The Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) is a well-known program throughout the country, as it takes place in all 50 states and includes over 228,000 members. It is a very big competition that takes a lot of preparation and is offered as a year-long marketing class or a club in most schools. DECA competitions start off with a regional competition which then takes the top competitors to compete in the state competition and from there students could have the opportunity to compete in the national competition. This competition could be appealing to the large number of competitive students at BSM.

BSM has been performing in the Business Professionals of America (BPA) competition for many years now. They give students in grades 9-12 the opportunity to compete in the regional event at Anoka Ramsey community college, where they then have the opportunity to advance to state which is held downtown. BSM generally brings a larger group than other schools to this event. It is a similar program to DECA because they both look to prepare students to be college and career ready. DECA is more of a marketing-based program that branches into the fields such as business management, hospitality, and finance. It is an in-depth program that offers a wide variety of competitions that cover many different career paths and expose students to a glimpse of the real world and what it is like to work in that field. In an event such as hospitality and tourism, a student would role-play as a hotel manager. DECA could be attractive to many BSM students as it is a very influential event that could help students decide on their future plans.

DECA provides students the opportunity to learn and enhance their ability to improvise and think on their feet. Students have to apply these abilities at the DECA events such as role play and presentations which reflect real-world situations such as a job interview, where you have to be able to answer tricky questions quickly.

BSM dedicates a year-long course to discovering your path, applying for schools, and deciding on a school for the future. BSM offers a very focused plan that would only benefit from this program if it were offered as another tool for students to use not only to aid in choosing their path but also to help improve the assets of their application to schools. DECA is a well-known program by colleges and could help you stand out during college admissions.