The Informal Discussion Group

St. Stephen’s College

 

HOW TO APPLY 

One has to apply on a given Pro-forma, which is distributed around the first or second week of August. The structure of the form may vary from year to year, though a short-note on a general topic is a recurring component.

Those selected on the basis of their application forms go through to a round of group-discussion, with each group consisting of usually 5 applicants. On the clearing of the group-discussion, the applicant attends an interview.

The interview is neither a general-knowledge test nor an opportunity to “jam” (or other, harsher words) candidates, though admittedly, seniors derive great pleasure from finally being able to be the ones asking the questions. The IDG was earlier known for its “killer interviews”, though efforts have been made from the last few years onwards to make the atmosphere more comfortable. Through this screening procedure we aim to test the applicant’s general awareness about society, as also his ability to focus on his own areas of interest in order to actively cultivate them.

As our guest list has shown, our talks cover a substantial cross-section of themes: from Religious Extremism, to creating stories using the graphic novel, from the Israel-Palestine crisis, to Panspermia. Likewise, our members have had different interests, views and concerns, which have all been accommodated in our talks. What we also look for, aside from what has been mentioned earlier, are people who can work well under pressure, and even better when there’s none.