What if a college scholarship asks for a resume?

A few scholarships I'm looking at require a resume as part of the application. I've never made one before. What should I include? Any tips for making a resume when most experience is school-related?

Creating a resume for your scholarship application might seem daunting at first, especially if you feel like most of your experiences are school-related, but that's completely normal for high school students. Here's a simple guideline on how you can structure your resume:

1. Contact Information: At the top of your resume, be sure to include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.

2. Objective Statement: This is a brief statement about why you're applying for this scholarship and what you hope to achieve with the funding. Make this as specific as possible to the scholarship you're applying for.

3. Education History: List your high school information first, including the name and location of the school, your graduation date (or expected date), and your GPA (if it's strong).

4. Coursework: If relevant, list courses you took that are relevant to the field of study or career you're interested in or align with the scholarship's/college's mission.

5. Extracurricular Activities: This is where you can shine. Include roles in clubs, sports teams, and activities where you demonstrated strong leadership skills or a significant contribution.

6. Work Experience: If you've had part-time jobs, summer jobs, or internships, include them here. Be sure to list the name of the company, your position, the dates when you worked, and your responsibilities.

7. Volunteer Work/Community Service: Highlight any service to the community here, including any recognition or awards received.

8. Awards/Honors: This includes academic awards, leadership awards, honors societies, scholarships, and other notable recognitions.

9. Skills: Include any relevant skills you have, e.g., proficiency in a second language, technical skills related to the scholarship, or transferable skills such as problem solving or teamwork.

Remember that resumes should be neat, organized, and concise, ideally limited to one to two pages. When describing your roles and accomplishments, use specific and quantifiable examples whenever possible, using action verbs to start each bullet point. Tailor your resume for each scholarship application by highlighting the most relevant information. Good luck!