The Necessity for Leadership Skills in College by Jessica

The Necessity for Leadership Skills in College by Jessica - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Leadership is a quality that I believe everyone possesses, but one may not know how to use the ability. Some people may even be afraid to be looked at as a leader because they may be afraid that they will let people down. Whatever the reason is, I believe leadership skills are necessary for college success. At some point in life, people will have to be in some sort of leadership role, whether it is being the boss or a parent. If people do not know how to use the leadership skills they already possess, then it must be learned early on in their college life. If people decide that they want to be followers for the rest of their lives just because it seems “easier,” then they will not make much progress, or perhaps they will not end up in the right place. There are many qualities that make a leader great, such as courage, confidence, and a sense of humor. I believe all of these qualities are important for a successful college experience.

Courage is the ability to stand up for something or someone without being afraid of what could happen. Courage is also one knowing his or her limits, but not being afraid to blow past them in order to achieve a goal. When a person realizes that he or she has the courage to do something, his or her entire life changes. Having the courage to do things one is afraid of is very important, and can change a life and send it in a different direction. In college, students should have the courage to not follow the crowd and be their own person. There is something deep inside everyone that can overcome anything, if one so chooses to go over the hurdle that stands in the way of one’s dreams. These dreams are on the other side of fear. It is okay to be scared, being scared just means that something great is about to happen, someone is about to do something great. Overcoming these hurdles is what will set someone free from his or her fear.

Confidence plays a significant role in a successful college experience. If one does not display confidence in his or her self or what he or she does, it will certainly show in the work that is put out, and professors will see that. Confidence is believing one can do something and then being able to do it. To be successful, it not only takes confidence in oneself, but it also takes confidence in others. In many occupations, to get the job done efficiently and correctly, the job requires a team. With every team, there are leaders who need to have confidence in their own abilities as well as having confidence in the rest of the team. For example, in a practical exam that requires a team, each member of the team needs to have confidence in the others that they know what to do. There are some situations where someone may not know what to do, but if one looks confident, people will believe it. If people have confidence in their abilities, and it shows, others cannot help but believe they will get the job done.

Having a sense of humor is very important for a leader to have. People need to be able to make fun of themselves if they something dumb. It is okay to be embarrassed, and it is okay to make jokes. Many people do not want a leader who is serious 100 percent of the time. Sometimes people need someone who can have a deep conversation, but at the same time, be able to joke around. In college, it is important to know how to joke around with people, a lot of professors like when someone can take and make jokes. In my college experience, all of the professors I have had in the past two years have all liked to make their students laugh. My anatomy and physiology professor even told us that we need to smile and laugh more, and that he likes it when we have fun in his lectures and labs. It really does make a class more enjoyable when someone can make the whole class laugh, including the professor.

Everyone has the ability to be in a leadership role, whether it is realized or not. There are many qualities that a leader should possess, but I feel that courage, confidence, and a sense of humor are some of the most important to have, especially in college. From my experience in college, I noticed that the people are drawn to others who display some sort of leadership skill. Whether it is in a sport, club, or the classroom, if someone displays any kind of leadership skills, people notice and are naturally drawn to them and look up to them. Having leadership skills in college is very important because during these years, people are faced with many choices and they will need the courage and the confidence in their decision to do something, and have faith that it is the right decision. Many people lose sight of themselves during their college years because they feel that it is easier to just follow the crowd. If more people use the leadership skills they possess, they will have a much better college experience.