申请好大学， 小中难， 小中男更难。很多华人父母心里着急，却无从下手，赶着娃做这个，做那个， 娃累，父母更累，效果却不明显。怎么办？ 我从一个父母的角度谈一些我们育娃的亲身经历。
和很多华人孩子一样，男娃从小懂事但是性格内向。印象中很深刻的两件事情，小学的时候，有一次我参加娃班里的一堂课程，老师提问，我在旁边示意他回答，他因为胆怯而没有举手，让我颇感失望。还有一次，初中的时候，小区里很多同龄小朋友在我们家门口party, 我想让他去参加，也认识一些朋友， 他不愿意出去，再说他，他甚至要哭了。当时的我对娃有深深的忧虑。
但是娃有一个优点，就是敢于尝试，敢于挑战自己。高中的时候，他参加了辩论队， 当时我们都很诧异。9年级刚开始的时候，有半年的时间， 娃是输多赢少， 但是辩论快一年的时候，娃摸到了门道， 开始进入角色。10年级开始，娃开始和比自己高年级的同学同台竞技，而且不落下风，11年级开始展露头角，直到在全国冠军杯辩论大赛夺冠。
娃在辩论上的成绩极大的增加了他的信心。娃后来参加了州内的高中生商业创意大赛，并连续两年夺得冠军。 记得娃第一次夺冠的时候，州内排名最高的高中是得了第二名， 他们的带队老师觉得不可思议，要去judge那里appeal。 因为他们高中有最好的教练和资源，而娃什么都是要靠自己。我问娃怎么赢的， 娃说我练过辩论。
娃申请大学的时候，因为他们的那个program比较特殊，当地没有什么校友， 面试的时候， 学校找了一个老印的CEO过来Zoom面试娃。 老印面试小中男，结局大家可想而知。娃沉着冷静，和老印侃侃而谈了一个多小时，老印最后说了一句话 "I am really, really impressed"。
娃后来被一个辩论俱乐部 （debate club）聘请为专职教练，另外也有不少学生课外找他跟他学习辩论， 娃似乎很适合当debate coach, 他已经有好几个学生在辩论上取得了不俗的成绩，有的曾经得荣获 Harvard debate invitational 的 top 4 和 Yale debate invitational 的 top 4的好名次。而且， 娃也很惊喜的看到他的学生今年大学申请取得的可喜的成绩，录取的学校已经有 Harvard, Princeton， Duke, 和 Cornell了.
小中男普遍优秀，但是绝大多数缺乏外在表现力，关键时刻， 不敢， 或者不善于表达自己，从而失去很多机会， 无论是在学习还是在工作上。不是说小中男不具备这些能力，而是缺少训练。 学习辩论是一个有效的建立自信和提高公众演讲能力的方式。你想让你的孩子变得自信吗？你想让你的孩子在面试的时候迅速获得面试官的好感吗？你想让你的孩子在大厅里对着几百上千的听众侃侃而谈吗？ 如果是，我推荐你们参考一下以下的一个的debate camp。最优秀的辩论教练，最好的朋友圈， 一定会有惊喜， 一定会有收获。 联系人方式在下面， 可以讲流利中文。
Studies consistently reveal that students engaged in debate not only experience a 36% boost in standardized testing scores but are also 7 times more likely to secure admission to an Ivy League university.
If you're interested in getting your child involved in debate, check out Libertas Debate Academy (https://www.libertasdebate.com/): a premier online debate camp from June 24th to July 8th tailored towards coaching students to excel at national tournaments like Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton. Our camp warmly welcomes kids of varying experience levels, ranging from absolute beginners to seasoned national debaters.
Many parents often ask me what makes Libertas Debate so unique. Here’s my answer:
National Debate Champions: We are the only debate camp in the world that ensures every instructor is a USA National Debate Champion, with our coaches winning tournaments like NSDA Nationals, Stanford, Columbia, and the Tournament of Champions (over 28 national championships in total). Each student is guaranteed to work 1-on-1 with a national champion to hone their critical thinking and persuasive communication skills.
Accessibility: Debate is widely expensive, and current debate camps charge their students over $3,500. We aim to offer superior levels of teaching at a cost over $2,000 cheaper than alternatives. During our two-week camp session, students will gain over 100 hours of personalized coaching from the best debaters in the country for a fraction of the price.
Sculpting Leadership in Debate: Unlike other debate programs, beyond teaching students how to win tournaments, we also emphasize the importance of becoming leaders in the community. Every instructor has extensive experience leading 501(c)(3) nonprofits in debate, impacting tens of hundreds of debaters worldwide while getting acceptances to top universities like Harvard, Yale, Duke, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania. We aim to teach students how they can leverage debate to gain leadership and create impact, making long-lasting strides for future college applications.
If you’re at all interested, please register by clicking on this link. Current tuition is $1,399 with a $100 early bird discount for those who register by January 15th. Our spots are filling up incredibly fast, and I would love to see your child attend this summer! Additionally, if you ever wish to schedule a quick 20 minute phone call with me to ask further questions, please do so here - I would love to chat!
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William Hong
Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T) | University of Pennsylvania '27
The Wharton School | School of Engineering and Applied Science
hongwil&wharton.upenn.edu | (615) 892-Eight991
