Hi! I’m currently a freshman in high school (9th grade). I am aiming to get into the top colleges in the U.S. Currently I am in Speech and Debate at my high school and I am not sure if I should stay in it. This year I am a national qualifier, but I really don’t like it at all. I barely managed to force myself through it this year. My coach is also really rude and has a strong dislike for me, for which I still do not understand. Should I stay in speech and debate because I have had success even if I don’t like it? I’ve also heard it looks good for colleges if you stay in it for all four years of high school.
No, definitely no! Do ECs that you genuinely enjoy being in and participating in. If you really don’t like this club, then quit it and focus on another club that you actually want to be in and would enjoy being in.
“Should I stay in speech and debate because I have had success…”
Don’t look at what the top colleges in the U.S. would want to see on your future application, focus on those things that you want to be in. Don’t trust what other people say will look “good” for colleges, just do what you want to do.
Hope this helps.
I have no knowledge of how colleges will feel but my personal opinion is don’t stay in something that makes you unhappy. I find it counter productive. Find things that truly interest you and become active in those things. You are young. You need to enjoy your high school years.
Thank you so much for your advice! This was very helpful!
tbh I would encourage you to find something that you like better. Unless you plan on practicing a lot, you probably won’t get anything above a national qualification (from my experience), which is actually pretty common/not that impressive among top applicants to schools 
Its good that you finished out the year…but you need to do things you like.
Why did you join debate? What did you like about it?
Are there other clubs that have similar things?
For example Model UN would have similar research/speaking opportunities if you liked tha tpart.
Or if you liked an academic activity, maybe a Quiz bowl type thing.
Or if you didn’t like any of it, a service club.
HS is about expanding your horizons and exploring different things. Just make sure you find something that is your thin.
Check out “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport.
“The basic message of the book is this: Don’t wear yourself out taking as many classes as you can and being involved in every club and sport. Instead, leave yourself enough free time to explore your interests. Cultivate one interest and make it into something special that will make you stand out among the other applicants and get you into the toughest schools, even if your grades and scores aren’t stellar. Newport calls this the “relaxed superstar approach,” and he shows you how to really do this, breaking the process down into three principles, explained and illustrated with real life examples of students who got into top schools: (1) underscheduling—making sure you have copious amounts of free time to pursue interesting things, (2) focusing on one or two pursuits instead of trying to be a “jack of all trades,” and (3) innovation—developing an interesting and important activity or project in your area of interest. This fruit yielded by this strategy, an interesting life and real, meaningful achievements, is sure to help not only with college admissions, but getting a job, starting a business, or whatever your goals.”
http://www.examiner.com/review/be-a-relaxed-high-school-superstar
Definitely don’t! You know, clubs were made for students who had an interested in a certain thing. If you don’t like speech and debate and want to try something like chess, go join the chess club and leave speech and debate. Don’t do an activity you hate. Activities were made so you could have fun doing things you love.
NO! Leave it! I was in my school’s political science and debate club mainly because I knew a lot of smart upperclassmen who were in it as well and got into amazing schools. I quit this year. I didn’t like it and I didn’t like the environment. I also wasn’t interested in political science, and believed that I should use my time focusing on STEM instead.
Thank you so much! This was very helpful!