I’m wondering if it’s time to take on another activity if I’m not doing so well in my current one. I’ve been on the debate team since 7th grade, organized several camps, qualified for some local regional tournaments…
Problem is, I haven’t gotten national recognition or even won a tournament at the local round. I know that Ivy League colleges especially seek these awards, and I don’t think I will ever be the debate national champion or even qualify for Nationals. That being said, should I start focusing on something else? I love debate team but I don’t think it will get me anywhere with college apps for schools like Yale and Harvard. I’m also asian and not financially disadvantaged which means I’ll have really tough competition in admissions.
Would it still be possible for me to get into an Ivy league without that national recognition? Or, what else would I have to do? Start a national organization? Or are there other national recognition opportunities for me related to debate?
What year are you? Don’t quit. Just add another EC if you want. If you like it stick with it, even if you are not winning awards. Often persistence shows more than a prize .
Don’t quit just because you aren’t winning, that looks worse than continuing but not winning. Colleges like to see consistency. Only quit if you truly do not enjoy debate. Many people get into Ivies without national awards, your ECs aren’t the main part of your app. If debate is your only EC at the moment, you probably won’t get in because of that. Try joining some other clubs (they don’t have to be competition based) or start a club (that actually has a useful purpose, not just for the sake of “I started a club”)
I would make the decision to keep or drop based on how much you are enjoying the activity, not by what awards you win or not, or by what you think colleges want to see. Colleges will see value beyond “winning”. Encouraging your teammates, mentoring newer members, making everyone feel valued and welcome all show leadership and character, and won’t go unnoticed by your coaches.
You can always add an activity if there’s something you want to try, as the other poster mentioned.
There’s no guarantees you’ll win any awards if you switch activities, and colleges don’t prefer one activity over another.
What year of high school are you in and what are your goals after college? The skills you learn in debate can carry over to a lot of other areas. So, if you enjoy debate and the skills you’re working on will be useful to your future, I would keep going, rather than spending time doing an activity because you think it will impress an admissions officer.
First of all, rethink your goals. Getting into an Ivy League school is not a reasonable goal. Reasonable goals have to be about your future career. Skills gained in debate will help you in practically any career, and no career requires an Ivy diploma.
My son wrote a whole common app essay about how he sucked at debate but persevered. That worked out very well for him.