To be "Successful"... by Stella

To be "Successful"... by Stella - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Currently, many question the efficiency of our education systems and the amount of pressure they put on students. With the “Race to Nowhere” idea, in which students are aimlessly studying not to learn, but for the sole purpose of getting into a “good” college, the definition of success in today’s society must be addressed. The Free Dictionary describes success as “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.” However, the term “success” encompasses much more in a college environment. It includes maintaining good grades while actively participating in many extracurricular activities and enjoying the experiences. Based on this definition, leadership is an integral part of being successful in college due to the communication skills inherently needed to be a leader.

Leadership helps a student socially be successful in college. This “social success” can include effectively holding community service activities, book clubs, even parties. Therefore, a leader must be able to communicate with others in order to coordinate such events. This student can manage organizing activities on top of regular school work, while maintaining her sanity. It is evident that this is no easy task: as a result, many leaders look to others to help oversee that these activities run to their fruition. A cycle of communicating with others is thus created, developing the very real social factors that involve leadership. For example, leaders are able to rally other students into caring about and acting for a cause, such as a fundraiser for the music department that lacks funding. Since social action can speak louder than words, this simple fundraiser, and the communication involved to make it successful, can help the group achieve their goal of keeping the music department intact.

Obviously, not everyone is an extrovert and can handle social situations very well; however, this is not an issue because there is also a level of emotional success in college. This sort of leadership deals with taking pride in whatever work one has done throughout their college career, no matter what struggles she has encountered during the process. One must learn to forget about the constant competition – that is, be able to limit communication to a certain extent - and be satisfied with the achievements she has planned on accomplishing. Who made or did not make the Dean’s List does not matter, so long as the student herself is remembers that she achieved her goal of a 3.5 GPA, and is therefore successful. Furthermore, an emotional leader can help those who are not hopeful about the future. An increasing number of college students struggle with depression or other illnesses; an emotional leader can help these people find the glass that is half full, without asking for anything in return. Instead of focusing on the achievements, or lack thereof, of other students to determine self-worth, these leaders can establish their own identity based on what they believe to be true of their own character and ideals.

While there are many different layers and perspectives of the meaning of success in college, leadership ultimately affects what can be achieved by a student. A successful leader can communicate with others in order to do what she wants to do, while occasionally stepping out of the competitive environment that is now synonymous with school. In the end, what matters is whether the student can be proud of her accomplishments and feels as if she has made an impact in the fields she cares about.