Class president

[navalacademy12]

Should I run for class president (I don't think my odds are great but I'm willing to work more than any other candidate and I can guarantee that) or should I wait for another opportunity? I need to know because I don't want to waste time and if USNA prefers presidency over something like JROTC Leadership

 

[usnahopeful]

All I recommend is that you do something that you are genuinely into and you care about.

 

[USNA '16]

I also am debating whether to run for my sophmore year class president. I do look to the future and beleive that it'll look good on any college application, not just USNA. I am into politics, kind of. Any opinion would be nice!

 

[usnabgo08]

If you are doing an activity solely because it will make your application look good, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

 

[buffalo]

Sure, being a class president will look good and help the application. Be mindful though, it will only help substantially if you can say you did something with the position. It is one thing to check off the box on the app that say you were class president. It is another thing to be able to talk meaningfully about what you did in that role. What did you do? How did it help the school... If you think you will be able to answer those last two questions, go for it. If not, put your time into an activity that you enjoy and will be able to talk/write about.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

At most schools the Class President is a popularity contest.
IMO - JROTC leadership trumps it. seriously.

 

[bmorris244]

I'm gonna agree with the above posts here. Something like President of NHS, a leader in JROTC, or an SPL of a boy scout troop is better -- not only for the app, but also because your experiences will be more genuine and you will learn more about leadership, about others, and about yourself; I think that's what you'll need at an academy.

 

[Chanmachine]

At most schools, student council is really a popularity contest. I don't know how it is at your school, but at mine student council is really involved and we actually do something substantial. Anyway, I didn't think that I would win, but I ran for VP anyway and I just got elected yesterday! It turns out that we elected people from all different cliques and it is a really diverse group. So, I guess what I am trying to say is: Go for it! You have nothing to lose, and if your student council is involved like mine, it's a really valuable experience.