Hey everyone! This is the application for UMBC's Model UN Fall Delegation Team. This Delegation will be sent to attend the DC conference hosted by National Model United Nations (NMUN) from Friday, November 10th to Sunday, November 12th, 2023 (yes, we will be staying in the conference hotel for both nights). The full conference schedule (including committee times) can be found
here. This application is due
September 15th, 2023 by 11:59pm. Answer everything honestly and to the best of your ability; we encourage all skill levels to apply! The application phase can be competitive, and we love experienced MUN-ners, but the most important things you display in this application are the effort you are willing to put in and your writing/research skills. Whether or not you are accepted, we encourage you to apply again for our Spring 2024 Team, which will be attending NMUNNY in NYC for a week!
If you are accepted onto the team, any fees or payments will be due by noon on Wednesday, September 27th. We are still in the midst of fundraising/petitioning departments for funds, so we do not have a set cost for the conference, but it has regularly rested around $100. More details will come with your acceptance.
What is MUN? :
Model United Nations (MUN) is an intellectual sport which brings together thousands of students in an attempt to simulate the activities of actual UN organs/agencies while at conferences. At conference, you will meet thousands of other students from across the nation and the world (some of these people become lifelong friends), and become exceptionally skilled at public speaking, internationally oriented research, diplomacy, and problem solving. When we (UMBC's MUN team) register for a conference, our team is assigned a country which each of our team members will represent in their own respective committees. In these committees, delegates (that's you!) will be discussing/debating/negotiating a resolution(s) for one or two topics that the committee is assigned.
Preparation/Requirements : The most tangible piece of preparation that you will work on is a "position paper", which is a 1-2 page exposition on your country's "position" on the one or two topics at hand. We will teach you how to properly research and format this paper. While in committee, you would do your best to truly represent the views of [insert assigned country] regarding these topics.
If ANY of that sounds too hard or overwhelming, we can promise: its not! We will be spending every weekly meeting (the day and time of which will be dependent on your reported schedules once you are selected for the team) up until the conference honing your research skills, learning about our assigned country, teaching you how to craft a solid position paper, developing your public speaking abilities, helping you become familiar with resolutions, and teaching you the ways, means, and flow of committee and conference. We love newcomers to Model UN and do everything we can to accommodate for the learning curve involved!
Aside from the work, Model UN is extremely fun. We will be in DC for 3 days, and you will have time outside of committee to (safely) explore the area and hang out with our team and/or anyone you meet in your committees. Lots of international kids come to these conferences (especially our week-long NYC conference in the spring)!
This application is straightforward. It includes some personal information as well as a short essay that helps us gauge your ability to critically engage with global issues and research. Everyone except for veteran members (those who have attended 2 or more conferences) or current e-board members must fill out that portion.
Once you submit your application, which is due by Friday (9/15) at 11:59pm, we will decide whether we believe you would be a good fit for the team, and notify you of your status by 10pm on Monday (9/18)! If you are accepted, we will send out an email with some essential information, including a form asking for your schedule for the semester so that we can find the best time for weekly team meetings. Our first team meeting will be the following week, so be ready and check your email inboxes frequently!
