FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Answers You Need
WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?
MUN is an individual competition, meaning all awards are won by an individual's performance and you do not depend on a team. Therefore, the amount of time you put into preparation will correlate to how well you do in a conference. As a general guideline, it takes a minimum of about 3-5 hours before each conference to research, write your paper, and practice speeches. The conferences themselves are usually around 6 hours with breaks and lunch.
Of course, if you put in more time for preparation, you will do better in committee.
DO I NEED TO AUDITION FOR MUN?
Nope! Our club accepts everyone. MUN is an individual competition, so how well you do depends on your own expertise. Our club officers are here to guide and prepare you.
HOW EXACTLY DOES MUN WORK?
As a very brief summary, you are assigned a nation to represent in a committee, and you will try to push policy that supports your own nation. You will be giving speeches to to committee of why your ideas should be voted for, as well as debating against other policy that does not support your nation. For more info, check out our Delegate Resources tab or explore Best Delegate: this site.
HOW DO MUN SIMULATIONS WORK?
To prepare delegates for committee, we usually run short debate simulations during our lunch meetings, running through moderated and unmoderated caucus. We will come up with a fake scenario (Example: 1884 Berlin Conference) and have participating students represent a country. By the end of a simulation, delegates should be able to warm up their debate skills and get the hang of a conference.
HOW MANY CONFERENCES DOES IRVINE HIGH MUN ATTEND?
We usually attend 4-5 conferences a year, and we are trying to open opportunities to go to state conferences as well. You can go to as many or as few conferences as your time allows you.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MUN?
MUN is internationally recognized as a way for students to build leadership and do high-level research. Students gain confidence in public speaking and critical thinking because of the demanding debate environment. MUN also works in the collegiate level, so students participating in MUN in higher education will immediately access the alumni network. Lastly, participating in conferences builds students' awareness of world issues. For more info, visit this page
IS PRIOR EXPERIENCE REQUIRED?
Nope! During our meetings we will practice important speaking/debate skills and provide you with necessary resources. There are also novice level committees at conferences that are intended for MUN students without experience.