Frequently Asked Questions

MVFBLA is commonly asked some questions by interested students and also by parents and the community as well. Here are a few common ones - if your question is not listed here, we invite you to ask any one of our officers.

What does MVFBLA offer?
MVFBLA offers students the opportunity to take their skills beyond the classroom - through exciting competitions and leadership workshops, students can gain real-world experience that will help them in their future careers.

What is the difference between FBLA and DECA?
FBLA and DECA are the two business clubs on campus, both amongst the leading chapters in the nation. It is said that the "only gangfight you'll ever see at Monta Vista is between FBLA and DECA," and while this is an exaggeration obviously, there is some fierce rivalry between the two organizations.

For the most part, FBLA and DECA offer similar quality events and experiences. However, in addition to competitions, MVFBLA has a strong projects team that has in the past created its own projects, in the Community Service, American Enterprise, and Partnership with Business areas. Anyone can become a project lead, including Freshmen. Projects provide an excellent opportunity to get involved in MVFBLA and gain leadership experience. Past projects include teaching ESL classes, teaching business to Kennedy Middle School students, partnering with Russel Leong Design, and Healthy Life Campaign.


Website	http://www.mvfbla.org	http://www.mvdeca.org
Competitive Events	50+	40+
Competitive Focus	General career skills and business including technology, individual oral, individual written, team oral, and team written	Marketing, business plans, business research
Conferences
Leadership Conference	Leadership Development Institute (LDI)	Leadership Development Conference (LDC)
Local Conference	Bay Section Leadership Conference (BSLC)	Northern California Career Development Conference (NCCDC)
State Conference	California State Leadership Conference (CASLC)	California Career Development Conference (CACDC)
National Competitions	National Leadership Conference (NLC) - Attended by members from the US in addition to Canada, Peurto Rico, and a number of countries in Europe	International Career Development Conference (ICDC) - Attended by members from the US in addition to Canada, Mexico, and Guam
Conference Times	Usually during weekends, may miss 1-2 days for SLC. NLC is held during the summer.	Conferences held during school days and miss around average of 4-7 days per year. ICDC is held before AP testing.
Club Information
Meeting Times	Thursdays, Lunch	Wednesdays, Lunch
Study Sessions	Saturdays	Saturdays
Prelims	Interviews for oral competitors and written tests for written competitors	No prelims
Membership Dues	$15.00	$45.00
Alumni Futures	Alumni have gone to schools such as UC Berkeley, Brown, Wharton, UCLA, UC Davis, USC, and Princeton	Alumni have gone to schools such as Arizona State, BYU, and UC Berkeley

All of the information above has been verified by an authorized agent of MVDECA.

I'm not interested in business. Can I still join?
Sure! MVFBLA offers you many opportunities outside of pure business - our competitions span from business to programming and software development, and we offer workshops and opportunities to learn skills that will serve you no matter what career you decide to pursue.

Are all competitions tests?
Of course not! We get enough of them at Monta Vista already :P While we do offer tests (written competitions), we have oral competitions such as Business Presentation or Parliamentary Procedure, and also technology competitions such as Internet Applications Programming.

What kind of activities do you do in FBLA besides competing?
Besides competitions, we have exciting projects and workshops, in addition to fun conferences. Besides just being a club where you can gain experience and learn new skills, FBLA is an opportunity to meet new people and network with people from all grades at Monta Vista, establishing life-long friendships. More than just a club, FBLA is a lifestyle. An FBLAmazing lifestyle!