Before considering whether you’d like to interview for membership in the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, you may want to find out more about the organization — you can start by reading a brief description of the Society (or read an in-depth look at the Society’s history). Students and faculty are generally most familiar with the Society through the speaker series, which always garners much attention. The speaker programs, though, fill only a small portion of the meetings; the rest of the night is filled with various debates, literary readings, and speeches.

During the first full week of classes each semester, the Jefferson Society spends a week interviewing University students for prospective membership. This first hurdle in becoming a member is very competitive: of the nearly 200 men and women who interview each semester, only about 35 become probationary members. Interviews this semester will be conducted the in Jefferson Hall, a.k.a. Hotel C on the West Range. From the Chapel, follow the West Range arcade toward the Amphitheater: you’ll find Jefferson Hall sandwiched between rooms 21 and 23. Monday through Friday, interviews will run from noon until 5:00p.m. Additional interviews will run from 7:00p.m. until 9:00p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. No appointment is necessary and you do not need to bring a résumé. Each interview typically lasts between 30 and 45 minutes, although you may need to wait for as long as 45 minutes for their interview to begin. Candidates are strongly encouraged to interview earlier in the week to avoid longer wait times.

Among other qualities, the Society looks for undergraduate and graduate students who are articulate, can sustain and participate in lively debate, are open-minded toward dissenting opinions, and appreciate literature. Interviews are designed to test applicants’ abilities to elucidate and defend a position and to think and speak clearly in the face of often intense and occasionally hostile questioning by the interviewers. Interviewees need not have previous experience in debate, public speaking or creative writing. The Society does not discriminate in its membership or membership policies based on age, citizenship, color, disability, gender, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation or status as a disabled Veteran or Veteran of the Vietnam era. Students can interview only once per semester. Those who are not accepted as probationaries this semester are invited and encouraged to interview again in the future.

Applicants who pass an interview are invited to become probationary members of the Jefferson Society. Probationary membership lasts the entire semester. During the semester, probationaries must fulfill certain requirements, including minimum attendance requirements; the completion of several public service hours; and the presentation of a speech, debate, or short work of fiction. Most probationaries are invited to become regular members upon the completion of these requirements.