The Significance of Demonstrating Leadership Abilities
Leadership entails more than just having a title; it involves showing the skill to lead, motivate, and impact others. Showcasing these abilities in your portfolio can greatly boost your credibility, making you more noticeable to both universities and potential employers.
A student’s leadership skills are demonstrated through their capacity to oversee projects, work well with others, and achieve desired outcomes. These attributes are in high demand as they show a candidate's ability to develop into positions with more accountability.
For students aspiring to create a strong portfolio, there are multiple chances to cultivate and demonstrate leadership abilities such as:
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Participating in student governments or leading clubs can offer practical leadership skills. These positions frequently require planning events, supervising teams, and taking significant actions.
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Being involved in academic projects and competitions, like leading group projects or participating in science fairs and business plan contests, can showcase leadership skills and innovative thinking.
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Participating in community service or taking on leadership positions in non-profit groups demonstrates a dedication to making a difference in society and effectively leading a team.
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Internships and part-time jobs that include leadership duties are important for demonstrating hands-on leadership experience.
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If you’ve already done these things, what’s next?
Most universities look for the substantial impact your leadership has had, which all boils down to how much you’ve contributed and how you’ve changed people’s lives.
Hence, it is important to “show” how much impact you’ve had rather than just “telling” the admissions officer. This can be done by highlighting and quantifying your impact in your extracurricular description. While doing so, it’s also important to highlight your role in the accomplishments of your team or group. Harvard recently released a list of action verbs to describe your accomplishments which can be used as a starting point in your leadership description.
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