and fairly easy to get, super competitive and rare, or what?

 

Thanks for any info.

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Hi, guys, wanted to ask about the reputation of MPP programs 
 
USC (as far as I know, this school ranks the highest among the four in public policy) offered me half-tuition scholarship which still ends up with about 20K/yr.
Duke Sanford School scholarship + assistantship = 22K/yr
Cornell - scholarship =21K/yr. 
 
And today, Uni. of Minnesota Humphrey School offered me 7K/yr.
 
 
The only thing I am most worried about is the reputation of each school. 
 
So is it true that the ranking of each program matters more than the reputation of the school? (USC->Minnesota=Duke->Cornell is the current ranking, but this may be slightly wrong)
 
I was pretty sure that was the case but in recent weeks I've read that Cornell and Duke will be an advantage to getting a job in the US. 
To be honest, I am kind of afraid I'll be stuck in Minnesota forever.
 
I want to get your advice on how employers in the US general (it's very broad, I apologize) react to the reputation of universities and how that will affect my career.
 
I also want to get some advice on anything, ANYTHING on graduate schools, jobs related to policy, or any of the universities above. 
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I should have noted in my previous post that I'm a second year MPA, Sustainable Policy and Planning Certificate student. 

 

Jobs

 

I think Price differs from some of the schools I see discussed on this forum in that we don't use research/assistantships as an admissions tool. I think to an extent this is a function of the school focusing a bit more on professional development and a bit less on academic research. At USC Price, and USC more broadly, there are a fair amount of opportunities to secure such positions but that they are competitive. Such positions are generally with one of the research centers (some more than others) or for grant funded research projects; there are also a limited number of TA gigs. There are also a lot of opportunities to get involved in the many programs that the university has related to its administration/policy efforts as a student worker (I do this). 

 

I would also note that USC is the largest private employer in Los Angeles and if you already have relevant work experience this can be a good deal if you want to work and do school at the university. Depending on what you're interested in, you may be served well by having USC employment or you may be better served getting out there for a paid internship or job. USC Price has really good relationships with people/organizations in local government, the non-profit community, and planning/development. I think it's really about how fast and hard you are willing to go at getting a position. I know some people really rapidly found something to do and others who wanted to give being just a student a go for awhile. 

 

Careers

 

In terms of ranking/career development, I think at a certain point the say top 15 or so are on a level playing field. The US News Rankings are simply the result of a period sampled survey and not some comprehensive assessment based on rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis. If I were to want to try an orient my school choice to career prospecting I would look at what organizations you want to try and get in on the ground floor and then which school geographically places you in workable proximity. I think employers in an open job search are looking less at which top school you got your degree from and more at your relevant experience. The job market for policy-type positions is going to be pretty competitive and you are likely going to be competing with people who may already be a few years out of school. This is where networking really comes into play. I can't speak to the other schools you mention, but one of the main characteristics of USC is the Trojan Family (it can be a little corny, I know). We really have an ethos of networking, public service, and beating UCLA. 

 

Minnesota

 

I Googled for the USC Alumni Club in Minneapolis and there looks to be a fairly active alumni club in the Twin Cities. I also do have a friend who came to USC Price from Minnesota and despite bouncing around a bit job-wise is pretty happy with his life in LA. 

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I should have noted in my previous post that I'm a second year MPA, Sustainable Policy and Planning Certificate student. 

 

Jobs

 

I think Price differs from some of the schools I see discussed on this forum in that we don't use research/assistantships as an admissions tool. I think to an extent this is a function of the school focusing a bit more on professional development and a bit less on academic research. At USC Price, and USC more broadly, there are a fair amount of opportunities to secure such positions but that they are competitive. Such positions are generally with one of the research centers (some more than others) or for grant funded research projects; there are also a limited number of TA gigs. There are also a lot of opportunities to get involved in the many programs that the university has related to its administration/policy efforts as a student worker (I do this). 

 

I would also note that USC is the largest private employer in Los Angeles and if you already have relevant work experience this can be a good deal if you want to work and do school at the university. Depending on what you're interested in, you may be served well by having USC employment or you may be better served getting out there for a paid internship or job. USC Price has really good relationships with people/organizations in local government, the non-profit community, and planning/development. I think it's really about how fast and hard you are willing to go at getting a position. I know some people really rapidly found something to do and others who wanted to give being just a student a go for awhile. 

 

Careers

 

In terms of ranking/career development, I think at a certain point the say top 15 or so are on a level playing field. The US News Rankings are simply the result of a period sampled survey and not some comprehensive assessment based on rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis. If I were to want to try an orient my school choice to career prospecting I would look at what organizations you want to try and get in on the ground floor and then which school geographically places you in workable proximity. I think employers in an open job search are looking less at which top school you got your degree from and more at your relevant experience. The job market for policy-type positions is going to be pretty competitive and you are likely going to be competing with people who may already be a few years out of school. This is where networking really comes into play. I can't speak to the other schools you mention, but one of the main characteristics of USC is the Trojan Family (it can be a little corny, I know). We really have an ethos of networking, public service, and beating UCLA. 

 

Minnesota

 

I Googled for the USC Alumni Club in Minneapolis and there looks to be a fairly active alumni club in the Twin Cities. I also do have a friend who came to USC Price from Minnesota and despite bouncing around a bit job-wise is pretty happy with his life in LA. 

 

Thank you for your extremely informative advice. Thank you for taking the time. 

Your post definitely helped me see USC in a whole new perspective.

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