Crafting a Standout College Resume: Examples and Expert Guidance
Applying to college is a multifaceted process, and while the Common Application provides a structured way to showcase your achievements, a well-crafted resume can offer a more comprehensive and detailed view of your accomplishments. This article explores how to create a compelling college resume, drawing upon expert advice and real-world examples to help you stand out from the crowd.
Understanding the Purpose of a College Resume
A college resume is not simply a list of your activities; it's a strategic document that highlights your strengths, experiences, and potential contributions to the university community. Unlike a professional resume, which focuses on job-related skills, a college resume emphasizes scholastic achievements, awards, activities, athletics, clubs, leadership roles, community service, special talents, and program participation.
Should You Submit a Resume?
Before embarking on the resume-writing process, it's crucial to determine whether it's necessary or even encouraged by the colleges you're applying to.
Check College Requirements: Review each university's admissions webpage or the Common App to see if there's an option to upload a resume. Some colleges, like the University of Virginia, explicitly discourage submitting additional resumes. Others, such as Brown University, Boston College, and Carnegie Mellon, provide space for optional resumes in the Common App. Still others, like the University of Texas - Austin, "strongly recommend" submitting a resume.
Assess Added Value: If submitting a resume is optional, evaluate whether it provides information that isn't already highlighted in your application. Consider the space you have in the Common App's Activities List (10 spots with 150 characters each), the Honors section (5 spots), your main essay, supplemental essays, and the Additional Information section.
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A resume can be particularly valuable if:
- You have significant work experience that demonstrates responsibility and maturity.
- You've participated in an awesome internship that you couldn't fully explain in the Common App's character limits.
- You've dedicated substantial time to a specific area, like marketing or search engine optimization, and started your own business.
- You've received numerous awards that won't fit in the Common App's Honors section.
- You've been heavily involved in community service with multiple organizations or projects.
- You've held diverse roles within a single organization, making it challenging to convey your responsibilities and impact in the Activities List.
If you have only one or two smaller activities that you couldn’t fit in the ten spaces provided on the Common App activities list, you can actually probably just include those in the Additional Information section and not have to create a separate resume just to include those two. Check out this blog post to learn how to use this space.
- Consider Other Purposes: Even if a resume isn't required for college applications, creating one can be beneficial for:
- Applying for outside scholarships, which often require resumes.
- Seeking jobs or internships during high school or your freshman year of college.
- Preparing for college interviews with alumni or job/internship interviews.
Building Your College Resume: Essential Sections
A basic college resume typically includes three core sections: Education, Experience, and Honors. These sections align with the information requested in the Common App, making the translation process straightforward.
Education
This section provides a snapshot of your academic background. Include the following details:
- High School Name, City, STATE: (Start Year - End Year)
- GPA: Weighted and Unweighted (e.g., Weighted: 4.5/5.0; Unweighted: 3.8/4.0)
- SAT/ACT Scores: List your highest scores.
- SAT Subject Tests: If applicable, include your scores.
- Relevant Coursework: Highlight any advanced or specialized courses that align with your intended major.
Experience
This section is where you showcase your involvement in extracurricular activities, jobs, volunteer work, and other meaningful experiences. To translate your Common App entries into resume format, copy and paste the following components for each activity:
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- Position/Leadership Description and Organization Name: (50 character limit on Common App)
- Description of Activity, Accomplishments, and Recognition: (150 character limit on Common App)
- Participation Grade Levels:
- Timing of Participation: (Hours per week, Weeks per year)
Example:## Common App Entry:
- Activity Type: Volunteer activity
- Position: Chief Facilitator, International Feed-the-Youth Summit, Philadelphia
- Description: Developed lesson plans, lobbied local businesses for sponsorships, held marketing sessions, established partnerships to run 2-wk leadership camp.
- Grade Level: 11th grade
- Timing: Summer 2015
Resume Entry:
- Chief Facilitator, International Feed-the-Youth Summit, Philadelphia
- Developed lesson plans, lobbied local businesses for sponsorships, held marketing sessions, established partnerships to run 2-wk leadership camp (Summer 2015).
To enhance your resume entries, consider breaking down the descriptions into bullet points and adding more detail, as demonstrated in the examples provided later in this article.
Honors
This section recognizes your academic achievements, awards, and other distinctions. Include the following information for each honor:
- Honors Title:
- Grade Level:
- Levels of Recognition: (e.g., National, State, Local)
Example:## Common App Entry:
- Honors Title: Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction
- Grade Level: 11th grade
- Level of Recognition: National
Resume Entry:
- Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction, National Level (2014) - Award given to students scoring an average of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
Use the available space to emphasize the selectivity or significance of the award.
Additional Sections to Consider
Depending on your experiences and the purpose of your resume, you may want to include these additional sections:
Skills
Highlight any skills that are relevant to your intended major or college life in general. This could include:
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- Computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, Google Apps for Work, coding languages)
- Language skills (e.g., Spanish, French, Arabic)
- Technical skills (e.g., welding, computer repair)
- Data analysis skills
- Communication or teaching skills
- Writing skills
- Artistic skills
- Musical proficiencies
Avoid clichés like "punctual," "passionate," "organized," "hard-working," and "team-player." Instead, focus on specific, demonstrable skills.
Activities
The activities section is where you showcase your involvement in extracurriculars, clubs, sports, and other interests. Provide a brief description of each activity, highlighting your role, responsibilities, and accomplishments.
Volunteer Experience
If you have a significant history of volunteer work, create a separate section to highlight your contributions to the community. Include the organization name, your role, the dates of your involvement, and a brief description of your responsibilities and achievements.
Leadership Experience
If you've held leadership positions in clubs, organizations, or teams, create a dedicated section to showcase your leadership skills. Describe your responsibilities, accomplishments, and the impact you had on the group.
Formatting and Design Tips
The visual appeal of your resume is crucial for making a positive first impression. Keep these formatting and design tips in mind:
- Choose a Professional Template: Select a clean and professional resume template. Canva offers a variety of customizable templates that are suitable for college applications.
- Use a Serif Font: Opt for a serif font like Times New Roman, which looks more traditional and professional than a sans-serif font like Helvetica.
- Create a Consistent Style: Use bolding, capitalization, italics, or underlining to create a consistent style for each level of information.
- Use Bullet Points: Employ bullet points to break up text and make the resume easier to read.
- Keep it Concise: Aim for a one-page resume.
- Respect White Space: Maintain adequate margins (1 inch) and spacing between sections to avoid a cluttered appearance.
Action Verbs
Use strong action verbs to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments. Here's a list of verbs to get you started:
- Led
- Managed
- Organized
- Created
- Problem-solved
- Budgeted
- Maintained
- Coached
- Produced
- Written
- Presented
- Scheduled
- Built
- Developed
- Traveled
- Bought
- Bid
- Sold
- Delivered
Quantify Your Accomplishments
Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments with numbers to provide context and scale. For example:
- "Editor of school newspaper, published 10 issues with an average of 20 articles per issue."
- "Babysat 3 children, ages 4-8, for 15 hours per week."
- "Coffee shop employee, served an average of 100 customers per shift."
- "Lacrosse team captain, led warm-ups for 20 teammates each week."
Before You Submit
Before submitting your resume, take these final steps:
- Proofread Carefully: Ensure that your resume is free of grammatical errors and typos.
- Get Feedback: Ask a parent, teacher, or counselor to review your resume and provide feedback.
- Save as PDF: Save your resume as a PDF file with a professional title (e.g., JohnSmith_Resume.pdf).
- Update Regularly: Keep your resume updated as you gain new experiences, skills, and awards.
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