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I was overseas and able to complete both courses completely online. Some courses do require a few on-campus days but I luckily found a 100% online class through Mesa College (a California CC based in San Diego). It also didn't show up as an online class on the transcript. The academic rigor, of course, was pretty mild but I did get a lot out of it as someone with little econ background. If you're a CA resident, it definitely might be worth taking advantage of the relatively cheap tuition fees.. I think it's something like $33/unit in-state. If you do decide to go this route, be sure to register ASAP as Fall registration dates are already going out and classes fill up insanely fast.

I wouldn't be scared away by the sticker price. Many applicants (including myself) have been offered generous awards by different programs. As for researching, I really took advantage of a lot of the past posts in these forums, especially the results posts where posters shared their acceptances, rejections and awards. It might be a bit of a messy start but it will give you some idea of which schools like to throw money at applicants and which don't. Try not to get star-struck by the big name schools if money is a big concern for you and look at a variety of options.

I took macro-econ and micro-econ online through a California community college for a little over $100 each before applying (and I would have probably done an online stats or calc class also if I wasn't so busy with GRE studying). I felt it was necessary for myself not having a strong quantitative background on my undergrad transcript. Personally, I don't think it matters where you take these courses because adcoms probably just look to see if you've taken econ courses or what your quant background is like rather than the institutions you attended. I was a pretty strong applicant overall but I think having put the extra effort and interest into economics post-graduation (even if it was through a dinky CC) might have helped round out my application and pushed it into the acceptance/funding pile. Save the money, you're gonna need it for application fees, GRE tests/score print outs and transcript copies

If you do a little sifting through old posts, you'll find some posts by users advertising new facebook groups. USC SPPD has a group as I know.

Not familiar with the other programs so I can't comment there but USC has pretty strong relations with Deloitte and there were a fair amount of current students I met there that were trying to get into private consulting. USC is very California-focused (Los Angeles) it's something to consider if you want to be on the east coast.

These aren't exhaustive lists but it's enough to get you started http://www.gopublicservice.org/ http://www.naspaa.or...e/schsearch.asp http://www.publicservicecareers.org/ One of my main resources I used when I started searching was the Peace Corps' Fellows/USA website: http://www.peacecorp...s.participating. If you're not a former or current volunteer then obviously the fellowships won't apply to you but it was a good jumping off point seeing as many of the participating programs are MPP/MPA programs. There are tons of information on this forum so you just got to dive in!

I have to take an intro to stats class for my grad program. Took it in undergrad but they're making us take it again if we haven't taken it in the past 3 years (Why are they making me feel soo old?) I'm also hoping to take something fun like photography or web design.

I've been out of school for a few years and I also recently returned from being abroad so I've been taking it easy. I plan on taking some classes at the local community college so (hopefully) I can get back into school-mode. (Hopefully I can get into a class... it feels like getting a class at a California CC might actually be harder than getting into grad school with all the budget cuts going on around here.) OP, since you're in a completely different position coming straight from undergrad, take a break! It might help to be refreshed before starting grad studies.

Did anyone go to the Open House today? Any thoughts and observations from the event?

Along the same lines as the previous posters, i have to agree that its important to get your feet wet first. I'm not sure what your undergrad exp was but how do you know you want to do international dev until you get a taste of it? Career-wise, I think you'd be better off with at least some work experience before graduating. Employers are more likely to go for field-tested candidates rather than fresh MA grads. If you're both, all the better

Not saying this to discourage you from applying but have you thought of applying next application season rather than now? The benefit would be that you'd considered for funding (USC is pretty expensive but also pretty generous with funding), you'd have another year of work experience under your belt. Just wanted to throw that out there and you can apply to number of programs. To answer your question, I think it's all in how you phrase things. As long as you can tie in your training and leadership work to how you think it will benefit you in your grad program as well as your future career, it wouldn't hurt your SOP, I think

Well like most things in life, it's what you make of it. It's totally not worth if you just want to do because it's well-known and looks good on your CV. Thinking about a pretty CV will not keep you in-country for long. PC does get you in the villages, talking to real people in their language, trying to work out projects with the locals as opposed to sticking around in an air-conditioned office in the capital with USAID folks who may not have ground-level perspective and sit in meetings all day (paraphrasing the USAID folks I met). That being said, it's a frustrating experience because you are on the ground, feeling at times helpless and incompetent, and most likely having projects explode in your face left and right... but, you do gain a lot of insight into your field from all that failure, hardship and occasional success.

It might be a little backward. Most of my cohort when I was in the PC were looking to get into grad school in IR/ID. I think if you really want to do the Peace Corps (and if you do, let an RPCV try to talk you out of it first), do it before you go into grad school because you'll have a better handle of how international development works out in the boondocks.

I know that SDMPP just came back from the open house. You might want to PM him/her if they don't make a post.

I know for USC, you won't be guaranteed funding if you defer but you will be reconsidered for it. Also, while USC is very domestically-oriented, it is trying to break out into the international scene. It had a couple international labs in the past couple years in China and Brazil. This coming year, the int'l lab is supposed to be in Hong Kong. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I applied for mostly MPP programs but I'd be willing to take a look at it for you. (It will be a nice distraction from waiting for more emails or letters :] )

I also attended the event and like fishpoo I was pretty impressed with the event. I had a lot of the same observations as fishpoo so I won't be redundant. Random thoughts from me - I sat in on a classroom session and they had student presentations (not sure if it was planned in conjunction with our visit). Students were working on interesting research projects like linking obesity and junk food at schools, rail construction and traffic, homelessness/Skid Row, and redevelopment. Students seemed competent and knowledgeable of their research during their presentations. Their peers engaged them in critical questions regarding their research plans and the professor was pretty encouraging of them. The MPP program was touted to be very quant heavy, though to the dismay of some of the attendees, calculus isn't used in any of the quant/econ classes. They tried to emphasize that there classes were rigorous but unlike other programs, they teach for application/practicality, hence the absence of calculus. Apparently career services even helps students land internships or work in professional development even before the start classes so they end up with internships the summer before they even start (something to take advantage of if you plan on going and moving to LA a little early). All courses virtually have a group-work component which some students remarked was frustrating but also practical since it reflects the nature of the real world. Current students of all programs were very approachable and friendly when I was wandering in the hallways and very friendly with each other. Lots of greetings exchanged in passing or while on a break. Very nice atmosphere. For some reason I ended up mingling with more current and alumni MPAs than MPPs, so I got a little perspective from them and their program as well. While MPPs are total cheerleaders for their programs, a few MPAs remarked that they were a little disappointed with their program in that it wasn't rigorous enough. I guess this goes for all programs but the SPPD network is only strong in certain areas (LA local government, non-profit and consulting). Although SPPD has pretty interesting and organized international labs, it seems like SPPD is just beginning to get a foothold overseas which might be a turnoff for those interested in international issues. SPPD has previous int'l labs in China and Brazil and if i understood correctly the coming year's lab will be in Hong Kong. USC's campus has a friendly vibe and the architecture is beautiful (though those undergrads on skateboards or beach cruisers riding around carelessly seem kind of annoying). USC's location, however, is something else and LA in general might seem a little daunting due to the horrendous congestion (which I learned from a student presentation is just 3rd worst in the nation), safety concerns, parking and high cost of living. Current students recommended not using a car since parking permits are in the hundreds per semester and to try to stick to public transportation. USC has on a lot of bus routes so I guess with some research and creativity, going carless can be done. A light rail is being built that would connect USC to a neighboring city (though who really knows when those things actually reach completion.) On the flipside, it's a vibrant, diverse city with a lot to explore.

Grr, that is annoying. It's hard to give them fair consideration especially this late in the game but I think a lot of us just want all our option laid out now, just about three weeks away from April 15.

I tried harassing them today with phone calls and emails. Guess I'll take a break and let you take a crack at it

Just received a call also that I've been accepted. Packets are in the mail. I asked about funding but she said she didn't know the specifics.

I'm not sure yet but I decided to stay on the West Coast.

I'm sort of in the same position and wondering the same thing. It seems like UCLA is more academic and research oriented so if you wanted to focus on that, maybe it would give UCLA a slight edge over USC. It's sort of the only difference I see but I wonder if you can get the research and academic rigor at USC anyway.

I really liked that book! It's pretty engrossing though I've been reading the second book on and off because it's giving me never-ending fantasy novel fatigue.

I'm reading "Theories of International Politics and Zombies" by Daniel W Drezner. It's pretty entertaining and is giving me a review of my long-forgotten intro to IR class. Zombie nerds, check it out!

I'm declining my acceptance and funding package. Hopefully it helps you out