Leading Towards Success by LeAnn

Leading Towards Success by LeAnn - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Many students may find themselves at college with no direction, motivation, or organization. They stress about their future careers. They feel unwilling to study in order to maintain their GPA’s. They probably lose shoes and have unmade beds! Students run into these problems because they cannot take control over their own lives. If a person has never led someone else to his or her goals, how could they lead themselves to work towards their own? Many teenagers enter college without this direction because they have not taken leadership roles in high school or extracurricular activities.

The captain of the girl’s basketball team, for example, is responsible for making sure that the other ladies practice, that they eat right, and that they can balance their grades with a hectic schedule of an athlete. When the captain enters college, unlike some of her peers, she will have knowledge of the importance of time management skills. She has been a leader for an entire team, so she may find it even easier to lead herself to a successful balance of work and play. Someone who has been a captain knows that if there is a test coming up, setting times to review will enable her to also plan times to spend with friends.

College is also a good exemplification of “if you can’t beat them, join them.” People are greatly influenced by the people with whom they surround themselves. As a result, a college student that is passive and has no idea how to lead other people will be a follower. Being a follower can be dangerous. If a young man joins a fraternity that is particularly inclined towards partying, he will party, too. He has to be able to make a plan for himself that includes at least some homework! Otherwise, his grades will drop, and he might not be able to stay in the frat. Ultimately, he will probably share the habits, bad or good, of fellow frat brothers. A young man that has well developed leadership skills can positively affect not only his own college habits, but all his frat brothers! A passive person might go with the flow. If the other fraternity members aren't preparing for class, he won’t be either. With the right leadership skills, he might encourage the fraternity members to study as a group!

College is a place where people find themselves and mold their own futures. It is dangerous to let others mold one’s future for them. In order to get the most out of college, students need to be able to lead themselves and their peers to have better focus and more passion about what lies ahead of them.