We welcome students who have been active as creative writers, bloggers or other performing artists, says Prof. Solanki

Arpit Solanki, the programme director at the Jindal School of Languages and Literature, speaks in-depth about the origins of the institution in an interview with Shiksha.com. He goes into great length when discussing the available programmes, the application procedure, and numerous criteria used to choose candidates. Nowadays, preparing students for the industry is a key component of the curricula at educational institutions. Solanki discussed a number of measures that support this goal.

Solanki discovered his interest in education industry long back. He is instrumental in creation and launch of New-Age courses in Cloud Technology, Cyber security, Data Science, Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence and more with multiple universities in Northern & Western India. He has been an expert career counsellor and addressed more than a lac students & parents for almost five-year consecutively

Read the complete interview below.

Q: Tell us a brief about you Jindal School of Languages and Literature:

A: The BA (Hons) English and BA (Hons) Spanish programmes of Jindal School of Languages and Literature are different from similarly named programmes of other HEI’s in being heavily defined by comparative and world literature and cultural studies. In BA (Hons) English students get acquainted with several literatures and separate works written or performed in the English language – not only the literature of the British isles but literatures in English of North America, the Caribbean, Africa, India and Australia-New Zealand; and also key examples of ‘world literature’ translated into English. Through core as well as elective course students get exposure to related knowledge and practice areas such as translation studies, journalism, film studies and English for business applications. The BA (Hons.) Spanish programme encourages students to become immersed in the cultural production (prose, poetry, drama, creative arts) of the ‘Hispanosphere’, which presently encompasses 500 million Spanish speakers around the world. The programme equips students to apply their learning in the world of business/entrepreneurship and in public service as well as in the world of scholarly endeavour (teaching, research, literary translation). Our teachers of Spanish are native speakers or those with near-native proficiency. The faculty-student ratio in both programmes is on average 1:10.

Q: What is the admission process? How does the format make sure that the right students get selected/shortlisted?

A: The Student has to apply online on website of O.P. Jindal Global University. After completing the application process the student needs to go through our entrance test – JSAT. Any student securing more than 50% marks in JSAT goes through the interview round with the Dean of Jindal School of Languages & Literature. During the interview process with the Dean and Professors we ensure that right candidates who have passion towards the course can be selected.

Q: Apart from academics what other aspects of a student are checked while selection?

A: We welcome students who have been active as creative writers, bloggers, performing artists and other ‘creative producers’.

Q: What are some initiatives being taken/planned by you Jindal School of Languages and Literature to make its student’s industry ready?

A: Students complete 5 internships over 3 years that could include organizational exposure, a practicum in the creative or information industries, or one-on-one study with our faculty members in some matter of mutual interest. Proficiency certificates in languages can also be earned alongside the academic degree.

Q: As a School, How does Jindal School of Languages and Literature ensure that students gets extra exposure apart from academics?

A: Students will have multiple Study Abroad opportunities in more than 20 Spanish-medium universities (in Spain and Latin America) and in more than 50 universities in English-speaking countries: 24x7 immersion for periods of between two weeks and a semester. Credits and grades that students earn at the foreign institutions can be counted towards completion of their JGU degree. The JGU Global Languages Centre, the Centre for Writing Studies, the language lab and student clubs for creative and performing arts are fully available to students of Jindal School of Languages and Literature.