A little help required.

NavenduShekharGupta

First of all thanks to admin for starting such a wonderful discussion forum.
Hi, I am a newbie and will start my IAS preparation (full time) from June 2013 for the IAS 2014 after leaving a high paying job. Let me tell you about my background. I am a mechanical engineering graduate from a reputed college(some IIT Guwahati). I am from a village and I genuinely feel that this is one of my strong point. I have selected public administration and geography as my optional subjects. Secondly I am reading newspaper from a long time before, but still I think that I am not prepared for facing the General studies for IAS. So my questions are as follows:-

1. Is it okay for for me to start with above optionals?
2. How to get confidence For general studies?
3. My writing and language skills are not that great. How to brush them up?
4. Which coaching would be best to join from the month of June 2013?
5. I don't think my personality is one of my strong point. I am fat person, and kind of ugly. So what are the chances of a fat person to get good score in an interview, because I haven't met any fat/ugly IAS officers?

One more thing, I don't want to sound overconfident, but I feel that aptitude is really my string point and, language and communication are dragging me backwards. So tell me how to overcome that? I am ready to give, whatever it takes to be on the other side of the line, but please give some genuine suggestions.
May be some of the things might seem out of the context, but I really feel that a person should know about me before answering the questions. Sorry, if you find something wrong in it.

prathap

@navendu.. Even i'm a beginner. But i'll try to answer your questions hoping that it may help.
1) as far as i know upsc may remove optionals from next year ( to confirm this wait till feb. But dont stop your preparation) so right now you can concentrate only on general studies or you can even start with public ad and G.S as your knowledge in pub ad is going to help in all the stages of this exam.

2. To get confidence in G.S there is no way other than studying. I strongly suggest you to go through this forum's discussions under G.S. Or else you can also check out www.valkyrie724.wordpress.com . Also when you go through the discussion here concentrate on @Asingh sir's answers.

3) even i'm having the same problem. UPSC expects class 10th level of english from us. But Still i'm trying to improve my skills as you know it helps a lot.

4) sorry I dont know about about coaching classes.

5) I think personality means not only the physical appearance. Its all about the way you think the way you act. So dont worry about your personality. Just concentrate on your studies.

Regarding the language and communication. .even i've posted a query in this forum so i'm waiting for the answers.

NavenduShekharGupta

Can anyone please help me?

gns

@NavenduShekharGupta
@prathap

1. Is it okay for for me to start with above optionals?
Optionals are good once upon a time. In this years mains, guys with pubad n geo suffered to the core. You might be surprized if u find very less people with this combination clearing mains this time.
Also, u will not have any gap between exams in mains if you take these optionals. If u can avoid this combination, its better. Form strategy according to these inputs.

2. How to get confidence For general studies?
Read newspaper.

3. My writing and language skills are not that great. How to brush them up?
Practise a lot. They matter a lot in ur mains.

4. Which coaching would be best to join from the month of June 2013?
Sorry.. i studied myself without coaching. Jus gave mains n confident of clearing it. Coaching jus helps, but it is YOU who hav to study.

5. I don't think my personality is one of my strong point. I am fat person, and kind of ugly. So what are the chances of a fat person to get good score in an interview, because I haven't met any fat/ugly IAS officers?
haha.. Thats funny... Your appearance doesn't matter. Your personality does matter. Your personality is not ur Appearance !!!

andy133

Just some pointers from my side. I was in the same boat i.e leaving a high paying job and deciding to go for the preparations. I would just like to tell you one thing. After you leave your job and you come to delhi , for some 1-2 months you will be damn scared. At times you might question yourself if it was a good decision to leave the job because you will see that everybody here is preparing for the same and that too with utmost dedication.You will hear stories saying "2-3 attempts to lagte hi hain" n all that and u will be more scared.So the best way to tackle this is by catching the bull by it's horns. Start your prep by activating the beast mode and in sometime the fear will all be gone.Once you decide for it get into it all guns blazing...

andy133

n for the ugly fat thing : ...it does not matter. As people have rightly said -it is all about your personality. But still if being fat is demoralizing for you and having a toned body gives u a boost. There are 2 gyms near Rajendra Nagar :P ...Fluid and Gold's gym. Join them, work out for an hour a day

Neyawn

@NavenduShekharGupta Your obesity is not a criterion for judging you in the interview. Many bit chubby people have made it with superb marks in the interview. As far as your concerns are there regarding the coaching, I will suggest that you might want to take a look at class notes of coaching institutes at least once. Let me tell you that there will be something you'll have missed by not studying them (apart from your books). And besides they are available in such good handwriting and well covered (say for economics GS paper).

And @andy133 is correct in saying that preparation is, unfortunately full time work. At least once you may want to leave work, during the mains period, from June-Oct, and then maybe never have to leave work, once you have prepared your subject well..

Neyawn

@NavenduShekharGupta Would you mind sharing with us if any of our rantings helped you? A small like or thanks will be appreciated!

NavenduShekharGupta

Hey guys first of all thanks for your suggestions....
Regarding the chubby point, (hehe) I know it sounds weird but I have never met any young chubby IAS. It was my idle-mind's creation and I think you all cleared it up.(thanks for that). As the optionals are concerned, after brainstorming for so much time, I reached at the conclusion that I am going to take sociology and pub ad/political science as optionals.Reasons for them are:-
1. I had taken sociology many times before in our college HSS choices. I am comfortable with that
2. I always thought of taking pub ad as other optionals but right now the trend of paper set by the UPSC is scaring me. So I have decided to chose something between pub ad and political science.
3. I am reading newspaper from last 4-5 years regularly(that's not just one, atleast 3 at a time,mainly the hindu, the dawn and some defense blogs/sites/journals). The problem with me is that all those years I never practiced writing/ speaking, so I end up here.
4. I omitted geography after getting a hint that it is more of a factual subject rather than a conceptual subject. I am not good at mugging.:(
5. I am thinking of attending Vajiram for all the courses

NavenduShekharGupta

I think(still not sure :P), I am confident about my general knowledge as it is not that I just started preparing for it(G.K.). The real messy part is the optionals/language/writing skills/interview (it sums to all :P).

andy133

@Navendu .... If you can retain even half (infact even 25%) of what you have read in the newspapers since the last so many years...half your battle is won.
Secondly, if you have put in some research regarding Vajiram , go ahead and join it . Just dont join it because it is the so called mecca. I say this because for Socio, Vajiram is good. But for Pub Ad. there are better options.