College Essay #1

Attorney. The word immediately conjures up mental images of men clad in suits strutting across a courtroom floor, coaxing answers from witnesses, and passionately entreating their final argument before a jury and judge. This notion is centered around attorneys’ ability to argue and persuade, so growing up with an attorney father whom I idolized, I naturally became fascinated with the art of argumentation early on. As a child, I was set on always being right (much to my parents’ chagrin!), but as I grew older I learned that arguing isn’t just for the sake of establishing superiority over your opponent. Rather, arguing is about getting both opponents to understand each other’s views, and then agreeing on an optimal solution. In high school this love affair with arguing led me to competitive speech and debate, which ultimately has taught me to appreciate the diversity of others’ perspectives, even if they contradict my own.

                Coming into my junior year, I wanted to do things differently. I had just transferred schools and was looking for ways to meet people and integrate myself into my new school, so I signed up for my school’s Speech and Debate course. I instantly realized I’d found my calling, and before long I joined the debate team. I had found an activity that allowed the best and brightest students from the world over to showcase their skills of persuasion and argumentation. Always competitive, I enlisted in “Extemporaneous Speaking,” an event in which each candidate is given three questions to answer in a seven minute impromptu speech.

To my surprise, “extemp” was the hardest thing I’d ever done. The event tested every facet of my mind: my ability to organize and assess data, to formulate cohesive and logical arguments, and to articulate these complex ideas simply and convincingly. Determined to excel, I set to refining my new craft. Quickly I rose through the ranks of my debate district, one of the most competitive in the country, eventually becoming president of the Debate Club.

The benefits of debate have been immense. Beyond cultivating my leadership, self-confidence, and communication skills, debate has helped me see that there’s often no “right” answer. Rather, every situation must be considered on many different levels, from many different perspectives.

                Debate is important to me because it has helped shape my personality. It has taught me to be inquisitive, considerate, respectful, and confident. I’m certain that the skills and traits that I’ve gained from the experience will help me tremendously in the future. I want to bring my passion for the art of debate to college life in order to help develop a campus culture that encourages, rather than fears, the exchange of opposing viewpoints. I want to show people that debate is not just about “winning” an argument. On the contrary, when we debate in a logical and respectful way, the exchange often generates entirely new ideas and solutions. Thus, the notion of “winning” an argument is irrelevant, for when we debate, everyone wins.