I have a VERY hard time getting leadership positions. In the last 3 months of my 11th grade ( I am a rising senior) I have applied to 5 leadership positions and was only elected for one of them.
Can someone please explain to me why no one chooses to vote for me for these leadership elections? I am involved in the clubs and have won state recognition in some of them (much higher than the elected officers) but people will NEVER vote for me…
For example, I am in the Science Fair Team at my High School. I am the only male on the team. I have won category awards at the tri-state level in my categories, far beyond anybody else currently beyond the team. However, I am the only rising 12th grader without any officer position (girls will not vote for guys)…
I do make sure I create “casually serious” speeches to gain popularity, but that does not work.
I am genuinely interested in what I do in the clubs. I do not join clubs just to say that I am in them.
Can someone explain to me what it takes to become a leader, and how much not being a leader will hurt me on my college applications? Thank You.
I’m a freshman so it feels really weird telling you what to do but I suggest that you start your own club! Lots of clubs are very similar and recruiting people shouldn’t be too overwhelmingly difficult… As for why people usually don’t vote for you, maybe because there are lots of people in that club. The majority of people just vote for their friends, and not by comparing skill levels and leadership abilities. Don’t let that bring you down though! One leadership position is still very impressive! (the comments above I feel are a little bit pushy but honestly you sound like a dedicated student! good luck!)
Well, you did get one. Maybe you aren’t giving people a warm feeling or whatever. Being social is important in such cases. Oh and btw it won’t really hurt. It just won’t help. Winning awards in those clubs probably shows more dedication, though arguable
In my school, with a rising senior class of 600 kids, one leadership position is pretty much all anyone can hope for.
I think the trick is to make the most of that one position. Which activity is it for? What are you hoping to accomplish next year that hasn’t already been done?
I don’t think it has to be a numbers game. If you want to be a real leader, then great. You’ve been given an opportunity to lead. Now, instead of trying to spread yourself too thin, make the most of that one leadership position. Make sure you make some real positive changes that will endure, not just something to write about in a college essay.
Two major leadership positions in school (one starting officially from jr year [technically freshmen year] and the other from senior year).
A few minor things outside of school
You basically have to get people to like you. You can’t come across as an erudite member who is pedantic in locution, hoping that people will vote for you based solely off of merits.
For example:
I’m captain of our math team. A technique that I have used to get people to vote for me is to talk about a new angle [pun intended] that you wish to bring to the club. I have expanded the contests that we do–this provides more opportunity for members. As a result, about thirty new members joined our team. Although in all seriousness, I would have probably been captain anyways, this is a pretty effective technique.
If gender bias is an issue, maybe you can convince a girl friend to run for a position. Chances are, provided that your assertion is true, that the girls will split the votes, and then you can win. I think this happened in some election in the 1800s actually.
Furthermore, if you cannot seem to get any leadership position in school, you can always true creating your own club outside of school!
