How to Write a Resume for College + Templates | University essay type (2023)

he wroteAlexis as Allison,College essay team

How do you sum up your life's work on one piece of paper?

Firstly. Remember that you arethis isyour college resume. You are human, not humanJoy. If you don't have a rock star resume, that's fine. Work with what you have.

Now that we've covered the details, let's talk about writing a great resume.

It depends.

In general, most colleges have a special area in their application system called the Activities List where you can list all the things you've been involved in outside of school. This section is the BEST place to share this information. Don't skip it.

However, some colleges offer the option to upload a separate resume in a more traditional style. (Think of an uploaded CV in PDF format).

If you feel you've fully covered all the important details in your to-do list, you may not need to send a separate resume. For many colleges, you may not be able to upload a traditional PDF resume.

But if you have the opportunity, should you do it?

Some universities strongly recommend that you send your CV with your application (see UT Austin policy for specific programs.) While others forbid it (see UVA FAQ section.) So ask individual departments what their preferences are.

However, having a professional resume will serve you in several other ways. How?

Your resume:

1. It serves as the basis for listing general application activities (or vice versa - seeten postif you already have a list of activities written).

2. It gives teachers and supervisors a framework for their letters of recommendation.

3. Provides a list of ready-made interview topics to record.

4. It can inspire your joint job application essay.

5. It is a prerequisite for many scholarships or internship and employment opportunities (read: $$).

Finally, it's like having your own business card. There's a "career cool" factor when you have a polished resume you can throw on someone's desk.

Let's do one now.

In this post, we use examples fromthis resume template- but feel free to use the other links below.

Resume templates for universities:

College Resume Template #1: Microsoft Word or Google Docs

College resume template #2: Microsoft Word or Google Docs

College resume template #3: Microsoft Word or Google Docs

College resume template #4: Microsoft Word or Google Docs

College resume template #5: Microsoft Word or Google Docs

College resume template #6: Microsoft Word or Google Docs

Attention:To use these resume template examples manually: click the link, go to "File" > "Back up a copy..." > "OK"

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with some of themReady-to-use, customizable resume templates from Canva. Choosing the right template is like choosing the right outfit for an interview. You want it to look and be sharp like you. Ultimately, however, clothing (or template) does not guarantee success - what matters is how you achieve what you have.

Whichever template you choose, make sure you do the following: Go toFile > Make a Copyand copy the document to Google Drive.

Read together and do it for yourself!

Here are 5 things you need for your college resume:

1. Relevant contact details

2. Detailed training history + test results

3. Experiences (think "To do list"!)

4. Prizes/Prizes

5. Additional skills

I recommend sharing this information in this order, top to bottom: contact information, education, experience, and skills. If you've received awards and accolades, you have a special section for that, but we're not all that cool.

This section needs a bit more work. Include the following information:

1. High school name, city, STATE (starting - ending year).

2. GPA, weighted and unweighted.

3. Top test scores (ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, AP).

4. The right course. In this section, you can show any extracurricular activities you took in high school that reflect your interest in the major. So if you want to be a doctor and have studied anatomy, add this!

Here is an example:

North Shore High School, Somewhere, Teksas (2015-2019)

GPA: weighted: 3.6 / weighted: 3.2

POD: 1200

AKT: 30

Relevant course: Advanced Journalism, DTP, Multimedia Graphics

Remember those kids who started random clubs like underwater basket weaving so they could put "Club President" on their resume? Even if the club never met? Law.

This part is your chance to show that you are different becauseit's more than your responsibilities. It's about yours tooefficiency. What is the difference?

Responsibilities and performance

Perhaps the president of the underwater basket weavers club was responsible for organizing meetings, planning events, and organizing fundraisers. But if she hasn't really accomplished any of these things, she can't add them to her resume. So consider both of your responsibilitiesIperformance, whether in a club, team, work, service project, etc., then think of that performance in terms of numbers.

Why numbers matter

Numbers provide context and scale and can help you stand out. Here's what we think:

Suppose you are the editor of the school newspaper. Remember how many articles you have published. How many articles? How many meetings have you had? How many students per meeting? Let's say you babysit the neighborhood kids. How many children? How many years they have? How often do you babysit? How long each time? Maybe you work in a coffee shop. How many shifts per week? How many hours per shift? How many people do you serve per shift on average? Maybe you're the captain of your lacrosse team. How many warm-ups do you do per week? How many teammates? Do you organize team learning sessions to help everyone keep high grades? How often?

Use strong active verbs

Once you have the numbers, memorize the active verbs that accurately describe what you did. This is your chance to show that you led, managed, organized, created, solved problems, planned, maintained, trained, produced, wrote, presented, planned, built, developed, traveled, bought, delivered, sold, delivered, etc. .

Some tips for organizing the Experience section of your CV:

1. List your experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent activity and going backwards.

2. For each activity, include the organization/function (even if it's just your school), location, job title, and experience dates. The dates show how much you invested in that activity.

3. Avoid first person. Instead of saying "I did it", just say "I did it".

4. Put the tenses of the verb in order. So if you're still in class, use the verbs in the present tense. If not, use the verbs in the past tense.

Want a comprehensive list of verbs you can use to describe your experiences perfectly? tree,You are here.

Do you need help rethinking your experiences?

Sit down with a parent, guardian, teacher who knows you well, or a close friend and ask them to help you remember what you've done.

Remember that "experiences" can include many things. Don't sell short; even caring for younger siblings can count (if you put in enough time and energy!).

Other ideas for the Experiences section:

1. Caring for an elderly neighbor.

2. Become a volunteer at your place of worship.

3. Hosting a weekly basketball game in your area.

4. Work on your parents/friends car.

5. Organize a fantasy football league in your classroom.

6. Being a member of the board or council of an organization/group.

7. Take art courses in the summer.

8. Selling handicrafts on eBay.

9. I am teaching my younger sister to play the guitar.

10. Writing a blog about baking cakes on a regular basis.

11. Show the pigs at your local 4-H club.

12. They compete in local beauty pageants.

Click here for a list of other activities you may not have thought of—but it counts.

Think of this area as your paper trophy case. Perhaps your essay won second prize in a school writing competition last year, or your Science Fair project or miniature pony won Best in Show. You become an eagle scout and you deserve itall 137 Merit Badges(Yes it's possible!). Perhaps your ball control skills have made you the best player on the JV basketball team.

Understand this: you can apply even if you've been selected for something. (Examples: "1 in 200 students selected to serve as liaison with student administration" or "1 in 4 students selected to represent our school at a national conference").

As with the Experience section, take the time to provide a short, specific summary that shows how great you are. Make sure you do this:

1. Enter the name of the award, and if it's unclear - or only someone in your city recognizes it -Mapdescribe what it is

2. List the organizations involved, your position and the date you received the award (month and year of work).

3. Be specific and use numbers. First place out of how many schools/teams/participants?

4. Avoid using "I".

This last part should be short and sweet, like a small child eating a cake.

What are skills? Anything you can do can be relevant to your university or field of study. If you want to study theater and can sing Daffy Duck or know how to rock, add some gems! For example, they're often great conversation starters.

Tips for writing a skills section in a resume:

1. Avoid stereotypes like "punctual", "passionate", "organized", "hardworking", "team player". Today, everyone and their mom are punctual, passionate, organized and hardworking team players.

2. Instead, focus specifically on computer and language skills. Modern employers want it

   1. If you're a Google Drive expert, add "Google Apps for Work".

   2. If you can use Word, Powerpoint and Excel, add "Microsoft Office Suite".

   3. If you know how to hack or code, get it.

   4. If you took Spanish I, add it. If you're learning Arabic via Rosetta Stone or High Valyrian via Duolingo, turn it on!

3. Here are some examples of other skills you can include:

• Sports related skills

• Technical skills (welding, car repair, construction, computer repair, etc.)

• Data analysis skills

• Communication or teaching skills

• Writing skills (Maybe you can create comics, write scripts or newspaper articles; maybe you know the AP style or the APA style like the back of your hand - take it with you!)

• Ability to speak and debate

• Artistic skills (what media can you work with? What colors are you comfortable with?)

• Interpreting/interpreting skills (this goes beyond just speaking the language!)

• Musical skills (Can you read sheet music? Do you play five instruments? Can you read by sight?)

Continue with the Skills section until it starts to get ridiculous. Or until you count a maximum of 8-10, for example, whichever comes first. How do you know it's gonna be funny? Give it to at least one person (but no more than three) to edit it before sending it.

You have a stylish digital resume. What now?

If you've decided it's worth sharing your resume with colleges beyond what you share on your resume, you can usually do so in each school's application system.

The common application typically allows schools to decide whether or not to offer an upload feature in each college's supplementary section.

If you can afford it and plan to interview in person, go to your local stationery store and buy thick white or off-white resume paper. Grab a professional-looking briefcase while you're at it (no kitty or polka dot briefcases). Print 10 or more copies to keep on hand. If you ask teachers for letters of recommendation, give them a copy.When you go to the interviewwhether to school or work, bring a copy for each interviewer. Give one to the parents of a loved one! J/K.

Finally, update your resume. As you get new experiences, skills and rewards, keep adding them! If you keep your resume up-to-date, sending it out will be a breeze (after all, you're in college - you have better things to do).