Lead the Herd; Do not follow it by Sidak

Lead the Herd; Do not follow it by Sidak - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

A leader is defined as a person who leads or commands a group or an organization. Based on the definition provided, I am considered a leader on a daily basis.I am a active an active member of Mu Alpha Theta and and lead in multiple opportunities for community service. Physically, I am the captain of the varsity tennis team and also lead the team in practice drills that benefit everyone as well as putting those drills to use in matches. Although I can be considered a leader through these activities, I do not consider myself a leader while participating in either of these events, rather I see myself making the people around me and myself a better person.

These skills that I have attained throughout my life will only aid me in succeeding in college and the rest of my life. The ability to lead others and more importantly, the ability to lead yourself, is essential for becoming successful in life. Every career is built off of leadership and one must strengthen one's skills by perfecting them in the college years. If a leader is created early, those habits and characteristics stay attached to that person's personality for many years to come.

It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago, it was normal for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in perspective. With college come the skills needed to be successful.

Students who enter into a college level program need to bring some very useful skills with them. The first is the maturity to know that college isn’t high school and the discipline level needs to be higher. The classes on a college level are more demanding and require a whole laundry list of skills. To accompany maturity would be critical thinking skills. According to Keys to College Studying a Lifelong Learner chapter 4, “critical thinking is thinking that goes beyond the basic recall of information”. The college student needs to question why something is the way it is; this is the way we learn. The ability for us to contemplate certain situations we face on an everyday basis in college successfully is determined by how we lead ourselves out of it. This ability to lead ourselves will prove substantial in our futures as we pursue our individual careers. Leadership skills take time to develop and are crucial for college success and more importantly, the success of your future.