The Single Best Hobby for STEM Students

The best way to stand out for FAANG and Quant-techs

“Hi! Do you like law, theatre, or acting?

…Me neither — I’m a CS kid and this is my favorite activity on campus!”

This was my impromptu pitch for Mock Trial: the single best way to expand your skillset and develop a well-rounded persona when you’re at school. If you aren’t at school, I’m sure you know somebody who is — and this is some valuable advice to pass along to them.

In short, Computer Science students like myself tend to be very focused on advancing their skills in technology. I know countless people who are both majoring in Computer Science and filling up their extra time with — you guessed it — more Computer Science (in extracurriculars like FullStack and Hack@Uni). And while there’s nothing wrong with that, broadening your horizons can give you an edge to catch the eye of recruiters at Google and Amazon, who are looking at hundreds of thousands of applications a year.

As the pitch implies, it involves both law and acting. Every year, the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) releases a massive case packet for all the colleges around the nation. This packet contains witness statements, exhibits, and other general case materials. Every team will prepare a P (Prosecution or Plaintiff), a D (Defense), and compete at tournaments against other schools throughout the year.

Individuals will pick up roles as attorneys or witnesses. Attorneys give direct and cross examinations, make and argue objections based on a simplified version of the Federal Rules of Evidence, and potentially give opening and closing speeches. Witnesses are actors, portraying a person from the case and trying their best to appear like-able, authentic, and not give too much away to the crossing attorney. As actors, they get to choose a character they want to portray: I’ve seen everything from “Personal trainer” to “Comic-book enthusiast” to “Austrian Cow Herder”.

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