Thank you all for the input!! It's much appreciated.
Method- in your experience, do a lot of students do internships during the year? If so, where are they interning? And if they don't, what do they do instead (ie are they doing research)? And do most students live in Ann Arbor? I was thinking of staying in Detroit and commuting (since a big reason to attend U-M would be to get more involved in Detroit), but I'm wondering if it would adversely affect my grad school experience.
albuhhh- I was in LA recently, and that was my impression of the city & USC as well! Their urban planning program is amazing. My main concern is whether Price is as strongly recognized as Ford & Georgetown are....while they have a really strong alumni network, it seems that most graduates stay in the socal region and that the USC reputation is strongest in California. My impression could be due to the inherent east-coast bias in my network though.
chocolatecheesecake- I would agree that there's a strong business presence and emphasis on public-private partnerships... I would attribute it to the fact that the MPA & real estate programs are also housed at Price, and those programs are where Price seems strongest. That's a really good way to characterize the differences between Michigan and USC, and definitely helps clarify my choice a bit! I actually applied to the MPA/MPL over the MPP because it seemed like Price was better known for MPA/MPL than MPP, but what I liked about Price was that students in all degree programs took their core classes together, so there's an even greater mix of perspectives thrown in. Re: campus life - I would agree on your take of undergraduate life, but I was pleasantly surprised by Price itself - everyone seems low-key and the staff know the students really well.