They also must submit a writing sample and a written reflection on a recent world event. Selection is done by a committee of four faculty members and two McKelvy students. To stay in McKelvy, students must be active participants. Mostly that means attending the twice-weekly dinner discussions and authoring an article for The McKelvy Papers, an annual journal of residents' contributions. None of these requirements are things residents find burdensome.
Residents come up with the topics for dinner discussions.
In the fall, the topics are based on the journal papers which touch on areas that students might not otherwise explore as undergraduates. In spring, discussions are based on a theme. Here, you can go off on tangents and change the topic. Silverstein is a participant, not a leader, and acts differently than in class. In class, I'm much more careful about what I say.