RESUME

THE COLLEGE RESUME

A resume isn’t just for job seekers—it can be a valuable tool for students as early as ninth grade. A well-crafted college admissions resume highlights academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, and leadership experience, helping students stand out in college applications, scholarship opportunities, and internships. 

• Purpose:
  A college admissions resume provides a clear, concise overview of a student's academic accomplishments, awards, certifications, and extracurricular activities. It demonstrates a student’s potential for success and serves as a valuable supplement to college applications.

• When a resume is used:

  • • Required as part of a college application (in some cases)

    • May be needed for scholarship applications

    • Helps recommenders write stronger recommendation letters

    • Useful for college interviews

    • May be required for honors college applications

    • Necessary for job or internship applications

• What should be included:
  Unlike a traditional job resume, a college admissions resume focuses primarily on academics, leadership roles, and extracurricular involvement. While work experience can be included, the emphasis should be on academic achievements, volunteer work, and school-related activities that showcase a student’s skills and character.

WHAT SHOULD GO ON A COLLEGE RESUME? 

Any of the sections below could appear on your resume for college applications. Pick an assortment that works for you!

• Heading with your name, address, and e-mail

• High school information with your graduation date, GPA (weighted), class rank, and SAT/ACT scores

• Academic awards, publications, honors, and other achievements

• Coursework (summer programs, college courses, or other specialized workshops that do not appear on your high school transcript)

• Extracurricular activities

• Community service

• Work experience

• Hobbies

• Special skills & certifications (e.g. foreign language fluency or HTML expertise)

Remember the College Map Mentor's Academic Organizer? If you keep up with tracking all of your accomplishments throughout your high school career, putting the college resume together will be a breeze!

WHEN SHOULD YOU SUBMIT A RESUME TO COLLEGES? 

Some colleges and scholarship committees request or recommend that you include a high school resume with your application materials. (Don’t submit a resume if they don’t ask for one—following instructions is a key application strategy.) 

• Bring your resume to college interviews

• Give copies to your college counselor

• Give a copy to teachers so that they can write you the strongest possible recommendation letter

TIPS FOR COMPOSING YOUR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS RESUME

• Keep it concise
  Focus on the most impressive and relevant activities. Do colleges need to know you played field hockey for one semester in ninth grade? Probably not. Stick to one or two pages, highlighting experiences that truly showcase your strengths.

• Emphasize depth and commitment
  Colleges prefer to see meaningful engagement in a few key activities rather than scattered involvement in many. If an after-school job limits your participation in clubs or sports, highlight your work experience, responsibilities, and skills gained.

• Provide specific details
  A strong resume goes beyond listing activities—it offers context. When describing your involvement, include:

  • • • Your role

      • Years involved & hours per week

      • Leadership positions (e.g., "Treasurer, Grade 12")

• Showcase what's missing from your application
  Use your resume to highlight experiences that didn’t fit into your essays or short answers. If photography is a big part of your identity but wasn’t included in your application, showcase your achievements here. Since the Common App limits you to 10 activities and 5 awards, a resume helps provide a fuller picture of your accomplishments.

• Prioritize clear formatting
  Make your resume easy to read with:

  • • • ✅ Clear section headings

      • ✅ Bullet points for quick scanning

      • ✅ Consistent font and formatting

Organize it in a way that makes sense—chronologically, alphabetically, by importance, or by time commitment. And don’t forget to proofread!

• Be honest and accurate
  Colleges can verify your resume details, so don’t exaggerate. Claiming 30 hours a week for drama club? Unless it's your full-time job, that might raise some red flags! Keep it truthful and reflective of your actual experiences.

TEMPLATE HELP

Need some help getting started? 

• Use the College Map Mentor Resume Template. 

  • • Click on the link, go to "File" > "Make a copy..." > "Ok")