<p>Hi. At my daughter's high school, they can join either model UN, Mock Trial, or Model COngress? Currently as an 8th grader, my daughter has been participating in Model UN for two years and has enjoyed it very much. She is also interested in Model Congress (held at harvard) as well as Mock Trial. Which one of these would help her get into college?</p>
<p>Student congress is really fun</p>
<p>No particular program is going to help one get into college. It just doesn’t work that way; IMO at least. What your daughter can do is participate in something that she is extremely passionate about. For she will be a happier child and she will probably do more without feeling overworked. What I’ve learned is that colleges aren’t so much looking for a well-rounded student. They are mainly looking to build a well rounded class. If your daughter is interested in politics, go for model congress and excel in it along with history courses, SAT II tests, and writing a dazzling essay that shows this passion. Don’t turn her EC list into a laundry list if activities that may not even guarantee a place in said college’s class of 2022 or 2021 if she’s thinking about Oxbridge. Anyways, good luck with the process if transitioning into high school. Remember to make the most of it yet simultaneously have fun! Your daughter seems quite bright and you seem very caring! </p>
<p>I agree with the previous poster. Your daughter should do whatever activity (or activities) she most enjoys. That way her passion and enthusiasm will shine through in LOR’s and essays when it comes time to do college apps. There’s also nothing wrong with trying out several activities freshman year to see what she really enjoys. Any of the EC’s you listed would be great. My D does mock trial and debate and loves them both. She would probably love Model UN too but there just aren’t enough hours in the day.</p>
<p>Let me clarify that she is interested in all three. Which one would be the most beneficial? </p>
<p>Among these three, the one she cares most about. No one activity is better than another, though there are some that are nearly worthless, NHS and Key Club come to mind, but there is no Secret Formula that if you follow, you get in.</p>
<p>NHS isn’t worthless if your daughter devotes time to it and holds leadership positions. But it’s still nice to have so she can have the sash or whatever it is for graduation.</p>
<p>Sorry, but NHS is diluted so much by schools that have weak programs that although it’s an honor, it does nothing for college admission.</p>
<p>It’s not like schools assign points - you don’t get 10 points for Mock Trial, 8 for Model UN and 6 for Model Congress. What’s important is what your daughter is most passionate about - does she dream of being an attorney? Then go for Mock Trial. Does she long to travel to other countries, and stay up to date on international events? Then Model UN. Does she want to be active in US politics? Then Model Congress. Any of these is a great extra-curricular, involving research, debating, thinking on your feet. All will help her with interviewing skills. </p>
<p>Does she want to continue building on what she’s done in Model UN so far? Or does she want to try something different? How strong is the adviser for each of the programs? How many trips do they take to competitions? What other schools attend the competitions? Are the other kids involved passionate about the prgoram? That’s more important than how it will be viewed by a college, and will affect what she gets out of the program.</p>
<p>I think Model UN (the only one of these offered at my kid’s school) is the best extra-curricular my kids have done. They can hold intelligent political discussions with adults. They are aware of current events. They know how to dress for competitions. They’ve had to work to build consensus. And they’ve had to defend viewpoints they don’t necessarily agree with. They’re fortunate that their Model UN program has a fantastic adviser and enthusiastic student participation. They’ve traveled to many college campuses, and met kids from all over the world at competitions.</p>