Leadership in a College Community by Hannah

Leadership in a College Community by Hannah - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

College is a vastly different experience from high school. It completely immerses you in independence and prepares you for a career in the real world. This being said, having leadership skills is vastly imperative in college. Leadership does not necessarily mean running for student council president, creating your own club, being captain of a sports team, etc. Leadership can be a personal thing; for example, being able to say no to your friends when they ask you to come to a party when you have a huge test the next day is a sign of substantial leadership. Not only are you emerging as a leader amongst your friend group and, therefore, positively influencing them by your good decision, but you are showing immense leadership within yourself. Leadership is a quality that many jobs and real life experiences are based on; by experimenting and habitually forming leadership in college, one becomes significantly more prepared for a career and for adult life than someone who chooses to sit back and be a follower in college.

Leadership is a quality that embodies many other noteworthy assets. With leadership comes great confidence, respect, flexibility, and initiative. A person who exercises their ability to be a leader will find that their confidence level rises – confidence in themselves, their decision-making ability, and more. Also, those who are honest and sound leaders almost demand an air of respect from those who are affected by their leadership. This “demand” is not a negative response; rather, it is a natural result of the good judgment and kind guidance of a leader. Similarly, those who nurture their leadership abilities will find that they become more flexible to change. A truly great leader is not one who states their intentions and bars off any outside ideas or suggestions. No, a proper leader is one who is open to change and understand how to work with change. College is nothing but change, and having the ability to accept said change is a quality that shows maturity. Finally, a leader is one who takes initiative. When a potentially great opportunity arises, a leader takes the chance and makes the most out of any occasion. This is also a show of maturity because a career is nothing more than opportunities thrown at you – it is up to you to choose to either develop or squander these opportunities. As humans, we are guaranteed to make mistakes. College is the time to make these mistakes – misspent opportunities, wasted time, etc. – because once in a career, the time for mistake-making is over.

By developing sound leadership skills while in college, one is considerably more prepared for a successful career later in life. Leadership is not necessarily a quality shown outwardly, but can sometimes be implemented inside oneself. Whatever method is preferred, leadership should be something that all college students strive to make prominent in their lives.