If you’re a high school student, you’ve probably heard the term “leadership” thrown around quite often. But you may be confused about the importance of student leadership in high school and ways to show leadership as a student.
As a high school student, I faced these same questions. However, having graduated and undergone the college application process, I’ve learned a lot about why student leadership is important and what counts as leadership experience on college applications.
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What will you learn in this article?
In this article, I will answer the questions:
- What is a student leader in high school?
- What is the importance of student leadership in high school? Why be a student leader in the first place?
- What unique leadership roles for students exist?
I will also include an FAQ section at the end to clarify some common misconceptions about leadership in high school.
Let’s jump in!
What is a student leader in high school?
The definition of a student leader is any student who guides others in achieving a certain goal.
As a student leader, you’ll be expected to lead meetings, coordinate events, raise awareness, and collaborate with others to benefit the school or local community in some way.
Examples of Leadership in High School
In high school, some clear leadership examples include serving as a club officer, member of the student council, or sports team captain. (Leadership roles are, however, not limited to these as you’ll see later on in this article.)
As class president, for instance, you would be responsible for organizing school-wide events, like homecoming and senior week. As a team captain, you would be responsible for guiding the team to success by maintaining focus and optimism.
In general, any role that involves guiding others to make a positive difference counts as leadership experience in high school.
What is the importance of student leadership in high school? Why be a student leader in the first place?
Now that you understand what a student leader is, you may be wondering, why should I be a student leader in the first place? There are several benefits of taking on leadership roles in high school, which I will explain below.
Benefit #1: You’ll gain valuable real-world experience
One of the most important benefits of student leadership is learning useful real-world skills.
As a student leader, you’ll need to collaborate with peers and adults. In doing so, you’ll learn effective communication and group work skills, which will be important in college and in your career.
You’ll also need to organize events and execute them without missing steps. In doing so, you’ll gain a stronger sense of responsibility, acquire time management skills, and learn how to be detail-oriented.
Additionally, if you ever want to initiate an original project, you’ll need to learn how to convince others of its value and recruit contributors. Through this, you’ll learn how to effectively present to and motivate others.
In short, assuming leadership roles in high school will provide you with essential skills for real-world success.
Benefit #2: You’ll make meaningful connections
As a student leader, you’ll have the opportunity to make a positive difference in your community.
Some of my best memories in high school come from my leadership experiences. As a student leader, I was able to meet people who shared a passion for a similar cause. I was also able to bring joy to those that I helped, which was very rewarding.
Benefit #3: Leadership experience looks good on college applications
Pretty much all colleges agree that leadership activities on a resume makes the applicant stand out. If two applicants have similar GPAs and standardized test scores, the applicant with the stronger leadership experience will likely stand out.
In some cases, a student’s demonstration of leadership ability may be so outstanding that even if he/she has a “less perfect” transcript than another applicant, that student will be accepted over the other one.
For a detailed guide on what colleges look for, check out “What Do Colleges Look For? A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Into Your Dream College”
When admissions officers see high school students who demonstrate effective leadership, they believe those students will be able to make a positive difference on campus and in their careers.
And particularly for highly-selective colleges, this means a lot. That’s because their entire reputation is built on the success of their alumni. As such, they want students with the potential to make a significant impact, and leadership in high school is an indicator of such potential.
What are unique ways to demonstrate leadership in high school?
I mentioned some of the common leadership roles for students earlier in this article: club officer, student council member, and team captain. In general, you can work up to these roles by joining a club, council, or team as an underclassman and demonstrating engagement and responsibility.
While these positions are common leadership roles for students, that does not make them any less meaningful. If you take initiative to make a positive difference through these roles, you can still demonstrate leadership skills that stand out to colleges. For example, as a club officer, you could organize community service projects or mentor classmates in competitions.
However, if you’re curious about other opportunities, here are some unique leadership examples for students:
Starting a Club
If you are passionate about a certain cause or extracurricular, but your school doesn’t have an existing club for it, you can start your own! Most schools have policies regarding how to start a club, so make sure to check with your school.
Starting a Volunteer Organization
While starting a school club is a fantastic leadership opportunity, it can also come with limitations. For example, you may be limited in terms of funding, transportation, or support from a faculty advisor.
Luckily, there’s a solution for that! As a high school student, you can also start your own volunteer organization outside of school. In doing so, you may have greater flexibility in organizing community service projects and recruiting members. Eventually, you may also want to register your organization as a legal nonprofit, although this is not necessary (more on that in the FAQ section).
If you’re interested in a step-by-step guide on how to start a club or organization in high school, check out “How to Start an Organization in High School in 4 Easy Steps”
Starting a Blog/Podcast/Youtube Channel
If you have something that you’re very passionate about, starting a blog, podcast, or Youtube channel can be a great way to share your passion with others.
However, it is important to note that you need to use your platform to help others in some way. For example, if you are passionate about minority representation, you could use your platform to bring awareness to the issue. If you use your platform as a digital diary of your everyday life, however, it won’t help you demonstrate effective leadership qualities.
Participating in a Summer Leadership Program
There are many summer programs meant to help high school students develop leadership skills and create real impact. From solving issues in economics, environmental science, and digital access to name a few, these programs are designed to give you real-world experience in taking initiative to make a difference.
FAQ
Does tutoring count as leadership?
While tutoring is a great way to directly help other students, it isn’t exactly leadership (unless you started the tutoring program). Additionally, if you’re paid to be a tutor, it would be considered a job, rather than community service. Even if you’re not paid and volunteering for an organization, it doesn’t demonstrate your initiative.
Do I have to start a nonprofit to stand out in college applications?
From my personal experience, the answer is no. I’ve seen many students organize volunteer organizations without registering as a nonprofit and be accepted to the most selective schools (meaning under 5% acceptance rate). I’ve also seen students start registered nonprofits and not be accepted.
In my opinion, what matters is the level of impact you create with your initiative, not its legal status. However, if you are interested in starting a volunteer organization, you may still want to look into the pros and cons of registering as a nonprofit.
What if I’m an upperclassman with no leadership positions in my high school?
In response to this question, I would like to provide a general disclaimer to all readers of this article. That is: yes, leadership activities do help you stand out on college applications, but they are NOT necessary to be accepted.
If you demonstrate sufficient passion and dedication in non-leadership extracurriculars, admissions officers will still recognize your capability and potential. Leadership is not a must for everyone.
Also, if you’re a junior, you still have plenty of opportunities to apply for officer positions and start your own initiative.
Conclusion
Assuming leadership roles in high school is a great way for you to learn essential real-world skills, build meaningful connections, and make a positive difference. In addition to being intrinsically rewarding, it can help you stand out in college applications.
The opportunities for student leadership are also limitless—as long as you take initiative in supporting a cause you’re passionate about, it counts as leadership experience.
So if you’re passionate about a cause, there’s really nothing to lose in becoming a student leader to support it!
Also, make sure to check out these other posts on standing out in college applications and high school leadership:
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