USC SPPD Strengths/Weaknesses

[therunaround]

I saw that someone (unclaimed?) got into SPPD with a full tuition fellowship. What are everyone's thoughts on the pros and cons?

[policy_applicant]

That was me. I tried to announce it sneakily in my signature.

I actually hadn't been thinking about the program too much and applied mainly because the school is about 3 miles away from my apartment and the the program is well ranked by US News.

The school has a good urban planning program, and it seems that the policy track is geared toward urban policy and economic development. It also seems as though the career center places most graduates as policy analysts in local city governments, but I can't find a full breakdown of employment statistics.

Does anyone else know much about this program? Sell me!

[younglions]

policy_applicant - That's great news. I don't have much knowledge of USC, but I have noticed that most (not all) programs have fairly flexible curricula. Although most of your peers might be focused on different career paths, there will undoubtedly be a few others in your boat, and you'll probably be able to take classes you want to take. Also, to me, 60+K from USC sounds A LOT better than 24K from Georgetown. That said, my opinion of the DC public policy schools seems to be lower than that of most others.

[sisepuede]

That was me. I tried to announce it sneakily in my signature.

I actually hadn't been thinking about the program too much and applied mainly because the school is about 3 miles away from my apartment and the the program is well ranked by US News.

The school has a good urban planning program, and it seems that the policy track is geared toward urban policy and economic development. It also seems as though the career center places most graduates as policy analysts in local city governments, but I can't find a full breakdown of employment statistics.

Does anyone else know much about this program? Sell me!

dude, policy applicant, you kick ass. congratulations. i work near usc, so maybe if close proximity worked really well for you, (among other things i'm sure) i can have some hope too. :wink:

[policy_applicant]

dude, policy applicant, you kick ass. congratulations. i work near usc, so maybe if close proximity worked really well for you, (among other things i'm sure) i can have some hope too. :wink:

Thanks! Good luck! Let me know when you hear something. What was your main incentive for applying? Proximity?

[sisepuede]

geography is probably more the reason for me. my husband is applying for law school right now as well--he's in all over the west coast (usc included) so far, i'm in on the east.

i wasn't really thinking about usc either until i saw that it was so highly ranked. i met with a couple of professors from other depts who were pretty cool, so i thought, why not? my one concern with usc might be that i've heard their health policy stuff is pretty oriented to toward future hmo managers and hospital ceos (same with columbia) and i definitely come at health policy from a different perspective.

[AllOverthePlace]

I got into USC! I'm very excited, especially since I received a half tuition scholarship! I am still waiting to hear from a couple more schools and on financial aid from the schools where I have already been accepted. Are there any more pros/cons to consider about SPPD? I know that it's out in California and far away from the DC network, but I feel like you can just jump back into the DC network... :?: I currently live and work in DC.

[policy_applicant]

I got into USC! I'm very excited, especially since I received a half tuition scholarship! I am still waiting to hear from a couple more schools and on financial aid from the schools where I have already been accepted. Are there any more pros/cons to consider about SPPD? I know that it's out in California and far away from the DC network, but I feel like you can just jump back into the DC network... :?: I currently live and work in DC.

Are you going to attend the visit day? Does it seem like the visit is only for merit scholars? I'm really curious to find out if they have a visit day for those who do not receive a merit scholarship (since the website says they are only given to 25% of admitted students).

[AllOverthePlace]

I think it's just for the scholarship recipients.

"An individual with your talents has many choices of graduate programs. With that in mind, we would like for you to become aware of the opportunities available to you here in hopes that USC is a top choice for you.

We cordially invite you to an exciting event for Dean's Merit Scholarship recipients."

I think I may go. They provide a travel credit. Thank goodness! It's a cross country flight for me.

I guess everyone else can visit on their own if they really want to come to USC??

[shaunzie]

Hi to everyone here!

I applied to USC SPPD's program, and was wondering if those who received acceptance letters via post, did your application status change online? Or does it still say submitted? I'm wondering because I live in Canada, haven't received a letter, and have an sickness in that I constantly check my online status... help end the madness!

[policy_applicant]

Submission Status: Submitted

Submitted Date: 10/20/2008 3:03:00 AM E.S.T.

You will receive notification of your admission decision soon via postal mail. Please note that the Office of Admissions provides final decision notifications by letter only. We do not disclose admission decisions via e-mail, telephone, or any other means.

Unfortunately, I think you're going to have to wait for the letter to come. So why did you apply to USC? Care to share your thoughts about the program?

[pritinsp]

Hello

Any more thoughts on the MPA program at USC? Does anyone know if the faculty/alumni there have ties with multilateral organizations such as World bank,UN,etc. Would the course have an international focus or does it just get students local placements in Cali itself.

Any thoughts on how USC comapres with UCLA/Berkeley?

US News ranks USC very high though! much higher than UCLA!!

[policy_applicant]

USC wins for best recruitment in my book. They offer a travel credit for those coming from out of town, they sent a separate packet about grad life at the university and a letter from the career center, and the MPP advisor has emailed me making herself available for questions or an appointment to discuss the program.

[AllOverthePlace]

policy_applicant-- will you be attending their event on Friday the 27th? Also, are you leaning any which way on the grad schools that you're thinking about? I'm also thinking about LBJ, USC, and GPPI.

[policy_applicant]

Allovertheplace - yes, I will be sitting in on a class tomorrow night and going to the event on Friday. How about you?

I'm currently leaning toward GPPI, but I have yet to hear about funding from NYU and LBJ. It looks like we are in a very similar situation. Which way are you leaning?

[AllOverthePlace]

I think I'm leaning towards USC. I will be visiting on Thrusday, not sure which class session I will be in quite yet. I will also be attending the event on Friday. I have some funding from USC but no funding from GPPI. I've tried emailing them to ask about financial aid/ awards but have not received any responses.

Also, I have received a couple emails from USC and a phone call from a USC student. The travel credit was also very helpful. They seem to have a good, well rounded set of core courses, the smallest class of MPP students out of all the schools I applied to (~40), and I am interested in several professors that teach there. I'm super tempted to go to UT since it would probably cost me about 10k-15k total for 2 years. I also like U Chicago's set of core courses and flexibility in choosing your focus, however I have no funding from them. I will also visit UT next weekend.

[mpp_newbie]

I couldn't make it out to the Dean's Merit event last Fri so I was wondering if anyone here could offer his or her impression about the program. Someone in another thread mentioned that USC faculty/students stressed that they were more practical, while UCLA was more analytical/theoretical. Can someone elaborate more on that: did USC mention that as a strength of theirs? Also, what was said about research and teaching assistantships -- do all the PhD students take them? Any info would be helpful .. I'm deciding between the two schools.

[mppguy]

Hey all,

I just came back from the Dean's Merit event that was held last week. I was really impressed by the quality of the faculty and the other students that were there. I'm applying for the MPP program and am deciding between USC and Chicago, (I'm visiting there on Friday). My policy interests go two ways. If I went to USC, I'd focus of California state government, especially the nexus between state and local government when it comes to econ development. I'm also quite interested in the Tomas Rivera Institute which leads the field in Latino policy issues. For Chicago, I'd focus on international policy, especially in terms of security issues.

The big sell of USC is the fantastic network it has in California, (where I live currently). From what students tell me, (not the ones on the tour, just regular folks I talked to in the halls), state agencies like the LAO office show up towards the spring and start handing out jobs. The alumni network in Sacramento is gigantic and many USC alum have huge positions in state gov. For federal jobs, I hear the situation is similar but I was focused more on the state and local angle while I was there. A guy I was talking with was interested in going to DC and he seemed really happy with the prospects, FWIW.

The faculty at USC was not only incredibly knowledgeable but extremely accessible. I left the tour group in the afternoon and just started knocking on professors' doors. All sat and talked with me and discussed their research.

The thing I like about USC is that they focus on practical experience. They lean towards putting students in internships rather than focusing on quant. The second year is devoted to a practicum which pairs you with a Cal agency and lets you work a practical policy problem. There still is a strong year one focus on quant, but its not as heavy as Chicago or Berkeley, for example.

That's all I can come up with off the top of my head. Feel free to PM me for more info. Right now, I'm leaning pretty heavily towards USC, but after I get back from Chicago, I'll post something else.

Accepted: GWU, American, UCLA, USC (full ride), Harris (full ride)

Rejected: GSPP, HKS, MIT

[AllOverthePlace]

Hey all,

I just came back from the Dean's Merit event that was held last week. I was really impressed by the quality of the faculty and the other students that were there. I'm applying for the MPP program and am deciding between USC and Chicago, (I'm visiting there on Friday). My policy interests go two ways. If I went to USC, I'd focus of California state government, especially the nexus between state and local government when it comes to econ development. I'm also quite interested in the Tomas Rivera Institute which leads the field in Latino policy issues. For Chicago, I'd focus on international policy, especially in terms of security issues.

The big sell of USC is the fantastic network it has in California, (where I live currently). From what students tell me, (not the ones on the tour, just regular folks I talked to in the halls), state agencies like the LAO office show up towards the spring and start handing out jobs. The alumni network in Sacramento is gigantic and many USC alum have huge positions in state gov. For federal jobs, I hear the situation is similar but I was focused more on the state and local angle while I was there. A guy I was talking with was interested in going to DC and he seemed really happy with the prospects, FWIW.

The faculty at USC was not only incredibly knowledgeable but extremely accessible. I left the tour group in the afternoon and just started knocking on professors' doors. All sat and talked with me and discussed their research.

The thing I like about USC is that they focus on practical experience. They lean towards putting students in internships rather than focusing on quant. The second year is devoted to a practicum which pairs you with a Cal agency and lets you work a practical policy problem. There still is a strong year one focus on quant, but its not as heavy as Chicago or Berkeley, for example.

That's all I can come up with off the top of my head. Feel free to PM me for more info. Right now, I'm leaning pretty heavily towards USC, but after I get back from Chicago, I'll post something else.

Accepted: GWU, American, UCLA, USC (full ride), Harris (full ride)

Rejected: GSPP, HKS, MIT

I also visited USC for the Dean's Merit event. I really enjoyed my time there and felt very welcomed by the professors and students. They did mention the hands on/ internship opportunities as an advantage when comparing their program to others. You can basically find an internship at any point in the program. The students said that you can usually find paid internships and that some of these internships lead to job offers. The extensive USC network and loyalty of USC alumni is a huge plus. The students mentioned that they applied everything that they learned in class during their internships- I am looking for a practical program and USC seems to be very practical. Its location in L.A. is advantageous; one of the students said L.A. was considered 'the great laboratory.' The actual program is flexible too. You do not need to specify a concentration and can participate in a policy project abroad.

The faculty seemed very accessible from what I gathered. They were very willing to meet with students and seemed responsive to emails. They also seemed to have a great relationship with each other. Also, the new MPP class is right under 40, so it's a small cohort.

Overall I had a very positive impression of SPPD and the MPP program. I am definitely leaning towards USC. I will be visiting LBJ this coming weekend. In the long run I am looking to work in DC. I currently live and work here.