Is MUN really impressive?Answered
Hi guys
I am an international student planning to apply to US this year. So wanted to ask whether MUN is impressive. I have participated in 3 MUN, but it is really rare for students from my country to attend MUN, so what do you think should I include it in my extracurriculars and if yes How can I add 3 MUNs simultaneously?
2. Second question is If I have been a part of a debate club for 2 years and for the 3rd year I have been assigned the president of it should I put it as 1 extracurriculars?
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2 answers
It is pretty objectively not. Unless you were the one to have brought MUN to your school, or you have held some really important leadership role in the secretariat of a decently-sized MUN conference, it is just far too common of an achievement to have.
Also, think about it this way. How many percent of all high schoolers do you think have the time and ability to participate in MUN conferences, given the opportunity? Well that number will be close to 90%, I'd reckon, which I think admissions officers are aware of this.
So, seeing as your participation in MUN doesn't communicate any distinctive initiative or merit on your part, I personally would classify it as a filler co-curricular at best. If you plan on including MUN as like "Activity #9" on Common App, I'd recommend to just omit it. Of course, this depends on your general co-curricular portfolio, and the competitiveness of the schools that you're applying to; however, if you are (or plan on becoming) a competitive candidate for T20 schools, it's nothing major.
While MUN is a fairly common activity for US students to take on, it is more impressive for you because of your circumstances. It is definitely worth it to include MUN on your activities list - you can write about the 3 MUN conferences you went to under one activity description, e.g.:
1. Model United Nations
Description: Ran debate sessions as chair. Participated in 3 MUN conferences in the US and Canada.
As for your second question, the answer is yes. You can explain the different roles you have taken on in debate club in your description.
Hope this helps!
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But yeah, the debate club thing is a pretty sweet semi-filler co-curricular (in the sense that it communicates both some merit and initiative on your part, but it is not terribly distinctive). It should definitely be included, regardless of which universities you plan on applying to.