Welcome to the 18th episode of the Masters with Harshith Podcast. This is a very special episode with a very special guest; in this episode, we talk to Kumar Vivek, an Indian Revenue Services (IRS) Officer who is currently serving as the Joint Commissioner at the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. This episode not only covers Kumar's journey at Columbia but also his journey from being raised in Bihar to why he chose to pursue UPSC and what he made of the experience so far. The episode contains tips not just for MPA applicants but also for all UPSC aspirants as well. I believe, by far, this has been one of the most informative episodes on the podcast about the whole Masters journey.
After receiving admits from Harvard, Columbia (with an 85% SCHOLARSHIP), Stanford, LSE, UC Berkeley, Duke, and many more, Kumar decided to head to Columbia. You ask why? Check out the episode!
MPA is all about diversity and hands-on experience
For the A-Z steps on applying for Masters in the US and resources on how to crack into a top US uni admit, do check out my Masterclass - forms.gle/F93fXXVcJyvuCWaM6
Key timestamps -
0:00 Introduction
1:30 Kumar's backup option if UPSC didn't work out
3:25 Why Kumar decided to pursue the UPSC - The approach makes all the difference
6:20 Preparing for the UPSC exam
10:20 Bihar and UPSC
14:40 Kumar and the IRS journey
16:00 What does an Indian Revenue Services Officer do?
19:30 Why Kumar decided to pursue his Masters
22:00 Universities Kumar applied to
23:05 Why Kumar decided to head to Columbia among all the places he had received admits for
23:35 MPA application timeline and how to get a scholarship
32:40 MPA Course Structure
39:05 The course rigor
42:00 MPA Class Profile
43:30 Projects in SIPA
45:30 Work experience for the MPA
46:40 How Columbia's MPA program is helping Kumar in his day-to-day activities
50:25 The MPA impact summary
51:15 Kumar's favorite thing about Columbia
54:30 Kumar's disclaimer
56:00 MPA Fees Structure and how Kumar funded it
58:00 Kumar's final tips to UPSC aspirants and MPA applicants
1:00:50 What change Kumar is most proud of and where he sees his career going
Connect with Kumar for any queries related to Columbia's MPA program - / kumar-vivek-irs-a82491185
PS - I am aware that there is a lag on my end in the recording that caused me to give delayed responses, so I apologize for that and hope to get it fixed for the next episode.
#fellowships #scholarship #upsc #irs #columbia #mpa #masters #usa #india #sipa #topusa #funding #bihar #ias #ips #government
30 июл 2024
