FAQs
01
What’s the commitment
level being on NSAC?
We’ll be blunt — being on NSAC is a hefty time commitment, and we expect it to be one of your first priorities. NSAC is a three credit class on Monday from 7PM - 9:45PM in the fall and Monday 4PM - 6:45PM in the spring.
Beyond that, you will have department meetings, group meetings, and perhaps research events. Actual work load will depend on the time of year for each department through the advertising cycle.
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That being said, many students are still able to balance NSAC with Greek Life and other organizations. If you prefer being in few high-involvement organizations as opposed to many low-involvement organizations, NSAC is for you. Think carefully about this before you apply; you truly get out of it what you put into it! And if you put a lot into it, we promise you an incredibly fun, valuable experience like no other.
02
Does it matter that I’m not a PRAEM major?
Not at all, we welcome all majors! The perspectives you get from your other coursework are an advantage
03
Do I need a lot of experience to get on the team?
No and yes. We take into account your class-standing; if you’re a freshman, we don’t expect you to have much advertising experience at all, but rather talent or a cool perspective! If you’re a senior, we want to see how you’ve grown and sharpened your expertise over the past three years. Have specific skill sets, such as editing or graphic design or maybe VR knowledge, is a bonus!
04
How is the actual NSAC competition structured?
Our national client will provide all NSAC teams with a brief, typically containing the challenges, objectives, a target audience, a budget, and brand information. The American Advertising Federation will ask us to present our campaign in a plans book, typically due in March and often during spring break– so another heads up. In April, we present our campaign in a 20-minute pitch at a district competition, where we compete with other teams in our district from SoCal colleges. If we place first in our district, we then proceed to a video conference semi-final round. The top 8 national teams selected from the semi-finals of each district will proceed to the national competition in June.