Which Classes Are Best for College?

Public speaking is a critical skill for success in the 21st century. High school students have several strong avenues to explore, including speech, debate, Congress, mock trial, and Model United Nations. With so many options, it can be challenging to determine which one is the best fit. In typical debate fashion, let’s make an argument for each major category.

How to Stand Out

According to CollegeVine, extracurricular activities can be categorized into four tiers of success, ranging from national-level recognition to basic participation. To gain admission to highly selective colleges, students often need to earn highly selective awards.

There are also hundreds of public speaking scholarships available. The NSDA, or National Speech and Debate Association, provides a helpful overview of many of these opportunities.

For speech and debate, there are three key ways to stand out competitively: winning a major national championship to show excellence, winning several smaller titles to demonstrate consistency, or placing on all-state or all-national NSDA leaderboards to display dedication and longevity. Each method is legitimate and can make an impact.

Each major category also gives students the option of creating a leadership-focused service project. Many students have created their own organizations, such as Start with Spar, Equality in Forensics, and Teach Speech.

Why Do Speech?

Speech categories offer several advantages, including the opportunity to participate in multiple events at the same competition. This helps students optimize their weekend and creates more chances to earn awards.

Students can develop acting, memorization, delivery, and research skills. The focus is often on the speech’s message, which allows students to discuss their nonprofit involvement, hobbies, research interests, or personal passions. In other words, speech helps students learn how to describe what makes them passionate. That is an important skill for interviews and eventual college essays.

Speech categories also help students develop a wide range of portable communication skills. From speaking off the cuff to scripting out every moment of a performance, there are categories that fit nearly every style of communication.

Why Do Debate?

Debate categories challenge students’ research abilities, which colleges value. Competitors’ knowledge of various topics is continuously tested. Policy Debate, which is two-on-two, and Lincoln-Douglas Debate, which is one-on-one, require deep research. Public Forum Debate requires students to adapt to a wide range of audiences.

Debate competitors also typically complete more rounds at a given tournament than single-entry speech competitors, which means they gain more experience in one weekend. Knowing how to persuade people at any level of understanding is crucial in any industry.

Why Do Congress or MUN?

Congress combines speech and debate skills. Students must research a variety of topics, make complex research accessible, and stand out in just three minutes. It also teaches direct leadership skills, and there are separate awards for competitors as both speakers and leaders.

Many of the same skills apply to Model United Nations, which also focuses on diplomacy and delegation. Both Congress and MUN tend to award a larger proportion of overall entrants. More students advance to final rounds in Congress than in many speech or debate events, and many students receive MUN delegate awards for both speaking and writing.

To succeed in Congress, a student has to look at the same prompt everyone else received and use delivery, analysis, research, and style to stand out. That is the same skill students will eventually need for applications and interviews.

Why Do Mock Trial?

Mock trial is the most team-oriented event. It helps students develop coordination, communication, and strategic thinking.

ModernBrain’s approach of competing in year-round tournaments can instantly set students apart from others in their area, since most high school mock trial competitors only participate in their local county competition. Mock trial also offers opportunities for both team and individual awards.

For students interested in becoming trial attorneys, mock trial is the best preparation they can receive. Law schools are increasingly valuing trial advocacy, so high school and college mock trial experience can also help students pursue law school trial scholarships.

Why Do Other Classes?

Other extracurricular activities, such as Screenwriting, Creative Writing, Economics, Business, and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, are also designed to support college applications. These classes allow students to express their passions and hobbies in creative ways, which is necessary for standing out.

Each class includes a publication-related or project-based outcome, such as writing a screenplay, participating in a business-related service project, or publishing a game module.

Hobbies and passion projects can be deeply important to a student’s application. After all, there is a reason people still reference the classic example of how beekeeping can help someone get into Harvard.

With generative AI becoming more prevalent, confidence and public speaking skills matter more than ever. Students need to develop the communication skills that help them stand out as thinkers, leaders, and people. Whether they choose speech, debate, mock trial, Model United Nations, or another extracurricular path, each option offers unique advantages that can help them stand out to colleges and thrive in future careers.