Science Research or Speech and Debate?

Applying to College
1

I’m going to be a sophomore this fall, and I’m going to a new school that offers science research and speech & debate as electives to take. I’m for the most part unfamiliar with these classes and their difficulty levels since they weren’t offered at my old school, but they both seem very interesting. I’m just conflicted as to which one to choose since I only have room in my schedule for one class.

I’m mostly science orientated, and I’m definitely going into the science field after I graduate, which is why this elective caught my attention. I’ve always liked the idea of doing in-depth research on a scientific topic that interests me and possibly discovering something that could be beneficial to the world, which is what the science research program at my school strives to achieve. And I know that the program also sends students to local and national science fairs (like the Intel Science Fair) and that the teachers who teach it are some of the best in the country. But that’s about the extent of my knowledge of it.

I also love talking about opinions that I’m passionate about. I think that speaking publicly/debating is a really useful skill to develop, and I’ve always wanted to work more on improving that side of myself. I also thrive in competitive atmospheres, which I believe the speech and debate program is all about (I’m not quite sure if science research also provides this type of competitive atmosphere). However, I’ve heard that in order to actually succeed in speech and debate (and to stand out to colleges) you have to get to the top by winning lots of state/national awards or by being a team captain, and since I’m going to a new school I don’t really know what to expect and how possible “getting to the top” is. The school I’m going to is apparently very big on speech and debate as well, and they’ve been very successful in competitions.

Of course, I want to pick a class that will look good to colleges but I also really want to find something that I’ll enjoy and stick with for the next three years. The difficulty levels/the amount of work that I’ll have to put into each class doesn’t really matter to me since I’m willing to put in work to something I really enjoy, but knowing what to expect from each class would be nice too. So, any suggestions?

Thank you! :slight_smile:

2

You’re only a sophomore so you have lots of time to rise to the top. You don’t actually have to win tournaments to get recognition in debate, but placing in the top 10 or so in national tournaments helps. D never came in first in four years of high school debate, but she and her partners often scored well (there’s a making the cut after the prelim rounds just like a golf tournament), and the coaches at Cal, Dartmouth, Harvard, and a number of other schools definitely knew her name.

You should be aware that debate at the highest level is a VERY time-consuming activity. I don’t know what the program at your school aims at or what kind of debate they do. There are a lot of different types of debate and, actually, speaking about something you are passionate about may be one of the least relevant considerations. There may be a form of speech/oratory where that’s applicable, but in policy and Lincoln-Douglas debate, you are arguing a set issue and have to be prepared to argue either side – and there are a lot of tactics in addition to the common concept of what a debate is. I would suggest you look for more information about exactly what areas/types of debate this program offers.

My gut sense is that the science research is more up your alley, although I would want to be the last person to discourage someone from trying something new.