Best tips for writing a college resume for scholarships?

I'm starting to work on a resume for my scholarship applications, but I'm not sure what should be included when applying to colleges. Should I include every activity or job I've ever done, or just the highlights?

Creating a resume can certainly feel daunting even for adults, let alone high school students applying for scholarships! The key is to strike a balance between being comprehensive and highlighting your most significant achievements.

While it can be tempting to want to include every single detail, it's important to understand that those reviewing scholarship applications are likely to be going through a large volume of resumes. Therefore, it's crucial to make yours easy to read and filled with pertinent information. Here's how to go about it:

1. Basic Info: Start with your name, high school, graduation date, and contact information.

2. Academic Achievements: List your GPA (if it's strong), class rank (if your school ranks), any high scores on standardized tests, and honors like National Honor Society.

3. Coursework: Highlight any rigorous courses you've taken such as AP or IB classes, especially those relevant to your intended major or field of study if applicable.

4. Extracurriculars: List your extracurricular activities, but focus on the ones where you've had a significant impact or a leadership role. Use the Four Tiers system to help you decide which ones to include.

5. Work Experience: If you've had a job, especially one that is relevant to the field you hope to study, definitely include it. If the job isn't directly related to your field of interest, focus on the transferable skills you gained.

6. Volunteer Work and Community Service: If you've volunteered in any capacity, make sure to include these experiences.

7. Awards and Honors: Highlight any academic or extracurricular awards you've received.

8. Skills: This section can be useful to showcase any unique skills that aren't evident elsewhere on your resume, such as proficiency in a second language or coding skills.

In general, you should use action verbs to start each bullet point and quantify your impact when possible. For example, instead of saying "Organized a food drive," you could say "Organized a food drive that collected over 5,000 canned items for local food banks."

Remember, your goal is to present the most important information that scholarship committees want to see. Be sure to proofread your resume for grammar and spelling, and have someone else look over it as well to catch any errors you might have missed. Happy writing, and best of luck with your applications!