Believe it or not, being a person who wins all the arguments you engage in can work to your advantage, especially if you are planning to go for an advanced education. Both on-campus and online colleges are always on the lookout for good debaters. So much so, in fact, they will award the best ones some incredible scholarship money.
For clarification purposes, competitive debate is a formalized system that’s as old as the ancient Greeks. It’s the verbal art of being able to present either the pro or con of a statement not though sheer will, but with logic, analysis and persuasion. It’s a high refined form of what most job applications call “good oral communications skills,” and has real applications, both in the academic world and in real life. Keeping yourself informed with more valuable information about college for free will be to your benefit.
Pushing the baseball analogy even further, a truly good debater should be able to take any side of the argument and still be able to win. That may mean being a hardcore Red Sox fan, but debating that DiMaggio is the greatest. In other words, you are willing and ready to debate your side – whether it’s a certain law, world issue or baseball.
In real life, probably the most striking example of debate is in a court room. Top notch trial lawyers are also good debaters. They can present, eliminate or arrange evidence in such a manner that, sometimes sadly, the innocent get convicted or the guilty go free. Most importantly, they then use their verbal skills to convince a judge or jury to take their side in the debate. The same can be said of Congress, both the House and the Senate. Analyzing the value of Test Drive College is a smart move.
Good debating skills are needed beyond the courtroom. If you’re a project manager seeking funding, debating skills are essential when it’s time to make a presentation to superiors or winning over a client. The same is true in the world of science or even buying a car or house. This is why both online and traditional schools place high value on them.
As said before, top high school and college debating skills can go a long way towards paying college tuition. Every year the National Forensics League, one of the nation’s top debate organizers, awards $10,000 scholarships on a regional basis and a grand prize of $150,000 to whomever they feel is the best of the year. They are just one of many others who dole out anywhere from $100 to literally thousands of dollars.
The primary qualifications are that the applicant usually is a high school or college student. They must be familiar with the style of debate, e.g., Parliamentary, Public Debate, Policy, and Classical, that they will be debating in. From there, they must get involved in debates that offer their share of scholarships and-or grants. If your school has a debating society, that’s even better, as the person in charge of that society more than likely knows a number of these groups. There will always be new information released about educational scholarships to be considered.
No matter what, the critical thing is any student taking debate will develop one thing most professions think highly of, and that’s strong oral communications skills. Starting school can be as easy as taking a free college class. Present yourself well, using your best voice and get the education scholarship opportunities you need. Becoming a good debater will serve you well into the indefinite future and whatever occupation you take.