How Model UN Is Helping One Student Get to Med School

How Model UN Is Helping One Student Get to Med School

Senior Justin Davidson is planning to be a doctor one day, but he’s not taking the same ol’ “study until his brain explodes so that he can make a 4.0 and nail the MCAT” route. He’s throwing Model UN into the mix too.

And why not?

The Harvard Business Review article, “Does Higher Education Still Prepare People for Jobs?,” provides some insight that makes Justin look like a genius already. (After all, he is majoring in biology and minoring in political science and chemistry.) According to the article, colleges and universities “could substantially increase the value of the college degree if they spent more time teaching their students critical soft skills.”

Soft skills are skills like communicating and interacting with others. They’re not skills that you’ll be graded on or you’re expected to learn in college, but they’re skills that will set you apart in school and in your career.

UN-conventional Skills

And learning valuable soft skills is exactly what the PC Model UN program is doing for Justin. He’ll need them in medical school and when he becomes a doctor.

“My experiences in the Model UN conferences have given me an opportunity to work on communication skills both in public speaking in front of large groups as well as discussing and debating issues with individuals,” Justin said. “Also, Model UN has provided me an opportunity to work to develop leadership skills that I can also take with me and apply in medical school.”

And those are not the only reasons Justin works Model UN into his busy schedule. Sure, he could be working out in the Springs Gym or watching ESPN, but instead, he chooses to meet up with his fellow Model UN members once a week to learn more about international relations. It’s why he wanted to help start the program when he was a sophomore in the first place.

“Model UN sounded interesting,” Justin said. “I wanted to learn more about the issues facing the international community.

“I saw the opportunity to help create something and attend and compete in conferences as something I could not pass up.”

Speaking of conferences, right now Justin is preparing for the Model UN Conference that is taking place at PC on March 29. Justin will be there serving as Secretary-General and as chairperson of the World Health Organization. No way he could pass up that gig.

“I’m really looking forward to chairing this committee as it will allow me to connect my interests in medicine and political science,” he said.

We Want to See You On March 29

But Justin doesn’t want to be there just because of what the conference can do for him. He said there’s plenty in the Model UN Conference for you too, and he wants to see you there.

“You can learn more about the international community you’re a part of while also getting to meet and interact with people from across the state,” Justin says.

We’d love to see you on campus on Friday, March 29. Check out the PC Model UN Conference page for all the details and how you can register.