<p>My d is currently a junior with about a 3.8 or so GPA with a difficult (honors/AP) courseload. Her main EC is dance (about 8 hours/week). She also assists in dance classes for adults, and for younger kids (under 8 or so); that's an additional 4 hours/week. It's 5 days a week, and the studio is 40 minutes from the house. She's involved in the Dance Club at school, which is considered a service organization. As a part time job, she teaches skiing to 3-5 and 5-7 year olds. </p>
<p>Does any of this teaching, particularly teaching adults, count as "leadership" for college apps? She's hoping to become Captain (president) of the Dance Club next year, but if she doesn't, will she be sunk without a clear "leadership" position in her ECs? She's looking at top-tier LACs (her professor from Cornell's summer program suggested Wesleyan for her).</p>
<p>It certainly suggests passion. This is the sort of thing that a STanford rep used as an example of showing passion and leadership, except that she used music instead of dance. "Leadership" does not mean that one has to head something or other, however trivial; it is more along the lines of initiating things or being responsible for things. Teaching skiing and dance to kids and adults certainly shows leadership.</p>
<p>Wesleyan is a good idea for someone with strong academics who is also interested in dance. My older S was admitted into Wes with limited ECs and nary a leadership position, btw, but his ECs showed his motivation and passion (e.g. brown belt in karate).</p>
Yep. I think marite nailed it. Taking the initiative. Putting yourself out there. Or as we sometimes say in Texas-taking the bull by the horns. Those are all ways of showing the qualities of leadership. </p>
<p>Two-time President of the Yo-yo club or the kid who while being a rank and file volunteer found and implemented a new way to deliver meals on wheels that kept the warm food warmer. Hmmmm?</p>
<p>Good colleges want a varied student body, which leads to a stimulating environment and successful alumni in many fields. One thing they want is a corps of leaders; they contribute to the organizational/political life of the campus and tend to become leaders in business and government. But they also want other types of kids who contribute to campus life: athletes, debaters, journalists, internationals, actors, singers, musicians and, yes, dancers. So leadership can help but it's by no means the only way to catch their eye. It's not indispensable.</p>
<p>So I think your D should continue concentrating on her dancing and not get hung up on the leadership concept. She should seek out recognition for her dancing, since, sadly, recognition in competitions, recitals etc. is the only way schools can verify her talent. Recognition as a top dancer, along with her already high GPA, will be a potent combination assuming the SAT doesn't drag her down.</p>
<p>Btw, my older son had a ton of "leadership"; president of his class, president of the Model UN club, captain of the Quiz Bowl team, etc. It got him nowhere; he didn't get into any of his reaches. [Story has a happy ending though: he got into a pretty good school with merit $ and then transferred to one of the original reaches as a soph.]</p>
<p>That's a whole different problem - her school doesn't compete, and she's more a "recreational" than "semi-professional" dancer. Her studio also only gives solos to graduating seniors, so she doesn't have that. Her previous studio did do some competitions, and they scored well, but I think she was too young for this to matter (pre-8th grade). She has attended a couple of performing arts camps, a ballet summer intensive and a hip-hop/jazz intensive. </p>
<p>Oh, well - since there's nothing I can do about that part of the problem, I won't worry about that! I'll just keep letting her pursue her passion. (At the moment, she's considering teaching as a career, so the dance & skiing would help there as well.)</p>
<p>And I don't even want to start worrying about the SAT!</p>
<p>Truly, I would not worry about competition awards too much. Your D is showing talent, dedication, community spirit and leadership (even though not in an obvious way). That's a lot.</p>
<p>I agree with Marite. Unless, that is, the student is shooting for the ultra elite Harvards of the world. I doubt those schools would be swayed by dancing as a hook unless they felt they were accepting a really top dancer, and that would have to be established by competitions, letters from experts in the field, or similar recognition.</p>
<p>Yes, teaching dance -- to anyone -- would count as leadership. If colleges accept additional recommendations, she should get one from her dance teacher attesting to her talent, passion, and leadership/responsibility in dance.</p>
<p>Presumably your D could enhance a college by choreographing and doing other leadership things in student dance and theater productions. I suggest that your D continue to develop those skills by choreographing some things for the classes that she's teaching. She'll learn a lot about leadership and about dance, and her experience could make a nice subject for her essays and interviews.</p>
<p>I agree with Marite's first post. Leadership is not merely defined by some "title" of a school organization. Schools want passion in an activity with a committment with some achievement in that activity and leadership and drive. My kids really did not have leadership titles like "captain" or "president". For one thing, not all of the sports teams they did even had captains and also they were not in "clubs" here. By the way, my kids were/are also dancers and skiers. </p>
<p>Our dance studio does NOT do competitions. So, there is no prize or award there. They do have a select dance troupe my kids have gotten into by audition so I guess that shows achievement. But like your D, they had hours of commitment over a long period of time in that area (their entire lives). But leadership can be shown in various ways. Someone mentioned initiative. For instance, I have a D who created, produced and directed two musical theater reviews at her high school, something never done there before. I feel she was a leader this way but it was not an elected title. She created this activity and led it. Another D was as Student Senator but not an elected officer but led two initiatives for two years (one year she was not even elected as a senator but attended anyway) and her leadership of these initiatives led to policy developments at the school board level. She initiated all fo it and led it. </p>
<p>I happen to think your D's extracurriculars and passion for them are in fine shape. I think teaching children and adults in her fields of interest is a form of leadership right there. One of my kids (though had just graduated so it has nothing to do with college admissions) created a summer program for youth this summer in musical theater and directed it including putting on a production she created. In dance, my older one was asked to teach a middle school aged tap class when the teacher had to leave for the second semester due to family death. The other D was asked to choreograph dances for the tap troupe. These are ways of leading. Your D is already doing some of that in her teaching. Perhaps she can choreograph some things, start an afterschool dance club at an elementary school or anything else to achieve and lead but I think primarily she is already in fine shape because she is dedicated to dance and is teaching others in that and in skiing. And she even is considering going into teaching and so that bodes well as gaining and showing experience in exploring this area of interest as well. Perhaps she can find a way to choreograph a middle school musical or something like that. Again, leadership is not just selected designations. As long as she shows passion, commitment, dedication, initiative and achievement, she is going to be fine. As I said, we don't have dance competitions here but as a senior, your D could enter the NFAA ARTS Awards in dance (this is a National award program and the submissions are via videotape)....my younger D entered last fall for Musical Theater and won an award. That is not leadership itself, however. But it is a form of achievement and I think when ECs are listed, it is nice to show commitment over time, some level of achievement and some role you played in the endeavor (need not be a title...so in your D's case, it could be teaching younger kids). </p>
<p>She also can show leadership by choreographing dance sequences for school performances and for other groups. Dance sequences can be included even in productions that are not musicals. With creativity, she can create such opportunities for herself, even in things like children's camps.</p>