In school, students are able to learn a wide range of subjects, from being transported to the past in social studies to coding in the modern age’s most popular programming languages in computer science. However, students may desire to reach the next level. Maybe they want to win awards, gain more experience or simply have fun competing in a subject they enjoy. For students like these, the state of Texas has an answer in the form of University Interscholastic League Academics, or UIL Academics.

According to the UIL website, half a million students participate in the 30 activities UIL Academics offers each year. Almost all of them are linked to at least one class the average high school student is required to take, either as part of their core curriculum or as an extracurricular. Math, science, social studies and English-related subjects are all available for students to compete in, as are subjects like news and feature writing for journalism students or cross-examination debate and Congress for debate students.

“There’s a lot of crossover between standard school material and the material tested in UIL Academics,” sophomore Alex Gilsbach said. “Anyone who studies well in school can have a shot in at least one of the subject’s competitions, but it also challenges you to think critically and distinguish yourself in the subject. And there are plenty of subjects that you can participate in.”

Some UIL subjects require you to think quick on your feet and puts your problem solving skills to the test.  Within UIL Mathematics, competitors can take three tests – standard mathematics, calculator applications, and number sense – which quizzes their knowledge of high school math content with various twists. Of particular note is the number sense category, a mental math competition where the participant is not allowed to write any of their work on paper – all within a time limit of 10 minutes.

“Doing complex equations in your head is definitely difficult,” junior and President of the UIL Mathematics team Gautham Saravanan said. “If you consistently practice with material given to you in UIL Mathematics, though, your brain learns to adapt and solve problems quicker. Each topic will become more and more familiar to you to the extent where it can even help you outside of UIL Mathematics, such as when you’re taking an algebra or calculus test. I’ve noticed it helping me that way, and it’s partially why I encourage others to join.”

Other subjects require you to memorize vast quantities of information about a given topic. In UIL Social Studies, for example, competitors are given a list of readings and topics relating to the Olympics, from its creation to the athletes who have participated in them to how it has affected – or has been affected by – world history and politics.

“Initially, memorizing that much about the Olympics sounded like a chore,” Gilsbach said. “It wasn’t a subject I had ever researched or shown interest in. However, once I began to read up on the topic, I realized that there were so many interesting links between the Olympics and complex political or cultural issues. UIL Social Studies isn’t just a chance to win a couple of awards – there’s a lot to learn on your own time.”

There are three levels of UIL – district, region and state – alongside practice meets, or invitationals, which offer a taste of what the real event will look and feel like. Senior and Captain of the UIL Journalism team Tristan Hernandez, who advanced to State in both his freshman and junior year for editorial writing, also won first in editorial writing, third in headline writing and fourth in news and feature writing at the Jan. 15 UIL Academics Invitational meet, which occurred at Burnet High School. 

“I decided to compete in UIL Journalism because I liked the format of the article prompts and wanted to improve further on my writing,” Hernandez said. “While it’s possible in school, the timed format of UIL Journalism practice competitions makes you think quickly on your feet and really get your writing fundamentals down. Now, as captain, I hope to lead the team into further success using what I learned.”

However, aside from the benefits outside of UIL, it is also an opportunity for competitive students to win awards in subjects that interest them. Junior Austin Jia plans to have a career in computer science, a dream which influenced his decision to join the UIL Computer Science team in his sophomore year. He and his team advanced to State, where they were required to answer questions about the Java programming language and complete various coding problems.

“I’m passionate about computer science and the process of logically thinking through a problem until you reach the best solution,” Jia said. “Computer science is a very self-driven skill, and you won’t learn everything you need if you stick to class material. I like competition and applying my knowledge, and my parents have always driven me to do my very best in any subject that I compete in. UIL Computer Science provides that opportunity for me, as UIL Academics does for all of its subjects.”

Interested students can contact UIL Academic Coordinator Josh Marsh or the heads of individual UIL teams for information about the competition.