Conquering Your First Conference

By: Tobi Ojo
Johns Hopkins University '12 

Do terms like moderated caucus, point of reply, resolutions, and position paper seem foreign to you? If they do then you are probably in the same position that I was in the beginning of my freshman year of high school. I had no idea what these things meant, and I surely did not know how instrumental they would be during committee session. Despite this general naivety, the story of my first conference still sticks out in my mind as one of the defining moments of my MUN career.

I am sorry if this comment disappoints anyone, but there is not any magical formula that will guarantee success at a Model UN conference. Sometimes you can try your best and it is still just not good enough. I learned quickly, especially at my first conference, that there will be delegates that are better prepared and better speakers than you, but this tidbit of information should not deter you from giving it your all. As long as you come well prepared, represent your country’s goals to the best of your ability, and give it your best shot, then you can say that you were successful.

After I picked my committee and the country that I would representing, it was my job to start researching. Ask any delegate worth their weight in salt and they will tell you that research is essential to doing well in committee. It is important to know your country’s position, the history of the topics, and information about the other countries in your committee. It is also important to look at past actions taken on the topic. Everything that is important in your research should be put in a binder that you will bring to committee with you so you can have access to it if needed. Many conferences prohibit the use of laptops in committee, so it is important to have hard copies of your information in a centralized place. 

Tobi Ojo has been involved in Model UN since his freshman year of high school, and has won numerous awards at conferences across the United States. Tobi is currently studying International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, where he is co-founder and Vice President of the Johns Hopkins Model UN Team and a senior staff member for the 2010 JHUMUNC conference for high school students.