Leadership Skills Necessary for College Success by Rachael

Leadership Skills Necessary for College Success by Rachael - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

What marks college success? Each individual measures it differently. Some will look to good grades and punctuality, while others will lean toward the choices of study and how quickly they obtain employment after graduation. However you view it, it is made possible through acknowledging and applying three very valuable characteristics of a great leader: courage, respect, and motivation.

In college, we start to reflect the people that we will be throughout the rest of our lives; it’s the time where we mature from young adults into unique individuals. During this time, we will be faced with many challenges. These will come from our peers, our colleagues and possibly even our teachers. For instance, have you ever had a group project where “equal participation” was overlooked? In these cases, courage is a crucial concept in order to take the lead and provide direction.

As our time in college progresses we will no longer be working the side jobs that simply paid for our rent and groceries. Instead, we will have jobs and internships that are relevant to what we are studying. This is a competitive time where we’ll be expected to stand out amongst our class, therefore, we must have the courage to be different. Our employers are no longer searching solely for “employees”, they are looking for successful entrepreneurs. As a result, we must have the courage to suggest and introduce new ideas in order to succeed.

Though many of us have been told to be independent and self-reliant, having the courage to put confidence in others is equally important. In order to achieve college success, we must have the courage to let go of the need to control situations or outcomes. Once we have mastered this difficult task, we reduce anxiety and stress from our lives. Having confidence in others allows us to adapt to change which is crucial during such unpredictable years of our lives.

In addition to having courage, we must respect others. Respect is not as simple as biting our tongues during an argument, it involves appreciating the value of another person and their personal attributes. Just as courage gives voice to our beliefs and strengthens our confidence to be different, it’s critical that we do so in a respectful manner so that we do not risk being arrogant or demanding.

Just as it takes courage to stand up and be a leader when it comes to completing the troublesome group project, we must act respectfully. We must courageously make confident decisions, while being inclusive. Doing so will ensure that all opinions are given value and acknowledgment.

Disagreements occur frequently in the workplace. When they persist, exercising respect is critical to achieve the best possible outcome. In any new job, respect must be earned and maintained. It is very important that when disagreements arise we consider the opposing opinions and try to understand rather than forcing our ideas upon others. By doing so, we will ensure that our relationships and day-to-day tasks run smoothly allowing us to put forth our full potential.

In order to carry out respect, we must have respect for ourselves. Self-respect involves having appreciation and confidence in oneself. We must have confidence in the value that we bring to relationships and circumstances. Though it is often hard to achieve, respecting ourselves is tremendously important for the sake of our own happiness. Self-respect, especially combined with courage, provides us the motivation to stand up for our values. If we lack this, we are openly inviting challenges into our lives. The more we experience well-being and happiness, the more we will be able to offer others. In other words, the more respect we give ourselves, the more we can put forth in college as we continuously value our worth and contributions.

Just as courage and respect are two factors that are even more powerful when combined, I believe that having motivation is one of the strongest personality traits that fuels achieving college success. Simply put, motivation is the connection between what we do and why we do it; it’s the desire and enthusiasm to make and accomplish our goals.

As college students we often get so distracted with assignments and deadlines that we forget why we are even taking our courses in the first place. It’s important to reflect upon past and current goals: why we chose to apply to the colleges we did, why we are at the college that we are and what we are striving towards. However, motivation alone is not enough to achieve college success. To achieve success, we must have desire, but also the ability to persevere through obstacles. Just as respect strengthens courage, perseverance fuels motivation. With motivation and perseverance we can successfully complete our goals, eventually leading us to college success.

College isn't easy. As teens, we spend all four years of high school preparing for it. We weren't promised immediate success in college, in fact, we were warned of the challenges it posed. However, as young adults we are expected to greet these challenges and overcome them as we strive to become better individuals. Every college student is different from one another and not all of us are meant to be leaders, it wouldn't be possible. If we can practice and improve courage, respect, and motivation then we will be able to face and accomplish exactly what is necessary in order to obtain college success.