College Resume Templates
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A college resume is a document that represents a high school student’s academic achievement, after-school activities, work experience, and other relevant accomplishments.
It is used when applying for college or university and will accompany the student’s overall college application. Since high school students do not have an extensive list of professional work experience, the college resume highlights the student’s extracurricular involvement and achievements.
Sample College Application Resumes
What Should a College Resume Look Like?
While college resume templates have many structures and designs, each form must look clean and professional. University administrators prefer easy-to-read documents written in a business-like tone and free of grammar, spelling, and mechanical mistakes. Students should avoid flashy, distracting, or gimmicky resumes to boost the chances of receiving an acceptance letter. All information listed in the template needs to represent the student’s authentic experiences and accomplishments. Colleges automatically reject applicants who lie or include false information on their resumes.
College Resume Examples
How to Make a Resume for College
Identify what the college admissions committee is looking for in its candidates. Specific colleges or programs search for applicants who have served in leadership positions while others only emphasize academic achievement. Knowing this information ahead of time allows students to tailor their resumes to match the application requirements.
Compile a list of all the student’s relevant accomplishments, experiences, and awards. Consider exciting and innovative projects or presentations, in addition to standardized items, such as high grade-point-average (GPA) or being a captain of a varsity sports team.
For instance, if the college application is for a design school, the candidate should include their work from a high school project. Yearbook designs and other visual content or images help the applicant demonstrate their skill(s).
Which Skills Should be Included?
Each college resume has a unique style and format with specific information about the applicant. Although the templates look different from one another, they generally include the following information:
- Work experience (including seasonal and part-time positions)
- Extracurricular / club activities
- Volunteer work
- Leadership positions
- Projects, performances, and/or presentations
- Summer internships
- Academic achievements (i.e., high GPA, Honor roll, etc.)
Include both “hard” and “soft” skills in a resume. “Hard” skills are technical in nature and typically job-specific, such as coding in HTML, audio/video editing, or cabinetry. “Soft” skills are character or interpersonal traits that are transferrable to many types of positions, such as being a self-starter, possessing close attention to detail, or resolving conflicts effectively. Colleges want to see how applicants align with the goals and values of their program or institution.
For example, a student applying to a pre-med program should include the hard and soft skills that best match the program’s requirements. Applicants who can provide first aid (hard skill) and personable patient care (soft skill) best demonstrate that they are a good fit for the program.
College Application Resume Examples
Key Takeaways
A college resume summarizes the student’s background and achievements. It allows the candidate to highlight their best qualities, relevant experiences, and skills to admissions officers in the prospect of receiving an acceptance letter.
Recruiters will read a well-crafted resume that stands out against other candidates. For instance, a student can provide information about club activities or high school leadership positions to counteract a lack of work experience. Overall, applicants have the freedom to include the skills, experiences, and accomplishments that they feel best represent their personality and capabilities.
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