<p>I have a general idea of how things work (the various councils, position papers), but I don't understand what exactly goes on at conferences. Could an experienced delegate walk me through a typical day at a MUN conference, like what happens with speeches & etc.? Thanks. :)</p>
<p>Okay... Warning, this is from 2 years ago so some memories are a little fuzzy and it's totally not my scene so this is said by an "outsider."</p>
<p>At the Harvard Model UN conference of '06, there were four Harvard students moderating each caucus/committee. They introduced themselves and make opening statements. They reiterated the issue at hand with the world... and then the games began.</p>
<p>Representatives from countries raised their name plates, got put on list, and went up to speak from their country's perspective on the issue and what they thought was the best way to deal with it. This went on for a few (too many) hours, each caucus. After one or two caucuses, there were two or three prominent views. The two or three countries who headed those views created allies by using Notes, and everyone got together and writes a paper on their view and why it's amazing. </p>
<p>On the last day, the entire committee voted for which was the best way to handle said issue.</p>
<p>^ What she said is basically right. It's a pretty fun experience overall</p>
<p>I've done several MUN conferences, and I am the president of my school's MUN, so I will try to help you by giving you the abridged version of a conference. I'll preface this list by telling you that the information below is based on conferences like Harvard, Princeton, Brown, NHSMUN, and others.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Arrive at the hotel. While this may seem like a non-issue since it is not "the conference," the hotel is a key part of the MUN experience. You'll need to find an acceptable room. I know, I know, you're staying with X,Y, and Z; you've been friends with them since second grade. But I'm sure the fight that you'll have with them on the train ride will derail those plans. Moving on</p></li>
<li><p>Get your bearings straight. Know where you are. Find the necessary places like Starbucks, McDonalds, CVS, the dorm room of a cute guy (joke...). Find a buddy for the trip. Read over your position paper. Prepare your research. Gather some pens and post-its. </p></li>
<li><p>Opening ceremony. Overall, this is the boring part of a MUN conference. Listen to some old white guy babble on about world peace...blah blah blah....Winston Churchill. Leave to get food. Hope that your incompetent advisor has actually registered your school...</p></li>
<li><p>First comittee. First impressions. Be intense. Be like Paris Geller. Inspire fear. Use terse, Hemingwayesque sentences. Meet people. Get involved, or you will be in for a really boring conference. Have a blast</p></li>
<li><p>Stay active in all committee sessions, so that you can win an award. Diplomacy is not always the answer...</p></li>
<li><p>Meet more people. Do NOT close yourself off to anyone who does not attend your school. MUN is a great place to make friends from all around the world. </p></li>
<li><p>Do not be one of those persons who looses his/her virginity at a MUN conference.</p></li>
<li><p>Stay up realllly late talking.</p></li>
<li><p>Eat ice cream</p></li>
<li><p>The time for the closing ceremony will come around in no time! Say good bye to all of your new contacts, and try not to kill any of the annoying people from your school. Trust me, you will want to kill them all..</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In sum, MUN is great. Do it. Love it.</p>
<p>Thank you! These are some very helpful responses.</p>
<p>Also, how is it organized on a more rudimentary level? Like, is each school's team one country? One council? Or is each student a different country and different council?</p>
<p>Each school represents a country. There are several committees and people representing each country decide what committee they want to be on before the conference (as you have to write papers on the issue pertaining to your specific committee).</p>
<p>MUN is the best, so if you are contemplating joining, do so.</p>
<p>Hmmm... I see. What if you don't have as many team members as there are committees? It's OK if there just isn't a representative from your country for some committees then?</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions, guys. Normally I would just jump in and see how things are for myself, but my school actually doesn't have a team and I'm looking into starting one. :) I really appreciate the help!</p>
<p>
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Also, how is it organized on a more rudimentary level? Like, is each school's team one country? One council? Or is each student a different country and different council?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I am a relatively experienced delegate with a coupla gavels under my belt, and although school's are assigned multiple committees, the number of countries varies greatly. The number of countries my delegation has been assigned has varied from 1-23, so it entirely depends on the conference (Bigger conferences tend to assign more countries, while smaller conferences tend to assign less). Normally, delegates represent different countries on different committees, but double delegation occurs at some larger conferences.</p>
<p>It's fine if you don't have someone representing you at a committee. Not every country will be part of every committee anyway (I don't think so, at least).</p>
<p>yeah, not every school's country gets all committees and sections
anyone doing THIMUN (the hague MUN)?
can't WAIT =]</p>
<p>Sorry to revive a somewhat old thread, but I have a new question relevant to MUN.</p>
<p>How often does your school's team meet? How long are meetings? What do you do at meetings? Prepare position papers? Seems kind of like something you could do at home. Is there a better way to spend club time?</p>
<p>Well, to tell you the truth, we're one of those non-competitive, relaxing teams. We usually meet once or twice a month. At the meetings, we discuss the upcoming events, and occasionally do a mock discussion. We usually prepare position papers at home.</p>
<p>Thanks! Any other perspectives? =)</p>
<p>Also, in historical type committees (which tend to be much smaller), you might be assigned a person in history where you and others act out, thought it may be different than reality in the end, a famous scene in UN history.</p>
<p>Most of the main UN committees are the largest at conferences (though it depends on the conference itself) and the more specialized, the more small it gets. Also, the specialized tend to be much more competitive. Let me note that in a specialized committee, more than half will be active. But, in a general committee, about 10-30% will actually be active. Competition is tough in both.</p>
<p>Experienced delegate here. Feel free to ask any questions.</p>
<p>Hello,
I was thinking about starting a MUN team and had a few questions. I read the post on MUN but I need to clarify a few things. First of all, does your school represent one country always, or can a few people represent a country? Also, how many people can be on the team? Our school is small, so would it be OK if only like five or so people are on it or do you need like thirty? How hard would it really be to start up a decent team? I hear that only a few meetings a month are necessary but is that realistic for a novice team?
Also, our school has a limited budget, so how much would a conference cost for a smaller number of students? Which conference should a novice team attend?</p>
<p>1) Your school/team represents one country for every convention. It's almost always different each time. Your team can ALSO be split up into two countries (mine was this year).</p>
<p>2) You can have as many as you want on a team. Each country does have specific requirements, though.</p>
<p>3) I don't think it's ridiculously hard to start up a decent team. 5+ people together and try to know your country like the back of your hand.</p>
<p>4) My team meets 1-4 times a month unless we're doing fundraisers.</p>
<p>5) Conferences are expensive. You have to take into account transportation, transportation fares, hotel expenses, etc.</p>
<p>6) My school did Harvard's MUN conference for our first time. It was pretty hardcore though.</p>