How To Make A Resume For College Applications

To become accepted into college, you lot need an splendid college application resume.

And considering there are hundreds of other prospective students competing for the same spot, you lot desire your resume for college to stand out.

Our writing tips and example show you how to write a resume for a college awarding and increase your chances of getting into the college of your choice.

What is a college application resume?

A higher application resume is a i page document that describes your talents, skills, piece of work, or volunteer feel, and a brief overview of your bookish achievements.

To win a spot in your chosen college, you need to showcase of import data about yourself that will requite you an advantage over other applicants.

To create that reward, you should learn how to write a resume for colleges that highlights your skill set and personality.

How important is a college awarding resume?

A higher application resume can assist you get into universities, merely it can also injure your chances of getting accepted — so writing a adept college resume is important if your goal is to get to a university or community college afterwards graduating high school.

Besides, note that writing a high school resume for a higher application is different from writing a regular resume.

Colleges desire to know you tin balance your academic life with other activities like sports or clubs.

So tailor your information to the specific schoolhouse or program you're applying to by including relevant extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, leadership roles, awards, and honors.

For instance, if your target college is well known for a specific sports program, then show your love of sports by listing the sports teams you're on and your position on those teams.

What should you include on a resume for a college awarding?

When writing your resume for college admissions, list your relevant experiences and skills. Type your proper noun, phone number, and email clearly at the top of your resume earlier yous write annihilation else.

Here's what to include when writing your college application resume:

Resume header (with contact information)
Resume objective statement
Pedagogy section (with GPA, Sabbatum/ACT scores, class rank)
Extracurricular activities
Piece of work experience
Volunteer piece of work
Hobbies and interests
Relevant skills
Awards and publications

Higher application resume template

To make it easier for you to write a college application resume, bank check out our template below that y'all can copy, paste, and customize:

1. Resume Header

Kickoff AND LAST NAME

Email: youremail@gmail.com | Phone: 713 220 7452 | Address: 53 Lance Avenue, Dallas, TX 30217

2. Resume Objective

Motivated and dependable [pupil/individual] seeking to pursue my academic goals and career path at the distinguished [Name of University]. Currently studying at [Proper noun of schoolhouse]. Possess [relevant skill #1], [relevant skill #2] and a passion for personal evolution and student involvement. Looking for an opportunity to develop my knowledge and make a meaning contribution every bit a student for the upcoming [# of year] school year.

3. Volunteer Experience

Nearly Recent Volunteer Title

Employer Proper noun | Location | Start Twelvemonth–End Year

Use 3–five bullet points for each entry to explain your responsibilities
Begin each bullet bespeak with a resume action verb to portray yourself every bit a student leader and so college admissions committees can see what yous've washed (east.chiliad., Raised $ten,000 in fundraising efforts for Hurricane Alex which resulted in helping 1350+ displaced citizens in the Central Caribbean)
Add hard numbers (similar percentages, dollar amounts, time spent, number of teammates) inside your bullet points to highlight your accomplishments (e.g., the total number of hours yous volunteered at an result or worked part-time)

Earlier Volunteer Title

Employer Name | Location | Starting time Year–End Year

Use past tense verbs if the experience has already happened (e.g., "supervised," "guided," "won")
Be specific when writing your resume (e.g., list the actual names of events yous were a part of, number of people you assisted, or tools and software you used)

iv. Educational activity

High Schoolhouse Proper name | Location | Graduation Engagement (or the date you lot intend to graduate)

For case, Ohio Liberty High School, Columbus, OH | Graduation: 2022 | GPA: three.eight/four.0

If you lot don't have any volunteer experience, listing your education at the top of your college resume (underneath your resume header)
Include your academic highlights and relevant coursework using hard numbers (e.1000., Coached xv+ unproblematic students in freestyle pond, basic first aid, and breathing techniques from September 2020 until June 2022, resulting in my winning the "Tiptop Pupil Coach" honor of June 2022)

five. Skills Section

List 3–6 hard and soft skills every bit bullet points that relate to the college's values, culture, or mission statement (due east.g., organizational skills, leadership skills, teamwork skills, and people skills are skills that show you've made positive contributions in past roles)

6. Boosted Feel

Show employers more than of your accomplishments or additional skills by including other sections such as your hobbies and interests, extracurricular activities, or strange language skills

Resume for higher application example

The best way to work out what to put in your college admissions resume is to read the resumes of other successful applicants. Here's an example resume for a college application:

College application resume example — Use appropriate resume formatting when writing your college application resume.

Download This Free College Resume Case

8 tips for writing a higher application resume

As a educatee, y'all should present a resume that showcases your personality, bookish accomplishments, and extracurricular activities.

And so here are eight ways to capture the attention of higher admissions committees:

i. Tailor your resume to each college

Yous might have come here looking for how to create a resume for college, but the truth is you'll need to create several — one for each college you lot're applying to. Why?

Considering each college is unlike, and you should adjust your resume to reflect the requirements of each college.

Then study the college you want to apply to by reading its requirements carefully. Look for what features stand out at the particular college and build on them.

For instance, if yous're applying to an arts-focused school, attempt starting your resume with a resume department chosen "creative accomplishments" or "artistic talents."

2. Include resume keywords for your college resume

Apply appropriate resume keywords when writing your college resume.

Colleges and workplaces use bidder tracking software (ATS) to filter, rank, and review applicants, and so ensure your resume uses specific keywords that the software identifies for your higher awarding to be considered.

So write an ATS-friendly resume by making sure your headings are clear, your listed feel and skills are chronological, and the right keywords are in the right places.

3. Format your college application resume correctly

What should your college resume wait like? While there's a range of options, go for a unproblematic, professional format, rather than something too complicated.

That way, the admissions commission can locate your qualities and achievements easily — without being distracted by the pattern.

Set the heading text larger for each of your headers so they clearly split each section of your resume.

Finally, set the margins to i" on all sides to requite your resume a professional person finish.

4. Write an excellent resume objective statement

A resume objective sits at the pinnacle of your resume and details your training, credentials, and skills.

Keep your resume objective clear and focused by targeting it to the college'due south needs by using 2–4 concise sentences to explain why that item higher will assistance you accomplish your goals.

Use the remainder of your resume to back up everything y'all write in your resume objective.

This is an example of a college applicant'south resume objective:

Example of an applicant'due south college resume objective

An ambitious and conscientious loftier schoolhouse graduate with a creative mind, seeking admission to Baylor Academy to further my skills in mode. Groovy interpersonal skills, exceptionally stylish, and set up to accept the mode industry by tempest.

5. Include a detailed instruction department

Your resume's educational activity section provides essential details about your educational background.

When writing a resume for higher, there are a few things that make a great education department.

To start, include the about important details first (like graduation twelvemonth) and so an admissions member reading this department can easily access your data.

Also, proceed the details in your education department short and concise and then you can showcase your nearly relevant information.

For instance, endeavor using resume bullet points to interruption up long lists of activities, honors, and awards into more than manageable chunks.

six. Listing activities on your higher resume

Resumes for college admissions are more than just your academic records and extracurricular activities.

Your resume shouldn't exist only a list of information — information technology needs to draw who you are every bit an applicant. So make certain to tell your story instead of only summarizing your grades and extracurricular activities.

What'southward your passion? What do yous similar to do? If y'all're interested in politics and ran for educatee government, mention that you competed as a political candidate in your school.

If you dear to write and you volunteered to write for your school newspaper, state that you lot served on your school newspaper.

7. Highlight your work and volunteer feel

Mention any volunteer services y'all did like babysitting, raking leaves, dog walking, mowing lawns, or any other work.

Colleges desire action takers — students who are keen to make a departure in society — and to stand a better risk, accost both your hard and soft skills.

Schooling, working, and volunteering helps you develop both types of skills. And if you can show the admissions board that you'll chronicle well with fellow students in their institution, you lot're more likely to become accepted in their college.

Then ensure you add both soft and hard skills in the skills section of your college application resume.

8. Emphasize specific achievements rather than full general duties

When listing your extracurricular activities and achievements, write experiences that are relevant to a particular college to stand up a meliorate chance of getting admitted.

Listing specific achievements instead of generalizing by using hard numbers and relevant details, so that the admissions committee can be clear most where you stand in relation to other applicants.

For instance, instead of just maxim you like sports and are part of educatee clubs, your listing of achievements should include which sports teams, clubs, and other activities you've been involved in at schoolhouse.

Hither's an example of a college resume'south experience section with difficult numbers:

Higher resume example with hard numbers and details

I volunteered in a customs clean-up and established garbage bins that saw a 95% reduction in litter

Next, have a wait at this college awarding resume instance without difficult numbers:

College resume example without hard numbers and details

I was part of a community make clean-upwards