Getting Started
A resume is a document in which you present your accomplishments, work experience (if applicable), extracurricular activities, and other pertinent information.
As you put together your student questionnaire or a student resume, reflect on the activities that are most meaningful to you. Colleges are interested in knowing who you are, and your descriptions can fill in the gaps of an application. Colleges are interested in knowing how you manage your time outside the classroom, and how you juggle your academics and your extracurricular activities.
Don't be overly modest. In order to stand out in a sea of applications, your strengths and accomplishments will be important and attractive to colleges. Let admission counselors know, through your application and resume, what you will bring and contribute to their campus.
Organizing Your Resume
Presenting your extracurricular activities can be tricky. Most applications request the information, but the format they request may vary. Follow directions, but if you want to include more information in the form of a description or a resume, you may include that in your application materials. (Remember to include your name and home address. ) Categories to consider using to organize your resume include:
- Educational Information - schools attended
- Academic Awards and Honors
- Community Service or Volunteer Involvement
- Athletic Involvement - Varsity, Club, etc.
- Special Talents
- Work Experience
- Summer Experiences
- Leadership
- Extracurricular Involvement - School Clubs, Newspaper staff, etc.
There may be other areas to include, but the above list should provide you with a method to get started organizing your thoughts. The way you organize your resume is up to you. Your resume may be done in chronological order, starting with most recent - 12th, 11th, 10th, and 9th grades. Another way to organize would be by categories - Honors and Awards, Special Talents, Athletics, Clubs, etc.
Samples
You may use any of the following sample resumes as models to write your own. Download the document file, save to your computer, and use it as a template for creating your own resume:
You may wish to combine formats - for example, "Average Student" and "Athlete," or "Vocational Student" and "Special Interest."
