leadership

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navy2016

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Dec 30, 2009
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I noticed how most high school students are involved in various clubs/ activities and hold positions. However from my limited perspective, many of these positions require little more than attending a meeting or 2 (to be elected to that position).
Does USNA attempt to identify quality leadership versus a whole list of positions that require little work?

For example i have been told Scouting is one of the most respected organizations and becoming Eagle is a great honor. I'm a life scout and SPL (having held ASPL, OA Chapter chief, PL) myself and known very slack scouts that do little and scam their way to Eagle (to get eagle u dont have to be SPL or ASPL/ other top positions, just have to hold troop office).
Also, my school's honor societies simply plan for the induction and usually hold one meeting afterward and do little beyond that.

Team captains in my schools' sports teams vary a lot in leadership involvement. Some i see are held as capt as an honor/do nothing but show off while other actually lead in workouts.
 
There are the positions that I call "check the box" positions, and then there are more meaningful leadership opportunities...Eagle, SPL, OA are huge.

Others would be, camp counselor, coach, njrotc...

be sure to include a resume so you can expand on some key points. Don't worry about how others might scam the system. Make your resume shine! :thumb:
 
Do your best at whatever your leadership position demands. Do it in an activity that interests you. Don't worry so much about what other applicants are claiming--worry about what qualities you offer.

Yes, it's a competition but you have no control over anyone else. You can improve your application.

I would give this advice to any of my Girl Scouts, kids I know at church or my daughter's friends.
 
Well my school is the complete opposite. Everyone is a leader for a reason. I hold a leadership spot on one of the clubs, and we run a group of 160. Every thursday and at least one other day I'm at school an hour early, just to prepare for this.

All of our team captains do work, and are captain because of all their effort.

And if you feel some people can scam through 10+ years of scouting I'm sorry, but for the most part people get a role because they deserve it.

There are some leaders who do a bad job, and this can never be avoided, but if the academy would assume that someone was a bad leader every time they reviewed a file, than what does that position mean at all? A leadership position is supposed to show leadership. To my knowledge theres no way to filter through every single person on paper. If it is shown that the individual is good on paper, than the academy has to assume it is true. They can't be skeptical about everyone, because there's no way to tell.
 
This is where BGOs can help/hurt. I typically ask my candidates about their "leadership" experiences -- what do they actually do as team captain or club president. I ask what their Eagle Scout project is. And I ask if they do other things -- demonstrating leadership by activity rather than title.

If you're doing something, find a way to mention it to your BGO.
 
singaporemom said:
There are the positions that I call "check the box" positions, and then there are more meaningful leadership opportunities...Eagle, SPL, OA are huge.

Others would be, camp counselor, coach, njrotc...

be sure to include a resume so you can expand on some key points. Don't worry about how others might scam the system. Make your resume shine! :thumb:
Click to expand...

I think I might be reading this the wrong way....but what do you mean by "others"?
 
I think she means how others - other applicants will scam the system by padding their resume with leadership positions that don't require much work to get or maintain.
 
KveTina said:
I think she means how others - other applicants will scam the system by padding their resume with leadership positions that don't require much work to get or maintain.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought...I was just trying to figure out if she was saying JROTC is one of those that don't require any work.....
 
Navy2016, I wish you could read your post as an objective stranger does.

If these are your true colors, practice interviewing prior to your BGO meeting. Pretend you believe in your shipmates' abilities, and take pleasure in their successes. Act as if you aren't out to minimize the achievements of others, especially those you know little about.
 
jrotc, camp counsleor, etc are those OTHER activities that show great leadership. :smile:
 
Other positions such as this or that is what I inferred from reading singapore's post. Be cautious with your use of the word shipmate. It doesn't mean the same thing to everyone.
 
I believe on the on line USNA app there are the requisite boxes to be checked off signifying membership/leadership in various organizations. There is also a space for comments. That's where you express how "hands-on" your leadership positions were, how many others you "led," what it was you "organized," "counseled," or "taught."

My son had great, very active leadership in a national youth organization which did not appear as one of the possible choices. Therefore, he had to craft a comment in that space that expressed his leadership experience.

Never, ever leave those spaces for comments blank. Even if your leadership activities were listed and you checked them off. Use that space to tell a bit more about the most important of those leadership opportunities.
 
My son copied his resume to that comment box, I believe. Then mailed it in. Everytime the resume was updated he mailed in a new version. This last month he emailed the new versions to his RD with a quick note of what the update was.
 
There is not much to be gained by worrying about "stuff" you can't control. Put your energies into that which you can control and make it a point to make yourself the very best candidate YOU can be!

It is a great suggestion for you to prepare a resume of your achievements for your interview(s), including academic standing and GPA, courses taken, leadership positions held and a summary of what you accomplished, ECAs, etc. Also, my usual last question in a candidate interview is: What do you want the Admissions Board to know about you that you feel makes you unique and qualified to be selected for an appointment?

Another thought, you very well can spend more time and energy on what someone may or may not be doing than they are. So who is being "hurt" by the situation?
 
If he's a candidate for 2014, probably Admissions, with attention to Regional Director. Use candidate number on all correspondance.
 
Leadership is not judged by position alone. USNA has several resources in trying to determine whether you have actually "led." One is teacher recs. Teachers generally know if a student is leading -- and leading doesn't necessarily mean being class president. Second is the BGO. As noted above, I ask candidates what they actually do in their "leadership" positions or what other activities that they pursue that might demonstrate leadership. Third, you have your personal statement which may -- depending on your circumstances -- allow you to discuss what you've done.

Finally, leadership is only one component of the application. It's important, but not the only thing USNA looks for.
 
NorthernCalMother said:
Navy2016, I wish you could read your post as an objective stranger does.

If these are your true colors, practice interviewing prior to your BGO meeting. Pretend you believe in your shipmates' abilities, and take pleasure in their successes. Act as if you aren't out to minimize the achievements of others, especially those you know little about.
Click to expand...

NorthernCalMother, I find your statement a bit harsh. Aren't the Service Academy Forums supposed to be a safe place for prospective candidates to ask questions? In this case the question may not have been worded very diplomatically, but you're dealing with a young High-schooler here (at least that's my impression) and the issue clearly weighed on his/her mind. Actually I think it is a fair question and it got several helpful responses.
 
I have been reading this thread and many others since my son HOPES to be in the class of 2015. I feel leadership can be very subjective but also important. I too have seen people "scam" there way through to get ahead. But you have to think about it... from school activities, scouts, CAPS, Sea Cadets, etc..many people who run some of these programs are volunteers who might let things slide. But for the most part kids who want to go to a service academy make sure they can prove they held a TRUE leadership role.
I also feel when it comes down to it, during the interview process they can weed out those who actually held a TRUE leadership position and who is are spouting enough cr** to try and prove it.
What leadership role you played is only one of many aspects you might need to receive an appointment. I would hope that a qualifiied student isn't denied an appointment because he/she wasn't a team captain or in student government.
---just my 2 cents...okay, off my soap box now
 
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