Think that resumes are only for those looking for a job?  Well, not exactly!  High school resumes are a perfect way for colleges to get a detailed glimpse of you in terms of your academics, accomplishments, extracurricular activities, hobbies and work history.  They are also important in that they can help you to prepare for a college interview, supplement your scholarship applications, and give those who are writing recommendation letters on your behalf a sense of who you are, holistically.  Don’t know how to get started?  Follow these simple tips for creating a stellar college resume!

Make sure your college resume has the essentials

Your resume should include the following information:

    •    A header that includes your name, contact information, and email address;
    •    Information about your high school such as the date of your graduation, weighted GPA, class ranking, and standardized test scores;
    •    Any awards such AP honors and other achievements;
    •    A list of courses, even those that you took during the summer or abroad;
    •    Extracurricular activities;
    •    Community service and involvement;
    •    Work experience;
    •    Hobbies; and
    •    Special skills and talents, such as fluency in a foreign language or some other type of expertise.

Be concise

Pare down all of the activities you showcase to the ones that represent you best as a worthy college candidate. Also, make sure to not be too wordy and try and limit what you include on your resume to one to two pages, max.

Believe it or not, it is never too early to start thinking about college, even as a 9th grader.  The good news is that the more you do now, the easier it will be later on during crunch time when you need to start applying for college, financial aid, and scholarships.  At this stage of the game, it is important to look at your steps during 9th grade as laying the foundation for your high school career and making choices that will help you to achieve your college and career goals.  These steps are as follows, per season:

Spring/Summer

    •    Add to your credentials – meaning, if there are additional activities, community service projects, or other things you can join, it would continue to help pad your high school resume and help maximize your chances of getting a scholarship.

    •    Start learning about college – spend perhaps a weekend during the spring and summer visiting college websites.  Learn more about the costs to attend each college, the types of majors they offer, and their statistics on post-graduate career placement, income levels, etc.