Leadership Leads the Way by Jenna

Leadership Leads the Way by Jenna - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Leadership skills have a direct relationship with college success. Perhaps one can “get by” without them, but the more polished, refined, and well-oiled those skills are, the better off you will be! What makes college vastly different from its preliminary is the degree of freedom and independence one procures, whether they like it or not. Simply by default a young man or woman must make more self-consequential decisions than ever before they have had to make.

Previously, a child or adolescent’s “leader” was perhaps their parent, a teacher, a principal-any adult of authority, really. Discretion was subordinate to obedience, and young minds adjust to the rhythmic flow of do and don’t. Thus, when those fledgling eighteen year olds are thrust into the college scene, they have little insight and experience on how exactly to conduct their engagements. There isn’t a clear line to follow because students have begun to settle into their respective realms of interest and one must be strongly aware of self and direction in order to succeed. With leadership skills, much of that confusion and panic is amended.

Leaders are generally successful in their endeavors because they seize the initiative. They have a direct line of focus and they maintain a steady gaze upon that desired goal or outcome. They are known for their level of control over a situation, and this control is imperative in efficiently achieving one’s goals. In college, without the old structures and guidance of adolescence shuffling students this way or that, ability to exercise ample control puts one at the crest of their own engagements, thus allowing success to flow through those opened channels. This is a pertinent step towards becoming a responsible adult, which is part of the college experience in itself.

Overall, leadership rank higher on the list of necessities for a college student than any other student due to its very nature of encompassing that transition into the real world-a world of success through dedication and direction (at least in the United States). A strong leader is less likely to fail, in all honesty, anywhere when pitted against the unassertive follower. Leadership is irrevocably conducive to that ever-desired college success, so college students everywhere should rise, take the reins of their own lives with confidence, and proceed with a little bit of caution, and a little bit of daring.