<p>So I have no leadership positions atm, and I'm a junior. I just missed the deadline for officer application, because I completely forgot about it. What a surprise. Anyway, I was wondering just how important/useful are leadership positions? I mean, if you had a college of all leaders, nothing would get done because everyone would want to control everything. :/</p>
<p>Also, I would like to know if awards are that important. I know they are helpful in demonstrating passion and that you have talent in that passion, but beyond that, if you're applying to say, UC Berkeley, does it matter that much? Also, what type of awards do they mean? I am guessing student of the month and outstanding achievement in certain classes (as examples) don't really count, do they?</p>
<p>varies by school, but you need a least one. awards i think are a great thing to have because it shows that you are involved and good at what you do. all i am say is get more involved with clubs or sports.</p>
<p>don't feel alone... i don't have any leadership positions and i'm a SENIOR. i'm just not a leader-type of person... i'm really shy... bleh... the whole leadership thing is kind of unfair bs. i know this guy whos president of nhs, treasurer of hosa, some other stuff and he is the biggest slacker i know, always asking me if he can "see" my homework. i wish there were ways other than just titles to express leadership... the best thing i've come up with is giving my counselor examples of when i have acted as a role model/leader so she can write it in my letter of rec.</p>
<p>i had other reasons too. I had a job and wouldn't be able to make it to alot of leadership meetings for band. I have no car and didn't want to make my parents tow me around more than they already do. some of this stuff just makes me feel like crap bc virtually all of the leadership people in band (my main EC) don't need to work for money and have cars. if i sound like i'm whining now, i'm sorry. it just sucks.</p>
<p>You don't need to be a leader to get into a top school. Some people are good leaders and like to talk, some are "smarter" and get better grades, and some are talented in music or the arts. </p>
<p>You only need to be good at one thing to get into a top school, not all three. Gone are the days of "well-rounded" students getting into Harvard.</p>
<p>I would love to agree with sup, but colleges are cheap. I think they would prefer to see leadership. Unfortunately, they do not get to see the "truth" in these matters. Yes, leadership spots ARE about popularity. Darn... I hate being a nerd...</p>
<p>Sometimes you can be a kind of "leader" in more than one way. I suppose even tutoring people would be kind of "taking control" and heloping them succeed, and that is what leaders do, no? And that is one way that you don't have to be elected.</p>
<p>yeah this issue baffles me too... im sure it won't end up that everyone in top colleges has to be a captain, president, founder or the like of some sort of club. where are those who serve behind the scenes?</p>
<p>agreed katia11, but i wonder if admissions officers consider that next to tons of others who hold prestigious leadership positions. hard to be optimistic :(</p>
<p>top colleges aren't looking for the kid who has done everything; the term for them is "a mile wide and an inch deep". So you can be a strong candidate if you just stand out in some area. It could be leadership, a sport, music, math, whatever.</p>
<p>As for your question about awards, the ones that are helpful at top schools are regional or better recognition. For example, winning a citywide math or writing contest. Being selected to an all-city or all-state team in athletics. Receiving an award in the Intel Science competition.</p>
<p>I was an officer in Amnesty International and section editor, photography editor, and copy editor of the newspaper, but never the president or editor-in-chief of anything, and all of them except copy editor were only senior year. My only awards were ones for "Excellence in English" and "Excellence in French" that I'd received from my high school in ninth grade (they stopped giving academic awards the following year, and I never qualified for the awards in "citizenship" or "internationalism" or any of those things). However, I was very involved in the newspaper (not only writing, but also layout, editing, and all aspects of production) for four years, wrote a very good essay, and submitted a photography</a> portfolio. I'm now a freshman at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I won't extrapolate that leadership positions and awards don't matter, but I think their importance tends to be exaggerated, especially on this board.</p>
<p>Lovely photos, Cameliasinensis! Did you just send your portfolio as an addition to the app, or did they ask for it for a certain program you were applying for?</p>
<p>for me personally i think my leadership positions more make up for my not so great test scores (not completely but in my mind kinda)... i have a 30 on my ACT but i have been class president freshman, junior, and senior year (at 2 different schools, I switched between 9th and 10th grades)</p>
<p>I completely agree though about how in a college full of leaders nothing would get done, colleges really need some indians for all of those chiefs... if you really feel strongly about it try writing an essay/supplement for a school about it</p>
<p>My son is also very shy and not wanting to put himself out there to run for a leadership position and get rejected. He wrote a section on the additional information about himself and that he was a subtle, quiet leader,althgough he stayed in the background of "official leadership positions". He is a big ice hockey player and he was a leader on the ice and he also worked in a very fastpaced restauarunat. He wrote about how he stayed level headed and could be counted on to remain calm and provide direction in times of stress at the restauraunt or in crucial game situations. There are ways to show this other than having the actual postions.,</p>
<p>It's better to show your leadership than just hold a position for it. If you truly have leadership, you won't need the title of president of some random club in order to demonstrate it. Holding a position just shows that you actually did something in the club, not just attended.</p>
<p>curlygirl61, I'm just like your son! I, too, am shy and because of that I didn't really go for leadership positions. I am, however, very level-headed, and I lead my crew at my job, I get the work done and everything. Would I be considered a 'leader' if I was one of the only kids who ventured off into a program that was being tested over here for the first time?</p>