College applications look good when you are on student council. You can build memories, relationships, and even learn about your personal goals by joining student council, but it goes beyond leadership and teamwork skills.
It Looks Good
Leadership looks good. It doesn’t matter if you are applying to a job or college, showing that you have leadership skills helps you to stand out among the crowd. This is important when everyone around you is vying for a spot at your coveted university.
You want to make your skills stand out and student council can do this. It also shows colleges that you have determination, grit and know how to get things done. Colleges love that.
It’s All About Politics
You might have dreamed of being president as a kid. The first step you can take is to join the student council. Joining student council will give you a better understanding of how elections are conducted. Besides creating slogans, election materials, and speeches, you will also learn where you stand on important issues in your community and school.
Working with a team and preparing professional documents are two things you’ll learn once you join student council. Networking with other like-minded teens who want to make a difference will help you see how what you are learning can be applied to the real world beyond homework and exams.
Develop Your People Skills
Being a leader is all about getting the hearts of the people. Student council teaches you about yourself and how you interact with people. Not only will you refine your communication and team work skills, you’ll begin to understand how attitude is important. As you talk with individual students and large groups or community professionals, you’ll learn effective communication, debate, and persuasion skills.
Your dedication and commitment to your projects and improving your school will also begin to shine. Push this to the max by making sure you talk to everyone. Become a leader among your student council. Who knows, your award winning personality might be what lands you a place in Harvard.
Managing a Team
You are not a lone ranger on this journey. You will work with other council members to make things happen and connect with others outside of your school and community. Working together and getting other people’s opinions is not only a good way to learn how to work together, but it also gives you management and leadership experience.
It may be necessary for you to take the helm on some projects while you sit back and provide guidance on others. You might lead an after-school program for your community or you might offer advice on changing your school’s lunch plates from Styrofoam to reusable ones.
Regardless of the situation, you learn to be a leader and stand up for the rights of your students to improve the school and community. Don’t just go with the flow here, make sure you get the most out of it. Voice your opinions because they matter and are important.
Expand Your Horizons
Student councils work to improve their schools, but it goes beyond that. Through donating your time to a charity in your community or hosting a charity event at your school, you’ll begin to see how you can impact society. By learning how to sponsor events, business knowledge is gained.
It also teaches you where your personal goals lie and what is important to you. The reward that you can feel from helping others in your community might expand to finding ways to help other communities.
Through this, you’ll also network with students that are outside of your community and home, which can create memories and experiences that you might not have otherwise gotten.
Learn About Yourself
There are times in high school when you know who you are and there are times when you don’t. You might think that you shouldn’t join student council, but it can help you envision your future. Not only will you learn about your work ethic and how you interact with others, but you may discover a part of yourself that you never knew existed.
During debates and the election process, you might discover that you have the makings of a budding politician. You may find your calling in service work by helping out in your community. If you sponsor an event for an orphanage or hospital, your love for children and their welfare may begin to shine through.
The importance of a great college resume is overshadowed by the importance of learning who you are as a person.
Making the Most of the Benefits
Your time as a council member is important. While you can sit back and do the least amount possible to get that shining mark on your college application, only through pushing yourself will you see the true rewards of this association. Therefore, to get the most of benefits, you need to step out of your bubble and try the things that are difficult.
For example, run for president of your council or take on that spirit week project. You never know the valuable life skills that you might learn. Most important be the voice of your student body, share your opinions, be confident, have humility and fight for causes that are important.
Creating Healthy School Communities
Student council may seem like nothing more than a way to shine on your college application, but you’d be wrong. Your true passion might just be found by working with others, developing leadership skills, and helping your community.
Take your membership a step further and run for an office by learning how to write a student council speech.