Students evaluations of the 2010 and 2011 institutes were overwhelmingly positive.  In 2010, a striking 96 percent of non-seniors said that they would consider attending the camp again.  In both years, over 74 percent of students rated the faculty as “Excellent,” and nearly all rated the camp as a whole positively.  Some particular comments from students:

  • “All of the coaches were amazing. They all had really good, informative lectures and knew what they were talking about. The great thing though was they made it fun and entertaining to be here.”
  • “I’ve really enjoyed being at SWSDI!  I feel like I’ve learned a lot of valuable skills and I love the coaches and the atmosphere they create at camp.  I loved my experience at SWSDI and I will definitely try to come back next year.  All the coaches were very fun, helpful, and informative.”
  • “Provided an in-round focus as opposed to just research periods. Instead of focusing on research and making cases, it actually helped me understand how rounds work better.”
  • “I am legitimately devastated at the thought of going home. This was definitely the highlight of my summer. I am definitely coming back next year. Words do no justice to describe what an experience this was. Loved it.”
  • “I really liked the small size of the lab. We learned a lot, much more than my other camp.”
  • “Better than my experience last year at [a leading policy camp]!  I learned so much and had a great time!  … The atmosphere is super friendly, relaxed, yet motivating.  I never felt afraid to ask/answer a question, unlike last year, and I never felt talked down to.  The people were all fantastic, lab was never dull, the rooms were great, the food was good, and I definitely enjoyed myself.”
  • “I liked how SWSDI treated us like intelligent people, and not just like dumb kids.  Education that I received was exceedingly helpful.  Also, the humor and personalities of the lab leaders made learning much more fun.”
  • “It was fun.  I learned a lot in two weeks—the environment was great, I never regretted signing up at one moment.  Great leaders.  Ran incredibly smoothly.  Time allotment couldn’t have been better.”
  • “You guys made sure we had what we needed and made the experience of debate camp awesome.  You guys always encouraged questions and made sure we understood.  This was one thing I didn’t experience at the other camp I went to.  Seriously, I learned a lot that I needed to understand.”
  • “Easily the best experience of my summer and easily one of the happiest parts of my debate career.”
  • “I feel like I learned a lot, not only about Congress, but about speaking and speech writing in general.  I feel like a much stronger speaker now.  I fully intend to come back next year!”