Claremont Vs. Pepperdine Vs. USC

[SenorChuy]

Hey folks. All of the application decisions are in, sans one, but so far these are my choices. Some of costs are scary but I figure I will be working for 40 more years and this is an investment in my career.

Pepperdine MPP

-Full time program, so I have to quit my job (which I would be looking forward to) but that just means more loans.

-Best FA package so far, ~45% tuition scholarship (still working on sweetening the deal)

-Not ranked too highly in usnews, but at least its in the top 100

-Has a solid placement program, which is very important to me because I will be switching industries entirely

-Out the door cost (ie books, rent, food, tuition, etc) as of now is a tad under $80000 in loans. Again that could improve if they reconsider the aid but no guarantees

Claremont MA in Politics, Economics, and Business

-Would keep job for at least a year, then go full time student. This would keep the program cost down.

-Gave a small fellowship, asked for more, gave a slight increase

-This is a specialized program and right up my alley. I met some profs and students and came away impressed.

-Job prospects would be pretty good in the region, but this school isn't well known outside of socal

-Out the door cost is around $70000 of loans

USC MPA

-Could probably swing this as a strict part timer in 2 and half years due to most of the classes are at night or late afternoon.

-Zero FA, still waiting on loans. Still seeing if I could be considered for the following years.

-Top ten program in the field, well known nationally, which would help in the job hunting

-Great placement program, outstanding alumni connections.

-Don't know exactly what the costs are yet but assuming no future funding and if I am able to keep my job then I would owe an estimated ~$70000 of loans. That could be off. The only reason it is cheaper than the others is that still working full time will help offest any costs after Stafford Loans.

Any thoughts?

[mothernorth]

First for the MPA/MPP programs, it seems like the FA costs for Pepperdine and USC are similar, therefore, it will be a no brainer to go for USC: reputation, quality, students, alumni connections, etc. USC is just on another level, in my humble opinion. I think the USC alumni connection, especially if you are looking to work in Southern Cal is priceless, the program gets you in touch with alumni, has programs to have an alumni "mentor", and gets you connected to plenty of internship opportunities in whatever field you'd like to pursue.

The Claremont program looks quite interesting though, it is rare to find the Econ, Politics, AND business into one program, sure the "reputation" is not USC, however, if the program addresses your interests more deeply, than it is definately worth consideration. I am personally going to be doing an MPP, and one thing I always worried about is that it felt "limiting", the Claremont program seems, at least in theory, to open doors on both the private and public sectors. An MPP can open that door too, but not as clearly based on the curriculum.

I would narrow it down to USC and Claremont.

[SenorChuy]

Thanks for the thoughts mothernorth.

You are right in that given the relative similarity in costs USC should trump the others in name alone. I am still searching for some concrete outcomes for graduates just to put my mind at ease over the costs, though. I do like the joint degree at Claremont, for pretty much the same reasons you outlined. It feels like my options would be a little more open.

I do have one more application out there, for George Mason. If they give me any type of funding that could muddy up the picture, as it is cheaper already and I am confident I would be classified as an in state student the second year due to lots of family ties to the area. Still no SC though...

[mothernorth]

Thanks for the thoughts mothernorth.

You are right in that given the relative similarity in costs USC should trump the others in name alone. I am still searching for some concrete outcomes for graduates just to put my mind at ease over the costs, though. I do like the joint degree at Claremont, for pretty much the same reasons you outlined. It feels like my options would be a little more open.

I do have one more application out there, for George Mason. If they give me any type of funding that could muddy up the picture, as it is cheaper already and I am confident I would be classified as an in state student the second year due to lots of family ties to the area. Still no SC though...

I think Mason has a very solid and up and coming program, they have some "star" faculty too. I think it's a great school that is less expensive than the big name ones (Maryland, Georgetown, GW, etc) and can offer you the kind of good education that you are looking for. The resources are available for you to make the most of it at Mason. They also have great Econ and Political Science departments based in the Fairfax campus, so that's an extra plus.