<p>I am planning on attending Illinois Boys State this coming summer. I really want to do well, whether that means being elected to a prestigious position or possibly being nominated for boys nation. Since I have obviously never attended before, I was wondering if any boys state alumns can give me some tips so I can go into boys state with clear goals in order to get the most out of it.</p>
<p>There will be a lot of smart guys there, but sadly the ones who often get elected to high-lvl positions are not always the best qualified. Not always the case, but to give you an example: the two kids who were their parties’ candidate for governor. One kid was only made it that far because he made the last gubernatorial speech of the previous night (everyone was sick of speeches by that time and just chose him because he was the last to speak), the other was just popular.</p>
<p>Needless to say, both failed epicly in the governor debates and the kid who ended up getting elected eventually resigned when everyone realized he was a terrible candidate. Again this wasn’t the case with everyone. The Lt. governors were good guys, and so were the two chosen for Boys’ Nation. </p>
<p>Just get to know a lot of people, really focus on the substance of your speech. Make sure you know what you’re talking about. Be able to defend your position on an issue rationally and coherently.</p>