LEADERSHIP versus leadership

[dancer150]

Hopefully, it means more than just running meetings. There's LEADERSHIP, and then there's leadership. You know what I mean?

Hey everyone,

I'm a new member of SDN, but as a pre-med student. I wanted to ask about leadership opportunities and people considered to be a good leadership position.

What exactly qualifies as a LEADERSHIP position? Other than just taking care of meetings, I would hope that being a club or society leader could also be under this banner if it includes organizing events and advising other students with matters. But I've never really been in full understanding of what that means (other than captain of a sports team).

Would you believe that this banner could include being an upper classmen adviser for freshman in undergrad? My college has a position where each adviser lives with 16 freshman the entire year, build their college experience (academic, lifestyle, anything really), handle the planning of their classes with their faculty advisers, and teach them college traditions. But perhaps most importantly upper classmen advisers are there for the freshman to talk about anything (depression, social conflicts, academic concerns), and are always used by the group.

1. Would you guys consider this to be a significant leadership position?

2. What are other leadership ECs that are noteworthy or even LEADERSHIP positions at all?

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[Shark7500]

There's a few really good posts detailing descriptions of excellent leadership positions. You should use the search function and read up; it'll be worth your time. Among them include positions like being the president of a fraternity, founder of a mid- to large- organization, or director of a large scale philanthropy or volunteer effort.

As for your particular position: sure, I think it would count as a meaningful leadership experience. I think as long as you can talk about how you've been able to benefit others can explain how you've grown from it, then it's perfect.

Though of course you shouldn't be taking up this position just as a resume booster. If you're going to have so much influence over 16 freshmen, you'd better make sure to actually put some time into it.

 

[scarshapedstar]

Could also be a job. I was a head lifeguard and that worked very well for me at interviews. Entertaining "I was a leader when..." stories about mayhem and first aid were also a plus.

 

[dancer150]

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm definitely continuing my searches.

Though of course you shouldn't be taking up this position just as a resume booster. If you're going to have so much influence over 16 freshmen, you'd better make sure to actually put some time into it.

Oh, I definitely agree. I've wanted to take this adviser position since I was a freshman, but it was only when thinking of what qualified as "leadership" that made me want to ask.

 

[Narmerguy]

Hey everyone,

I'm a new member of SDN, but as a pre-med student. I wanted to ask about leadership opportunities and people considered to be a good leadership position.

What exactly qualifies as a LEADERSHIP position? Other than just taking care of meetings, I would hope that being a club or society leader could also be under this banner if it includes organizing events and advising other students with matters. But I've never really been in full understanding of what that means (other than captain of a sports team).

Would you believe that this banner could include being an upper classmen adviser for freshman in undergrad? My college has a position where each adviser lives with 16 freshman the entire year, build their college experience (academic, lifestyle, anything really), handle the planning of their classes with their faculty advisers, and teach them college traditions. But perhaps most importantly upper classmen advisers are there for the freshman to talk about anything (depression, social conflicts, academic concerns), and are always used by the group.

1. Would you guys consider this to be a significant leadership position?

2. What are other leadership ECs that are noteworthy or even LEADERSHIP positions at all?

It could be, but I think the best leadership shows an applicant taking charge of a group of their peers rather than being appointed to a position of leadership by professors/some department. The potential leadership ECs are endless. You could start an organization, you could start your own company, you could organize a major conference on campus, you could organize a major fundraising project, etc.

People always seem intent on being a part of "clubs" to show leadership. Eh, think outside the box. Clubs are cool, but being able to show tangible results is also quite cool--"I raised $15,000 for a homeless vaccination event"/ "I organized a conference with 1000 attendants from around the state/ "I oversaw a company with $75,000 in revenue". This stuff makes people go, "Wow, he's a leader."

 

[nadaba]

People always seem intent on being a part of "clubs" to show leadership. Eh, think outside the box. Clubs are cool, but being able to show tangible results is also quite cool--"I raised $15,000 for a homeless vaccination event"/ "I organized a conference with 1000 attendants from around the state/ "I oversaw a company with $75,000 in revenue". This stuff makes people go, "Wow, he's a leader."

Clubs are pretty dumb. I guess if you have a burning passion for the subject of the club, it can work in your favor. So much of the time it's just painfully obvious resume padding.

 

[gettheleadout]

Clubs are pretty dumb. I guess if you have a burning passion for the subject of the club, it can work in your favor. So much of the time it's just painfully obvious resume padding.

I would think starting one (assuming it's legit) would be thought to entail a bit more effort though...

 

[Catalystik]

What are other leadership ECs that are noteworthy or even LEADERSHIP positions at all?

Here are two of my favorite quotes on the subject:
Leadership:

From a conversation with an adcomm member I learned that (at his school) one gets points for the intensity of the leadership experiences listed. Here are some examples of activities I've learned of on SDN and how I'd rank them (opinions, as always, may vary). Multiple experiences increase the score. It's OK to shine in another area if leadership isn't your forte.

Level I: 1) President of a club for a year. Led meetings. 2) Start small, common-interest club eg card playing, sport, adventure, campus cleanup. 3) Train freshman mentors. 4) Initiate food drive among your friends and collect donations for a food pantry. 5) Member of student senate.

Level II: 1) Club officer multiple years, eventually president, key in initiating new projects. 2) Start new club, attracting 20+ members to do community service, and/or arranging speakers, and/or successfully campaigning for a change on campus. 3) Shift supervisor or trainer of new employees. 4) Team captain. 5) Officer of student senate.

Level III: 1) Board member for health-related organization or charitable foundation for several years who helps organize/participate in health fairs, involved in presentations to get funding for projects, brings opinions to the meetings and campaigns to effect change. 2) President of three clubs some of which do community service or raise money for projects. 3) Organize 3-4 charity concerts with large attendance coordinating multiple committees. 4) Direct a play or other large production.

Level IV: 1) Chief Editor of school paper, writing editorials to sway opinion. Direct policy and staff. 2) President of student senate; initiates and carries through major change, coordinating large subcommittees. 3) NCO or officer in the armed forces who trained/led a team/unit in combat.

Level V: 1) Founded a charitable group, raised thousands of dollars for many projects, multiple year involvement, group continues after your departure. Branch groups started in other locations under your leadership. 2) Start a free clinic, recruit doctors, nurses, and student workers to volunteer their time. Raise the money for supplies/pharmaceuticals or get them donated. Help hundreds to thousands of patients in the time you're involved. 3) Start a successful company with 5+ employees and make a profit. Guide growth, legal and financial aspects.

Leadership is not essential. Don't do it just to check a box and frankly, I never give much wait to leadership positions in clubs. What really gets us excited is taking charge of a large group of your peers or taking responsibility for "stuff" including other people's money. Teaching/tutoring is, in my mind, a different box. I've seen people take team captain role on a sports team or in organizing a group of peers to accomplish a task or as a service role for a group (such as president of a frat).3/29/10

 

[camshark]

I plan on organizing a blood drive at school and was a manager at McDonald's when I was 16 until age 18...I'm hoping those are some leadership activites

 

[gettheleadout]

I plan on organizing a blood drive at school and was a manager at McDonald's when I was 16 until age 18...I'm hoping those are some leadership activites

I'm personally impressed you made manager at 16.

 

[camshark]

It was fun...then I moved for college and didn't transfer to new mcDs but maybe those 2 yrs will mean something haha

 

[Catalystik]

It was fun...then I moved for college and didn't transfer to new mcDs but maybe those 2 yrs will mean something haha

The longevity was very good.

 

[Drogo]

Hey everyone,

I'm a new member of SDN, but as a pre-med student. I wanted to ask about leadership opportunities and people considered to be a good leadership position.

What exactly qualifies as a LEADERSHIP position? Other than just taking care of meetings, I would hope that being a club or society leader could also be under this banner if it includes organizing events and advising other students with matters. But I've never really been in full understanding of what that means (other than captain of a sports team).

Would you believe that this banner could include being an upper classmen adviser for freshman in undergrad? My college has a position where each adviser lives with 16 freshman the entire year, build their college experience (academic, lifestyle, anything really), handle the planning of their classes with their faculty advisers, and teach them college traditions. But perhaps most importantly upper classmen advisers are there for the freshman to talk about anything (depression, social conflicts, academic concerns), and are always used by the group.

1. Would you guys consider this to be a significant leadership position?

2. What are other leadership ECs that are noteworthy or even LEADERSHIP positions at all?

I think that seems like a genuine leadership role, taking on the mentoring of 16 freshmen could be a great experience and who knows you might stay in touch with these students even years from now.

I've been pondering also what kind of leadership role I'd like to take on eventually. I've been really wanting to start a volunteer effort group mainly composed of Latino/Hispanic students (high school on through college) with a lack of direction and also composed of those who do have big career aspirations and are ready to serve the community(volunteer/mentorship type deal).

There's a large Latino/Hispanic community in southwest Detroit which at times is only plagued with headlines involving murders, drug dealing, home invasions, arson, dumping, and gang violence.

Being that I'm a first generation Mexican-American, I know starting something like this would really be something I could genuinely put my all in and the side benefits would only be secondary and only an after thought.

I've been putting a lot of thought into this and any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully OP doesn't feel as if I'm trying to highjack the thread. Maybe others can get some ideas out of all of this..

 

[dancer150]

From a conversation with an adcomm member I learned that (at his school) one gets points for the intensity of the leadership experiences listed. Here are some examples of activities I've learned of on SDN and how I'd rank them (opinions, as always, may vary). Multiple experiences increase the score. It's OK to shine in another area if leadership isn't your forte.

Level I: 1) President of a club for a year. Led meetings. 2) Start small, common-interest club eg card playing, sport, adventure, campus cleanup. 3) Train freshman mentors. 4) Initiate food drive among your friends and collect donations for a food pantry. 5) Member of student senate.

Level II: 1) Club officer multiple years, eventually president, key in initiating new projects. 2) Start new club, attracting 20+ members to do community service, and/or arranging speakers, and/or successfully campaigning for a change on campus. 3) Shift supervisor or trainer of new employees. 4) Team captain. 5) Officer of student senate.

Level III: 1) Board member for health-related organization or charitable foundation for several years who helps organize/participate in health fairs, involved in presentations to get funding for projects, brings opinions to the meetings and campaigns to effect change. 2) President of three clubs some of which do community service or raise money for projects. 3) Organize 3-4 charity concerts with large attendance coordinating multiple committees. 4) Direct a play or other large production.

Level IV: 1) Chief Editor of school paper, writing editorials to sway opinion. Direct policy and staff. 2) President of student senate; initiates and carries through major change, coordinating large subcommittees. 3) NCO or officer in the armed forces who trained/led a team/unit in combat.

Level V: 1) Founded a charitable group, raised thousands of dollars for many projects, multiple year involvement, group continues after your departure. Branch groups started in other locations under your leadership. 2) Start a free clinic, recruit doctors, nurses, and student workers to volunteer their time. Raise the money for supplies/pharmaceuticals or get them donated. Help hundreds to thousands of patients in the time you're involved. 3) Start a successful company with 5+ employees and make a profit. Guide growth, legal and financial aspects.

That post was incredibly helpful, Catalystik; thank you so much for finding those.

It seems as though my leadership positions play across several of those levels, but if anyone has any direction or advice, I would appreciate it.

-I worked at soup kitchen all throughout high school, and now in college, I not only volunteer and donate food there every week, but I also organize a fundraiser. Though selling my own baked goods and dishes to students, professors, and off-campus families, I donate all of the money (totals to a couple thousand dollars every year) to the soup kitchen. I just recently expanded this to include my friends, so I wonder if I could full-fledged make this a club and then be a Level V?

-I also have activities in the Level II-Level III variety. I am a board member for two health-related organization. Both positions involve planning fairs, speakers, multiple charity concerts/programs with on-campus groups, along with other fundraisers. I am also the head of the campus's Street Outreach program.

-I am also the president of a very large (non-medical) club. The board has ~15 members, but the club consitutes over 100 students. We're more like a student organization (that works with administration as well), but we promote student safety at college events on weekends. I work with the school administration and Deans at regular meetings and talk about ideas of how to improve alcohol and social safety on campus.

Does anyone think that this position could hold some merit?

 

[Sephiroth]

I would think starting one (assuming it's legit) would be thought to entail a bit more effort though...

Yes, but at the same time, I've seen many people make their own student organization that has less than 10 people in it and accomplish very little, and it pretty much just looks like they made the group so they could all hold executive board positions. I would assume adcoms are looking for serious tangible production from the group and/or a large number of [active] members.

 

[gettheleadout]

Yes, but at the same time, I've seen many people make their own student organization that has less than 10 people in it and accomplish very little, and it pretty much just looks like they made the group so they could all hold executive board positions. I would assume adcoms are looking for serious tangible production from the group and/or a large number of [active] members.

Oh of course, I meant to imply that by "legit," but I can see how that wasn't specific enough at all.

 

[ucsfstudents]

If you are in a position where you are leading a group of people toward a stated objective, you are in a leadership position. In general, the president of the organition is noted to have the most responsibility, and so would be looked at better than say the secretary of that organization. But it also does come down to what you do in that position. If you do nothing, and are just a place holder, that may or may not get noticed.

It is better if the leadership position is well established or has some academic or societal impact. Those are just my thoughts and is nowhere near official. I've just been in very many leadership positions including creation of new organizations on campus, etc.

One advice I was given as an undergrad was to leave some kind of legacy. If you are in a position to leave a legacy, as in a newly developed club or project or something like that, are successful in having it continue even when you are no longer there, then you've left a legacy. Ask yourself what your legacy at your school will be.

 

[Catalystik]

That post was incredibly helpful, Catalystik; thank you so much for finding those.

It seems as though my leadership positions play across several of those levels, but if anyone has any direction or advice, I would appreciate it.

-I worked at soup kitchen all throughout high school, and now in college, I not only volunteer and donate food there every week, but I also organize a fundraiser. Though selling my own baked goods and dishes to students, professors, and off-campus families, I donate all of the money (totals to a couple thousand dollars every year) to the soup kitchen. I just recently expanded this to include my friends, so I wonder if I could full-fledged make this a club and then be a Level V?

-I also have activities in the Level II-Level III variety. I am a board member for two health-related organization. Both positions involve planning fairs, speakers, multiple charity concerts/programs with on-campus groups, along with other fundraisers. I am also the head of the campus's Street Outreach program.

-I am also the president of a very large (non-medical) club. The board has ~15 members, but the club consitutes over 100 students. We're more like a student organization (that works with administration as well), but we promote student safety at college events on weekends. I work with the school administration and Deans at regular meetings and talk about ideas of how to improve alcohol and social safety on campus.

Does anyone think that this position could hold some merit?

I think you've listed a number of legitimate leadership roles. Just be sure that the description you write about each activity highlights your role and what you accomplished.