My name is Jason and I am a US history teacher and a Model United Nations faculty advisor at my school. After attending the National High School Model United Nations for over 6 years, I am really thinking about considering other options. NHSMUN 2018 was a completely different story compared to previous editions: the numbers were halved, the AG was half empty and the logistics were terrible. My students and I had to wait more than two hours to get into the UN and we had been queuing since 6:30 AM! I understand that there are security regulations that must be adhered to when entering the UN headquarters, but it could have been handled better.

In the end, we spend more time waiting outside than inside the GA Lounge. Furthermore, they claim to be the “world’s largest Model United Nations Conference, with hundreds of schools and thousands of delegates attending from all over the world”, when clearly the conference that was taking place at the same time on Saturday had the twice as many delegates and I had the UN committee for the whole day instead of 30 minutes, the time that my students and I spent. When it comes to internationality, the conference had basically all Americans with some Italians who couldn’t even speak English and were holding up work in committees.

Now let’s talk about fees. Although I understand that there are tremendous costs behind these types of conferences, by doing a little research you will find that there are conferences here that charge a very small fee like 30 USD like GCMUN or offer over 1500 scholarships including housing financial aid like FWWMUN.

Not to mention the absurd and disproportionate accommodation rates that IMUNA offers (379 USD plus tax when the same room is available on Booking.com at 250 USD including tax) and the senseless penalty fee in case you choose to stay at a different hotel , without allowing participants to choose a cheaper option. IMUNA claims to be a non-profit organization, but it seems clear that beloved Max and Hannah Ross are becoming millionaires on our shoulders.

In general, NHSMUN-IMUNA does not reflect the values ​​they advertise, they are looking for profit and there are better and more affordable options in New York City that I recommend you consider and explore. Keep doing MUN and see you at the next conference around the world!