During the course of your college search you will meet numerous representatives from college admissions offices. Each of them will want to know as much about you as possible, and unless they already have your records or you present them with a summary of your experiences, they will have to ask you a lot of questions about your academic and personal achievements. Having a resume to present to the admissions representative makes the entire process move faster and smoother. The answer to the questions, "What about a resume?" and, "Do I need one?" is: Yes.

What is a resume?

A resume is simply a summary of the most important facts about you and your achievements.  Good resumes present these key information items in two pages or less. The resume is not a detailed listing of your academic career. It is a synopsis of those information items that will be of most interest to the admissions officer. You are trying to build your case for admission and the resume should contain information that advances your application.

Is there a standard resume format?

Resumes come in all forms and while some formats tend to be more effective than others, there is no consensus on one correct format.  It should present your contact (address) information, your high school name and address, your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, community service and employment.  A sample college resume is included at the end of this newsletter. 

How much is too much?

This is a difficult question to answer. One answer is, of course, as short as possible. Another is, not any longer than is necessary to adequately present you and your achievements in a positive light. As already mentioned, the most effective resumes tend to be no longer than two pages.  However, don't assume that the admissions counselor will know what an activity is simply by its name. While some activity names (e.g. football, orchestra) are self explanatory, every school has some activities that go by names that mean nothing to the admissions counselor.  For example, while you may be very proud of your role in an organization - let's call it Phoenix for the sake of discussion - simply listing "Phoenix" on your resume will mean nothing to the admissions counselor. You will need to list it as "Phoenix - a community program to create affordable housing".

Anything else I should know?

Creating a resume is a good exercise for assessing your accomplishments and strengths.  The resume is a document that describes you.  Having gone through the process of creating the resume, you will find it much easier to talk about yourself in college interviews and other settings.

Sample Student Resume