<p>So I had my NFL national qualifier tournament today, and I neither qualified in Lincoln-Douglas debate nor in Original Oratory. I'm a junior and have been in the activity since 6th grade. I really hope to be accepted next year and am wondering: how will colleges interpret my lack of success in the activity? (Especially considering that I devote a majority of my time and efforts to it.) I've qualified to state every year, but I don't really have any major award (a hook, per say) to culminate the past six years. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation–I’m very dedicated to debate, but I’ve never won anything of significance. (And I’ll never qual to Nationals, either: my district is one of the most competitive in the country for LD, and while I wouldn’t say that I’m bad by any means, it isn’t going to happen). A Yale professor once wrote, however: </p>
<p>“The Wall Street Journal report did specifically highlight a “consistent trend”—one that forensic coaches have known for a long time—that dedicated participation in drama and debate has significantly increased the success rate of college applicants at all schools which track such data. State and national award winners have a 22% to 30% higher acceptance rate at top tier colleges and being captain of the debate team “improved an applicant’s chances by more than 60% compared with the rest of the pool,” according to the report. This is significantly better than other extracurricular activities that tend to recruit from the same pool of students as forensic teams such as school newspaper reporter (+3%), sports team captain (+5%), class president (+5%), and band (+3%). Even without winning major awards, participation in speech and debate develops valuable skills that colleges are seeking out and that is reflected in the above average acceptance rate (+4%). Colleges and universities today are looking for articulate thinkers and communicators who will become active citizens and leaders of tomorrow.”</p>
<p>If you can become an officer in your team, it’d help tremendously. </p>
<p>I’d presume that being named an Academic All-American would also help, but you’d need a certain number (~800ish) NFL points in addition to a certain GPA and score on the SAT. </p>
<p>And States this year is yet to happen–you may still do well. </p>
<p>how do you become an academic all american? does your coach need to sign you up, or does nfl do it automatically? </p>
<p>Alright, I dug it out the requirements:
Earned the degree of Superior Distinction (750 points)
Earned a GPA of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent)
Received an ACT score of 27 or higher, or SAT score of 2000 or higher
Completed at least 5 semesters of high school
Demonstrated Outstanding character and leadership</p>
<p>Your coach needs to send in the application (<a href=“http://www.nflonline.org/uploads/AboutNFL/AAA_Application_Order_Form_fillin.pdf”>http://www.nflonline.org/uploads/AboutNFL/AAA_Application_Order_Form_fillin.pdf</a>) if you meet the requirements. </p>
<p>Is participating in States and Nationals a requirement if a strongest extracurricular activity is debate?</p>
<p>
I expect that without it, chances are severely reduced. Harvard students are usually very talented, and only being local talent often will not cut it. It’s not a requirement, but for an appreciable chance it’s necessary. Here I assume all other factors are typical. </p>
<p>Yeah, I’ve won three tournaments locally, but the States here are extremely difficult to qualify for.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response.</p>