USC’s School of Planning, Policy, and Development?
And by info, I mean the competitiveness of getting into the program lol. I asked my city college counselor about it and he said the average admit this past year was 3.6. Apparently, not many people apply to USC’s school of policy, planning, and development. Is there a reason why this program is so….unknown?
Favorite Answer
The only other resources I know of are:
www.petersons.com and www.princetonreview.com
Their info is rather general but maybe it will help you:
UNIVERSITY of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
School Type – Independent, Coed
Setting – Urban 155-acre campus
Degrees Offered
Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, First Professional, Post-Master’s, Postbachelor’s, and First Professional Certificates
Comprehensive Cost
$46,788 includes full-time tuition ($35,212), mandatory fees ($718), and room and board ($10,858). Full-time tuition and fees vary according to program. Part-time tuition: $1185 per term. Part-time tuition and fees vary according to course load and program
(Cost includes full-time tuition plus additional fees such as room and board and mandatory fees)
Entrance Difficulty
Most difficult, 25% of applicants were admitted
Application Deadlines
1/10 (freshmen), 2/1 (transfers)
Undergraduate Student Population
16,729 undergraduate students, 50% women, 50% men, 8% transferred in
Minority Breakdown
6% African American, 21% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 14% Hispanic American, 0.8% Native American
International Population
9% representing 114 other countries
Housing Info – 36% live on campus
Freshman
Admission: 33,979 applied; 8,634 admitted; 2,763 enrolled
Average high school GPA: 3.71
Test Scores:
SAT critical reading scores over 500 100%
SAT math scores over 500 100%
SAT writing scores over 500 100%
ACT scores over 18 100%
SAT critical reading scores over 600 89%
SAT math scores over 600 92%
SAT writing scores over 600 92%
ACT scores over 24 98%
SAT critical reading scores over 700 36%
SAT math scores over 700 50%
SAT writing scores over 700 42%
ACT scores over 30 54%
Top Faculty – total: 2,570 full-time: 61% full-time
Student/faculty ratio: 10 :1
Costs (2007-08)
Comprehensive fee: $46,788 includes full-time tuition ($35,212), mandatory fees ($718), and room and board ($10,858). Full-time tuition and fees vary according to program. Part-time tuition: $1185 per term. Part-time tuition and fees vary according to course load and program
Room and board: college room only: $5992. Room and board charges vary according to board plan and housing facility
Payment plans: tuition prepayment, installment, deferred payment
Waivers: employees or children of employees
TopFinancial Aid
Of all full-time matriculated undergraduates who enrolled in 2004, 8,810 applied for aid, 7,086 were judged to have need, 6,568 had their need fully met. 4,632 Federal Work-Study jobs (averaging $2696)
In 2004, 3062 non-need-based awards were made
Average percent of need met: 100%
Average financial aid package: $28,459
Average need-based loan: $6181
Average need-based gift aid: $18,481
Average non-need-based aid: $12,874
Average indebtedness upon graduation: $19,131
TopApplying Option: electronic application
Application fee: $65
Required: essay or personal statement, high school transcript
Required for some: letters of recommendation
Recommended: letters of recommendation, interview
Application deadlines: 1/10 (freshmen), 2/1 (transfers)
Notification: 4/1 (freshmen), 6/1 (transfers)
What USC Students Say About…
Student Body
“There is a huge mix of students at USC,” undergraduates tell us. “You have everything from rich daddy’s girls to minority students from the poorest LA neighborhoods on scholarships.” The campus has always been renowned for its “beautiful people;” however, this focus distracts from the “significant foreign population” and “everything from jocks to eggheads to overachievers to artsy types.” It’s worth noting that “fraternities and sororities are also a major part of the student body whether you’re involved in them directly or not.” According to the Irvine Quarterly, USC culls more than one-quarter of its enrollment from families in the bottom third of annual income. Also mixed in among California’s future business elite are “students in creative fields such as cinema, architecture, and music, a group of atypical students who happen to be a large percentage of the population, so there’s a great mixing of the whole spectrum of people.”
What USC Students Say About…
Academics
When students insist that “TROJAN PRIDE” is always in capital letters, you know you’re in for a school that is “the epitome of what a college should be—amazing professors, friendly, intelligent students, school work during the week/parties on the weekend, beautiful campus, and most of all, TROJAN PRIDE!” A fellow student concurs, “Once a Trojan, always a Trojan. School spirit is by far this school’s greatest strength.” However, there are those that are bothered “that USC is often perceived as a football school” and would prefer to be recognized for “the fact that USC is academically strong in so many diverse fields.” The school’s “interdisciplinary approach to academics” and focus on the “hands-on learning experience, which brings professors and administrators (most of whom are required to teach an undergraduate course, including our president) together with students on a regular basis,” are all popular among the student body. Best of all—as far as the many career-minded undergraduates are concerned—USC is the school that keeps on giving long after graduation because “USC is all about the connections. Our alumni network is amazing, and the alumni are so successful.”
What USC Students Say About…
Campus Life
Students note that while “It used to be that the neighborhood around USC shut down on weekends, and that downtown was seedy. But there’s been a real renaissance in these neighborhoods, and more and more students choose to live on and near campus and spend weekends here.” Now, there are “more restaurants, more museums, more theater, etc. than ever before, and even burgeoning cafes.” That said, being “in a large city,” “Much of the ‘student life’ is off campus.” USC undergraduates tell us that “LA is a Trojan’s playground, if you don’t mind driving to get there.” One student reports that “usually we find someone with a car and go into Santa Monica or Beverly Hills and shop and eat dinner or go to the movies.” However, students are happy to report that “USC is quickly transitioning into a fully residential university.” Also, “The just-completed Galen Center sports facility adds a lot of prestige to the neighborhood. It’s the new home of USC basketball and serves as a large and modern venue for entertainment events.” For the toga-inclined, “Almost all Greek houses are located on one street. It is famous for its parties on Thursday nights because campus dies down on Friday.” Students are also “very involved in collegiate sports (especially football)” and on-campus lectures and movie showings. One undergraduate writes, “There’s always an advance screening somewhere that you get handed tickets to on the way to class.”
Best wishes!
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