MPP/MUP Decisions: LBJ vs Price

[Quincy_Taft_Coolidge]

I've been accepted into UT Austin and USC MPP/MUP dual programs and have the same amount of funding (USC will be slightly cheaper as I will be living with my parents for free which means I won't need to worry about bills, rent, food, etc.). My eventual goal is to work for a non-profit real estate firm or state/local government. Policy area of focus is urban policy (transportation and/or affordable housing). Does anyone have reasons to avoid or choose one over the other.

I would be happy to work and live in either Texas or California. 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Quincy_Taft_Coolidge

[GradSchoolGrad]

19 hours ago, Quincy_Taft_Coolidge said:

I've been accepted into UT Austin and USC MPP/MUP dual programs and have the same amount of funding (USC will be slightly cheaper as I will be living with my parents for free which means I won't need to worry about bills, rent, food, etc.). My eventual goal is to work for a non-profit real estate firm or state/local government. Policy area of focus is urban policy (transportation and/or affordable housing). Does anyone have reasons to avoid or choose one over the other.

I would be happy to work and live in either Texas or California. 

Ultimate question is where do you really want to end up. California is a unique beast, if you go to LBJ and try to go back to California, its doable but it will be less smooth. Bottom line is that California public policy is in many ways different from the rest of America (both in stakeholder involved, stakeholder concerns, and incentives). If you go to USC, you are basically supercharged for a California job. On the flip side, its pretty easy to go to LBJ and do Texas and the rest of the East Coast, but you may have a harder time doing it from USC. 

Basically, California is pretty much like a whole other country.