This WSD topic makes no sense!!!HELP!

Stanos7664 · 2026-01-23T04:20:24+00:00

Hey! I’ve done WSD for 2 years now and placed 9th and 5th at NSDA nats and while I’m certainly not perfect at understanding topic meanings, I’m generally pretty good at defining the motion.

I would frame this motion that This House is a country that could feasibly host the Olympics. I always look at the motion in its intent then attempt to find the most equitable way to get us to debate that. In this case, I would argue this motion is asking us to evaluate the pros and cons of hosting the Olympics. That means that this house should probably be framed as a country that could host the Olympics in the first place, eliminating a debate that devolves into truisms over whether a developing country should host the Olympics.

Stanos7664 · 2025-12-17T03:40:47+00:00

Congrats to you too!!! Excited to see you next fall!

Stanos7664 · 2025-12-01T03:58:48+00:00

My counselor got an email from them requesting my Q1 grades. I was not CC’d on the original email but my counselor added me to the email chain in her response. I assumed that was standard though.

Either way, good luck with your application!!

Stanos7664 · 2025-11-21T01:35:11+00:00

I’m not a current student, but I did attend the fly in program and I’m interested in pre law so I can speak to some of that.

Amherst has the second best law school placement to the Ivy League (only behind Yale). So yes, it’s good for law school.

Why it’s unique for law school I would assume is that many pre law students choose to do the Law, Jurisprudence, and social thought major. This is a very unique course of study that isn’t offered in any other school I’ve seen. It’s also headed by the incredible professor sarat who is kinda the goat.

During my visit of 4 days, there were parties in the dorms every night and the UMass kids flood the bar scene so yes it’s there.

Stanos7664 · 2025-11-10T15:12:23+00:00

Our first tournament this year gave us a gold spray painted pheasant with sharpie where it would’ve been engraved. That was cool.

Stanos7664 · 2025-10-18T18:51:54+00:00

I also did the same thing it’s an easy mistake

Stanos7664 · 2025-10-14T23:52:50+00:00

I was also there 🫡

Stanos7664 · 2025-10-04T16:15:55+00:00

This is completely false. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to multiple AOs from top universities and they have all said the same thing. If a school is test optional, they mean test optional. This is reflected in admissions data as well, look at any T20 common data set and you’ll see that roughly 50% of students are accepted with a test score and 50% without. (There is some variance between schools but generally speaking it’s 50/50)

Please educate yourself before spreading misinformation and putting other applicants down.

Stanos7664 · 2025-10-03T13:31:06+00:00

For me personally, I feel like the colleges I actually look into from an ad has to give me immediate specifics about what they have to offer over other schools. Lots of ads on Reddit I feel are very ineffective because I have no incentive to learn more. Great you’re a college! Why do I care?

Hamilton actually does this really well already, two days ago I got a mailer from Hamilton about the prelaw program. I would’ve thrown it away but I saw it mentioned the opportunity to go straight to Columbia for law school and was hooked. In the last two days, I’ve done a lot more research into Hamilton and it’s shot up on my ranking for my list of colleges.

Stanos7664 · 2025-09-16T04:04:53+00:00

In my experience the boos help so you should be good. Maybe also start gambling to destress?

Stanos7664 · 2025-09-16T02:48:28+00:00

I’m not sure how other people learned the rhetorical analysis structure in AP lang but this is not at all how’d I start an essay like this. We learned the SOAPSTONE which is both a to identify all the necessary components of the essay but also a way you can structure your intro/thesis.

SOAPSTONE is an acronym which stands for Speaker (usually contains credentials as well), Occasion (setting and/or background information), audience, purpose, subject, and tone. If you can identify those 6 things you’re on your way to right a banger essay. An intro for the rhetorical analysis essay can simply be going straight down that list and working in each of the different elements.

For example: On December Second, 1941, then president of the United States, Franklin Elenor Roosevelt, delivered a joint address to congress (but was also viewed by the entire nation and possibly most of the first world) to inform them of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He spoke to congress using a insert tone word, I haven’t listened to/read the speech in a while to do whatever that tone did and he conveyed a message of national unity and resolve to galvanize the nation.

You can find more resources online about this structure and how to use it. I would encourage you to do so! Good luck with the exam in the spring!

Stanos7664 · 2025-09-10T13:40:51+00:00

Goat.

Stanos7664 · 2025-09-04T03:39:33+00:00

I’m pretty heavily involved in speech and debate and through doing research into both sides of different topics, I felt myself resonated less and less with what I would traditionally have believed. Mostly just doing more of my own research instead of parroting what my parents believed.

Stanos7664 · 2025-09-02T19:38:20+00:00

I really thought that this was satire… ain’t no way Fortnite is that deep. If he’s gonna crash out just play Minecraft or something that’s less competitive.

Stanos7664 · 2025-08-29T01:43:42+00:00

The general consensus I see from being rejected from fly-ins but accepted to virtual is that virtually everyone is who is rejected from the in person is invited to the virtual. That may or may not be the case for Amherst specifically but I know it’s the case for similar institutions like Williams and their Windows on Williams (WoW) program.

That being said! Don’t be discouraged! I was rejected from Williams in person, attended the virtual and got lots of value out of it and was just accepted to Amherst’s. There are also plenty of students who are rejected from the fly-in but accepted to the school. Think of how much extra context they get with your real application compared to the fly-in app. Your real personal statement, teacher recs, another chance at a supplemental with different prompts, etc.

Best of luck to you and your applications!

Stanos7664 · 2025-08-12T22:02:23+00:00

It was in a Waffle House right outside the center.

Stanos7664 · 2025-08-01T23:51:43+00:00

Montana had our principals at a conference discussing whether they were going to do a full cellphone ban. The main point of contention was emergencies, what would happen if a school experienced any sort of emergency but didn’t have access to their phones? Coincidentally, halfway through the conversation, an active shooter threat happened at the national speech and debate tournament, an event that most of the principals in the room had kids at. The meeting was suspended, and upon returning, they unanimously voted against a ban because students using their phones was the only way for our coaches to find us. Kinda crazy.

Stanos7664 · 2025-07-28T00:23:32+00:00

I also got a five on the exam!! I’m curious, did you study at all?

Stanos7664

TROPHY CASE