<p>Every application wants you to show you’ve got ‘leadership’. What does that mean?
Heroically saving someone’s life, being elected President of the stamp collecting club, organizing a school party, campaigning for student council? I’d like to have it explained. Somehow the impression I get is that ‘leaders’ are non-conformists. Or is a conformist who follows a set of principles and ethics the real ‘leader’? Anyway, realistically how do you demonstrate leadership? Any thoughts?</p>
<p>It means exactly what it says… “demonstrating leadership”. </p>
<p>You can be conformist, non-conformist, with principles, an anarchist… its irrelevant. They want to see that you’re a leader… and being a leader just to write it on your college apps is the fast track to screwing up a perfectly good organization… </p>
<p>Leadership means a lot of things… but the best thing about being a leader is that you have the power to choose what it means for you… :)</p>
<p>Well, I think all the examples you mention are fair game. My daughter has had only minor formal leadership roles (Secretary of the Spanish Club, Chairman of the Decorations Committee…), but my favorite example of her leadership is a story of how her honorable behavior in one of her classes rubbed off on others in the class. The teacher asked the class which two of three applying should be allowed into this class with two openings. It was an audition only class and all girls were deemed qualified by the teacher and none of the students had access to the auditions. He asked the kids to vote and not tell anyone they had selected the new students. The class all voted by open poll and my daughter was among the last polled. She abstained and stated she had no basis on which to vote. The remaining voters also abstained. </p>
<p>If you feel your application is lacking in that department, you can always use your essay to put in a plug for your leadership skills.</p>
<p>It’s basically demonstrating that your independence and power to persuade people to follow you. Being the president of a school could would be a standard one. It could be all sorts of things.</p>
<p>I think they just want proof that you’re capable of taking charge in a situation. The colleges that expect leadership on an application usually hope to spit out future leaders of our country.</p>