The Great Debater: Embracing Intellectual Curiosity Across Nations and Disciplines

Philosophy major, incoming JD candidate at the University of Chicago, Columbia Debate Society member, and winner of the French National Jessup Cup Moot Court Competition Championship: Varun Mandgi ‘25GS has consistently sought out academic challenges and vigorous arenas of intellectual inquiry. On the eve of his graduation, he reflects on his Dual BA experience and offers advice for current and future GSers. 

Tell us about your path to GS.

I joined the GS community after graduating from my high school in Richmond, Virginia. I had a very normal life: I was a student athlete on the school's wrestling and track & field teams, I competed in debate, and I played for the school band. However, growing up in the same city in which I was born left me daydreaming of what it could be like to live outside of my bubble for a while and learn more about the world.  

My part-time work at an immigration law firm, where I helped asylum-seekers and those seeking better legal status in the U.S., and my participation in a U.S. constitutional theory competition, had also given me a desire to see how other countries manage their political systems. Both experiences had enabled me to confront what challenges U.S. democracy faces in academic and practical settings, and I grew curious about whether other countries may have better solutions to contemporary political debates, such as climate change and immigration reform. 

I found the Dual BA Program and felt an instant affinity: this was a program that would allow me to study at one of the greatest French policy institutes and bring the lessons I learned there back to an American academic context where they can inform my civic participation in American law and politics.

What has been your proudest accomplishment at Columbia?

Last year, I had many opportunities to participate in tournaments with the Columbia Debate Society, and the club's activities have given me some of my most memorable experiences. For example, I had so much fun traveling to Vietnam for the World University Debate Championship, and going to Mexico City for the U.S. University Debate Championship with my very close friends. However, I think my proudest moment was actually competing the UCLA IV virtual tournament with one of my very good friends, Kristofers Krūmiņš, who was an exchange student at Columbia from Sciences Po Paris. Together, we made it to the British Parliamentary semi-finals, and we had an amazing time competing against some of the best debaters in the world.

While my greatest accomplishment at Columbia specifically was my participation in the UCLA IV tournament, my greatest accomplishment over the four years of being in the Dual BA has to be my participation in the Jessup Cup Moot Court competition. The Jessup Cup is the world's oldest and most prestigious moot court competition, and while it is traditionally reserved for law students, my team found a way to register as undergraduates. With two other GS students, Emily Ni ‘25GS and Nathan Darmon ‘25GS, as well as two other non-Dual BA Sciences Po students, I competed and won the French National Championship, and we went on to place top 16 in the world at the international rounds. The journey with my team led to some of my strongest friendships, and I am very grateful for all the opportunities it has given me even after the competition has ended.

Additionally, I recently finished my thesis in the Department of Philosophy, advised by Professor Achille Varzi. My topic was on the applications of non-classical logic to the study of abstract objects in the works of Martin Heidegger. I have enjoyed getting to deep-dive into a very technical approach to one of the 20th century's most interesting philosophers.

Who are some people who have contributed the most to your Columbia experience?

Professor Justin Clarke-Doane has completely changed the way that I look at and engage with philosophy. When I first came to Columbia, I was completely invested in political, social, and ethical philosophical thought, and I had little intellectual energy to spare on what I thought were less important questions in metaphysics, logic, and epistemology. However, it did not take long after I stepped foot in Professor Clarke-Doane's metaphysics classroom for me to realize that these latter questions are at the root of everything else. 

What does it mean to be true? Why is "being a good person" a good thing at all, as-in what is the value of ethical values? What does it mean to arrive at "logical" conclusions about the way the world is? What's more, he connected these important questions to contemporary mathematics and science that I thought I would never need to learn. He encouraged me to seek out knowledge of every form—whether that meant learning about the basics of quantum mechanics, or about the set-theoretic foundations of math—in order to make my pursuit of philosophy as interdisciplinary as possible. 

As a person, Professor Clarke-Doane enabled this inquiry in the most intellectually humble of ways. He never spared us his opinion, as his class often involved him presenting an argument and engaging directly with the most prominent contemporary philosophers' views and writings. He would acknowledge that his class was "propaganda," but nevertheless ask us very genuinely to explain where he went wrong in his reasoning process as he arrived at extraordinarily radical conclusions. He trusts his students to engage with him as mutual intellectual partners in a way that speaks to his faith in our ability to meaningfully grapple with these complex and abstract topics. After taking three of his courses, I definitely cannot say that any of his courses were easy, as answering these questions faithfully with the respect they deserve means putting in an immense amount of work. At the same time, I have loved every minute of it, and his classes have made me into a significantly better student of philosophy.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I will be attending the University of Chicago's Law School in the Fall of 2025 to pursue my JD. While I do not yet know what kind of law I want to practice, I aspire to be the kind of lawyer that advances the public interest through high-level litigation.

What advice would you give to a student who's about to start their GS journey?

GS presents students with so many opportunities to better themselves, enjoy the company of their peers, and learn. At times, it can feel like a lot to deal with, but on balance, I have found that I rarely regret choosing to go out and try new things or learn more. 

My advice would be to take full advantage of your time at GS; don't let the stress of academics rob you of the amazing life experiences you can have at the university and outside of it in New York City. Go for a trip to Flushing in Queens, find the hidden food spots in Brooklyn, and spend time with your friends!