If you are interested in debating in college or simply want to learn more about potential programs how can you go about learning which programs exist and what they are really like?
The following guidelines may help sort out the available information and misinformation. What college debate program might be best for you?
There exists a myth among high school students that there are a half dozen or so programs to consider if one is serious about college debate. In reality there are scores of programs that provide quality opportunities to compete in college debate. Not every program is for everyone regardless of what college recruiters may tell you. Programs have personalities.
By this I mean they offer a variety of philosophies and opportunities. Each option has a number of benefits and should not be rejected out-of-hand simply for cursory reasons e. Do not overlook programs that can provide you with the greatest opportunities to debate. It is usually worth finding time to visit the campus. Plan enough time so that you can get a genuine feel for the debaters and coaches. Ask to room with and active debater or even attend a squad meeting.
It helps if you can call ahead to see if your visit is convenient for the host team remember that they have busy travel schedules too. Additionally programs have Web Pages and Facebook groups that outline the opportunities offered by their school and squad. Reading between the line, there is a wealth of information on programs activity level and competitive philosophy. URLs can be easily found via a direct Internet search engine. The cardinal rule in learning about programs is to let them know you are interested!
While it is undoubtedly personally gratifying to be actively recruited by a college debate program most debaters do not receive this personal attention. You should never conclude that a program is uninterested in you just because they do not initiate contact.
Most college coaches are busy with their own programs and attend few high school tournaments. How, then, can you get the attention of college directors? What follows are some hints on making contact with college programs. Once you have made contact with college programs, it is still important to investigate these programs.
The following questions help sort out the barrage of well-intentioned positive claims made by programs. There is, of course, no substitute for proven academic accomplishments. The best schools engage in serious competition for the top students and are willing pay big bucks to attract them to their campus. Remember that when students have good scores and rank high in their class, there are scholarships available for those who investigate the opportunities and apply early.
Most special category scholarships also have application deadlines which occur prior to normal admissions. It is not uncommon for deadlines for major scholarships to be in the fall semester. For the large specialized scholarships one cannot wait until after Christmas to start the process. Most college coaches are familiar with the special categories at their schools, so do not hesitate to ask. There exists a myth among high school students that there are only a half dozen or so programs to consider if one is serious about college debate.
In reality there are scores of programs which exist that provide quality opportunities to compete in college debate. Not every program is for everyone regardless of what college recruiters may tell you. Programs have personalities. By this I mean they offer a variety of philosophies and opportunities. Each option has a number of benefits and should not be rejected out-of-hand simply for cursory reasons e.
Do not overlook programs that can provide you with the greatest opportunities to debate. It is usually worth finding time to visit the campus. Plan enough time usually a weekend so that you can get a genuine feel for the debaters and coaches.
Ask to room with and active debater or even attend a squad meeting. It helps if you can call ahead to see if your visit is convenient for the host team remember that they have busy travel schedules too.
Additionally most programs now have Web Pages that outline the opportunities offered by their school and squad. Typically these electronic addresses can be found with popular search engines, looking at collections of debate links on several homepages, or by placing a phone call to the program director. While it is undoubtedly personally gratifying to be actively recruited by a college debate program most debaters do not receive this personal attention.
You should never conclude that a program is uninterested in you just because they do not initiate contact. Most college coaches are busy with their own programs and attend few high school tournaments. How, then, can you get the attention of college directors? What follows are some hints on making contact with college programs. When you write the college admission office, enclose a separate letter to be forwarded to the college debate coach.
This will let the program know you are interested in learning more about their program and introduces yourself. This strategy may be your best way to initiate contact, particularly in those instances when you do not know the name of the college coach. Make some phone calls. Most colleges and universities have an information desk which can provide the appropriate numbers and addresses. And then you can directly contact the coach.
Find an e-mail address. Most homepages have e-mail addresses not only for the staff, but often for all the squad members at a given school. Ask people who know. Most college debaters and coaches are happy to provide the names and thumbnail sketches of a variety of programs. There are many schools with strong debate teams, but these are the most highly competitive programs in recent standings and have all demonstrated a great opportunity for students to strengthen their personal debate skills.
The Policy Team is ranked 10th in the nation, while the Worlds Debate Team regularly holds a spot in the top 10 global debate programs. Since then, the PDP continues to have unparalleled success, winning the Team of the Year award an astounding eight times as well as the Speaker of the Year Award a record nine times. The SDS frequently engages in in public debates on various issues to bring both the university and surrounding community together.
The Rutgers University Debate Union is another relatively new team re-established in , but was originally established in the s as Queens College. They also earned third for Novice of the Year, and 10 th for Speaker of the Year.
Though not nearly as old as some of the other mentioned programs, the Georgetown Parliamentary, founded in , is a fierce competitor. In , they finished 8 th in the nation at the ADPA, and continue to hold the number eight spot for this academic year. Appalachian State 2. Arizona State University 3. Augustana College Illinois 4. Bakersfield College 5. Bard College 6. Baylor University 7. Binghamton University 8.
Boston College 9. Cal Polytechnic State University Capital University Case Western Reserve University City University of New York Clarion University Columbia University Concordia College Cornell University CSU-Chico State CSU-Fullerton CSU-Northridge Dartmouth College Denver University East Los Angeles College Eastern Washington University Emory University Emporia State University Florida International University Florida State University Folsom Lake College Fordham University Gainesville State College George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia State University Gonzaga University Harvard University
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