ZacharyObama

I'm not sure of the in's and out's of the online program, but from what I gather, that's their intention.

From what I can tell the online program is geared toward mid-professionals 10-15 years of relevant work experience (or at least that's what the website says) whereas the on-campus program is geared toward those with 2-5 years. I'll have one-year of full-time work experience and 1 year of part-time experience so I'm classified as "pre-service" and have to meet the internship requirement.

Anyone else giving Price serious consideration?

Dream Home

Well I think you have to start with the fact that Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies is entirely geared toward topics like international development, whereas Price alone is geared toward policy making in general but much more so in the domestic US context. Given that there are opportunities to pursue international development at USC. There's a joint MA-IR/MPA option: http://dornsife.usc.edu/sir/joint-professional-degree-programs/ And Price does do some international things like their trips to China and Brazil. But to some extent you're comparing papayas and pineapples, they may both be tropical fruit, but you eat them in very different ways. So I'd say that if you want one of the top international development schools SAIS is probably a better choice than USC. Although you definitely should talk more to admissions about how you can specialize your degree toward international development. I think you have to look at whether the probably better opportunities of SAIS offset the staggering debt (not that USC wouldn't put you in debt likely too). Good luck with making that decision.

You're right. I didn't see it because I was looking under the math listings. It compares favorably with the cost of community college considering I wouldn't have to go to class 4 days a week. YEAH SUMMER Where did you apply/get into neighbor?

No stats course offered. Thank you though from the South Bay to Venice! Hey neighbor!

Agreed. But at a certain point it gets kind of pathetic and not worth your time and since decisions have been made and everyone has had some time to consider their options for the most part, I'd just cut him loose. I help moderate a very large liberal political discussion board and as fun as engaging the trolls can be sometimes, all that really happens in the end is that you get sucked into their game. That he's ignoring the call-outs that are being made is proof positive that this is nothing but a troll. Anyways, just my two cents and I felt bad not passing along that there was someone in the IP Chat who was perfectly happy to press the buzzer on his friends lame-ass trolling. I could speculate on his motivations, but if anything, what it does in the end is speak to the true quality of JHU SAIS and public policy/international relations programs in general; we're not populated by Gordon Gecko/Mitt Romney types. Aloha. Time to do my FAFSA!

Nuclear Submarine

I need to take a stats course for USC. At this point, I'm thinking I'm just going to suck it up and take it at the local CC since I need the review and want to just get it out of the way. Math in general is weakness, although I liked stats before, and so I think in person will be better for me than an online course. This basically means no summer for me (and less work hours), such is life.

Y'all are just getting trolled IMHO - there was a trollish poster in the IP chat the other night who was a MS Finance at Princeton and he mentioned that one of his friends was "tearing up the board." I figure this is it. You guys should probably just ignore him at this point, albeit this is all hilarious to read and I've docked him a good -10 reputation points myself. You're all being rick rolled: It's the internet, anyone can say anything, that doesn't mean its true. I'd bet 5:1 this person is not who they say they are at all. I wish all the decent people in this thread luck in pursuing their hopes and dreams wherever that may take them.

Gathering Place: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/11-government-affairs/ Good Luck! I have no special insight for you other than to say that if you're looking to come west and especially to SF Berkeley is great

Hey spacezeppelin, I'm glad at least someone else here is going to the one on the 5th. We should probably exchange info so I'm not looking around at everyone trying to figure out who you are! I'd say definitely check out UCI and see what you think. Different folks have different reactions to the Orange County vibe and likewise to the urban nature of USC. I also wouldn't think that housing options around UCI are that much cheaper and from what I here parking at UCI is horrible and your only mass transit option are buses. I'm feeling pretty comfortable with taking on debt to go to USC because of the strength of the alumni network. Literally since I was a small child, I've seen how much pride USC takes in being USC alumni, but then again, I grew up Pasadena and so I was pretty much annually exposed to the USC/UCLA feud. My career plans for the next 5-10 years are in SoCal and then eventually probably making my way either back to Hawaii or into other parts of the Western US (preferably coastal). I live with family in the South Bay and we're about a 45 minute drive or a 1 hour train trip to USC (I'm 1 mile from a station with free unlimited parking). My plan is to regularly commute on the trains to USC (I have to plan on leaving about 2 hours before I anticipate getting to USC since Metro isn't always reliable). Growing up here, I'm very comfortable with the begging/hustling/misbehavior you'll see on public transit in LA but I could really see how it could be jarring to some. Living at home brings down my living expenses dramatically and makes the tuition more palatable. As to the general housing situation, while yes USC is in what's known by many as "South Central" (although South Los Angeles is in vogue now), the area immediately around it is patrolled by USC security and is nicer than many other areas. If you're thinking about the immediate area, you can see what USC considers the security responsibility here: http://sait.usc.edu/ois/housing/off-campus.aspx - However, given that, unless I was a PhD student spending 80 hours a week on campus I probably wouldn't go for the immediate area. The USC Campus and Price in particular is about a 5 minute walk from the Expo Line Station and so I would totally just go for the mass transit. If you have a car just look for a place with a parking spot and use it for getting to internships, to the train station etc: http://www.metro.net/riding/maps/ - Given that Culver City is a really good option and straight shot on the Expo Line, parts of Downtown LA are starting to be spruced up and aren't bad if you're close to the transit stations like Little Tokyo, Chinatown, some of the core, and you could consider outlying areas (Hollywood, Silver Lake, Venice, West LA but that can get expensive) if you're willing to spend time commuting. I think commuting might frankly be better than living in the bubble in terms of access to things like good grocery stores too. The area around USC doesn't offer a lot of shopping options IMHO - but I'm addicted to Trader Joes. LA is a foreign planet to the Bay Area (well maybe not parts of Oakland), but it's not insurmountable and things are getting better every year. One thing I might finally say is that LA like all big cities has crime, that the city has made substantial progress from 1992 and that while things aren't perfect yet that law enforcement is trying to do a good job and that if you use your street smarts you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Also, traffic still sucks, I avoid it as much as possible. Campus is bikeable if you're in the immediate area, but more than a mile, only if you have a death wish. The last time I was at USC back in October I was astounded by the amount of bikes on campus, but I figure they probably didn't have cars with them at campus (no parking) and/or were in the immediate area. Finally and last but not least, we still have smog on some days so if air quality is an issue take that into account. Oh and hitomimay had this rec:

Congrats ccrede1! Debt can be pretty terrifying. But frankly, I'd rather invest in my education than something like a new car or nice apartment. I think in the long run that it pays off and I see USC as a bet that consistently pays off. I doubt there are all that many USC grads going around with a mountain of debt they can't work off. I'm also optimistic about my ability to obtain some reduction in costs for the second year.

I'd say B - more opportunities for curatorial work. Doing with a slightly lower standard of living might not be so fun for awhile, but it sounds like you would get through faster and with more applied experience.

I was at the Verizon store today here in SoCal shopping for a new phone and met a woman who works in the Civic Engagement Office and had a great conversation about the security changes at USC: http://dailytrojan.com/2012/12/13/university-announces-new-safety-policies-for-spring-semester/, about whether the Price students who worked in her office were happy with Price and not overwhelmed (they were), and then she gave me her business card and offered to help me find work-study employment on campus in her office or others. So yeah, that USC Trojan Network is really something.

You should check out the Gov Affairs forum: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/11-government-affairs/ - I've only seen other posters asking about it. I applied for the in person program. Aloha.

I reckon we could use another thread for discussion of the visiting events, financing, academics, LA and things in general. MPA, MPP, MPL etc - all are welcome. The other relevant threads this year so far: I'd say I'm about 2/3rds certain that I'll be attending next Fall pending sorting out how I would finance such an endeavor. I'll be attending the visitation day on April 5th and possibly April 4th too. My understanding is that the Dean's Merit Scholarship event is March 27th, so not too far off.

Revolutionary Front

Deadly Grip

Thank you! You're welcome. It seems that the Harris Admissions Office has self-consciously improved their response time to inquiries compared to previous years. I think you probably should look at what type of employment you would like to re-enter the workforce into, a more purely stats position or policy where you're using lots of stats. Where exactly do you see yourself working when you finish your masters? Are you set on trying to go onto a PhD and if so are you wanting to go immediately after your masters or work full-time for a few years and then go back? What type of PhD programs did you apply to? I think MPP's are pretty marketable, I don't know much about the marketability of Stats degrees. Anyways, if you go to Chicago, I hope you like the cold!

From what I've read Chicago Harris is really quant heavy and well respected on domestic issues. Here's the most recent thread on Harris from the Government Affairs forum: - I'd follow the money. Congrats.

I just got a separate regular sized envelope from general USC admissions and financial aid telling me to go to camel to find the packetesque information, which I still cannot access. This must have replaced the packet of previous years. Also, if anyone has any basic LA questions I'd be glad to answer.

Cool! People in prior cycles mentioned receiving two packets in rapid succession and there was some lack of specificity/inconsistency as to what they contained. I couldn't quite decipher from all of the comments what exactly it contained. Is there a separate Dean's Merit Scholarship event like previous years? Or will I be seeing y'all on April 5th?

Thanks muro! Did they send the official offer packet from grad admissions soon after? If they did, what was in it? Trying to decide if I should go out of town or wait for the other packet.