Common App short answer

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (150 words or fewer, 1000 character maximum).

During my 10th grade, together with 5 good friends, I took part in a debate competition. We lost miserably. The next year, we got into the semifinals. We were also given the “Best Team Award” ad hoc; in a visit to our school, the organizer found out we’d been preparing for the competition without a team coach. Debate has developed my logical-thinking and rhetorical skills; however, after a few competitions, I came to realize its limitation. I enjoyed debate as an intellectual exercise, but in real life, debate is unlikely to resolve conflicts. Debate needs a common ground on which arguments can be constructed, which is [what] lacking in a conflict. Also, facts alone are cold, yet conflicts are often charged with emotion. To resolve a conflict, we need to acknowledge the underlying emotions and sentiments of all parties involved. That can come through dialogue.

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Thanks to Nicholas for reviewing this piece.
(and everybody for the mental support)