<p>I mean, Kalpen Modi taught two courses a couple years ago, and the governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, teaches a course every fall. Important officials come to Penn routinely to give lectures and hold seminars, and Penn’s Career Services really does help to find jobs. That said, if you live in a state with a huge state- or state-affiliated school, the networking you find there may make it worth saving the money of Penn. Michigan is a great example of a state school worth attending since it is a VERY good school with a ton of students. Penn State is another example, especially with regard to engineering. When you go to a school with more than two hundred thousand alumni under the age of 50, you will be able to network very well.</p>
<p>That said, Penn is a great school for those looking to work in the public sector. Majoring in a social science sets you up very well for work in the public sector, as most courses, with the exception of philosophy courses and select political theory courses, give adequate attention to real world applications of theory, even if they do focus on theory. The Fox Leadership Program has terrific connections in the public sector, and government agencies actively recruit on Penn’s campus.</p>
<p>There are also courses dedicated to understanding the fundamentals of NGOs and NPOs, and many students do internships at such organizations.</p>
<p>I’m a political science student who is also pursuing a second major in German, and I anticipate working for the U.S. Department of State after graduating.</p>
<p>The resources at Penn are different than those of Duke, HU, Rice and UVA, and different people may find different resources more useful than others, so it depends on what you want to do.</p>