Hi, I've started putting together my college resume and was wondering if anyone could share some advice on what makes a college resume impressive. What should it include? How should it be structured? Any tips would be appreciated!
An impressive college resume typically includes a few key sections: personal information, academic experiences, extracurricular activities, skills, and optionally, work experience and awards or honors.
As for structure, here's a general guideline.
1. Personal Information: This section should contain your full name, contact details such as your email and phone number, and high school information.
2. Academic Experiences: In this section, list your relevant academic accomplishments including your GPA, class rank, any AP/Honors classes you've taken, and any academic awards. Colleges will appreciate seeing a strong academic record.
3. Extracurricular Activities: You should include your involvement in extracurricular activities, grouping them by theme. Instead of merely listing them, you might want to mention specific roles, responsibilities, and achievements within those activities. Remember, quality matters more than quantity. Top colleges are interested in students who excel in their interests.
4. Skills: Part of college readiness is having certain skills. This could be hard skills like coding or soft skills like leadership. Be sure to list the skills relevant to your desired major or program of study.
5. Work Experience: If you've had a part-time job, volunteered, or had an internship, you can include this information as well, especially if this gave you skills or experiences that will be valuable in college.
6. Honors and Awards: Finally, if you've received any notable honors or awards, it would be great to list them here as recognition for your hard work and abilities.
Finally, here are some quick tips. First, make sure to keep your resume manageable (1 to 2 pages max). Second, be clear and concise in your descriptions. Third, proofread for typos and grammatical errors to show your attention to detail. Fourth, be as specific and quantifiable as you can about your achievements. Instead of saying "raised money for charity," say "Raised $1,000 for XYZ charity." This lends credibility to your achievements. Best of luck!
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