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The word "resume" can feel so corporate. It can evoke a general sense of "ugh." 😬
As a junior or senior in high school, you're likely wanting to enjoy yourself and spend time with friends before heading to college.
Besides, a resume isn't necessary if you aren't applying to jobs...or is it?
What exactly is a college resume and how do you build one?
A college resume is a brief snapshot of a student’s high school achievements, interests, work experience, community service, and leadership skills. You have more professional experiences to share with colleges than you may think.
A resume highlighting all things ✨ professional you ✨ may be your ticket in.
In this blog post, we will teach you how to write a high school resume for a college application. Don't worry, it's not a huge lift. You can write a college resume in an evening!
We will cover:
A college representative may be responsible for covering up to 6 states or thousands of high schools in a single school year. Whew! You may only have a few minutes to make an impression on him or her. Your college resume will quickly give the rep a peek into who you are and how you have chosen to spend your time while in high school.
Freshman year of high school is the ideal time to start your resume. Adding activities and awards each year will ensure you do not forget what you've earned and done.
Plus, tracking each year allows you to see which categories to give more attention to in order to increase the strength of your resume throughout high school.
Keep in mind longevity in one or two activities carries more weight than surface-level activity in numerous activities. College personnel can see through 👀 someone who is simply trying to pad their resume, versus someone who is passionate in a given area.
If you're just starting your college resume as a junior or senior, don't kick yourself. Go back in your files, old classwork, emails, journals, etc. to jog your memory.
Before we get too far into it...if you prefer learning visually, watch this video on building a college resume.
Craft a heading for your resume with your personal and contact information: your name, address, phone number, email address, and personal statement.
You'll want to record the following academic credentials:
This section will make up the bulk of your resume, and should show your personality! List achievements and responsibilities that you participate in and outside of school. You'll want to record things such as:
Highly competitive colleges and universities are looking for students with strong leadership skills above the high school level. They like to see regional, state, and national awards in addition to leadership skills. The same applies to moderately competitive universities that offer full tuition plus room and board scholarships. In this section, you'll want to include:
If you aspire to earn admittance to a highly competitive school or want to earn a competitive full-ride scholarship to an in-state public school, pay attention to the strength of your college resume. Share it with your advisor, counselor, or favorite teacher. Ask them for suggestions to get more involved on campus.
This last section should be relatively short, but can include some unique facts about yourself! Below are just a few examples of what you might include here:
The format and look of your resume matters! Here are few tips for formatting and writing your resume in an effective way:
➡️ Download a Sample Resume Here ⬅️
Many of my students work 30 hours per week at a job to pay bills at home. Other students are responsible for younger siblings while their parents work 12-hour shifts. If this is your reality, make sure you communicate this to the college.
Working to assist your family is a noble and impressive responsibility. If you are a manager at work or train new employees, be sure to include that under the leadership section on your resume.
Over the decades I have been a high school counselor, many of my students were concerned because their interests lie outside the high school campus. No problem! One of my past students raced stock cars on the weekend. Another student did barrel horse racing. Yet another was extremely involved in her church in various ways. Colleges like diversity of interests! Be sure to highlight all activities on and off campus.
Yes! Bring a copy to your next job interview and impress the interviewer. Bring multiple copies to scholarship or admission interviews in case they do not have a copy in front of them. It is an easy conversation starter. You may want to apply to a Greek Organization freshman year at college or run for an office of a club. Your high school resume will be extremely useful in highlighting your past achievements. And finally, some teachers or counselors will ask for a copy when writing your letters of recommendation for college during your senior year.
Try to keep your final college resume on just one page, and try not to decrease the margins.
Yes, adding your GPA to your resume is a best practice.
By now I hope I have convinced you of the importance of creating your college resume. It is definitely worth the effort based on the potential return on your time!
If you're a student that is currently using Scoir, we have a simple tool to help you build your resume. You can view our guide to creating a resume in Scoir.
College resumes can be organized in many different ways to help you communicate your experience and skills. If you are not a current user of Scoir, or if you would prefer to organize it on your own, below is just a sample of one way to build your college resume. We hope it helps!
➡️ Download a Sample Resume Here ⬅️
This article was originally published on March 17, 2021. It was updated on August 8, 2023 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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