How does the applied math program at USC fair to other unis?

[AppliedMathTemp]

Hello I recently got admitted to the USC Applied Math PhD program and the field of research I am interested in is statistical learning theory, optimization problems (smooth, convex, non-convex) and I want to apply these tools to ML, Economics and Financial mathematics specifically. I was wondering what the general consensus for the USC Applied math program is, as it seems that they are fairly selective and well funded, and compared to their pure math PhD fewer get in as a % overall. https://graduateschool.usc.edu/about-us/phd-program-characteristics/. 

What are some schools you would all consider to be comparable in strength to USC in applied mathematics or adjacent fields such as algorithmic design and CS? I would like the input of you all, as I can barely find this information online. Thank you in advance for reading this

[AppliedMathTemp]

In particular, what west coast schools would you say are comparable, and then what schools on a national level do you all think are comparable, I get mixed messages online