What is an Example of Leadership for UC Prompt #1?
by Kathleen M.
The first prompt for the University of California Personal Insight Questions is “Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
After an initial read, you may decide not to pursue this question – you only have to choose four of eight – but I would recommend you read it again and think of examples of how you might be an unexpected leader.
In Sean Glaze’s book, The Unexpected Leader, anyone can be a leader by choosing to lead with passion, not just position. So if you think about leadership in this way, you could respond to this question.
You might have attended French Club every month since you started high school, and were the catalyst for a fundraiser, but you don’t have a title in the club besides member/participant. That is okay – tell the story of your participation, how you encouraged others to help with raising funds, and how you have positively influenced others through this activity.
Or maybe, you are a member of a garage band. Your band meets weekly to practice and has been having more an more opportunities to play at parties and events. You have worked on the business side of setting up these opportunities and one of your clients tried to short you on the fee. You worked between the band members and the client to make sure that the event was a success and the band was paid: You helped to resolve disputes.
Or lastly, perhaps you were a member of the Ski Club, the Honor Society, the Mathletes – but you don’t have a named position on any of these. You have helped in small ways with all of them and have made a difference by being reliable and participating. You contributed to the group efforts over time and made the experience of these clubs possible for many others.
There are many ways to approach the idea of being a leader – and the second half of the question leaves you with lots of opportunity to show an example of being a leader from within organizations and clubs at school or in your personal experience.
Remember that you want to choose essay topics that highlight something interesting about you – and that you will balance the four PIQs to give a full picture of who you are and how you can/will contribute at the university level.
Resources:
UC Prompt #1: Displaying Your Leadership
