Brandon Abrams
Common Application Essay
When
most people think of attorneys they think of Law and Orderesque men clad in
three piece suits and formulating a case that prosecutes the criminal all under
an hour. The common perception of attorneys has always been arguing so I guess
growing up with an attorney dad just ingrained the art of the argument into me.
As I grew older I learned that the argument wasn’t just for the sake of coming
off as superior to your opponent, nor was it to see who could yell the loudest
at each other. Simply, arguing, or more civilly “aggressive persuasion,” was
all about getting your point across and your opponent to accept your claims.
This upbringing in quarrelling eventually pushed me in the direction of
competitive speech and debate as I entered my Junior year, and ultimately
shaped my perception of the World around me and my own personal beliefs.
Through this activity I have been able to value other people’s viewpoints even
if I don’t personally agree with them, as well as interpret the world away from
just stark black and white but rather as an infinite amount of shades of gray.
Coming
into my Junior year there were several things I wanted to do differently. I had
just gotten out of Public high school and I knew I hadn’t nearly excelled to
any of my ability. I always had an interest in debate so I signed up for the
class. My initial experiences in the class opened my world up to things bigger
than myself as I realized there was an activity where the best and brightest
from all of the World competed against each other and had a profound impact on
their surroundings. Always being competitive, I signed up for all of that
year’s tournaments. I entered into an event called “Extemporaneous Speaking”
where you are given three questions and must prepare a seven minute speech,
given without notes, utilizing a cache of files you have meticulously comprised
during the course of the season. At the onset I didn’t think that there could
have been anything harder. The first few speeches I gave shakingly rolled of my
tongue as I tried to keep from tapping my feet in order to vent my nervousness.
Although the event, and the challenges it brought, tested every facet of my
body and mind I was hooked and knew that I wanted to do this as much as
possible. Moving on through the course of the season I rose through the ranks
of my, the most competitive, debate districts in the country. Each speech made
me a more aware global citizen while giving me the tools to succeed in school
and afterwards. The research that went into every speech made me more aware of
my surroundings and as I competed on the national circuit I became exposed to a
wide variety of people from the World over. The people I met, the diversity I
was exposed to, and the set of skills, the most important being the art of
communication, I learnt all have made a better and more prepared person for college.
Debate
will always hold a special place in my heart and mind because of the people it
exposed me to. From my teammates to my competition I have the greatest amount
of respect for all and can say that I have made life-long friends from both
parties. Moving forward, I hope use my communication, organization, and
research skills to help me through my post-high school life and impact the
global community in a way that increases everyone’s understanding of their
surroundings. Being elected President of Speech and Debate my Senior year meant
so much more to me than just the title, it meant that I would be able to play a
larger role in my teammate’s lives and help them in the debate room as well as
in their outside lives. I hope that I will be able to bring these skills, as
well as my passion for the art of communication, to college life and make the
difference for people who think arguing is just yelling to make the best point.
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