NSD's Philadelphia LD Summer Camp
Bryn Mawr College | Philadelphia, PA
Residential two-week summer debate camp for middle and high school students focused on Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate.
Reserve Your Spot
Limited spots available
Key Info
June 30 - July 13
Residential Camp
6th-12th Grade
LD Debate Focused
Learn the Foundations of Debate.
Elite Faculty
Director Chetan Hertzig has led championship school debate programs for almost 20 years, and oversees a diverse faculty of elite faculty.
Start Your Debate Journey
NSD Philadelphia's LD curriculum is a great starting place for students to begin the journey into the upper echelons of debate.
Beautiful Liberal Arts Campus
Bryn Mawr College is gorgeous, self-contained, and located in a quiet suburb of Philadelphia, perfect for students new to college settings.
4:1 Student to Instructor Ratio
We pride ourselves on providing personalized attention and interactive education for each NSD camper and ensure a 4:1 student to teacher ratio.
Over 5,000 happy Alumni love sharing their love for NSD
Best debate experience
"If I could choose any camp to go to in order to feel prepared for a new year of debate it would be NSD - it provided the perfect balance of education and friendliness, both ideals any camp should strive for, yet not many achieve."
Lilly Broussard
NSD Philadelphia LD Alum
Best debate experience
"I met friends who I still stay in contact with today. Compared to other debate camps, I would say NSD has a more rigorous curriculum - it was very challenging yet rewarding. NSD prepared me well for the two most important seasons of my debate career."
Evan Li
2020 LD Debate Champion
(1st Place out of 5000+ Competitors)
Best debate experience
"NSD stood out with its camp tournament, flexibility in debate styles, and the opportunity to compete and learn with the top debaters in the US. I became more confident in my skill level and knowledge in debate and left better prepared to debate with or against any style of debate."
Zion Dixon
2022 LD Debate Champion
(1st Place out of 5000+ Competitors)
Best debate experience
"I attended NSD for four years and it played a transformative role in my debate career. NSD's faculty are unparalleled and boast a diverse skillset in argument style and content. More importantly, I made friends at NSD that I still spend time with today, even in college."
Animesh Joshi
2020 LD Debate Championship Runner-Up
(2nd Place out of 5000+ Competitors)
Best debate experience
"NSD was responsible for a large part of my growth in competitive success in debate. Compared to other debate camps, NSD was very accepting of any and all arguments. To potential families looking to attend NSD, know that there exists faculty who care just as much about the well being of the kids attending as they do their educational growth."
Tajaih Robinson
Alumni & Harvard Invitational Champion
Best debate experience
"I attended NSD Flagship for a summer going into 11th grade. I was pleased with the amount of 1:1 interactions and individual attention I received from my lecturers and teachers. Whether it's drills, mentor time, or office hours, I improved tremendously because of the detailed feedback I received. I would recommend NSD to any debater."
Austin Li
Best debate experience
“NSD was hands-down the best debate experience I had during my high-school years! The Instructors were incredibly knowledgeable and were willing to spend that extra one-on-one time helping me with anything I wanted to learn.”
David Herrera
LD Flagship Alumni, TOC Qualifier
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Our students' success speaks for itself.
In the last 3 years, our alumni have achieved:
#1
#1 Rated Debate Camp
*based on student rankings/bids
600+
Bids
5000+
ALUMINI
500+
Speaker Awards
NSD CONTINUES TO HELP STUDENTS GET INTO THESE TOP COLLEGES
Student Life at the Bryn Mawr College
NSD Philadelphia fosters a close-knit, driven, and fun environment for students to learn, hosted at a renowned liberal arts college.
About Bryn Mawr College
Located in a safe and quiet Philadelphia suburb, Bryn Mawr College campus is beautiful, self-contained, and perfect for students who are attending camp at a college or university for the first time.
Fun Free Day Activities
At the midpoint of camp, students have a “free day.” Under camp supervision, students are able to explore campus, participate in camp organized games, attend supervised outings to local attractions, or spend the day with family if expressly authorized by a parent guardian.
Amenities
Faculty accompanied pickup and drop-off service on arrival/departure days is available for PHL airport and the Philadelphia Amtrak station
Campus amenities include Air Conditioning (AC) in dormitory rooms, cafeteria, and classroom buildings, convenient gym access, and bedding
High-speed Wi-Fi everywhere on campus, and computer access in the library
Lunch and dinner in campus dining hall included in the meal plan, with breakfast options easily accessible on campus
Conveniently located on-campus cafe and student center for snacks, meals, and fun games
NSD campers reside in this scenic and comfortable dormitory
Each year 300 students arrive and thrive on this campus
Students are engaging in a Elective Seminar
This is an example of what one of our Lab sessions looks like
We are proud that our students not only learn but also gain lifelong friends.
Reserve Your Spot
Limited spots available
Built for Student Success
Each NSD camp is built on a core set of values. Our Philadelphia LD camp is designed to help students leave camp with a strong foundation in the debate skills that will enable them to excel at the regional and national level.
- Perfect for all levels, including beginnersWhether a student is new to debate or a debate veteran, we have a curriculum track designed for their experience level
- Core skills, with room for exploration
Our core curriculum ensures student mastery of core debate skills, while our mentorship program, seminar system, and office hours provide students freedom and support to develop their own intellectual interests - Emphasis on active learning
Our students do not sit in large rooms and listen to lectures; they collaborate, discuss, engage in structured practice, and argue–all in small group settings
Tom Evnen
NSD Executive Director
Championship Coach @ Lake Highland Prep
Chetan Hertzig
Head Coach @ Harrison High School
Championship Coach @ Lake Highland Prep
Syllabus
Students are grouped into labs based on experience level, which we assess by gathering information prior to camp, and these groups form the heart of the NSD experience. All NSD labs maintain a 1:4 instructors to student ratio, to enable an active, small group collaborative environment. NSD treats all students as equally important by assuring individualized attention to each and appointing veteran national circuit instructors to work in every lab. Each lab is led by both senior and junior faculty members. Labs focus on developing and leading students through a robust lifecycle of skill development that emphasizes repetition, implementation and skill mastery.
4:1 student-to-faculty ratio, or better, with a small group of 10-14 students
Led by the best debate minds in the country
Receive a core curriculum that is appropriate for each student’s level
A “homeroom” environment that meets consistently over the course of camp, so that lab leaders are familiar with each student’s needs and progress, and students form close-knit friendships
Labs enable us to teach students the core curriculum in a small group environment that facilitates the introduction of new concepts through discussion, structured activities, and collaboration in small groups
Great opportunity for fun bonding times, with lab dinners and activities for socializing
Rather than teach our core curriculum through large group lectures, we supplement daily lab meetings with additional instruction from specialist faculty who rotate in to teach in lab. Rotations consist of three 2-hour blocks of time (one a day for three days) during which labs receive instruction on specialized topics by two instructors who are experts in those topic areas. Rotations capture the benefits of large group lectures (introducing students to new staff, and allowing the staff to speak on their strongest topics), but retain the unique benefits of lab (hands on instruction, small size, and the ability to effectively and immediately reinforce topics with drills and homework).
Learn specialized topics in debate from instructors who are expert in those topic areas
The small group lab setting is the perfect way to teach students in an environment that facilitates the introduction of new concepts through discussion, structured activities, and collaboration in small groups
Rotations meet over several days, so instructors can provide students with readings, drill materials, and assignments to be assessed at the next meeting
Learn the core curriculum through active learning and hands-on small group work
Each student is assigned a mentor group, with one faculty mentor and a total of four students. Mentor groups meet almost daily for the duration of camp, so that mentors can track students’ progress and needs over the course of camp. This creates a terrific environment for students to receive a specific curriculum tailored to each individual student’s needs and interests. In mentor group, students receive customized drills, ask questions they have from other parts of their curricular day, and work on research projects and case construction.
4:1 student-to-faculty ratio, or better
Groups are matched by experience level, so that each group is a set of peers with similar needs
Forge close connections with mentor and fellow mentees, and provide students an additional instructor who will closely track their progress throughout camp
Receive structured drills, feedback on cases and assignments, assistance with special research projects, and the opportunity for Q&A’s in a small group environment
Great opportunity for fun bonding times, with mentor group dinners and activities for socializing
All students attending NSD have practice debates on most days, judged by our expert instructors, who provide extensive round feedback on what students should do to improve. Some of these rounds will occur in the annual NSD Camp Tournament, which provides a competitive opportunity for students to showcase the skills they have learned over camp.
Rounds are paired based on skill level, so that students debate rounds with peer competitors
Great opportunity for students to implement the new skills they learn at camp and receive feedback from experts on the arguments they have written
Each round is paired with structured, expert feedback on the details of each speech
Practice rounds provide excellent material for instructors to lead students through structured “redo” speeches, so that students make steady progress on debate skills
We end most days with office hours, modeled on the office hour system used by many colleges and universities. During office hours, all of our faculty are available to meet with students individually (or in small groups, if they prefer), and students are empowered to select the topics for each of their office hours meetings. This makes office hours an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about topics that interest them, develop new skills, receive assistance on homework, and do structured practice by redoing speeches from rounds they have debated or by having instructors create custom drills calibrated to their needs.
Access to all of our top faculty
One-on-one meeting time
Students select what they would like to work on
Receive customized drills, assistance with homework, and insight from top faculty
Paired with open work time, so that students can switch fluidly between office hours meetings with faculty and collaborative work with their peers
In elective seminars, students learn about niche topics–from debate strategy to philosophy to political theory–from specialist instructors. Students choose from a wide range of elective seminar options, so they can attend the seminars that most interest them.
Seminar offerings provide options for students of every skill level, from novice to advanced varsity
Opportunity for students to chart their own course, and select topics in areas of debate and academia that spark their interest
Learn from faculty who are most specialized in and passionate about the seminar topic area
Great opportunity for students to interact with additional instructors at camp
With the introduction of concepts, example materials, and research tips, seminars are a great way for students to jump start their own work on a seminar topic
Students have the opportunity to practice and showcase their new skills in a supportive, educational environment with our end of camp tournament. All students participate in preliminary rounds, and students who perform well also participate in elimination rounds, which also serve as showcase demonstration debates for all students to watch.
All students participate in six preliminary rounds, with helpful analysis and feedback from our faculty judges
Qualifying students debate in elimination rounds, while other students have the opportunity to learn by watching those rounds and hearing judge feedback
“Break out” elimination rounds, so that the top younger debaters have more opportunity to make it into elimination debates
Tournament-like structure allows students to familiarize themselves with the real, in-person tournament environment
Opportunity to practice competing against top students, with excellent faculty judging
Students watch demonstration debates on the camp resolution from our younger faculty, many of whom were recently nationally top ranked debate competitors. Demonstration rounds are moderated by senior faculty, who break down the round with students in-between speeches, answer student questions, and provide a post-round analysis.
Demonstration debates featuring recent top competitors help familiarize students with the camp topic, as well as high-level debate strategy and execution
Debates are divided by skill level, so that students receive demonstrations that are attuned to their level of background knowledge and their curricular needs
Expert moderation assists students in understanding demonstrations in-depth, speech-by-speech
Materials for demonstration debates (cases, rebuttal speech documents, etc.) are distributed to students, so that they can be used for student drills
With any camp registration, students receive free access to NSD’s Skill Builder pre-camp curriculum. Skill Builder features stand-alone curriculum modules intended for independent study, built by top faculty. At camp, we want our students focused on the most valuable aspects of our sessions: intensive, interactive instruction that amplifies and deepens students’ existing skill sets and builds new ones, learning deep skills in specialty areas from top faculty, and participating in a supportive learning community with peers. Skill Builder helps students solidify background skills ahead of camp, so students can focus on what matters most while they are at camp.
Purposefully built by top debate coaches to help students improve their debate skills through focused, individual work
Step-by-step, easy to use modules with tools to improve their debate skills and arrive at camp ready to maximize their improvement
Includes drill materials and rubrics for self-assessment, so students can practice on their own
Great for students with skill areas they want to improve before camp, and for true beginners who want an introduction to debate before camp
Helps students focus on the most valuable work at camp, not on catching up
Lincoln-Douglas Philadelphia Faculty
NSD faculty combines the competitive insights from debating and coaching national championships with the classroom skill of lifetime school teachers. NSD offers students the unique opportunity to receive dedicated personalized feedback to build confidence with key concepts and skills.
Lincoln-Douglas Philadelphia Schedule
9:45am
Dorm Check-out
10:00 - 12:00pm
Lab
12:00-1:30pm
Lunch
1:30 - 3:00pm
Lab
3:00 - 5:00pm
Practice Rounds
5:00 - 6:00pm
Mentor Group
6:00 - 7:30pm
Dinner
7:30 - 8:30pm
Elective Seminar
8:30pm
Dorm Check-In
8:30-10:00pm
Office Hours
10:30pm
Bed Check
Pricing (Lincoln Douglas Philadelphia)
Residential (2 Weeks)
$3,095
Dates: June 30 - July 13
Includes Tuition, Housing, Meals
Free Access to Skill Builder Program
Paymen Due Upon Registration
Limited spots available
Commuter (2 Weeks)
$2,695
Dates: June 30 - July 13
Includes Tuition and Meals
Free Access to Skill Builder Program
Payment Due Upon Registration
Limited spots available
If you are unable to attend camp for the full duration due to conflict in schedule, please contact us about attending camp for a subset of time.
We are committed to providing low-income students with access to our camp programs through need-based scholarships. If you are interested in applying for financial aid, please view our scholarships page.
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