NYU Wagner or USC Price

[tribesdude]

With the deadline to decide fast approaching, I am still having trouble deciding which one of these schools to go to. I have done a decent amount of research on both, and well still am undecided. Does anyone have any thoughts on these schools and how they compare with each other? 

 

I plan on working internationally, preferably at a development organization such as the World Bank or ADB. However since those two places require around 2-3 years of relevant work experience (and I dont really have any since I am currently an undergraduate student) and with ADB I can not work there till my relative retires,I intend to work either for a UN based organization or preferably a private company focused on doing consulting work. Anyway, which one of these two Universities would better set me up career wise? The campus itself does not matter as much, although not gonna lie, it would be nice to be at a campus that has a strong college atmosphere (and a bit of partying here and there), but the most important factor is job placement and the quality of education (and NYU seems to be better than USC in rankings). 

 

In terms of cost attendance, it will be around the same for both based on the financial data that I have seen. Sadly I did not get any funding from these schools (not surprising) so this wont be the deciding factor. 

 

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated!

[are we there yet?]

NYU...you want UN-type work experience so be in NY.

[ZacharyObama]

Sounds like NYU is probably a better fit since you're interested in international orgs. Price seems really great for setting you up to do actual field work overseas (with a tilt toward Asia and Latin America) but it's not really trying to compete to place you at the UN or World Bank.

[flyingjellyfish]

Which programs did you apply for?  MPA, MPP?  

 

Both schools are excellent, but I think you'll find that the USC program is much more focused on California policy. I've heard this from several of my friends who go there or applied. I specifically didn't apply to USC even though I live in California, because I want to move into national and international affairs rather than continuing to focus on California policy.  Considering your career goals, it sounds like NYU Wagner would be a better fit and you'd be better positioned for jobs related to your interests in NY and relatively closer to DC than all the way on the West Coast.

 

If you haven't already done so, I'd recommend contacting both schools and asking to talk with current students.  They'd give you a much better idea of the best place for you to land. 

 

Good luck on your decision!

[tribesdude]

Thank you for all the replies. For USC I applied for the MPP (figured I had a higher chance of getting in out of undergrad to an MPP rather than an MPA, although to be honest I am not exactly certain on as to what the differences are between the programs. For NYU for MPA in non profit management. The one thing that is attracting me to USC over NYU is the campus and the atmosphere. I feel like I will have an easier time meeting people there (don't know anyone in New York at all) and as immature as this may sound, have more fun yo due to the Trojan sports and the Greek system (I am a Greek myself at my school in Canada).But got to think long term right so in terms of my job goals it does not make sense, based on what I have researched and what you guys have said. How is the community at Wagner? Is there like a solid and supportive community there or is it more like you are on your own type of thing? One other thing I am kind of nervous about is the age difference, since I read that average age at Wagner is 30 (well incoming class of 2009) and I am only 21, so not sure how I will be able to relate or if I will be taken seriously at all. Thank you for all your help and replies.

[ZacharyObama]

The sense I have about Price school is that the USC Greek scene isn't a big factor at Price itself. In fact, my guess is that it's dominated by undergrads and by grad students who went to USC for undergrad. I went to an undergrad that didn't have a Greek system and I honestly did not sense any Greek presence at Price over the course of the two days that are there. Football of course did come up, but more in the sense of hey tailgating is a great opportunity for campus-wide networking. I'm not saying you can't fit in a Greek life while at Price but rather that most of your classmates are probably not going to be interested, it seemed to be about 1/3rd recent grads (not too USC heavy), 1/3rd sort of mid-20s types with some work experience (myself), and 1/3rd relatively established professionals, plus international students. In short, it seemed like a really good mix of people with a very wide range of experiences and ambitions.

 

I think the trade off is that the students at Price all seemed really tight, they spend a lot of time in class/lectures and working on projects together. There seemed to be a real sense of community that extended from current students to alums. The so-called USC "Network" is a sort of for life thing, I'm not sure NYU is really like that per say. So I honestly don't think that's an immature consideration, we're not humanities PhD's working away in relative isolation, we're being trained to be public service professionals and that requires a great sense of collaboration and community. So in short, your frat will likely be Price School.

 

You might want to ask Career Services what they can tell you about Alums who have gone on to international orgs like the World Bank. I think if you were interested in working abroad in parts of Latin America and China that Price has some really great folks for that at USC. There was talk that there are active Price Alum groups around the world, but I'm not quite sure how accurate/encompassing, I'm sure there are general USC alum groups. The alum panel did bring up the topic of employment in DC and the gist of it was that there are a lot of USC Price folks in DC including one of the panelists who works for DHS.