Leadership Is an Advantage, Not a Necessity by Felix

Leadership Is an Advantage, Not a Necessity by Felix - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

As a college student, one must be able to take the building bricks of high school and piece them together in order to become as efficient as he/she can be in college. A college student must be able to work under unique circumstances and collect the most knowledge from a class, whether he or she is the only student in the classroom or one of a hundred. In the mix of over potentially one hundred people in one class and over ten thousand students on the campus, leadership is a vital characteristic to possess. Although leadership is an essential advantage that may carry one through and beyond college, it is not necessary to succeed in college. Leadership is not only evaluated by how well one person can direct a group of people, but also analyzed by how well that same person can create an influence as a supporting role.

During freshman year of college, most of the first credits that are obtained are the general education credits, gained by the completion of basic courses such as Calculus and Physics. These courses are largely independent, and require very little use of leadership skills to award a person the credits for general education classes. As soon as freshman year is accomplished that's already one quarter of a person's collegiate education that was barely impacted by leadership skills. If the person is pursuing an associate's degree, that's fifty percent of their collegiate education without the use of leadership skills. The ability to use leadership skills is extremely dependent on the classes you select.

Another thing to take into consideration is that each and every professor in the college that a person is enrolled in teaches his/her class in various ways. Some professors prefer hands-on work, while others may stick to written assignments and tests. The chance for a person to showcase his/her leadership skills may come and go, depending on the professor that runs the class. Classes range from just a few students to a water-tight classroom full of students, who all share the same common goals. It is quite challenging for the professor to evaluate the leadership capabilities of every student he/she teaches in one session, and even more challenging to do so for the rest of the classes that the professor teaches in one day. Leadership is not a trait that a person can freely exercise; it is also dependent on the way a professor teaches and how often the opportunity is given for a person to present his/her leadership skills.

The ability to lead others-- along with the requirement of leadership skills-- varies depending on the major that a person attends a college or university for. Students who attend college for performing arts-- such as acting, singing, or dancing-- require different characteristics than those who attend a college for academics. A performer may need great confidence and consistency skills over leadership, as opposed to a student studying criminal justice or human physiology, where leadership is crucial. Extra-curricular activities very, as well. Members of a choir rely on communication skills and the ability to balance the sound of their music, where sports teams rely on players with leadership skills to propel their team within winning distance in the final minutes of the game. Leadership is a trait that changes in importance with respect to the field of study that a person is pursuing.

Leadership skills are undeniably useful, but the opportunity to use them and the importance of them are affected by several factors. A person's leadership skills could be great, but he/she may not be able to present them in certain classes that they elect to take. The opportunity to showcase leadership skills may change because of the way a certain professor may run his/her class. The type of major that a person pursues may heavily influence the need for leadership skills and the level of the skill that a person may possess. Leadership skills are fundamental, effective, and a great advantage in college, but it is not necessary for a student to succeed in college.