The Price Semester in Washington D.C. Program – By Ellie Crecelius, BS PP ’20

December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 / uscpriceblog

I vividly remember my 7th grade spring break. I unenthusiastically climbed into my family’s minivan, and with my two brothers and three dogs in tow, embarked on a tumultuous family road trip east. At first, I resented my parents for the long drive, but my father insisted on taking us to see the nation’s capital. My mother attempted to appease me by scoring “exclusive” tickets to a Congressional session. Because a trip to the Spy Museum was promised immediately after, I reluctantly agreed to ascend the steps of the Capitol and listen to a bunch of old men discuss issues I found utterly monotonous. However, as soon as I stepped into the Senate gallery, an intense feeling that I can only describe as a combination of reverence and patriotism overcame me. I was in awe of my first direct exposure to our representative democracy.

Since then I have only become more interested in the inner workings of the United States political system. As such, it was only natural that I apply to Price’s Semester in Washington D.C. Program. I was intrigued by the idea of utilizing the theoretical lessons I had learned through my Price classes in a hands-on internship. After I was offered acceptance to the program, I had to decide where I wanted to work. At first, I thought about interning at the Department of Health and Human Services; however, I ultimately opted to accept an internship in the legislative office of the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.

How to Navigate your First Semester of Grad School – by Azniv Libaryan, MHA ’20

November 12, 2018November 13, 2018 / uscpriceblog

I cannot believe how fast my first semester of graduate school is coming to an end and with the blink of an eye, our final exams are approaching. Transitioning from my undergraduate to graduate program after a short gap-year was not easy, but was possible thanks to advice from my lovely supporters. I remember celebrating my acceptance to the MHA program and counting down the days to orientation and the program start date. As excited as I was, I started to fear the reality of entering such a prestigious program and university for graduate studies. I recall one of my supporters telling me, “How many people are in your cohort? About 60-70? Azniv you are one of 60-70 only accepted to your program. You know what that means? That means you are capable of excelling or else they would not choose you.” This piece of advice really resonated with me and now when my friends and I are worrying or stressing for exams, I continuously remind them of this statistic and our capabilities to excel.

It is difficult to commit to a full-time, two year program such as the MHA, which also requires a residency component in your second year. I kept asking myself is this the right time for me? I knew that I was making the right decision for my future, and delaying my education would delay my success. Though it was a difficult decision, I chose to leave my job of over 8 years in the healthcare field for a prestigious health system in Los Angeles and to commit myself to the program and my education. Thankfully, I already came in with many work/life balance skills, which I developed when working full-time and pursuing my undergraduate degree.

What The Moment Is Calling You To – by Isaiah Simmons, MPP ’19

September 7, 2018September 7, 2018 / uscpriceblog

Next

So there is a large portion of us who are within the demographic to remember the golden age of MTV when they had shows like True Life, Made, The Hills, Punk’d and Next. While I loved True Life, I thought Next was very interesting. If you didn’t get the chance to experience this show here’s the basic premise: there’s one person who five people are eager to go on a blind date with. The one person has the power to end the date whenever they want and invite the next person by simply saying “next”. The people on the date would receive $1 for every minute the date lasted. At the end the dater picks the one person they’d want to go on a second date with and gives that lucky person the option to either take the money and run, or forfeit the money and go on a second date. I would definitely encourage you to look this up on YouTube, it’s a great way to spend a lunch break.

In a lot of ways I feel that’s what the fall semester kind of looks like: we’re eager to start and see what’s in store, not exactly knowing what’s around the corner. And if we’re not exactly sure what it is we wanna do long term, we at least want to make sure we’re getting our money’s worth for the time we’ve invested in our grad degree and professional endeavors. So at this point in the semester, we ask after preparing the best we could this past summer:

So, what’s supposed to happen next?

That’s the dominating question at this point almost three weeks into the semester.

Just wrapped up a summer internship, coming into the 2nd year thinking about all that comes with that?

Trying to remember if you know algebra, stats, or how to balance work and studying after taking some time to work?

Trying to figure out what on earth you’re going to do with this degree?

Striving to see how people have any sort of social life in grad school?

So what’s supposed to happen next?

Networking at Price: A Place with Bountiful Opportunities – by Ebele Obi, MPA ’19

April 19, 2018September 7, 2018 / uscpriceblog

When I was a prospective Price student, I had heard that the Trojan network was insanely strong. I am still navigating the whole networking terrain, but I will certainly say that here at Price the opportunity to network is everywhere – from your classes, the guest speakers you meet at events and in your classes, fellow classmates, alumni, and more! I have a classmate who shared with me how she reached out to one of the panelists at a program organization event and ended up with an internship at the respective panelist’s organization. I am not saying that this is everyone’s story, but the opportunity to just learn and grow your network is ever-present during your Price experience. I will admit that it can be easy to zone in on other aspects of the Price experience (e.g., courses, work, events, etc.), but I am coming to understand the importance of taking the time and effort to integrate networking throughout my time here at Price. To me, networking is about broadening your perspective and seeing how someone else made their own achievements in life; to me, networking is about taking an active interest in someone else’s journey and forming a connection.

I was able to be a part of the Price Professional Mentorship Program (PPMP) in which I was matched up with an alumni mentor. He had gotten his MPA, so I have found it especially interesting to learn about his experience in the MPA program and learn about how he believes it helped him in his career path. Furthermore, through the PPMP I not only have the opportunity to get to know my mentor but also other mentors in the program. In January, there was a speed networking event where mentees were able to network with some of the other mentors. Networking can help you realize the connections you already have but are unaware of or the connections that you or someone else can help to establish. Furthermore, networking gives you a glance into someone else’s life and the opportunity to learn about what they did and subsequently how you can enhance your own experiences. The more you network, the more comfortable and at ease you become in the whole process. We live in a very interconnected world, so networking is just another step towards establishing more of those connections.

So far through my own networking experiences, I have met quite a few people that started their own organizations, which I find very inspiring.

A Seat at the Table: Black History Month and Price’s Call to Action – by Isaiah Simmons, MPP ’19

February 8, 2018February 8, 2018 / uscpriceblog

Invitations to the Table

I remember my first visit to USC very clearly. It was in March 2017, I had flown out to San Diego for Spring break from Williamsburg, VA and I was coming to visit with Price admissions and the Price Center for Social Innovation over two days. I took an Amtrak train from San Diego to LA at 8:25 AM and I was given an agenda for how my day at the Social Innovation Center would go and made a list of questions to ask, and I guess I was fated to be here because the man I sat next to on the train just so happened to be a Price student in the MPA program who spent the entire three hour train ride telling me about his USC experience, his program, and perhaps most importantly, where to get off at the Union Station stop. So I already had a good feeling about the visit. But then as I looked at my agenda, I saw I was scheduled to have a meetings with several grad assistants at the Social Innovation Center and with Dr. Painter, the center’s director.

As I met with Dr. Painter and discussed with him the purpose of the Social Innovation Center, and the upcoming Forward LA conference looking at the progress of Los Angeles in the 25 years since the Uprising of 1992. In talking with Dr. Painter and looking at the work the Center was doing, I immediately got the sense they were concerned not just about producing students with degrees, but students and work that would impact actual lives and make changes to address some of the social ills that have occurred in the past.

Black History Month and Seats at the Table

The conversation about Forward LA and how at the time it had been 25 years since the Rodney King incident and following uprising of 1992 struck a particular nerve with me as an African American....

Transitioning to Life as a Graduate Student – by Ranika Baghoomian, MHA ‘19

February 6, 2018February 6, 2018 / uscpriceblog

“Graduate school is very different from undergraduate.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a gap before committing to graduate school?”

Those are just a few of the comments I heard prior to the start of my first semester at Price. It feels like just yesterday I was celebrating my acceptance to USC’s MHA program and now, with the blink of an eye, I can proudly say I completed my first semester as a graduate student with a few useful lessons that I gained which helped me throughout the transition.

First, stay motivated. Study sessions until 3 a.m. and endless cups of coffee during midterms week made me question my decision to attend graduate school; however, refocusing on my goal and reminding myself why I chose to commit to my education really helped me stay on track. As a graduate student, self-care is extremely important and reminding yourself how far you made it will help you push through, believe me!

Second, time management. Managing your time is key in graduate school. Get a planner, write down important dates and always review your schedule and tasks in advance....

Life on the Rhine- by Stephanie Castro, MPA ’18

January 22, 2018January 23, 2018 / uscpriceblog

When students think about the Price school experience, they likely include the general benefits of living in LA - great weather, diverse neighborhoods, more attractions than they have the time to see. But the Price experience can also take you somewhere almost 6000 miles away, for those who take advantage of USC Price on the Rhine.

The Price on the Rhine (OTR) course is a unique opportunity to study comparative public administration - while living in the German countryside! Taking place during the summer term, it provides students with six units of elective course credits and an incredible experience studying abroad. The OTR program is competitive and requires submission of an application. For the fortunate students selected to participate, travel and lodging is generously provided by donors and arranged by the University.

Each OTR cohort arrives in the town of Speyer, Germany, over three days after the end of Spring semester. Speyer University, which is home for the next five weeks, is located about a 15 minute walk from the city center. Once students arrive in Speyer, they are provided with dorm keys and get to meet their roommates - usually a German student studying at the university for the summer. The campus is small but beautiful, and boasts a grassy courtyard replete with bounding wild rabbits, a (somewhat unpopular) cafeteria, several classrooms, and a library (strict librarian included). It is not uncommon to look out from the dorms to see afternoon barbecues, volleyball games, and week night dance classes happening around campus...

Moving to Los Angeles from Another Country- by Upasana Paul, MPL ’19

December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 / uscpriceblog

For someone whose ideas of Los Angeles has stemmed from mostly Hollywood movies, the first reality check was when I realized that there was absolutely zero odds of strangers spontaneously bursting into song and dance on the 110 freeway. I had just flown from across the globe, survived an intense customs check, jet-lagged and still running on a different time-zone, my first impression of the city was… well, not exactly, awe stricken.

Moving to Los Angeles from a country, as different as India, comes with its own struggles. The struggles of getting used to a weather that fluctuates between very sunny to moderately sunny, and that’s about the most seasonal change one would experience here throughout the year, barring a month or two. And if you are from a tropical country as I, you would struggle to get used to the landscape as well – struggling to get used to the lack of greenery around.

You will also struggle to get used to the Los Angeles traffic. I have lived through the five stages of grief about LA traffic, and finally accepted the harsh reality of it. Soon, all your plans too will be guided by the traffic situation at that time of the day.

But then, the sea will save you. The piers and the vibrancy of the beaches, the quick respite from the city’s humdrum is something that is unique to Los Angeles. De-stressing after the midterms? Pack your mat, and take a 45 min Expo-ride to Santa Monica – a day at the beach can cure almost anything, and that is something you’ll love to get used to.

Life in Los Angeles comes with a chance to experience endless beautiful sunsets. Whether you have taken a trip to the Griffith Observatory, or some National Park, or even caught in traffic on the Interstate 405, I promise you, the sunset will mesmerize you. And that is something I would love to get used to...

Transitioning To Life As a Graduate Student- by Grace Olguin, MPA ’19

December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 / uscpriceblog

I can’t believe how fast my first semester as a graduate student has come and gone. Needless to say, now that finals are over and I wait for my grades to post, I am deeply enjoying this glimpse of down-time between the end of fall and beginning of spring semester. The shift from being out of school for four years to life as a full-time employee and graduate student has been no easy transition.

I remember before starting my program, I received advice from an alumnus:

“Around week seven you will probably be so stressed with this transition that you will ask yourself ‘why am I doing this?’ But don’t worry. Pause…breathe…focus… and know that you’re not alone.”

This piece of advice truly supported me, especially when I found myself having dis-empowering conversations about time and commitment...

Why I love Los Angeles- by Anahit Petrosyan, MHA ’19

December 14, 2017December 14, 2017 / uscpriceblog

Los Angeles is one of the best places I have been to and seen. Why Los Angeles you ask? Well because USC is in the heart of Los Angeles and it is in the best places to get your education.

First, Los Angeles is beautiful. From The Last Bookstore to the Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Broad Museum to the sunsets at the Santa Monica Pier to the greens at Huntington Garden. There is something beautiful to see and enjoy at every corner. It depends on what your eye sees as beautiful.

Second, it is very diverse. There are people and food in Los Angeles from every corner of the world. Yelp has made eating in Los Angeles very easy. All you have to do is search what you are craving and Yelp gives you multiple options for your search. In addition, if you are studying and don’t have the time to go out and eat, Yelp has a delivery option for some restaurants....