Invaluable Skills by Courtenay

Invaluable Skills by Courtenay - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

I strongly believe that leadership skills are essential in college. There are two key reasons why I believe that having highly developed leadership skills are key for college; it makes one more successful as a student and it sets one apart in the eyes of one’s professors.

For me it is obvious as to why it would be necessary to be a leader while attending a university; college is significantly more challenging than high school and therefore a different set of skills is necessary, these different set of skills are developed leadership skills. In order to be successful in college, a certain level of motivation and responsibility must be assumed, and these go hand in hand with being a great leader. In order to be a great leader one must be willing to take responsibility for their shortcomings as well as being self driven and highly ethical, even if their peers are not. Being a leader does not mean bossing around or placing blame on others, it is standing up for the right thing and finding a common solution that fulfills everyone's needs. Leadership skills are key while attending college because they give a student the tools to be successful in school and when they start working in the real world.

The second reason why I feel that leadership skills are invaluable in college is because it sets one apart as a student and professors take notice of this. If a student is taking time away from their busy schedule to assist a struggling peer, or putting in the extra hours of studying while their friends are out at the bars, their professor would most likely notice this self discipline and leadership role that they are assuming. It will set this student apart from the others because this student is willing to work harder than anyone else in the class and help others along the way.

Overall, the ability to lead and assume responsibility seems necessary for anything that one does in life, but particularly in college. Without these skills a student would not succeed as much and they would not distinguish themselves from any other student.