The word “leadership” carries a lot of weight when it comes to college applications and can be intimidating to think about. It may seem grueling when reflecting on your own leadership roles and wondering what you can do to take your experience to the next level. Throughout this series readers will learn how to master leadership, not only in the sense of the word but the work needed to go from a good leader to an outstanding, well-rounded candidate.
This is a series that will consist of every aspect of leadership, beginning with which leaderships roles are the best to get involved with when it comes to college applications; to how to make leadership roles fit your personality type. Let’s start by focusing on what leadership is, or maybe what it isn’t. Leadership is often thought of as something that has to be centered around a flashy role like president or CEO that encompasses lots of awards and accolades—this isn’t necessarily true. The best leadership roles come from experiences that allow you the most growth. If you can get involved in a club or organization where you grow as a student, person, or team member, then that will be an excellent talking point for college essay questions.
By thinking about leadership in terms of growth, you can start looking for opportunities that don’t necessarily have the most prestigious of titles. . That’s not to stay that president or CEO doesn’t look great when it comes to leadership because they do, but leadership goes beyond just the top positions of a company or network. One of the best ways to becoming an outstanding college applicant with well rounded leadership is to think of a need in your community or in your high school. Does your school lack up to date reading material and textbooks? Does your community have a low turnout of young voters? Look out for what your community needs as an opportunity to step up and create something new.
You could become an advocate for voting, using the power of being relatable to your peers, and create a organization that markets the importance of voting to younger generations. You could work with administrators and faculty to create fundraisers for the school’s needs. Roles like these take dedication and allow you to grow as you strive to reach a goal. They are great to reflect on during essays and also highlight an important aspect of leadership called initiative.
You can also demonstrate leadership within a organization that doesn’t involve founding a new brand by taking initiative to be the best at your position within a club or team. For example let’s say you decide to become a camp counselor over the summer. You could us this opportunity to be influential toward younger children or peers and go into the position with a plan to make the most out of every day. Planning out fun team building exercises or bonding activities that will help both you and them grow as people. This could work with any volunteer opportunity, and will be great to list on applications about how you excelled as a leader and even taught others. A great place to find volunteers opportunities in your area is VolunteerMatch a nonprofit that matches you with volunteer opportunities that align with your talents and passions!
If you find that your community or your high school doesn’t have a particular need that hasn’t already been filled then find ways to be more creative with something you're passionate about. Colleges want students that will stand out from a crowd of others who may have the same type of leadership abilities. Make yourself more unique by using your creativity. Take on a new approach to roles that you already have. If you’re apart of the poetry club or you made the lacrosse team, then think of what you can do to make your team stand out. Extracurriculars are great but you’ll need more than just that to be able to stand out as a leader. If you’re on a sports team you could plan monthly charity games between students and the team where the profits go toward equipment for underprivileged students interested in sports. You could plan a interactive practice once a week where younger children sit in at practice or study tables and interact with your team for positive influence. This will allow you to use what you are already good at or comfortable with and make it into an opportunity to be a leader.
No matter how great a position may look, the key factor to making any opportunity work is to be committed and hardworking. It is not enough to think of leadership as a word or summary for an essay. It’s vital that you take the time to actually work for your goals. Be dedicated to being a leader through action. When your work ethic is outstanding then you’ll be an outstanding candidate in anything you apply for whether it’s college or a career. For more of our leadership series check out UPchieve’s blog and to talk to a coach 24/7! Use the UPchieve app.
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