How to Make a Strong Resume as a High School Student?

I'm currently a high school junior and have been thinking a lot about building my resume for college applications. I'm involved in a few clubs and have some volunteer experience, but I'm not sure how to present all of this in a professional way. What are some tips for resume writing specifically for high school students? Should I include every activity I participate in, or focus on a few key ones? And how important is the format or style of the resume? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I start preparing for college applications. Thanks!

Great question! Building a resume as a high school student can feel challenging, but there are strategies you can use to organize your activities in a way that will stand out to college admissions officers.

1. Content is key: Start by making a list of your experiences. These can include clubs, volunteer work, internships, part-time jobs, leadership roles, and notable projects. Remember, the focus is not necessarily on quantity, but the quality and depth of your involvement.

2. Organization matters: Categorize your experiences into sections such as “Leadership,” “Volunteer Work,” “Extracurricular Activities,” and “Work Experience.” This will make it easier for admissions officers to quickly understand the range of your experiences.

3. Highlight your achievements: Within each experience, highlight your specific responsibilities and accomplishments rather than general duties. For instance, instead of writing “Member of the school newspaper," write “Wrote bi-weekly features for school newspaper, leading to a 20% increase in online readership."

4. Opt for clear and concise language: Keep descriptions succinct and action-oriented, using power verbs to begin each bullet point.

5. Format for readability: Adopt a clean, easy-to-read layout. Be consistent with your formatting choices such as bullet styles, font sizes, and heading styles.

6. Proofread attentively: Typos or grammatical errors can leave a poor impression. Read through your resume several times and consider asking a teacher or guidance counselor to review it as well.

Regarding whether to include all activities or focus on key ones, I'd suggest focusing on activities where you've had a significant involvement or impact. However, if you have room, it can be beneficial to list other activities as well, to show a range of interests.

Lastly, keep in mind that while a resume is a useful tool, colleges also rely heavily on the descriptions of activities that you provide in your application itself! A resume can supplement this information but shouldn't replace those descriptions.

Good luck with your resume and college application process!