<p>Okay, so I have a really hard choice to make right now. I’m part of a national club (I won’t disclose what it is for privacy reasons because its really easy to find out) and eligible to run for state office.</p>
<p>As a state officer, I get to go on trips/conferences for free but I’ll have many responsibilities. The organization basically makes you their slave, allowing no room for creativity and all you do is basically follow what they ask of you e.g. paperwork, fundraisers, help organize conferences THAT’S IT.</p>
<p>My other option is to become just the president of my district, its not as impressive sounding as STATE (california) officer but I have the ability to start projects that really matter and do alot of speaking/recruiting at schools. </p>
<p>So should I go for the STATE OFFICER name and do alot of monotonous work or go for the less prestigious job where I can really get hands-on work on projects and actually produce some things for the community?</p>
<p>this applies to other ec’s as well, should one choose an impressive sounding position or a lower position that actually has more substance to it?</p>
<p>The organization you chose not to name sounds a lot like DECA or FBLA.</p>
<p>Here’s the thing:</p>
<p>There are two girls in my grade who chose the first option. Like you, they wanted to pad their applications with an impressive title. But unlike you, neither of the two girls paused to consider the actual value of holding a “state office”. And guess what? Their motivations were transparent and their campaigns uninspiring. </p>
<p>In the end, what the most selective schools care about is not the offices you held or the memberships you maintained. They will look at your accomplishments. What exactly did you do with your leadership position? Were you a leadership whore and completed the minimum work after you were elected? Adcoms see plenty of that kind of application padding. And they’ll recognize it when they see it. </p>
<p>If you feel that the regional position will give you more freedom to start your own projects and take actual responsibility, pursue that option. Transparent ECs with equally transparent leadership titles mean nothing if you haven’t accomplished anything with your leadership capacity. Having a title on its own signifies little.</p>