ajorgens

Honestly, USC seems to really to focus on urban issues (ie planning, poverty, nonprofits, health policy). They do offer some good opportunities for studying abroad to gain practical foreign policy experience. Recent trips were to Brazil and China I believe. I also think that there were a lot of professors doing research in evironmental policy. So while good, those areas aren't really the strongest part of USC's offering. USC does have have an excellent alumni network on the west coast. I'd say only Berkeley is better for jobs in the Bay. If you're hoping to work in the capital I know USC has a branch campus in Sacramento and has lots of career placements in state government. Not the Bay Area exactly but still Norcal.

Thanks. I'd really like to focus on Urban Policy, but I could also see myself doing a concentration in poverty studies or nonprofits. One of the main reasons I applied to both UCLA and USC was because of the excellent research opportunities in LA for urban policy. I'll probably end up taking courses from a lot of different areas whichever school I go to. I like UCLA's curriculum a lot and am glad I have the option of an MPP along with MPAs offered at the other schools I applied to, but I think it's probably going to come down to funding and it looks like USC wins out in that area.

Welp, I got my admissions packet today from the Department of Public Policy, so it looks they're probably sending another wave of decisions. No uni scholarships or fellowships, but there's always the chance to be a TA/RA (which I'm sure they tell everyone about). Still glad I got accepted, though. Good luck to everyone who hasn't heard back yet.

Haha, I'm in the exact same spot as you two. I got into USC's MPA with full tuition, but have yet to hear back from UCLA. I did get my application in close to the deadline, but I doubt that has any effect since they don't do rolling admissions.

My undergrad GPA was 3.8, and for the GRE I got 690 V, 760M, and 4.5 writing. For most schools, though, it's less about the numbers and more about presenting a total package (recommendations, essays) and having a passion for the school. If you have the opportunity, I would suggest a tour and a visit with an admissions rep. I feel my visit with their office really helped in my appplication process. They're also very accessible by email. You should still have a good chance of getting an acceptance, but 12/15 was the priority deadline for scholarships. You should still be eligible for some scholarship money from the university, especially if you've got your FAFSA in. I don't know about average salaries and the like, but both MPA and MPP have similar placements, with MPA trending towards management and MPP towards analytical careers. Good luck on your application.

Program Applied To: MPA, MPP Schools Applied To: USC, University of Washington, UCLA, ASU Schools Admitted To: USC (full) Schools Rejected From: Still Waiting: UW, UCLA, ASU Undergraduate institution: Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA) Undergraduate GPA: 3.82 Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable): 3.95 Undergraduate Major: Political Science, minors in History, General Business GRE Quantitative Score: 760 (85th) GRE Verbal Score: 690 (96th) GRE AW Score: 4.5 (63rd) Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1 Years of Work Experience: 0, really Describe Relevant Work Experience: Volunteering with a refugee resettlement organization. All my other work experience was general office work (Work-Study), house painting, and working retail. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Since I only applied to 4 schools I took a lot of time to make sure each school was a good one for. Then I was able to really tailor each essay to the individual schools, but after the research I'd done it was really easy to say what I liked about the schools, why I thought I'd be a good fit, and how they fit with my career aspirations. The essays themselves weren't particularly strong, especially since I did little to no proofreading, but having each one be highly individilualized helped a lot. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Strong, I guess, based on the recommenders themselves, but I haven't read them. Other: I studied abroad, but I don't know how much that helped.

I got my packet from USC Grad Admissions on 2/27 (mailed on the 26th) and my packet from SPPD on 3/3 (mailed 3/2). I live in San Diego. Both were shipped standard USPS, but I don't know what they use for overseas addresses. I was lucky enough to get a full tuition scholarship and was also selected as one of the City/County Management Fellows. I was honestly surprised I got in, but my letters of rec must have been stronger than I thought. Good luck to anyone still waiting.