Reviews from students, coaches and parents are in.
The 2009 Georgetown Debate Seminar set a new standard of excellence for summer debate instruction - thanks primarily to the genuinely exceptional efforts of its select student participants.
Georgetown's arguments and teaching methods were quickly modeled by other debate workshops. Student reactions demonstrate why.
Every student stated that they would recommend the Georgetown Debate Seminar to their friends - in an anonymous survey.
Also, a variety of testimonials reveal the depth and intensity of student satisfaction with the GDS experience:
"Georgetown was the best possible choice I could have made for camp this summer. The student to teacher ratio allowed an extraordinary amount of personal interaction with some of the best coaches in the country. My debate skills dramatically increased over the course of the two weeks due to the great advice from our lab leaders. I would suggest to anyone planning to go to camp to put Georgetown number one on their list."
- William Stokes, Baltimore City College, MD
"The Georgetown Debate Seminar will prove to be definitive in the hopeful success I will have my senior year. The campus, lab leaders and learning environment were instrumental in helping me develop new skills and understandings even after two summers of institute. Yes, I improved dramatically at other camps; but I could identify my improvements immediately while at the GDS. I would recommend it for any debater hoping to be nationally competitive."
- Will Thibeau, Glenbrook South High School, IL
"This was easily the best debate camp experience I have ever had. The combination of resources and talent exceeded my expectations by immeasurable amounts.
I really appreciate the individual help you gave me with speaking and affirmative constructives. What you have taught me will go a long way towards making me a better debater. I look forward to working with you again in the near future."
- Daniel Bernick, Henry Sibley High School, MD
"The lectures we had substantially altered my orientation to certain arguments or styles. The combination of lectures from debate and policy experts (ie Josh Branson and Lindsay Harrison) is something that no other camp in the country offers. We got a look at what people do after they finish debate, and this is an important thing that most people don't think about until they go to their last tournament. Finally - every person who wanted extensive personal attention got it. The dedication by every staff member to effective educaiton was incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed the camp, not to mention the beauty of the campus."
- Zane Waxman, Brophy College Prepatory, AZ
"Being new to policy debate, I had initial fears of being in a lab with some of the top debaters in the country. Those fears were stupid, because everyone, particularly the lab leaders, was friendly and incredibly helpful. I feel like I have learned a lot in the past three weeks, and that my experience at Georgetown has been extremely beneficial to my growth in understanding and taking part in policy debate. "
- Madhu Ramankutty, Potomac High School, VA
"It was certainly a different camp experience than my previous years and I was grateful for that. The strength of the lab was outstanding and contributed to my favorite part of camp: the discussions. Although I've been in talented labs with great lab leaders before, for whatever reason I felt that discussions this summer benefited my understanding of debate better than in previous years. The lectures that spawned the discussions were just as helpful - the impact and evidence comparison lectures were my particular favorites. . I also was grateful for the camera, which allowed me to go back, spot my inefficiences, and begin correcting them. Thanks again for allowing me to attend and for helping me in debate as much as you did."
- Campbell Haynes, Montgomery Bell Academy, TN
"I had a fantastic experience at Georgetown, and especially the overall teaching method that stressed the big picture and developing skills that can be applied regardless of the debate argument. I liked the fast-paced intensity that came with covering four weeks of material in half the time, as well as the eleven practice debates for skills development (that was more rounds than the four-week institute I attended last year provided). Using cameras to record us was a fantastic idea, and something I'm going to try to do during the debate season."
- Chloe Chen, Palo Alto High School, CA
"Thanks for setting up the Twitter. Thanks for the post that you did not use the D Metro on the day of the crash. Please continue the morning and night roll call posts - they provide peace of mind for parents."
- Maya Hanna, Tamar Kaplan's mom
"David had a fabulous experience at your camp. He learned a lot, made great friends, and was inspired. Thank you!"
- Barbara Gold, David Herman's mom
