Example is leadership. by Jason

Example is leadership. by Jason - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

I find the concept of leadership to be quite mysterious, yet remarkably fascinating. My fascination with the concept of leadership is shared with a plethora of admission counselors from institutions across the country. In 2015, more than 700,000 students submitted the Common Application. Therefore, many admission counselors face the excruciatingly challenging task of selecting applicants from a competitive applicant pool. To allow for these counselors to subdue this arduous undertaking, the college process has become increasingly abstruse. At our country’s most prominent institutions, students are selected through a holistic assessment. Ambiguously-defined character traits: qualities such as maturity, integrity, leadership, confidence, commitment, sense of humor, positive attitude, and grace under pressure have become progressively meaningful to counselors.

Of the preceding character traits, leadership is perhaps the most valued characteristic. American universities are so interested in leadership because these institutions are obsessed with creating student bodies that are both diverse and dynamic. Many experts believe that a troubling sense of anti-intellectualism is prevalent at our nation’s top institutions, created by the admission culture. Elite institutions are not concerned with matriculating a class of intellectuals, rather engrossed with matriculating a class of leaders that are capable of molding society for the better. Leadership has nothing to do with titles, positions, or flow charts, and everything to do with inspiring and motivating others. Therefore, elite institutions are captivated by leaders, and justifiably so.

Now that we have concluded that elite colleges and universities seek to matriculate leaders, let’s discuss whether or not leadership skills are necessary for college success. Similar to the inexplicable concept of leadership, the concept of success is equally as perplexing. I would like to share my definition of college success. As a college student, I would have three primary focal points. Firstly, I want to enjoy my college experience and build relationships that will be advantageous to both my personal and private life. Secondly, I want to learn as much as possible from my professors and peers. Since I have so many scattered and disseminated interests, I plan on either double majoring or having multiple minors. As a result of taking on such an ambitious curriculum, I understand that I must devote significant time and energy to my academic studies while at college. Lastly, I intend to continue the same level of commitment to my extracurricular activities that I have demonstrated throughout high school. Additionally, I plan on intensifying my involvement with the workforce through various internships, part-time jobs and co-op experiences. After assessing my three primary focal points, it is conspicuous that leadership skills are necessary for my college success.

I firmly agree with Tanya Prive, contributor to Forbes Magazine, in that the top ten qualities that make a great leader are honesty, ability to delegate, sense of humor, confidence, creativity, ability to inspire, intuition, positive attitude, commitment, and communication. I will have three primary focal points as a college student. In order to become a successful college student, I must frequently and efficiently utilize these leadership skills. I believe that sense of humor, confidence, and communication will be the three most decisive attributes that will enable me to make this intention become a reality. This year, I have had the pleasure of having Mr. Klan as a teacher. It’s noticeable that Mr. Klan is a distinguished and brilliant individual. One of the most memorable lessons that I have learned from Mr Klan has been the importance of having a sense of humor. He is constantly telling amusing jokes and entertaining anecdotes in order to engage students and to increase the productivity of his lessons. I think that having a sense of humor is imperative for the following three reasons: people will enjoy working with you, humor is humanizing, and it helps build trust. In addition to being a big fan of the musical capacity of Kanye West, I have always greatly admired his confidence. No one loves Kanye more than Kanye, who is arguably the most confident individual on the planet. Confidence creates trust, helps us communicate and allows us to acquire what we seek out of life. Confidence is paramount to leadership because any competent leader, by staying calm and confident, you will help keep others feeling the same. Additionally, I recognize that communication is a crucial leadership skill that will empower me to create dynamic relationships throughout college. I first became friends with Jason during my freshman year of High School when we met at a youth group convention. Now as a senior in high school, I would still consider Jason to be a close friend. Our friendship has been able to endure trials and tribulations because of Jason’s outstanding communication skills. Communication is an important leadership skill because being able to clearly describe what you want done is extremely important. If you are unable to communicate your vision to peers, you won’t all be working towards obtaining the same goal.

The art and science of leadership is both mysterious and inexplicable. In a competitive applicant pool, admissions counselors are increasingly seeking those that possess ambiguously-defined character traits such as leadership capabilities. As an undergraduate student: I hope to build lasting relationships, enjoy my college experience, learn as much as possible from my peers and professors, and take advantage of various internships and co-op experiences. In order to make my intentions become a reality, I need to utilize these leadership skills throughout my daily life.