One of the questions we get often is “ What am I going to write about in the leadership section of my Statement of Purpose (SOP)” ? Our answer: anything you’ve done outside of classes. The worst thing you can do is not have a good answer to this question. Admissions officers are always looking to bring in a class of well-rounded students. Read about it here.

Everyone’s situation is different. If you are one of the few people who are reading this while still in school (either in high school or in college), then you have time to remedy this gap. If not, don’t worry we have nuggets for you in this article too.

Leadership in Secondary School

For those of you still in secondary school, you need to join one of your school’s clubs – social, drama, press, science etc. It doesn’t quite matter which one you join. The most important thing is whichever one you pick aligns with your values and your interests. You don’t necessarily have to join a club that is directly related to your future goals.

For example, if you want to be a medical doctor, while it might make sense to join the science club, you can actually join the drama club instead. Why? You might ask. Perhaps, one of the skills you’ve always wanted to improve on was your ability to interact with others no matter the situation you’re put in. Being in the drama club where you get to work on your improv and communication skills is definitely the way to go. What matters is that you’re able to tie back that experience with your ambitions when it’s time for your essay.

Sticking with the drama example, as a medical doctor, there will be times when you will be required to deliver hard news to a patient. Knowing how to empathize and project a wide range of emotions may be the key with connecting with your patients. You get the idea. While you’re in school, do something that you care about and it would be easier to tell your story. You also get bonus points if you initiated or led something, so make sure you raise your hand when people are looking for volunteers to lead.

Now if you don’t join a club, there are other ways still. Example, if you’re a prefect in school or a leader in your choir or other group in church, that will also work. These are experiences that can showcase leadership skills such as ability to influence others, empathy etc.

Leadership in University

During university, in addition to clubs/organizations, there are also other unique ways to lead. Were you the class rep or student ambassador? Talk about how through that experience you learned about influential leadership. You learned how to influence both lecturers and students to act in a way that was mutually beneficial to the department as a whole. Talk about the class programs and tutorials you helped organize for the students.  Did you lead tutorials? Talk about what it was like to prepare a lesson – to break down concepts to your fellow classmates or department mates? What did that entail? Did you play chess casually with your classmates? Talk about how that camaraderie you built with your chess mates helped you become a better team member? You get the idea. Make sure you participate in something outside of just attending classes.

Leadership outside of School

You might be one of those people who aren’t in school at the moment and are thinking to themselves, surely all is lost for me. The good news is this is false thinking. There are many opportunities outside of school available for you to still demonstrate leadership. A few examples below:

• Get some friends together and start visiting orphanages monthly. Come essay time you can talk about how your initiative led you to fill a need in your community
• Volunteer on the fundraising or harvest committee in church. You will be able to talk about how the skills you learned in organization and people management can be applied to your graduate career.
• Volunteer in organizations that are related to your field of interest. For example, if you are interested in public health, look at the Red Cross, UNESCO or other similar types of programs that have events in your area and volunteer or participate in them.
• Start a side hustle :). This can actually demonstrate innovation, initiativeness and creativity, which are all important characteristics of graduate students.

No matter what stage of your career you’re in, make sure you are contributing in some way to the broader society. It would do both society and you good!

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