While not always required, a college application resume can be a powerful tool to supplement your main application. It provides a clean, professional overview of your achievements and allows you to present more detail than the standard activities section might allow.
A well-crafted resume is particularly useful for giving to your teachers and counselors when you ask for recommendations, as it forms the basis of a great "brag sheet."
When Should You Submit a Resume?
- If it's optional: If a college's application portal has an "upload resume" option, it's generally a good idea to submit one, as long as it's well-formatted and adds new information.
- If it's requested: Some specific programs (like business or leadership programs) or scholarships may require a resume.
- For recommendation requests: Always provide a resume to your recommenders. It makes their job easier and results in a stronger, more detailed letter.
Do NOT submit a resume if the college explicitly says not to.
What to Include on Your Resume
Keep it to a single page. Admissions officers are busy, so it needs to be concise and easy to scan.
- Contact Information: Your name, address, email, and phone number at the top.
- Education: Your high school's name, location, and expected graduation date. You can also include your GPA and relevant coursework.
- Extracurricular Activities: This is the core of your resume. For each activity, include:
- Your role/position (e.g., "President," "Lead Programmer," "Section Leader").
- The name of the organization.
- The dates of your involvement.
- Use bullet points with strong action verbs to describe your accomplishments and responsibilities. Quantify your impact whenever possible (e.g., "Managed a $500 budget," "Increased membership by 20%").
- Work Experience: Include any part-time jobs, internships, or significant freelance work. Focus on the skills you learned and your responsibilities.
- Awards and Honors: List any academic, extracurricular, or community awards you've received.
- Skills: Briefly list any relevant hard skills (e.g., computer languages like Python, language fluency like Spanish, lab skills like PCR) or soft skills (e.g., public speaking, project management).
Formatting and Style
- Clean and Professional: Use a standard font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. Use bolding, italics, and white space to create a clear visual hierarchy.
- Action Verbs: Start your bullet points with strong verbs like "organized," "led," "developed," "managed," or "created."
- Consistency: Keep your formatting consistent throughout the document (e.g., all dates are right-aligned, all job titles are bolded).
- Proofread: A single typo can undermine the professional image you're trying to create. Proofread it carefully, and have someone else look at it too.
Think of your resume as a marketing document. Your goal is to present the most impressive, well-rounded version of yourself in a single, powerful page.