Coach’s Corner

June 2023

I am sure you know what a resume is, but did you know that it can be instrumental in college admissions as well as in applying to jobs.

What is a college admissions resume?

A resume is a formal document that an applicant creates to itemize qualifications and put their best foot forward. A traditional resume is a brief overview of activities that helps the applicant stand out, showing commitment, perseverance and dedication throughout the years of high school. You can put relevant material on the resume from the summer prior to 9th grade up to the end of senior year.

In addition, many students are now adding a link to a site that they may have created, or to an internship with work they have undertaken, or even a video that depicts an interest.

Your resume is a summary of your personal data, your educational background and training, your experience and qualifications, and your achievement highlights. You’ll often provide a brief description of these experiences, focusing on skills you’ve learned and accomplishments you’ve achieved. You can also note how long you’ve participated in a particular activity. Include any volunteer work you have done and the responsibilities you had during this time.

College applications do not require a resume, but it’s always good to submit a resume if you have more than what fits into your application. For example, the Common App only requires an activities list. However, you can still submit a resume, which can provide schools with a fuller picture of your academic performance, interests, and hobbies.

What is a typical college resume format?

Name and Contact Information
The top or header of your resume should include your name and email address, phone number, and home address. If you have a personal website or LinkedIn profile showcasing your work or achievements, you can also include those URLs in this section.

Education and Academic Accomplishments
In this section, list the name of your high school and the year of graduation. You would also provide information on GPA and if you have it, class rank.

Honors and Awards
You can list your proudest achievements in this section. Include academic awards received from your school, such as honor societies and ranks from external organizations (like Eagle Scout or Gold Award), and any athletic accomplishments.

Volunteer Experience
Volunteer experience can be particularly important on a high school resume for college, as it demonstrates to admissions departments that you’re willing to contribute to your community. Make sure to highlight any leadership positions you held or currently hold.

Extracurricular Activities
Colleges want students who participate in and contribute to campus life beyond the classroom. You can mention sports, clubs, and non-school related activities that you participate in. This section helps colleges get a more complete picture of who you are and what you care about.

Work Experience
Work experience can include internships, part-time jobs, and job shadowing experiences. In this section, you’ll list where you’ve worked and for how long. Be sure to include your job title and your responsibilities. Remember: If you’ve earned money, then you should list that job – babysitting, mowing lawns, scooping ice cream – and what was expected of you.

Skills, Interests, and Achievements
In this section, you can mention languages you speak, computer skills, hobbies you’re passionate about, especially if they relate to the major you plan to pursue in college.

Why is a resume important?

Having your resume in-hand can help you to stand out more easily:

College applications.Your resume will not only save you time when completing your college applications, it will also ensure you don’t forget anything important.
Letters of recommendation.Giving your resume to your recommenders will help them get to know you even better and remind them of your high school accomplishments.
College interviews.Bringing your resume to a college interview can serve as a positive conversation starter.
Scholarship applications.Similar to college applications, your resume makes it easier to showcase your accomplishments. Some scholarships even ask for a resume.
Jobs or internships.You can easily adapt the resume for work and internship interviews.

Let’s get started

Brainstorm everything you’ve accomplished. Take time to think about your accomplishments over your high school years. Ask your parents and your counselor to help with brainstorming.

List everything that makes you most stand out besides grades and scores. That includes awards, leadership roles, community service, special talents or hobbies, jobs, projects you led, and so on.

Note experiences that vividly show your determination, initiative, and passion. For example, colleges will be impressed if you stayed after school to tutor struggling students, or if you picked up a second language by engaging with coworkers at a part-time job. Or that you kept the robotics club going and focused during school closures.

March 2023

Freshmen/Sophomores

Start to explore your ideas toward careers and majors by beginning to understand what you like in the courses you are taking. Ask yourself questions on what skills are your strongest ones that you can see developing toward a career. Skills such as organizational skills, communication, mentoring, leadership, and teamwork can be looked at as positive aspects that could lead to specific fields of study. Take notes and give examples of where you are using these skills in your extracurriculars.

Juniors

Focus on academics, especially now, in the second semester of junior year. This could be an opportunity for you to bring up a grade or make up an exam. Make sure to ask for help and what you can do to end the year with a strong academic record. This will be the final transcript for students to send to colleges when applying to their Early Action deadlines. Also, look for concrete ways to show your strong profile to colleges through service and leadership opportunities. If you can’t find a way to get involved, create an opportunity for yourself, such as mentoring younger students in your neighborhood, teaching a skill you have to others, or calling businesses to see if you can shadow this summer. All of these activities can go on a resume and applications.

Seniors

Now is the time to choose the one college you will attend in the fall. May 1st is the official school choice deadline. If you need more information to make your decision you may want to take an admitted student visit at a college or two in order to get a better idea of what a school has to offer. Remember this will be your home away from home for the next 4 years!