I have a debate competition coming up at Harvard University, in order to go I would have to pay $600 and miss 4 days of school. I really don’t know if I will even do well at this tournament. Should I go?
Seeking multiple perspectives is fine – but coming to a college admissions advice forum where strangers who don’t know the first thing about you and your circumstances calls into question your judgment. What do your parents say? Why should you consider the voice of any in the context of college admissions ?
^I disagree. I don’t think the OP provided enough information here, but there’s nothing wrong with coming to this forum to help work out uncertainty about decisions that may ultimately affect college admissions.
If my freshman was feeling stressed about wondering if spending $600 to go to a debate tournament in Boston – because of how it might appear for her apps 3 years from now, I’d want to have a confab with the family. Possibly pull in details from the sponsoring organization. My kids do major sports (not the $1200/season traveling sports teams, thank goodness) but my first question would be how frequent, are there other sources of funds. I know my financial situation. Are this kid’s parents super wealthy? Or is she from a lower income level. I assert again – her first source of advice is her parents. Cuz one event sure’s not gonna matter to Yale or harvard or wherever she sees herself applying
@T26E4, this poster comes from a family of limited means, saying in another thread: “my mom is a single mom who works 3 jobs just to put food on the table.”
ETA: debate is a major EC for her. OP, I don’t know enough about debate, or the availability of FA for debate competitions to help.
Very judgmental. There could be plenty of reasons the OP has decided to seek other opinions. There’s no reason to admonish [her] for it. You should feel free to parent in whatever way you are comfortable, but not parent people you don’t know by policing these boards for questions that you think might be answered better elsewhere.
If money is an issue for the OP’s family, then they should NOT attend, as colleges understand that these conferences are expensive and many student’s do not have the financial resources necessary to attend these kind of events. While Yale does not specifically address this issue for Admissions, Harvard does. When looking at the big-picture, the OP should listen to this sage advice, as everything also applies to Yale.
To be clear, I am asking for a second opinion. I know my mom, a single parent struggles financially. This debate competition is the biggest tournament of the country. I don’t want to miss this great opportunity but at the same time I don’t want my mom to worry about paying for some “tournament” I am not guaranteed to win at.
Well, you have my opinion: Don’t go, unless you can get a scholarship – some guidance departments have a separate fund for student’s in your situation so you should ask your GC. Bottom Line: Whether you attend the conference or not will have absolutely no bearing on whether you are admitted, rejected or waitlisted to HYPSM. However, IF you should win a top award, it will be a feather in your cap.