How to Create a College Resume
Learn about what a college resume is!
Get a breakdown of all the components on a college resume!
Get additional tips for creating your college resume!
What is a College Resume?
Putting together a college admissions resume is a cornerstone of the college process! It can be difficult to figure out where to begin and what to put on your resume. This article covers how to hit the ground running and create a college resume that will stand out to admissions officers.
Resume breakdown
Here are some key elements you will want to include on your resume:
Heading
This should include your personal information, including your name, address, phone number, and email address.
Academic Profile
Here you should include the high school you’ve attended with dates from when you began and when you expect to graduate. If available, include your class ranking if you feel that it strengthens your resume. Include any relevant AP courses or college credits you’ve completed.
SAT/ACT Scores: Include your best scores on your resume.
Co-Curricular Activities
Make sure to include any school-affiliated clubs or activities that you’ve taken part in in high school. This could be clubs, student government and organizations, musical groups, performing arts, or athletic teams.
Extracurricular Activities
In addition to co-curricular activities, make sure to also include extracurriculars. This could be club sports, organizations outside of school, or activities you take part in within your community. Don’t add in work or volunteer activities just yet; that comes later!
Employment History
List any part-time or summer jobs that you’ve held during your high school years, as well as any potential internships, job shadowing, or summer programs you’ve participated in.
Skills
Here you can add in things such as additional languages you are fluent in, computer or coding abilities, as well as “soft skills” like leadership or communication.
Volunteer Experience
This is a key part of any college admissions resume! Colleges want to see that you are community-oriented and care about those around you. Include all volunteer or charity work you’ve taken part in.
Recognition
Here you can include any achievements or accolades you’ve accumulated, such as honor roll and other academic or athletic awards.
Hobbies & Interests
This is the place to include other things about yourself that are unrelated to school or work. This could be something like photography or handy work.
Additional tips
One of the most important things to remember when writing your college admissions resume is to keep it concise and to the point. A resume should be kept to one page, but you always want to be as clear as possible in conveying who you are and what you bring to the table. Don’t be concerned with trying to impress admissions officers with long and complex writing. It will be much more beneficial to write in simple but effective language that conveys your credentials.
Formatting your resume will depend on what you like and how much you have to include, but there are still some things everyone should keep in mind when formatting a resume. Arrange your experiences and credentials in descending chronological order. This means putting your most recent academic, extracurricular, or work experiences at the top of each section and moving down the page chronologically as you add other experiences. Additionally, use bullet points in order to keep your resume looking concise and easily readable. Finally, keep up a consistent formatting style. Make sure the spacing and font choices are the same throughout the resume to prevent it from looking messy or disorganized. Keeping all of these formatting tips in mind will leave you with a clean and concise resume that will catch the eye of any admissions officer.
