<p>how important are these? compared to awards and achievements in the club. Lets say, for example, you're in math club. If you have the most awards and have gone the farthest in that USAMO or w.e the math competition every1 loves here and you are denied the opportunity for president position due to the "politics" of the process for club leaders.</p>
<p>Would this have a major or minor effect?</p>
<p>Don’t be too focused on matching all your interests together to present a big picture. Admissions officers understand that club positions are in a large part popularity contests, and that it says nothing about your abilities. </p>
<p>But you do want to have other leadership roles if not in the math club.</p>
<p>I would say the effect is only minor. For instance, I come from a small school where this stuff is pretty informal, so we don’t have leadership positions. Everyone is expected to do their fair share, like it or not.</p>
<p>So yeah, it might be nice to have a fluffy title, but when it all boils down, I would say that being an “active member” in the club and getting something out of it is far more important.</p>
<p>I don’t think the title is that important but it’s good to show you were involved, not just along for the ride. Sometimes for scholarships, you are asked to write about a leadership role you held. You are asked to describe in detail what you did. I remember my son thought some of the things he handled as president weren’t important - because they weren’t earth shattering. But as an adult, I could see that he learned a great deal - patience, multi-tasking, setting priorities, how to cope with inactivity and/or resistance from members. Even admitting mistakes and learning from them is a valuable lesson. Most of all, he learned how time consuming leadership is and he now appreciates the effort that others go to for him.</p>