Leadership Skills are Necessary in College by Catrina

Leadership Skills are Necessary in College by Catrina - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Learning how to be a leader in high school helped me to be ready to attend college. These skills have helped me prepare for college. But using these skills don’t end in high school. Leadership skills are very necessary in college for these three reasons – to succeed in academics, to succeed in sports, and to succeed in working on projects as a team.

The leadership skill needed to succeed in college academics is that of leading yourself. What I mean by that is the voice within you that tells you what you need to do each day to be a great student. Self-discipline in all areas. From waking up, to eating right so that your health is good and ready to learn. Then getting to class on time, taking notes to help you study. Telling yourself to organize your time against your syllabus, and leading yourself to those deadlines. Also, even when you don’t want to, telling yourself “you need help” in a certain class that might be more difficult, and telling yourself it’s okay to accept it. Leading yourself through self-discipline will help you succeed academically.

Leadership skills in sports might not be for every student, but in my case, and for other athletes, it’s very important to take the time to be a “coach” to others. In my senior year, I lead my girls Cross Country team (and now my girls track team), and I found that by doing so, I was able to gain more confidence in my own running. I made better times, and I bonded more with the girls, and had more fun! In college, leadership in athletics will give me the same benefits. Also, I did better academically because of that confidence. By pushing others on your team to do better, as well as giving them coaching support and praise, it’ll not just help you with confidence in yourself, but also help the team improve their times, which affects how far the team will go in succeeding in their division. Not only that, but the bonds a student “coach” in college athletics makes with their teammates, will last a lifetime.

Finally, leadership skills in working in a group on college projects (or even on committees to support the college or students) will enhance your social life and confidence. By leading a study group, a student can actually learn more about that area of study by having to organize the project or agenda. As well, by delegating to others in the group, a study group leader can get other opinions on a subject that will only enhance and broaden their knowledge of that subject. By leading a student activity committee, a student can learn about project management, event management, and will have a more well-rounded campus life. In the end, leading a group on projects in academics or social committees, it’s GREAT on a resume and can help a student find a job even sooner.

Leadership skills in college are very important – whether leading yourself through your own academics, leading your athletic team, or leading a study or social committee group, a student can reap the benefits of good health, organizational skills, social bonding, and more importantly confidence in themselves. All these skills in college will roll over into the outside world to enhance their resume to find the job that they really want.