The United Nations is one of the largest and most powerful organizations in the world. It’s an organization where all states come together to better the world. For many people, the work done within the United Nations and how these things actually get accomplished is a big question. I myself was confused as well, until I joined Model United Nations. MUN is a simulation of what goes on in UN committees. Basically, each school is assigned a country, and each person within that country is assigned a real committee within the UN. You got to these conferences and negotiate with other countries to make a resolution on the problem your committee is assigned to work on. It sounds somewhat simple, but it can be very complicated. Countries are constantly disagreeing with each other and trying to come up with fresh ideas. It’s a great experience though, and here are some reasons why students who have the opportunity to join this organization should.
1. Travel
All of these conferences are held in major cities throughout America. The main ones are in Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, and the the most recent one I went to was in San Francisco. Being a part of MUN gives you the great opportunity to see different places while still doing it for educational purposes. Also, these trips are paid for by your school so you don’ have to worry about your bank account taking a huge hit. I don’t know too many people who would turn down a trip to California, do you?
2. Global Knowledge
When being given a country to represent, you are expected to do so adequately. This requires a decent amount of research of their stance on not only the topics within your committee, but their current stance on all issues. You learn things about countries that are completely surprising to you. Being more knowledgeable is something that everyone should strive for, and MUN forces you to do so. You are also are forced to think in an unbiased perspective and to think creatively about solutions to solve realistic and difficult problems affecting the world.
3. Meeting People
The schools that come to these conferences are from all over the region of the area the conference is being held, and there are several that will be from completely opposite sides of the country. This gives you the opportunity to not only meet new people but to get a different perspective of things from them. A student from Texas and California are not going to have the same background, and that’s what makes it so much more fun. Also, these people like to have a good time after committee is over. So if you’re itching to go out, or to just stay at the hotel and chill, you can always find a group of people to hang out with.
4. Looks Good on a Resume
MUN consists mostly of a lot of negotiation and tactical thinking. You are spending long hours doing business with others to perfect the resolution you want to put forward. This is something that looks great to employers, and shows that you are not only intelligent but that you are a diligent worker. Also, it proves that you are knowledgeable on a global scale. If you are looking to work somewhere that has relations with other countries, this could be a major benefit.
I hope that for anyone who reads this gives thought to join MUN. It’s a wonderful experience that not many other students are lucky enough to get, so it should be taken advantage of while still given the opportunity!
