Leadership in College by Ryan
Ryanof Eugene's entry into Varsity Tutor's March 2015 scholarship contest
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Leadership in College by Ryan - March 2015 Scholarship Essay
Are leadership skills necessary for college success? Leadership skills are often desired qualities in college applicants. Many of the top programs in the country often look for applicants who have shown a strong commitment of excellence. The question above warrants a relatively easy answer; but after taking a second look, the answer to this question might be a bit more complex depending on whom you ask. First, we need to define what “college success” is.
If college success is defined as graduating with honors or maintaining a high GPA, then I do not believe that leadership skills are necessary. A student can be very smart and intuitive but not necessarily the most outspoken or social individual. Many would consider a 3.8 GPA graduate to have been successful in college whether or not they held leadership positions in other activities. Again, it depends on what you deem as being successful in college.
Through my experience, I believe that being successful in college is determined by whether or not you have any regrets afterwards. While earning my bachelor’s degree, I knew I wanted to take full advantage of everything the University of North Florida had to offer. I was a founding father of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity on campus and held various officer positions including Vice President; I volunteered with the OCT Program on campus which allows students to serve as an academic and social mentor to students who have intellectual disabilities; I was a member of the Honors Program and earned a respectable 3.47 GPA; I also earned an internship with a small startup financial software firm that is now part of a publicly traded company and have been promoted twice since starting back in 2011. All of this would not have been possible had it not been for the leadership skills I developed while in high school and through sports. In all, I do believe that leadership skills are necessary for college success based on what my definition of “college success” is.
