Are leadership skills necessary for college success? Why or why not? by Victoria

Are leadership skills necessary for college success? Why or why not? by Victoria - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Success: A noun that means "the accomplishment of an aim or purpose; to attain prosperity". To succeed at obtaining a college level education, does one need leadership skills? In a word? No. Anyone can go to college and earn a degree, thereby, obtaining success, however, I don’t believe that leadership skills are necessarily a part of the path toward earning your degree; leadership skills certainly will help, though!

Leadership, by definition is "a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task", and obtaining a college education isn't typically a task that requires social influence of others. Although I do not believe that leadership skills are a necessary tool for success in college, I am a firm believer that good leadership skills will certainly assist anyone who is enrolled in any type of advanced training, whether college courses, job certification, or personal wellness classes. This is because I believe that part of having strong leadership skills means that you have initiative, the ability to work well with others, and a little bit of spark that can help to ignite a "fire" in others - particularly in group projects.

Those individuals who do not possess leadership skills may find themselves waiting on classmates to take the lead on projects, or they may find themselves doubting their own abilities as a college student. Poor leadership skills will not do anyone justice in their future endeavors after college graduation has come and gone. Leadership skills developed and cultivated while enrolled in college courses will only continue assist you as you advance through every stage of life; future employers will be looking to hire new personnel that have a history of solid work ethics, strong teamwork skills, and YES, leadership skills!

An ability to influence your peers – in a positive way – is a skill that is not easily learned, yet it is an invaluable trait to the person who possesses it; if someone is able to pass on their skills to a classmate, peer, supervisor, or subordinate, they are essentially creating a ripple effect that will influence everyone around them. To me, leadership is a combination of many traits, including but not limited to awareness, accountability, decisiveness, focus, optimism, and honesty - imagine what amazing things could happen if these skills were developed in this generation's college population!