Author Archive for Aaron Bhatt

Top 3 Resources for Getting Through Social Distancing

Posted by Aaron Bhatt 
· Friday, March 27th, 2020 

Among the many messages you may be getting from friends and family (some real and some annoying WhatsApp forwards that are clearly fake), it can be quite hard to take care of yourself. Because we’re all checking emails and the news (and Admissions emails!) for updates, we thought we would provide you with some things to get you through the self-quarantines and the social distancing.  

  1. Exercise and Self-Care Apps

The Nike Training Club offers some free at-home workouts that you can do with body weight or resistance bands. If you like working out with others, try video calling a friend to do the same workout (or if you’re like me, do a work out with your mom!)

During this time Headspace, a meditation facilitation app, is offering free sessions under the title “Weathering the Storm.” For those of you who need to relax but need some guidance, this might be a good way to get started on relaxing and going to your happy place through peaceful meditation.

The Blogilates YouTube channel has plenty of strength and high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts (including a newly released Quarantine Workout Calendar…. bless). Come out of quarantine snatched or just ensure that your health doesn’t suffer from eating all your social distancing snacks within the first three hours of the first day.

Also, take time out to twerk. Dancing gets your heart rate up and makes you joyful. 

Disclaimer: Any product mentions are not endorsements, but only sharing some alternatives to the endless hours of Netflix binge-watching!

  1. Preparing for Graduate School

Now is a great time to prepare for your exciting time in the Fall. While there are many uncertainties right now, you should be excited about the prospect of next semester at SIPA! A lot of you have questions regarding your visa status as you decide to pursue graduate school at SIPA. All of your questions should be directed to Columbia’s Office of International Students and Scholars. They have updated information on the current health situation and should have resources to answer your questions during this challenging time.

  1. Have a Virtual Party!

This is definitely a strange time we live in, but we shouldn’t cease our social interactions. Students across the world are throwing virtual happy hours, dinner parties, lunch sessions, calling each other, and making a concerted effort to stay in touch. Every day I make it a point to call two friends to check in and say hello. While a lot of us are still working remotely, cutting out the commute time really leaves us with some extra time to make sure we’re getting our fill of social interaction. Check in on your extrovert (and all other) friends!

Categories : SIPA

SIPA in the Time of COVID-19

Posted by Aaron Bhatt 
· Friday, March 20th, 2020 

As many of you have heard, Columbia University switched to online classes and limited most university functions, other than the most necessary ones. Social distancing policies ask us to self-quarantine, limit going out to getting necessities, and keep at least a six-foot distance from others to protect not just us, but also the most vulnerable individuals among us. During this time, we would like to share how our current students have been dealing with the situation, including online classes, group projects, Capstone projects, and everyday life. 

Online Classes

Our classes are now held on Zoom and there is definitely a learning curve with it. There were some funny moments where students forgot to mute their microphones or an awkward pause between asking questions, but overall my professors have made it seem as easy a transition as possible. I much prefer in person classes at SIPA where there’s personal interaction with my professors, friends, and peers.  However, as a second-year who wants to graduate on time, I appreciate the efforts made to finish up my classes.

~MPA 2020

For me, my online class experience has been a little turbulent — professors who are from nations that are especially hard hit by coronavirus such as Italy and France have had to cancel some lectures as they care for professional or personal needs in their home countries. Others have had to restructure their grading or assessment base as their curriculum revolved around in-person assessments. It has been difficult but the professors are all really learning alongside us how to adjust to this new normal with diligence and humour. 

~George-Ann, MIA 2020

Capstone Projects

Capstone projects that included travel for research or meetings with clients have certainly been disrupted, but SIPA students have been adapting in this area just as they have in others. Students are conducting interviews over the phone or video conferencing solutions, and capstones continue to meet with their faculty advisors using Zoom. While the situation is not ideal, students are driving ahead with their research and remain committed to providing innovative research and solutions to their capstone clients. 

~Stuart, MIA 2020

Extracurriculars

While SIPA students can’t meet in person and student activities have been put on hold, the SIPA student body has stayed very active! Students shared petitions in solidarity with undergraduates and other vulnerable students to present to the Administration. Our student leaders also spoke with our SIPA Administrators to ensure student concerns were taken into consideration when decisions were made that impacted student life during this time. I’m sad that our active SIPA student leaders won’t be able to hold the amazing events bringing esteemed international leaders, activists, and scholars to this university, but I’m also honored to be a part of a community that keeps on keeping, even in difficult times. 

~MPA 2020

Columbia Community

During this time of uncertainty, the SIPA and broader Columbia community have really come together. Students based in New York are offering places to stay, fellow students are organizing virtual meet ups and conversation with friends as they practise social distancing. Things have been changing rapidly but the communication has been as good as it can be. 

The administration, cognizant of everyone’s different economic and other mobility constraints, have allowed those who can’t leave to stay on campus and are keeping meal options available. They are also offering financial support by way of keeping student workers’ wages stable until the end of the semester and other supports. 

In these times, the Columbia Community has really shown the spirit of resilience and one of justice in ensuring that the most vulnerable members of our community are taken care of. 

~George-Ann, MIA 2020

Categories : SIPA, Student Life

Top 4 Reasons to Study Energy and Environment at SIPA

Posted by Aaron Bhatt 
· Tuesday, February 25th, 2020 

The Energy & Environment concentration (or lovingly, EE) shines the brightest and greenest at SIPA. If you turned a light on today or unplugged your phone from the charger this morning, YOU could be an EE student at SIPA. As a current EE student, I’m here to tell you with four reasons why studying EE will help you shine in your career (all puns intended).

  1. The Cohort: A Family Garden Growing at SIPA

EE hosts a slew of events that foster not only a strong professional network at SIPA in the EE sector, but also a warm community to come home to after a long day of watching the planet slowly warm. We start off in the September with an EE retreat with fellow students over a weekend of hiking, archery, rock climbing, boating, and breathing in the fresh air of New Jersey*. I made some of my best friends at SIPA during this weekend retreat and some even helped me find career opportunities. Throughout my time at SIPA, I found EE peers to really want to get to know me as a person – something I value as a graduate student who enjoys a close knit community.

  1. The Classes: Think in Systems and Gain Depth on EE Topics

The best metaphor I can give you for EE classes is a layered cake. In EE, you learn how to bake the cake, ice and decorate the cake, cut the cake, smell the cake, taste the cake, eat the cake, and BE the cake. Perhaps I’ve been watching too much Great British Baking Show, but essentially, EE gives you a systems perspective to all things in the EE sector – you learn about finance, energy systems, electricity markets, oil and gas, management, policy solutions, and what a carbon neutral future looks like.

At the same time, you can gain a lot of depth in a subject area by taking specific electives in EE. My favorite class at SIPA, Renewable Energy Project Finance Modeling, was the first EE class I took. Despite having very little background in EE prior to SIPA, I learned how to create a financial model for a wind farm and learned the barriers the industry faces. My knowledge on the topic later blew my bosses away at my summer internship.

  1. The Adventures!

As an EE student, I have had unique opportunities that other students at SIPA don’t get. During UN Climate Week, I served as a youth participant, along with 5 SIPA students, in the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative Conference, a forum for oil and gas companies to speak with stakeholders about lowering carbon footprints. We questioned oil and gas company CEOs on the impact of their work and building trust among stakeholders. The most important aspect of the forum was being a student voice in a room of decision makers and contributing real ideas to how the conversation on climate change in the oil and gas industry should be driven and where weak points still exist. As a SIPA student, it warmed my heart (the conference did, not the climate) to engage in conversations that will push the ball forward on climate change policy.

  1. Find a Job, Get Money, Get Paid

EE students realize the most important reason you’re here at SIPA is to get a job. Students at SIPA lead the SIPA Energy Association, a student organization that throws the largest graduate student job fair for energy and environment jobs in North America. In the morning, you can hear esteemed policy leaders and industry experts speak at the Energy Symposium. In the evening, you put on your best business professional gear to take part in an exclusive career fair on campus. Many of our students find jobs during this time, which is perfect for students who are new or veterans to the sector.

As future <insert dream future job title>s engaged in public policy, you can’t ignore energy and the environment! These four simple reasons should be enough to shine the light on why studying EE is the best at SIPA.

*As a New Jerseyian, I have to take a moment to vouch for my state. It does in fact have clean, fresh air in the vast pine tree forests. We have a bad reputation (thanks to New Yorkers and the show Jersey Shore), but really we’re nicknamed the Garden State. If you go to SIPA, there’s a high chance you will eat some tomatoes or blueberries grown in New Jersey!

Categories : SIPA
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Program Assistant Introduction: Aaron Bhatt MPA ’20

Posted by Aaron Bhatt 
· Thursday, February 6th, 2020 

Note from Emily: We have two new program assistants adding their voices to the blog this semester, Aaron and Zulpha!

Aaron is a second year MPA-candidate concentrating in Energy and Environment and specializing in Management. He was in born in India and raised in South Jersey. Prior to coming to SIPA, he worked on USAID development projects focused on East and Southern Africa. His work supporting the management of energy and wildlife trafficking projects motivated him to come to SIPA to deepen his knowledge in energy and environmental policy. He is also an alumna of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he danced on and managed an Indian folk dance team. Since joining SIPA, he interned with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, and served as Treasurer of SIPA Students of Color. In his free time, he loves to try new recipes and make chai for his friends. He often daydreams about the delicious khao soi he ate every day during his study abroad in Thailand.

Did you choose SIPA to change careers or gain experience in a career path you already had experience in?

Both! I wanted to shift careers into the U.S. Foreign Service as an economic officer. Having worked in international development, I gained experience managing large foreign aid projects in areas of education and private public partnerships. After receiving the Rangel Fellowship, I knew I wanted to focus on macroeconomic policies and country level economic growth. I also wanted to deepen my understanding of how the private and public sector interact and cooperate. I have been able to explore these topics at SIPA.

How did you find the core curriculum at SIPA?

In acknowledging the multidisciplinary nature of many careers in policy, SIPA’s core enabled me to refresh and hone my skills and knowledge in economics, budgeting, management, and writing. I think it prepares you to take on a range of roles including policy experts, managers, advisors, and maybe even finance gurus. For example, the “Analysis of Public Sector Organizations” core course combines behavioral economics, public sector development history, and management strategy. This class helped me conceptually understand why management and bureaucratic structures fail and what strategies a public sector organization can take to remedy them. We then worked in groups to analyze and propose strategies to tackle a real-world management issue. I also have a Bachelor’s in Economics, but needed SIPA’s core classes to get a refresher on the concepts and apply them to international trade and environmental regulatory policy issues.

What advice do you have for current applicants?

The hustle and bustle of applying to schools can be stressful. Take a moment to reflect on why you specifically want to go to SIPA. How will it help you achieve your career goals? The more specific you can be in your answer, the better and stronger your application will be. This seems like general advice, but if you truly take a moment to reflect and strengthen your “why”, you will be able to understand your own professional journey better and relay that to the admissions committee through your application.

Categories : Meet Seeples

"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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