#smith debate

1.) Friends: A lot of my closest friends at Smith are people I met through debate. Tournaments are such intense, fun places that you bond super quickly. But I also have friends through debate from all other colleges!

2.) Time Management: Balancing debate and school (& work & all my other activities) takes so much diligence. Since I am traveling and debating for 2 days about every other weekend, I have learned how to properly manage my time. I don’t leave for tournaments with any work unfinished.

3.) Public Speaking Skills: Everytime I give a presentation in class, I am not nervous. After having to give speeches on niche topics I know nothing about with no preparation, presenting on research or a project from class is so easy.

4.) Critical thinking skills: When you debate for a while, you develop these incredible analysis skills. Give me an argument, and I can tell you at least 5 reasons why it is wrong.

5.) Exposure to a wide set of ideas: Smith is a liberal place. There is obviously still a lot of diversity of thought at Smith, but APDA has thousands of different types of people. I love being challenged on my beliefs!

Want to travel all across the U.S., and even the world? Want your visits to places like Boston, NYC, Chicago paid for by Smith? Want to engage in meaningful, critical conversations about politics, popular culture, ethics, philosophy and more? Check out Smith Debate Society on Instagram and Facebook for more! All are welcome-no debate experience necessary!

This past weekend, Smith Debate Society hosted our own tournament. Schools from all across the country came to compete-including BU, Brandeis, Brown, Amherst, UChicago, Harvard, and many more. Schools don’t compete in their own tournaments, so our team had a great time judging & running all the rounds this weekend!

This past weekend, the Smith debate team took on Yale’s Debate tournament in New Haven, CT. Debate is an excellent way to make friends from a variety of colleges, and to engage in critical discussions about politics, economics, and current events! This weeks topics included right to work laws, presidential authority in Post-9/11 US, and marketplace feminism. Even better, Smith pays for your travel, housing and food while you are on Debate tournaments!

After competing, we raced to Yale’s Rare Book Library, and spent a solid chunk of time staring at books. Pictured below is me and my debate partner, the library, and a picture from the main gathering space at the debate tournament!

A personal highlight was bonding with a bunch of other women debaters as we tried to find the only women’s restroom in Yale’s engineering building. Apparently, this is a normal problem on a lot of college campuses, but something I have never experienced at Smith!