Leadership and Success by Grace

Leadership and Success by Grace - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

The further I progress in college, the more I see the necessity for leadership skills. College is a time where people “find themselves.” It is also a time for people who previously knew themselves to begin rethinking who they are and what they really want to be. Going into college with leadership skills will not only allow one to help others who are struggling with the stresses of college life, but also set an example. This example may be that it is okay for someone to be who he or she wants to be, because you are living and leading that life. It may be that you should not second guess who you are because compared to those who do not know who they are, you have a knowledge and confidence in your abilities and strength. It takes a personality that possesses leadership to stand in firm in belief and not fall into line with everyone else. The fact is, that most people are following the next person who is following the next person who is following the next person and so on. It takes a leader to step out of that never ending cycle and change things for the better and make life more interesting. These are key reasons why leadership skills are necessary for the social aspect of college success.

Leadership skills are even more fundamental to success when it concerns college classes. College is the time when group projects are taking place everywhere and in each class. As unfortunate as they are it works to one’s benefit to be a leader. When you have no leaders in a group, there is mayhem. When there is one leader in a group, work can get done, it might be slow, but it works out in the end. When you have multiple leaders in one group, which is rare, things are like a well-oiled machine. If one can be the leader in a group, they may feel a little like the soccer mom, with the minivan, herding her children to and fro, but when the work is complete you feel successful and know what hard work feels and looks like in the end.

Leadership skills are imperative for college. College is the next step into the “real world.” It is the smooth, mini transition into becoming a full-fledged adult where life truly begins and freedom smells so sweet. If no one gains leadership skills leading up to college, they will be lost and always rely on the one with the answers telling them how to do this and that and how to live his or her life. The fact is leadership skills are important in everyday life, not just for college. They allow someone to take initiative in any circumstance in his or her life. They make way for new ideas and inventions because the ability to think and be creative relies on one’s self, not on any other person or object.

Leadership skills are the only way to be successful, otherwise you ride on the coattails of another’s success that you cannot truly call your own, and who really wants to do that?