how to make a college app resume

Are you seeking one-on-one college counseling and/or essay support? Limited spots are now available. Click here to learn more.

Resume for College Application – Examples & Template

July 8, 2024

College application resumes are different from professional resumes. There’s a certain way your resume for college applications should be to ensure your profile stands out. In one page, your resume will need to cover your academics, background, extracurricular activities and achievements. So to be asked to complete a resume, on top of everything else that goes into the college application? We know, it sounds like a lot. If you’re not sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Down below, we’ll dive right into what a college resume is and how to write a college resume. You’ll even find three college application resume examples and a college application resume template to help you start your own.

Let’s have a look at how to begin your resume for your college applications.

What goes into a college application resume?

A resume for your college application, otherwise known as your high school resume, should be one page long. It’s a space for you to show colleges all of your most important activities and achievements that they wouldn’t necessarily know in other parts of your college application. The overall objective of the college application resume is to demonstrate the bigger picture of who you are. It’s essentially a summary of what you’ve done, assembled in a way that serves as a snapshot of your greatest achievements.

There are a few core sections that will go into your college application resume:

– Contact information: Your full name, home address, email and phone number should be at the very top of your college application resume. The header of your resume should have all of this information. This includes any LinkedIn page or personal website that showcases your achievements. – Educational details and academic accomplishments: The full name of your high school and the dates of when you attended should go here. This is where you’ll include your GPA, your AP or IB courses, your ACT or SAT scores and your class ranking, if it’s significant.

College Resume Template (Continued)

Extracurricular activities and work experience: Any special volunteering, internships, part-time jobs, or even had a unique experience studying or working abroad? You should mention those moments here. This section of the resume will amplify what kind of person you are in the community around you. To better understand you as an applicant, admissions officers want to know where you spend your time outside of school. Did you have any leadership positions? Was there a special job or position you had? – Awards and honors: If you have any accomplishments that you’re proud of, you should list them here. This is the part of the college application resume to list achievements like your first prize in a district-wide writing competition or your Most Valuable Player award in your tennis team. Remember, both academic awards and extracurricular awards can be mentioned, so be sure to include any relevant recognitions. – Special skills and interests: Let’s say you speak more than one language and you’re passionate about all things student leadership. Perhaps you know everything about computers. This part of the college application resume is where you should list those unique skills. Think of strong skills and interests you possess, while making sure they reflect your overall college application profile and ambitions. If you have any particular interests or even hobbies that can strengthen your application, then go for it.

Putting together the resume for your college applications can be a tedious process, so it’s best to pay careful attention to every line. You’ll want to focus on the format , style of language , brief but concise descriptions and crucial details .

Resume for College Application – Examples & Templates

College resume template #1.

Here are three different resume examples for college applications. They’ll go from the most basic college application resume to the most detailed:

1) For a standard college application resume, take a look at this student interested in studying anthropology or literature in college. The following is a very standard college application resume:

Dakota Lee 909 Park Avenue Portland, Oregon (012) 345-6789 [email protected]

Bloomington High School, Class of 2024 GPA: 3.85

• Lead students (K-6) in all camp-related activities relating to literature immersion.
• Organize art projects three days a week with senior counselors.
• Coordinate students’ final art show for parents.
• Assisted graduate students in their anthropology research 4 hours every week.
• Presented at the end of every month my own research findings between literature and anthropology.
• President, Student Anthropology Club: 2021-Present
• Vice President, Bloomington Book Club: 2022-Present
• Team Captain, JV Tennis Team: 2021-Present
• First Chair Violinist, Symphony Orchestra: 2022-Present
• High Honors List: 2024
• Principal’s List: 2023-2024
• National Honors Society: 2021-2024
• Most Valuable Player, JV Tennis Team: 2023-2024
• Languages: Spanish, French, Japanese
• Computer: Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe Photoshop

College Resume Template #2

2) The next college application resume includes more details than the resume above, with a different layout. You’ll find that there is a short description of the student’s character and interests under a section called “Educational Goal” at the top:

Jon Jackson 678 Orange Street Austin, Texas (123) 456-7890 [email protected]

Educational Goal

Diligent, driven student with a passion for business and economic development. Dedicated to improving the livelihood of small businesses across the state of California. Focused on collaborating with business leaders, community organizers and students across the country to create a stronger, more sustainable economy.

High School Diploma                                                                                                                    2024 Springfield High School Austin, Texas GPA: 3.98 Courses: AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Macroeconomics, AP US History, AP Spanish

Austin Chamber of Commerce – Student Representative                                                     2021-2024 Austin, Texas – Served as representative of public schools across the city of Austin, advocating for student perspectives on Austin’s economic initiatives. – Developed campaigns and city-wide initiatives to encourage more student involvement in local elections, distributed pamphlets door-to-door to invite neighborhoods to participate in city-wide census polls. – Relayed information from commerce meetings back to our school district. – Advocated for the support of small businesses. – Created a bimonthly “Student Visit Day” to continue open communication between decision makers and high school student leaders across Austin.

• President, Business Club 2021-Present
• Treasurer, Young Economists 2022-Present
• Student Volunteer, Save the Children 2022-Present
• Editor, Springfield Student Gazette 2022-Present
• High Honors List 2024
• Principal’s List     2023-2024
• National Honors Society     2021-2024
• Best Student Entrepreneur, Business Club     2023-2024
• Languages: Spanish, German, Arabic
• Advocacy, Debate, Public Speaking
• Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe Photoshop

College Resume Template #3

Now let’s look at a college application resume that has a different structure and even more details. Keep in mind the first two resumes you just saw above:

Cassandra Zimmerman Los Angeles, CA ✦ (012) 987-6543 ✦ [email protected]

Driven student with a track record of community and student leadership. Passionate about women’s rights and girls’ education, eager to make a difference through service and mentorship. Committed to applying my leadership and communication skills to contribute to my college community, I am excited to major in business marketing and sociology to create a better working environment for women around the world.

High School Diploma                                                                                       Expected in June 2024 Valley High School Los Angeles, CA GPA: 3.88 – Awards: Academic Achievement Award (2021-2023), Community Service Excellence Award (2022-2023), Student Role Model Award (2024) – Courses: AP Microeconomics, AP Literature, AP European History, AP Spanish, AP French – Clubs: Journalism Club, UNICEF Club, Girls Empowerment Club, Entrepreneurial Club – Sports : Track and field team captain

• Critical thinking
• Innovation and adaptability
• Project management
• Organization and coordination

Professional Skills

Leadership – Led a team of 10 senior students across the Los Angeles School District to meet with the Mayor of Los Angeles and discuss our hopes for women in business. – Steered the track and field team as team captain, maintaining a positive spirit throughout every season. – Initiated the weekly column of our student newspaper to focus on areas of local community improvement. Communication – Showcased results from community polling to 50 members of the school district leadership. – Proactively participated in journalism club, leading student investigation pieces on local incidents affecting women-led businesses. – Collaborating across different school clubs to foster an interdisciplinary education and promote a united community. Computer and Technology Proficiency – Highly skilled in Microsoft Excel to aggregate and process data, while also proficient in the entire Microsoft Office Suite applications. – Adept in creating social media campaigns on X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and TikTok.

Work History

University of Southern California, Young Leaders Internship                                      2022-2024 Los Angeles, CA YMCA Girls Leadership                                                                                                 2021-2024 San Francisco, CA

Volunteer Experience

UNICEF Local Chapter Volunteer                                                                             2021-2024 Volunteered as a student leader UNICEF member for our local chapter every month. Disseminated pamphlets and helped organize Los Angeles events that focused on girls’ education. Mentoring freshmen with All Hands On Deck                                                            2022-2024 Served as a mentor to freshmen students across the Los Angeles Unified School District. Coordinated activities with arts organizations and businesses across the city to help struggling students have more access to educational and extracurricular resources. Dog Rescue Volunteer                                                                                                 2021-2024 Participated as a weekly volunteer at the local animal shelter to help clean, feed and walk dogs. Promoting adoption events and animal rescue awareness across the city.

College Application Resume Styles

By looking at the resumes for college applications above, you’ll see that the three are quite different from each other. The first was a very simple college application resume example, while the second was a bit more informative, though not entirely. The third college application resume example provided more background information and relevant details. However, it’s always important to keep in mind that you’ll want your college application resume to be around one page.

The top general tips for writing your resume for college applications are:

1) Write your contact information and professional email address. Make sure your email address is something that colleges won’t have to think twice about.

2) Begin with education . Colleges know that you won’t have a lot of work experience. They’re academic institutions, so first and foremost, they’re interested in your academic performance. Start your college application resume with your education.

3) Bulleted lists over paragraphs. Elaborate on your achievements and experiences with brief descriptions in bullet points, not in lengthy paragraphs . Admissions officers will want to read clear and concise descriptions that are straight to the point.

4) Use strong action verbs that empower you. If you led a group of children at camp or presented your research in front of a committee, use an action verb that encapsulates your responsibilities. This means that instead of writing “It involved leading groups of children…” try something like “Directed groups of children to…”

5) One page does the trick. It’s tempting to want to make your resume as long and informative as possible. But the moment that happens, the quicker the reader will lose interest. College admissions offices are looking through thousands of applications. Keeping your college application resume concise will only work in your favor. Doing so is also a great exercise for future job applications and helps you decide what you really want to focus on sharing.

As seen from the examples above, you can personalize the style of your college application resume. But a general college application resume template will look like the following:

Your name Home address, City, State (Your) phone number | [email protected]

The name of your high school                                                                City, State, Year of Graduation

GPA: Your score ￭  SAT: Your score  ￭  ACT: Your score

Relevant Coursework : The names of any relevant, important classes

Your role, The name of your experience                                                                      City, State, Year

• Description of your experience.

Awards/Honors

• The name of your award: Date you were awarded

Description of your award. Any specific numbers and information that provides more context.

Additional Skills

List your skills that are relevant to your overall college application. They can be both professional and unique skills.

Resume for College Application – Examples & Template – Additional Resources 

• How to Complete the Common App Activities Section
• How to Complete the Honors Section on the Common App 
• 300 Best Colleges in the US
• Common App Essay Prompts 2024-25
• 10 Instructive Common App Examples 
• How to Brainstorm a College Essay 
• Application Strategies

Joanna Hong

With a BA from Pitzer College and an MA from University College London, Joanna has worked in London, Berlin, and Los Angeles covering many cultural and political issues with organizations such as Byline Media, NK News, and Free Turkey Media. A freelancer for The New York Times, her work has also appeared in Newsweek, Dazed and Confused Magazine, and The Guardian, among others. In addition, Joanna was the recipient of the 2021 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship in Fiction and is currently completing her first novel.

• 2-Year Colleges
• ADHD/LD/Autism/Executive Functioning
• Best Colleges by Major
• Best Colleges by State
• Big Picture
• Career & Personality Assessment
• College Essay
• College Search/Knowledge
• College Success
• Costs & Financial Aid
• Data Visualizations
• Dental School Admissions
• Extracurricular Activities
• Graduate School Admissions
• High School Success
• High Schools
• Homeschool Resources
• Law School Admissions
• Medical School Admissions
• Navigating the Admissions Process
• Online Learning
• Outdoor Adventure
• Private High School Spotlight
• Research Programs
• Summer Program Spotlight
• Summer Programs
• Teacher Tools
• Test Prep Provider Spotlight

“Innovative and invaluable…use this book as your college lifeline.”

— Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Nationally Recognized College Expert

College Planning in Your Inbox

Join our information-packed monthly newsletter.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

6 Tips for Your College Application Resume

Your resume will be an important part of your career life, serving as a catalog of your professional accomplishments, experience, and achievements. But even before you’re a full-fledged working adult, it’s still a good idea to start building your resume.

Many high school students use this space to record and describe their accomplishments, such as awards, volunteer and paid work, prestigious program participation, and more.

So, if you’ve taken the time to create a resume, can you submit it to colleges to augment your application? In some cases, yes. Keep reading to find out how to craft the ideal resume for colleges.

Which Schools Allow You to Submit Your Resume?

The schools allow you to submit your resume via the Common Application. This list is not exhaustive; it includes the top 20 universities and liberal arts colleges that allow you to do so.

•     Brown University
•     Claremont McKenna College
•     Cornell University
•     Dartmouth College
•     Johns Hopkins University
•     Northwestern University
•     University of Pennsylvania
•     Vanderbilt University
•     Vassar College
•     Washington and Lee University
•     Washington University in St. Louis

Should You Submit Your Resume?

It’s a good idea to submit your resume if there is important information you’re unable to include on the rest of your application, such as professional experiences or special projects.

If you don’t have something new to say, then you shouldn’t include a resume. That is, you shouldn’t regurgitate information the adcom can find elsewhere on your application. You can, however, use it as a space to expand on or illustrate accomplishments if you don’t feel you’ve been able to in the activities section or your essays.

How to Write a Resume for College Applications

1. include information you feel isn’t represented elsewhere..

As you’ll find in your career, not every experience relates to the opportunity you have at hand. When you enter the job market, you’ll learn to tailor your resume to specific positions based on how your work history relates to them. This is true of your college applications, too. For each experience you include, consider how it bolsters your overall profile — and only add the ones that do to your resume.

First, here’s the essential info you should include on your resume:

• Name and email address (no need to include your actual address)
• Education/high school info, like your GPA and test scores 

Other info you may include:

• Special projects related to your interests (if you’re a writer, this could be a list of pieces you’ve written with a description, or if you’re a programmer, you could also describe your projects).
• Publications (scientific, literary, etc.)
• Non-traditional coursework or academic activities (legitimate online certificates/courses, academic programs, etc.)
• Extracurriculars, hobbies, and skills and interests
• Professional and work experience
• Family responsibilities

2. Don’t rehash your activities section.

Again, don’t use this space to regurgitate information you’ve presented elsewhere on your application. Instead, it should be a space to share unique facets of yourself that don’t fit into other places.

For example, perhaps there’s a specific job you held that you couldn’t properly describe in the activities section. You can use this space to elaborate on the responsibilities you held. Or, as mentioned in the previous section, you can describe specific projects you’ve completed related to your interests. This is especially helpful for more self-driven pursuits, like independent writing.

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

3. Keep it brief (one page) and easy to read.

Your resume should be concise. Since you probably haven’t accumulated a significant amount of experience as a teenager, you should keep it to one page (if you’re an adult student, that’s a different story). At the same time, avoid using teensy font and ultra-slim margins to cram everything into a single page — the resume should be easy to scan and read. Remember: be selective to ensure you have enough room.

Part of making your resume readable means formatting it such that it’s presentable. Use space to your advantages, along with a clear system for organizing the information; the traditional format is chronological, but you may choose to use an alternative format instead. Use headings, too, and make sure your formatting is consistent throughout.

4. Use active and specific language.

Use the active voice when cataloging your achievements. You should also be offering clear evidence. If you can, use numbers and facts to support your experiences.

For example, rather than saying, “Started tutoring business,” you might instead write, “Built a tutoring business by recruiting 15 student tutors and initiating a social media campaign targeting students in need of STEM support; personally worked with 25 students, who improved their GPAs by an average of X points.”

5. Talk yourself up, but don’t be dishonest or unreasonable.

Some students are eager to share their accomplishments. If you’re ever going to talk yourself up, this is the time to do it. You can’t be shy or reluctant to, well, brag a little. Other students will be talking themselves up, and you don’t want it to appear as though you don’t have anything to show for yourself.

At the same time, be careful of hyperbolizing your achievements. Colleges can easily verify the facts on your resume. If your accomplishments seem unfathomable, it will raise a red flag. This will lead colleges to question other aspects of your application, too.

Just as you should with the rest of your application, you’ll need to proofread your resume many times to catch any errors or typos. You should also read it over for clarity and to ensure that it’s as concise as it can be.

If you can, get another set of eyes on your resume before you upload it to your application. A peer, teacher, or guidance counselor can help you make sure your achievements are coming across the way you want them to and that you’re presenting yourself authentically.

Looking for more general guidance on the college application process? CollegeVine is here to make it as seamless as possible. Our free platform allows you to see your chances of acceptance, get essay feedback from peers, and hear from experts in daily livestreams. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account to get started.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

How to Write a Resume for College – A CollegeAdvisor Guide

How to write a resume for college – introduction.

Standing out as a stellar applicant in the college admissions process is tough. One way to separate yourself from the crowd is by crafting a strong resume for college. Your college resume can highlight information about your background, activities, and achievements. Some of these might not be indicated elsewhere in your college application or recommendation letters . 

In this article, we will teach you how to write a college resume. We’ll highlight 5 simple steps to building your college application resume. We will also discuss what a college resume is and why you may need a resume for college. Additionally, we will provide examples on how to write a resume for college by reviewing college resume examples. Finally, we’ll walk you through some college resume templates in our example college resumes.

So, let’s look at how to write a college resume and explain what makes a good college resume, why you should include a resume for college in your applications, and more!

What is a college resume? 

A high school resume is typically a one-page document that complements your college application . Your high school resume (or college resume) can help you showcase your achievements and extracurriculars for college. It does this by sharing information that is not elsewhere within your college applications. The goal of a college resume is to show the college admissions officers who you are and how you spend your time outside of the classroom . 

Before we jump into how to write a college resume, let’s examine some things that make up a good college resume.

A good college resume should include: 

• Clear structure
• Concise language (bullet points over essay-style)
• Relevant details
• Strong formatting

As we discuss how to write a resume for college, you might wonder what purpose a college resume serves. In short, a college resume is a summary of experiences that you can use to add depth to your college applications. You can also think of a college resume as your high school resume, or a resume for college. Your college resume will include a brief description of each of your experiences and extracurriculars for college. 

While we examine how to write a resume for college, you should first note that your college resume should include key details like your educational details, GPA , extracurricular activities/jobs, and honors/awards. As we’ll discuss, your college resume will have other key features. We’ll go through each of these as we learn how to write a resume for college. 

Many colleges list a college resume within their college application requirements. But, even if a college resume is not listed in the college application requirements, we recommend creating one anyway. 

We will look at a sample college resume later in this article, along with a 5-step guide to creating a resume for college that you can use as you begin writing your college resume. 

Do I need a resume for my college applications? 

No, you do not necessarily need to include a college resume with your college applications. However, a high school resume or resume for college can be a helpful tool in the college admissions process. 

So, how could including a resume for college application be beneficial? First, including a college resume in your college applications can help highlight your skills, experiences, and qualifications to the admissions office of your dream school.  

Having a college resume can help you showcase your extracurricular activities in your college applications. You can highlight leadership positions, accomplishments, interests, and activities on your college resume that might not appear elsewhere in your college applications. 

Creating a resume for college application can also demonstrate your accomplishments and experiences to college admissions officers. Even if a high school resume is optional in the list of college application requirements, including one in your college applications can help you stand out. Standing out is incredibly important in the admissions process, especially if your ideal college is high on the list of college rankings . 

It is a good idea to start putting together your college resume as you near the end of high school.

You may forget the names of clubs, supervisors, mentors, teachers, etc. as you get ready to apply to college. So, the earlier you can gather all the information for your high school resume, the better! That way, all of your experiences are fresh in your mind, and you can create the strongest resume for college possible. 

When should I prepare my college resume? 

As you begin the process of applying to college, you might be wondering when to prepare your college resume. The ideal timeline for creating your high school resume can start as early as 9 th grade. 

In general, you won’t want to include anything on your high school resume before 9 th grade. Like other college application requirements, college admissions officers are only interested in the activities you have participated in during high school. 

Keep a list starting in 9th grade

As early as 9 th grade, you can start keeping a list of your accomplishments and activities. Even though you won’t need to format this list into a college resume yet, it will be the basis for your future college application resume.

As you begin the college admissions process, you can use the list you created and turn it into a college resume. As you apply to college and prepare your college resume, research which college resume format works best for you. Reviewing a sample college resume or college resume template can help you find the perfect college resume format. 

As you look through college resume examples, think about which aspects of the college resume template you like the best. Then, adapt things from those college resume examples to fit your college resume. Once you have decided on a college resume format, list your accomplishments, jobs, and activities within that college resume format. 

Summer before senior year

The best time to create your high school resume is during the summer before your senior year. This gives you plenty of time to perfect your college application resume. 

We’ll examine the necessary components of a successful college resume in the next section of this article. So, read on!

What should a high school student put on a resume? 

As you begin the college admissions process, you may be asking yourself what to include on your high school resume. You can start the college application resume writing process by brainstorming how you spend your time outside of your courses. 

Think about everything you have done or achieved since you started high school and write it down. Your high school resume should highlight your activities, interests, and skills. Pay particular attention to these factors as you consider what to include on your high school resume.

Your high school resume will be organized categorically. Some of the most common categories for a resume for college application include personal information, work experience, extracurricular activities, volunteer experience/community service, education, and skills.  In addition to the categories listed above, below is a list of some other things that high school students should list on their resume for college.

Top ten things to list on your college resume:

• School name and address
• Contact Info
• GPA or Class rank, if applicable
• Internships & volunteer roles
• Awards and honors
• Extracurricular activities
• Leadership positions
• Language competencies

As we mentioned earlier, you may not have information or experiences for every category listed above. That’s perfectly fine! Focus on what applies to you and what you can include on your high school resume as you learn how to write a college resume. 

What does not belong on my high school resume? 

Now that we have examined what to include on your high school resume, let’s discuss what does not belong on your college application resume. 

Keep it current

In general, you should avoid including any activity or achievement from before 9 th grade on your resume for college. However, it’s okay to include something that is particularly impressive and/or attached to a current activity. 

For example, if you have 12 years of experience in playing the violin, you will want to include that on your high school resume. However, if you joined your middle school band for a semester, you should likely leave that out of your college resume. Your resume for college should reflect activities that matter to you now.

Avoid listing daily duties

There is no need to include informal everyday activities on your college resume, such as cooking for your family or cleaning around the house. When you are crafting your resume for college, it’s best to stick to things that are relevant to admissions committees or future employers. 

Note that this is one area where your college resume differs from your activities list. For instance, if you spend considerable time caretaking your three siblings, you may choose to include that on your activities list within the Common App. However, the same responsibilities likely shouldn’t appear on your resume for college.

Keep it clear

As you examine college resume templates and college resume examples, take note of the language and structure in a sample college resume. It’s important to use concise language and clear structure throughout your resume for college. 

Additionally, do not include excessive text or overly detailed explanations on your college application resume. You want your resume for college to be simple and clear. In general, you should limit your high school resume to one page, or two at the absolute maximum. Most people who review your college resume will spend about 30 seconds with it. So, your resume for college should be easily scanned, above all. 

When you use concise language throughout your college resume, it will make it easier for your reader to understand your accomplishments. Because most people will skim your high school resume, having a clear structure throughout will make it easy to read. Keep it simple and keep it consistent. 

Steer clear of images and graphics

While you might come across this in your college resume format research, it’s best to avoid including images or graphics in your college application resume. Although this is a new trend and can be seen on multiple college resume examples and college resume templates, it can be distracting and take up valuable space on your high school resume.  

For instance, if you volunteered at twelve different soup kitchens, there is no need to list each one separately. That will become tedious and take up too much space on your essential resume for college application. 

Finally, you should never misrepresent your qualifications on your high school resume. Be honest about your involvements, however many you have. It’s not worth potentially getting caught in a lie or an exaggeration during a college interview.

Where do I submit my college application resume? 

While you apply to college, you might be wondering what to do with your resume for college applications. Many college application portals will include a section for your college resume, especially if a resume for college is listed as one of the college application requirements. 

Most college application portals list the high school resume section as optional. While you are applying to college, you might notice that most colleges require that you fill out an activities section as part of the application process. The activities section will ask you to list your extracurriculars for college. Often, your activities section will serve the same purpose as your college resume. 

If you choose to include a high school resume with your college application, it should reflect your accomplishments in more detail than your activities section. Additionally, if you choose to include a resume for college with your application, make sure it adds something new to your activities list. 

You will receive access to your college’s application portal once you have completed the process of applying to college but before you receive a college acceptance letter and officially enroll . When it’s time to upload your high school resume, be sure to upload it as a PDF rather than a Word document. That way, you can ensure that your formatting of your college resume stays consistent on every application. 

We’ll provide more details about the college resume format later in this article, when we examine college resume examples and college resume templates. 

How often should I update my college resume? 

It may be helpful to update your resume (or other records) every six months to a year in order to avoid missing any important details. You can use your college resume for more than just your college application requirements. In fact, there may be internships or other opportunities you seek out in high school that will ask you to submit a high school resume. Updating your college resume often will help you keep track of your experiences and accomplishments. 

In general, you should update your high school resume as often as it works for you. However, when you are almost done applying to college , you will want to make sure that your college resume is up-to-date and accurate before including it with your application. 

No matter how often you update your resume for college applications, we encourage you to keep copies of any old college resume examples you might have. Having old copies of your college resume can help you in the future as you begin to tailor your college resume for potential reviewers. 

How to write a resume for college

Now that we have a better understanding of what makes up a college resume, let’s focus on how to write a resume for college. You can begin writing your college resume by creating a list of your key details . Your key details will be the starting point for your college resume. 

First, you will include information about where you go to school, as well as your current GPA and any Honors statuses. You will also want to list your academic interests on your high school resume, including what you hope to study or pursue beyond high school. 

You will also include your extracurricular activities and the years you engaged in them on your resume for college. Additionally, you will want to add any jobs or internships you have had and the dates you held them. You can also list any leadership positions and the years you held them on your college resume. 

Finally, you will want to include any special skills you have on your resume for college. This can include certifications as well. 

Once you have a list of your key details, you will want to organize these details into sections on your high school resume. For some, these sections might include Objective, Education, Leadership Positions, Work and Internship History, and Special Skills.  

College Resume Walkthrough

Linked about is our college resume walkthrough. Let’s do another walkthrough of these sections here to see what kind of information to include in each one. 

Your objective is the reason why you are writing your college resume. This section will vary depending on where you send your resume. 

If you are creating a resume for college applications, you should include information about your intended major or future career in this section. However, if you are sending your high school resume to a potential employer, your objective section will include information about why you are uniquely skilled for the job. 

Education 

The education section of your college resume should include all high schools you have attended, along with your GPA and anticipated date of graduation. 

If your high school provides you with a class rank, you can also include that piece of information within this section of your resume for college. 

Additionally, you can include your SAT or ACT score within this section, especially if you are submitting your resume for college applications. 

Leadership Positions 

Be sure to highlight any leadership positions you have held in your college resume. This includes any appointed positions you have received and even informal leadership positions. 

For example, if you were voted Class President of your Student Council, you can include that information here. Or maybe you are a peer mentor on your soccer team—you can include those details within this section of your college resume. 

Work and Internship History 

This section of your high school resume will list your whole work history, including internships , summer jobs , or part-time jobs. 

You will want to include the job title, company, dates of employment, and a brief outline of your duties for each of the work or internship experiences in this section of your resume for college. 

Special Skills 

Finally, this section of your college resume will outline any technical or soft skills you might have. Soft skills include things like teamwork, communication skills, and conflict resolution. 

In this section of your resume for college, you can also include any languages you speak or certifications you have. 

After you have organized your high school resume into sections, you will want to include a bulleted list detailing your responsibilities within each of your engagements/leadership roles. Be sure to include only relevant details in your descriptions, as it’s important to be concise on your college resume.  

Remember to include the years for every role/activity on your college resume. You will want to list them with the most recent positions/activities at the top of your resume for college. 

College resume format

Your college resume format is one of the most important features to consider as you apply to college. As you construct your college resume format, make sure that it’s readable. 

Most people won’t look at your college resume for more than 30 seconds. So, any reader should be able to skim your high school resume and come away with a relatively clear idea of your qualifications and background. 

The ideal college resume format will have the name of the student clearly listed at the top of the college resume. Another aspect of a strong college resume format will have clear sections with strong headlines. Additionally, the best college resume format will include bulleted lists where appropriate. 

We will look at the college resume format in action as we review some college resume examples and college resume templates. 

College resume examples

As we review our sample college resume, we will explain how to use it to craft your own college resume when you apply to college. Use this sample college resume as a reference point for your resume for college. Then, adapt it to fit your own unique needs. 

We will discuss the sample college resume in the next two sections of this article. As we review the sample college resume, pay particular attention to what makes this college resume clear and effective. You can use this sample college resume as a college resume builder while you apply to college. 

At first glance, you can see that this college resume is organized. This resume for college has clear sections and a concise structure. What makes this college resume clear and effective is its formatting, language, and length. Be sure to incorporate these same elements into your own high school resume as you apply to college. 

Remember, this sample college resume is just one of many college resume examples available. Figure out what you like best about this sample college resume and use it to craft your own college resume. 

Sample college resume – What works? 

The key features of this sample college resume are its formatting, language, and length. Focusing on these in your own college resume will ensure that your resume for college stands out. 

Clear delineated sections

The formatting in this college resume works so well because it includes clearly delineated sections and organized by year. Keeping your information and experiences organized by year is an effective format for a resume for college applications. 

Simple and straightforward language

Another feature of this college resume that works well is the language. There is clear language and details throughout this resume for college that provide context for each role and accomplishment. For example, each of the work experiences in this high school resume feature a brief description of the student’s role and duties/responsibilities. 

Concise structure

Additionally, this resume for college application features a concise structure that helps the reader clearly understand the purpose of each section. The descriptions within this college resume are brief but comprehensive. Having a concise structure and clear language throughout your college resume is key. 

The final key feature that works well in this college resume is the length. This resume for college is just one page in length. Ideally, you want your college resume to fit on one page, but that is not a hard and fast rule. If you have a wealth of experiences and extracurriculars for college, your college resume can go over the typical one-page length. 

Even though this high school resume is a little over one page, it does not have any irrelevant details or extraneous information on it. As you begin writing your college resume, be sure to only include relevant details on it. 

As you learn how to write a college resume, keep track of what features work well and incorporate them into your own college resume. If you are unsure if the sample college resume will work for your college resume, don’t worry. There are plenty of college resume examples and college resume templates to choose from as you are applying to college. 

College resume template

There are multiple college resume examples that you can review as you start your college resume or college application letter . Looking at a college resume template can help you decide on the formatting, language, and length that works best for you. 

Hunter College has a web page with college resume examples and college resume templates. Use it as a resource as you build your high school resume. 

If possible, you should avoid using form templates as you construct your college resume. Instead, think of the college resume template as a guide. You should aim to format your resume for college in the way that works best for you. 

It’s best to be a bit unique as you create your high school resume. Looking at a college resume template can help you find your own distinct style. You can also incorporate different aspects from a college resume template into your own college resume. 

However, be sure to avoid any hard-to-read fonts or unnecessary details in your formatting as you learn how to write a college resume. While your resume shouldn’t look like it was made using a stock college resume template, it also should not be overly crowded.

College resume builder

There are also college resume builder resources, like this one from Wheaton College , that will help students build their college resumes. You can use a college resume builder to format your own resume for college. 

At CollegeAdvisor.com, we host webinars on topics that help you apply to college. We have a webinar on how to write a resume for college, with plenty of college resume examples. We also have a webinar with advice from former Admissions Officers on how to build your college resume. 

Once again, you should generally avoid a pre-formatted college resume builder or college resume template. Instead, use these college resume examples as a jumping off point as you begin the college admissions process. 

Formatting your high school resume yourself makes it easier to make any quick edits or fix any formatting quirks. If you were to use a college resume builder or college resume template, these adjustments may be a challenge. 

Build your College Resume in 5 Simple Steps

Having examined some college resume examples, let’s review 5 simple steps for how to write a resume for college. 

Five Steps to Build your College Resume

Make an accurate list of your experiences, awards, education, and qualifications. You will use this list as the outline for your resume for college. 

Choose the best college resume format for the job. Before you finalize your choice of college resume format , review a college resume template or college resume examples for guidance. Then, create a resume header for your college resume. 

Add your accurate information by section on your resume for college. Reference the college resume examples you reviewed previously to choose the sections you will use on your high school resume. Organize each list by year, placing the most recent item at the top of your resume for college. Be sure to separate your extracurricular experiences from your awards/honors, creating two lists (or more if necessary). 

Format your lists to be clear and readable , and add your name and contact information as the header of your college resume. 

Ask a friend, family member, or mentor to copy edit your resume for college! Having another set of eyes on your high school resume will help you create the strongest resume for college possible. 

How to write a college resume – Final Thoughts

In this article, we reviewed how to write a college resume. As we discussed the purpose of a college application resume, we examined college resume examples and described key features that work in a college resume. We hope the college resume examples we featured in our article on how to write a resume for college help you craft your high school resume as you apply to college.

Need help crafting the perfect college application resume? CollegeAdvisor.com can teach you how to write a resume for college. Register for a free CollegeAdvisor.com account and receive access to hundreds of articles and webinars. These resources will help you craft your college resume as you begin applying to college.

This article was written by  Claire Babbs . If you want to get help with your college applications from Claire or other  CollegeAdvisor.com  Admissions Experts , click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

Personalized and effective college advising for high school students.

• Advisor Application
• Popular Colleges
• Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice
• Student Login
• California Privacy Notice
• Terms and Conditions
• Your Privacy Choices

By using the College Advisor site and/or working with College Advisor, you agree to our updated Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy , including an arbitration clause that covers any disputes relating to our policies and your use of our products and services.

Explore Jobs

• Jobs Near Me
• Remote Jobs
• Full Time Jobs
• Part Time Jobs
• Entry Level Jobs
• Work From Home Jobs

Find Specific Jobs

• $15 Per Hour Jobs
• $20 Per Hour Jobs
• Hiring Immediately Jobs
• High School Jobs
• H1b Visa Jobs

Explore Careers

• Business And Financial
• Architecture And Engineering
• Computer And Mathematical

Explore Professions

• What They Do
• Certifications
• Demographics

Best Companies

• Health Care
• Fortune 500

Explore Companies

• CEO And Executies
• Resume Builder
• Career Advice
• Explore Majors
• Questions And Answers
• Interview Questions

How To Write A College Application Resume (With Examples)

• General Resume Examples
• Resume With No Experience
• Student Resume
• College Resume
• Entry Level Resume
• Military Resume
• Internship Resume
• First Resume
• College Application Resume
• 2 Page Resume
• Blank Resume Template
• College Freshman Resume
• Work History
• Resume Templates

Often college applications ask for or recommend including a resume . But how do you write a resume if you’re still in high school and have minimal work experience?

In this article, we’ll go over what to include in a college admissions resume, as well as an example resume you can use as a reference.

Key Takeaways

Include your contact information, education, and any work or volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, or other achievements on your college application resume.

A college application resume gives college admissions boards a quick overview of what you’d bring to their school.

Use your college application resume to highlight any unique skills, interests, or achievements that you believe make you stand out as an applicant.

What to Include in a College Admissions Resume

Example of a high school resume for college applications, how to build a college application resume, why write a resume for a college application, tips for writing an effective resume for a college application, final thoughts.

• Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs

Your college admissions resume highlights your most important professional or academic achievements and involvements. Include only high school experiences or achievements, unless there is an exceedingly impressive exception.

If you take a little time and brain energy to create a great, well-organized high school resume, your future self will thank you . Your resume can be saved as a template and record of your experiences and built upon during and after your time in college , or even fashioned into a great cover letter .

You could include any of the following sections; feel free to combine similar sections as necessary:

A Header With Your Contact Information (Required). Name, email address, and address.

Education (Required). Graduation date, weighted GPA, class rank, standardized test scores (ACT/SAT).

Achievements. Academic and scholastic awards, honors, medals, publications, and any other achievements.

Work. Summer jobs, part-time jobs, or entrepreneurship.

Volunteer Work. Community service, long and short term volunteer commitments, and any work you weren’t paid for.

Extracurricular Activities. Sports, clubs, theatre, student government, and other involvements.

Projects. Art projects, web or technology projects, activism, and any impressive creation of your own.

Leadership Positions. Include any activity or title in which you served as a leader or mentor .

Special Skills. Fluently-spoken languages , coding, web-developing, or other skills that set you apart.

Interests. Hobbies, creative activities, interests , and passions.

This example can be used as a rough guide for structuring your high school resume. You can use it as inspiration in creating your own resume, or you could even have a little bit of fun practicing by using this template to write yourself a resume to Hogwarts .

However you choose to do it, you can refer back to this example to create the perfect high school resume:

Elizabeth Bueno 216 Old Charlotte Hwy. Asheville, NC 28803 | Email: [email protected] | Phone: (219) 886-2538 EDUCATION: Asheville High School 2016-2020 GPA: 4.2/4.5 Graduated second in a class of 200 students Participated in post-secondary college classes from grades 9-12 ACHIEVEMENTS: Won first place in North Carolina State Legal Writing Competition Published two Op-Eds in Asheville Citizen-Times Achieved perfect attendance during all four years of high school VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Served as a volunteer animal companion at Asheville East Animal Shelter, a weekly commitment from grades 10-12 EXTRACURRICULARS: Co-captain of Asheville High School Women’s Lacrosse Team, from Fall 2018 – Spring 2020 Participated in drama club four hours per week from grades 9-12 Won lead roles in two high school theater productions HOBBIES: Avid reader and writer . Read, logged, and reviewed over 100 books on my literature-devoted Instagram (@Lizreadsbook) Pursued passion for animal welfare by becoming a registered dog foster-parent

How your resume looks is ultimately your decision and plays a part in demonstrating your unique character. However, it’s best to stick with the following conventions for an organized and professional look :

Include Contact Information. Such as your name, email, phone number, address, and any other relevant information so that they can reach out to you if needed.

Include at Least Three Sections. Seeing as though you are a high school student applying to a college, one of these sections will need to be an “education” section , and this will have to be the star of the show.

Use Bullet Points. Organize the different items on your list in a clean, easily understandable way with bullet points.

Use Active Verbs. Begin each bullet point with an action word that describes the kind of work you did or do to help the readers create a concrete picture in their head. Use a variety of engaging verbs.

Have a Clear Organization. Use an organizational structure that is easy to follow and highlights your best achievements. A great standby is reverse-chronological order (listing most recent first).

Keep it Consistent. The formatting and style need to be consistent throughout. Use the same font (something like Helvetica works great), and be consistent with capitalization, punctuation, and spacing throughout each section.

Your resume will give college admission boards a quick look at your academic achievement, jobs, leadership roles , awards, creative endeavors, special hobbies, and interpersonal skills , as well as showcasing your presentation and writing capabilities.

The purpose of this resume is to demonstrate that you are the right fit for a college environment. They want to know that you can thrive in their academic and social environment, and they want to see how dedicated you are to their university.

You may be a bit stressed now, thinking, “I don’t have any skills or experience to show off,” but you probably have more to work with than you think. Any experience, hobby, interest, or achievement that is significant to you can be fashioned into a great high school resume.

Use Specific Details. Include the details of your experiences to help colleges understand them better and make your resume stand out .

Show Off Unique Things That Didn’t Make it into The College Essay. Colleges have to process a tremendous amount of applicants, especially colleges with a prestigious reputation. Half the battle of your application is standing out from the crowd and establishing yourself as a one-of-a-kind candidate .

Highlight One or Two Commitments You Were Really Involved in. Rather than overloading your resume with every extracurricular, club, or activity you did for a short time or were semi-involved with, showcase the commitments you were deeply involved with.

Be Concise and Direct. You don’t have to mention everything you’ve ever done, and, in fact, you really shouldn’t. Including every small-time hobby, achievement, or commitment clogs up your resume and makes it more difficult to see and recognize the areas where you really shine.

Have The Right Formatting. The contents of your resume will only impress if you have an organized, visually appealing format and layout.

Keep your resume to one page , and organize it by section headings with bullet points underneath . Make sure it is easy to follow and understand with a clear organizational structure. Use consistent tenses on your resume.

Don’t Exaggerate or Make Up Details. Colleges want to use your application to get to know who you are, so don’t include inaccuracies or misleading information. Your prospective college can verify any information that seems inconsistent and it doesn’t reflect well on you.

Proofread, and Let Someone Else Read it Over. Your final step is to proofread and then proofread again. Be sure the spelling and grammar are spot-on so that you make a professional first impression . If you are using this resume to apply to multiple colleges, be sure to include all the correct college information.

Don’t Neglect the Rest of Your Application. While creating a resume is the large majority of the work, organizing your application process is crucial. Keep track of the deadlines and due dates for all of your prospective colleges, and make a plan for when and how to submit your final resume and application.

Use a Professional Email Address. If you don’t have a professional-sounding email address, make one. In fact, it can be helpful to have an email address dedicated to college applications so that you don’t miss anything.

Resumes aren’t just for landing the right job; they can also help you get admitted to your dream school. A high school resume highlighting your academic achievement, volunteer or work history, extracurriculars, and interests can help colleges get to know you in a personal and professional way.

The main goal of submitting a high school resume to a prospective college is to show off your unique and distinguished character and prove you are the type of student who will go on to make your alma mater proud. If this doesn’t sound like you, that’s okay. Crafting your resume is all about bringing out the best and most professional in yourself.

High school resumes can also be given to teachers or others for help in writing letters of recommendation , and they can even be used in landing you a part-time job or summer internship .

After you’ve started college, you can save your high school resume and update it for help in applying to internships or getting a job after you’ve graduated .

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Related posts

2 Page Resume: When Is It Ok To Use? (With Examples)

How Many Skills Should You List On A Resume?

What To Do When You Have Lied on Your Resume

Best Resume Writing Services

• Career Advice >

College Resume - Examples & Writing Guides for 2024

You’ve just sat down to write a college student resume.

An A+ resume that converts.

Whether you need a part-time job to cover your bills or a college internship for more experience, we are here to help.

This guide will take you through a simple step-by-step process of creating a college student resume. 

• An example of a finished college resume that works
• How to write a college resume that’ll fill up your interview diary
• How to make your college resume stand out [with top tips & tricks]

For some added inspiration, here’s a college student resume example, created with our very own resume builder :

The above example gets serious results, and yours will too. Simply follow the steps below.

Check out some of these related resume examples that you might be interested in:

• No Experience Resume
• Internship Resume
• Research Assistant Resume
• Students and Graduates Resume
• High School Resume
• Teacher Resume

How to Format a College Student Resume

The first step when creating any resume is to pick the best resume format.

Formatting has a number of benefits, but mostly it allows the hiring manager to read your resume with ease.

The most common resume format for a college student is “functional” or “skill-based”, which allows the hiring manager to immediately see the benefits in hiring you. We recommend college students starting with this format.

Students will usually have stronger skills than their work history, which makes the functional resume a good choice. It’s also ideal for those who have gaps in their employment history.

Now that you have the best format, you need to organize your resume layout .

Use a College Student Resume Template

Before you go ahead with crafting your college student resume, you may want to use a college student resume template.

A resume that is neat and orderly will be a breeze for recruiters to read.

Oh, and it’s the best way to prevent formatting issues.

What to Include in a College Student Resume

The main sections in a college student resume are:

• Contact Information
• Volunteer Experience
• Extracurricular Activities

Want to go a step further? You can also add these optional sections:

• Awards & Certification
• Personal Projects

Interests & Hobbies

But what should you write for each of these sections? Read on to find out.

Want to know more about resume sections? View our guide on What to Put on a Resume .

How to Correctly Display your Contact Information

Now, this section doesn’t require flair, but it must be factually correct. Messing up the contact section can mean the recruiter can’t contact you – oops! 

The contact information section must include:

• Title - In this case, “College Student” or “High-school Graduate”
• Phone Number – Proofread this multiple times
• Email Address – Use a professional email address ([email protected]), not one from your childhood ([email protected]).
• (Optional) Location - Applying for a job abroad? Mention your location.
• Abigail Pearce - College Student. 101-358-6095. [email protected]
• Abigail Pearce - Student. 101-358-6095. [email protected]

How to Write a College Student Resume Summary or Objective

So, this is a job you really want.

This may even be a job you NEED.

However, your competition is fierce. 

And with so much competition, you need to convince the hiring manager within the first few sentences.

To do this, use a resume summary or objective .

These are short paragraphs that go on top of your resume, just under your contact information. They give an overview of your entire resume.

But what is the difference between the two sections?

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence summary of your professional experiences and achievements.

Dependable marketing sophomore with 1 year part-time experience in a marketing internship to oversee marketing campaigns that maximise profit. Experience includes PPC campaigns, SMM, web design, brand development, and more.

A resume objective is a 2-4 sentence snapshot of what you want to achieve professionally.

Current undergraduate sophomore in marketing with hundreds of classroom hours in marketing and sales related courses. Passionate about maximizing revenue with effective marketing campaigns. Experience includes creating campaigns for my own personal projects in my first term at College X. Skilled in WordPress, Facebook Ads Manager, Photoshop, ClickFunnels, and more.

So, which one is best, summary or objective?

Those with some work experience should go with a resume summary. On the other hand, those who seriously lack work experience should go with a resume objective.

How to Make Your College Student Work Experience Stand Out

Recruiters like to feel confident that you can do the job. There is no easier way to do this than to list your work experience .

Here’s the best way to structure your work experience section:

• Position name
• Company Name
• Responsibilities & Achievements

The Pizza Cabin

03/2019 - 01/2020

• Served food to 40+ people a night and multiple tables at a time.
• Educated customers on menu items and daily specials.
• Received 98% positive customer feedback.
• Engaged customers in a personal, yet professional manner, which helped me to win “Employee of the Month” 4 times.

To separate your resume from the competition, you should focus on your achievements instead of daily tasks. This will allow the recruiter to see the obvious benefits in hiring you.

Instead of saying:

“Served customers”

“Served food to 80+ people a night and multiple tables at a time”

Simply, the first statement is way too vague. There zero chance the recruiter will be impressed by this.

The second statement shows that you were able to serve 80+ people and multiple tables at a time. This tells the recruiter that you are able to work under pressured conditions and to time constraints – impressive!

What if You Don’t Have Work Experience?

Now, not every applicant will have worked in a similar job before.

If this is you, there is a simple way to get around this.

Simply call-upon crossover skills from any previous jobs.

For example, if you held a customer service role at a local pizza restaurant, you can talk about any crossover skills and experiences. Just like a sales associate, you would be able to show you used strong communication and sales skills.

As a student, make sure to check out our student resume guide!

How to Correctly List your Education

Next, it’s time to talk about your education.

Whether it’s a college junior resume or college sophomore resume, your education section is crucial.

There’s nothing too complicated with this section, just simply enter the information for your in-progress degree in the following format:

• Degree Type & Major
• University Name
• Expected Graduation
• GPA, Honours, Courses, and anything else you might want to add

Majoring in Marketing

University of Chicago

2019 - Present

• Relevant Courses: Principles of Marketing, Managerial Communications, Quantitative Methods, and Macroeconomics.

Now, you may have some questions on this section. If so, here are the answers to some of the most frequent questions that we get:

• What if I haven’t completed education yet?

As we mention above, you should still mention your current place of education, despite not finishing yet

• Should I include my high school education?

If you have not yet finished your college degree, you should also include your high school education

• What do I put first, my education or experience?

Experiences are the priority, so those go first

Want more information? Check out our guide on how to list education on a resume .

Top 10 Skills for a College Student Resume

You’ve got all the skills.

But here’s the thing –

Your competition is well-skilled too!

Show the hiring manager that you’re the top candidate by listing your best skills.

But what are the best skills for a college resume?

Create a list of hard skills and soft skills that you have developed so far in life, such as the following:

Hard Skills for a College Resume:

• Microsoft Office
• Typing Speed
• Copywriting

Soft Skills:

• Creative Thinking
• Communication
• Time-Management
• Team Player
• Decision-Making

Tailor your skills to the job description. You can have the best skills in the world, but the recruiter won’t appreciate them if they’re not relevant to the job.

Here’s a more comprehensive list of 100+ must-have skills this year.

What Else Can You Include?

We’ve now covered every essential resume section .

But the school bell hasn’t rung just yet.

You need your resume to stand out!

Acing the above sections should be enough to get you shortlisted, but adding the following sections could give you a further advantage over the other applicants.  

Awards & Certifications

Have you ever won an award?

Have you completed any third-party courses?

Do you hold any specialized certifications?

Regardless of what it is, if there is anything that you’re proud of, be sure to include it here.

Here’s an example:

Awards & Certificates

• Food Handlers Card & Food Safety Manager Certification 
• “Critical Thinking Masterclass” – Coursera Course

Need to speak multiple languages at your new job?

Yes or no, being able to speak a second language is impressive.

And with so much competition, this could be the difference.

Add a language section if you have space. 

Rank the languages by proficiency:

• Intermediate

Now, you may be wondering, “why would a recruiter want to know that I’m a part of the football team?”

Well, it allows the recruiter to get to know who you are on a personal level.

But it doesn’t stop there…

Certain hobbies demonstrate that you have soft skills, like teamwork and communication. 

Here’s which hobbies & interests you may want to mention.

Include a Cover Letter with Your Resume

Your resume should now be ready to send.

No application is complete without a convincing cover letter.

In opposition to a generic resume, a personalized cover letter shows that you care about working for this specific company .

Here’s how to structure a winning cover letter:

You should complete the following sections:

Personal Contact Information

Your full name, profession, email, phone number, and location

Hiring Manager’s Contact Information

Full name, position, location, email

Opening Paragraph

It’s no secret that recruiters skim through their pile of resumes. As such, use concise language to mention:

• The position you’re applying for
• Your experience summary and best achievement to date

With the recruiter intrigued, you can get deeper into the following specifics:

• Why you chose this specific company
• What you know about the company
• How are your top skills relevant for the job
• Which similar industries or positions have you worked in before

Closing Paragraph

Don’t just end the conversation abruptly, you should:

• Conclude the points made in the body paragraph
• Thank the recruiter for the opportunity
• Finish with a call to action. This is a good way to keep the conversation going. A simple “At your earliest opportunity, I’d love to discuss more about how I can help you achieve X” will work

Formal Salutations

End the letter in a professional manner. Something like, “Kind regards” or “Sincerely.”

For more inspiration, read our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Key Takeaways

Building a college resume doesn't have to be hard.

Follow the tips in this guide for a college resume that is head & shoulders above the competition. 

Here are our best tips on how to create a college resume:

• Make your resume easy to read by formatting it correctly. Prioritize the reverse-chronological format, and then follow the best practices on content layout
• Use a resume summary or objective to hook the recruiter
• In your work experience section, highlight your most notable achievements to date
• Include a convincing cover letter to separate you from the competition

Suggested Reading:

• How to Make a Resume with No-Experience [21+ Examples]
• 21+ Essential LinkedIn Profile Tips For Job-Seekers
• Use Resume Keywords to Land the Job [880+ Keywords]

To provide a safer experience, the best content and great communication, we use cookies. Learn how we use them for non-authenticated users.

College Student Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

• Resume Examples
• Resume Text Examples

How To Write a College Student Resume

• Computer Science

College Student Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

• Math College Student Resume Example
• Computer Science Student Resume Example
• Marketing Student Resume Example

Joseph Corbin (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Philadelphia, PA 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example

Motivated student with strong academic performance in high school, including an “A” average for Mathematics. Demonstrated success in a leadership role through multiple school athletics and work activities. Naturally curious and eager to explore and understand new topics.

Key Skills 

• Complex problem-solving
• Data analysis
• Group leadership
• Mathematics
• Microsoft Excel
• Team collaboration

Graduate, Benjamin Franklin High School, Philadelphia, PA | August 2018 to June 2022

• “A” average in all Mathematics classes, including AP Calculus

High School Athletics

Spring Track Team 

Co-Captain (Senior year)

• Voted into team leadership role; coordinated with the head coach to help organize meets and answer various questions from team members
• Served as a valued mentor and resource to underclassmen

Member (all four years)

• Gained and demonstrated a strong sense of dedication and teamwork
• Contributed to team’s placing in the top four out of 18 high schools in the region for three consecutive years

Work Experience

Host / Server / Team Lead, Domino’s Pizza, Philadelphia, PA | Summer 2018 and 2019

• Greeted visitors and took and served food orders in a fast-paced environment
• Proposed several changes to the order entry process for servers and delivery drivers, improving efficiency and collaboration among the two groups
• Helped restaurant place No. 3 in the region for customer satisfaction in July and August 2019

Hobbies & Interests

Avid reader (six or more books per month) | Painting | Running

Advanced proficiency in Spanish (A- average for classes taken in all four years of high school)

Rob Smith  (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Columbus, OH 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example

Efficient and hardworking student with a strong interest in computer science. Draw on technical knowledge base covering UX design, JAVA, MySQL, and HTML. Demonstrated success objectively measuring software performance while participating in a rapid development cycle.

• Efficiency improvement
• Group collaboration
• Independent research
• Technical troubleshooting
• User experience (UX)

Graduate, AAE High School, Columbus, OH | August 2018 to June 2022 3.7 GPA | Top 10% of graduating class

Tech Support, XYZ Company, Columbus, OH | June 2020 to present

• Quickly and professionally respond to various tech support tickets
• Install hardware and software as needed to maintain systems
• Work with managers to develop rapid response systems to major tech threats
• Co-design and deliver educational materials to staff on proper tech use

Retail Sales Associate, Smith Clothing Company, Columbus, OH | August 2019 to May 2020

• Gained strong foundation in positive customer relations
• Operated cash register and balanced the till at end of day (EOD)

Certifications

• Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+
• Nielsen Norman Group UX and UX Master

John Miller (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Columbus, OH 12345 | LinkedIn | Portfolio

High school student with a strong interest in marketing and advertising. Freelance graphic design professional with a growing portfolio and client relationships with major local nonprofits. Enjoy collaborating on a team to explore topics and solve complex challenges.

• Data visualization
• Graphic design
• Marketing strategy
• Task prioritization
• Writing and editing

Candidate: Diploma, Douglass High School, Columbus, OH | expected June 2023 3.8 GPA | SAT scores: 760 math, 680 verbal (1440 combined)

High School Athletics and Activities

Member, Debate Team | August 2020 to present

• Collaborate closely on a 10-person team to research debate topics and form and organize compelling arguments

Member, Cross-Country Running Team | Fall 2021 and 2022

Freelance Graphic Designer, XYZ Company, Columbus, OH | April 2018 to present

• Conceptualize and create diverse marketing materials to spec
• Engage and partner with marketing teams to design campaigns and track return on investment
• Design logos and event graphics for client nonprofits
• Make infographics using data provided by sales teams
• Developed an award-winning print ad for a local coffee shop

Library Materials Associate, Community Library, Columbus, OH | June 2014 to April 2016

• Greeted students and verified account status for check-out
• Helped students find and incorporate various research sources
• Set up display technology for individual and group use
• Managed schedules for meeting and study rooms
• Reshelved materials at EOD

Technical Skills

Adobe InDesign, Photoshop | Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

When applying to colleges, you may find some schools require a resume . You can write a great resume for your college applications by showing your relevant high school and other experiences and emphasizing how you’ve explored topics and pursued your interests. Incorporating this theme into each section of your resume can increase your chances of being accepted into your preferred college or university. The advice and examples provided below can guide you in achieving this goal.

1. Summarize your college student qualifications in a dynamic profile

Your resume profile should catch admissions officers’ interest by giving the top reasons they can expect you to engage actively in their campus community. Can you share some instances from your life where you have exhibited curiosity and dedication toward excellence? Your answer to this question can lead to your best profile points. For example, maybe you’ve earned an “A” average in the school subject likely to become your college major. Or perhaps you’ve done freelance work that’s helped you develop a hobby into a possible career track. With details like these at the top of your college resume, you can show your potential to thrive in a college setting.

Profile Example

Motivated student with strong academic performance in high school, including an “A” average for mathematics. Demonstrated success in a leadership role through multiple school athletics and work activities. Naturally curious and eager to explore and understand new topics.

2. Add a compelling section featuring your college student experience

Use your resume’s experience section(s) to give examples of exploring and pursuing topics that interest you. Colleges and universities generally want students who are engaged, diligent, and curious about the world. So view your experience from this perspective and write down anything that reflects your gaining or showing these qualities.

You aren’t limited to details about work experience, especially if the jobs you’ve held so far don’t speak to your career interests. On a resume for college applications, the strongest experience section will often come from a different area. For example, maybe you’re most proud of having been on the debate team or teaching yourself HTML outside school. Below is a list of possible experience sections you might develop on your resume:

• Community service
• High school athletics
• Internship experience
• Personal accomplishments
• School clubs and societies
• Study abroad experience
• Summer coursework

Experience Example

Spring Track Team

3. Include education and certifications relevant to college students

View your resume’s education section as another chance to show active engagement in learning. Give basic details about your high school. But also feel free to name study areas or materials that have sparked your interest and may become a focus for you at the college level. For example, if your English classes have let you choose from a reading list for each unit, you could name some of the books or texts you decided to read and why. Also note any AP classes you’ve completed, school awards you’ve won, or other distinctions you’ve earned, like a high GPA or class rank. These can all help admissions officers see your potential.

Below are templates and examples to help you format your high school education, along with any certifications you’d like to add to your resume. Note that optional template areas appear in [brackets].

• Candidate: Diploma, High School Name, City, ST | expected graduation date
• [Select study areas or materials of interest]

Certification

Certification Name or Title , [Awarding Organization] | [Year]

Service Excellence Certificate, VCU Advanced Solutions | 2023

4. List college student-related skills and proficiencies

Add a key skills section to show how you excel in a learning environment. For instance, maybe you like to research a topic independently, or you prefer the stimulation of working in a group. On the other hand, perhaps you’re open to learning by various methods. Whatever your learning style, you can highlight it in your key skills section so admissions officers see how you’d apply yourself at their school. Below are some common keywords for college student resumes:

5. Consider adding personal hobbies or interests

You may have heard that hobbies and interests should be left off a resume. While this is often true for regular job seekers, it doesn’t apply to aspiring college students. Hobbies and interests can be a strong feature of your college application resume because they help show your all-around sense of curiosity. Feel free to highlight them in a separate section, typically toward or at the bottom of your resume.

Hobbies and Interests

How To Pick the Best College Student Resume Template

For college applicants, a clear and straightforward resume template is usually best. Opt for a visual design that lets the admissions officer quickly review your most relevant information. Select a traditional resume font , and avoid any template with a colorful or elaborate design.

Frequently Asked Questions: College Student Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for college student resumes -.

For aspiring college students, good resume verbs will relate to the process of learning and discovery – think “explored,” “researched,” or “uncovered.” But there are various others you might use to describe your school, work, and other life experiences so far. The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your college application resume:

How do you align your resume with each college application? -

The National Center for Education Statistics forecasts that total undergraduate enrollment will increase by about 9% (to nearly 17 million students) between 2021 and 2031. 

To optimize your resume for each college application:

1. Take cues from what you know about the school. 2. Refer to their website, brochures, notes from the campus tour, or any other information you’ve gathered on what the school is known for and what you’re most drawn to about it. 3. As you look over these materials, highlight words or phrases that are repeated or emphasized.

These terms can tell you what details you may want to feature in your resume profile or key skills sections (as long as they’re accurate to your experience).

For example, say you’re drawn to the college’s study-abroad program. Consider using your profile to showcase any travel or exchange programs you’ve done, along with your foreign language skills. With adjustments like these, you can make your resume more relevant to each college opportunity.

What is the best college student resume format? -

In nearly all cases, use a Combination (or Hybrid) resume because it’s easiest for admissions officers to learn about your pertinent skills and background. It’s also easiest for you to align with your goals.

With the Combination format, you focus on your most relevant skills and experience in your experience section(s) and an intro section. (This combination of experience and intro content is where the format gets its name.) Your resume intro should usually include a profile summary and key skills section, but you may also add a highlights or awards section. By carefully choosing the details for these intro sections, you can (a) position yourself for your desired school program and (b) give admissions officers a clear, quick view of what you offer.

Craft your perfect resume in minutes

Get 2x more interviews with Resume Builder. Access Pro Plan features for a limited time!

Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.

Check Out Related Examples

Internship Resume Examples and Templates

Graduate School Resume Examples and Templates

Student Resume Examples and Templates

Build a Resume to Enhance Your Career

• How Far Back a Resume Should Go Learn More
• How To Build a Resume for College Applications Learn More
• How to Include Personal and Academic Projects on Your Resume Learn More

Essential Guides for Your Job Search

• How to Write a Resume Learn More
• How to Write a Cover Letter Learn More
• Thank You Note Examples Learn More
• Resignation Letter Examples Learn More
• The Best Fonts for Your Resume Learn More

How to Write a College Resume That’ll Get You Hired (Plus an Example!)

When you’re in college, a strong resume is one of the first things that helps you land an internship or part-time job. It represents you to employers when you can’t be in the room (yet!) and is essential to convincing them to call you for an interview based on your previous experiences and current skills. Whether you have a resume you used for college applications or are starting completely from scratch, putting effort into your resume now gives you a higher likelihood of success and sets a solid foundation, making it a breeze to update in the future as you—and it—evolve.

If you feel like you have nothing to put on your resume, don’t worry. After advising hundreds of students on these documents, I know you have more to offer than you think! I frequently meet first-year college students who believe they can’t include many of the things they did before college on a resume. You absolutely can—and you should—until those get outranked by all the other awesome things you’ll accumulate over the course of your college career. Even if you’re a freshly minted high school graduate, you have valuable skills and experiences employers want, and this guide can help you showcase them.

Read on to learn about what goes on your resume, how to format it, and what else you can do to ensure it makes you shine—and to see our college resume example.

What Goes on a College Resume

In setting up your resume, you should use a few core sections to help you easily lay out all the information a recruiter is looking for when they make quick decisions about whether or not to interview you. (And yes, recruiters do skim, reportedly spending an average of 7.4 seconds making their first pass on a resume, so you want to make a good impression fast).

Contact Info

It’s traditional to start with your basic contact information at the top of your document including your name, email, phone, and the city and state where you live. Use your full name (and maybe bump up the font a point or two because you’re a big deal!), and if you have a nickname you prefer, you can include it in parentheses.

Use your college email as it’s typically professional and establishes your educational brand. Now is also a good time to check that your phone’s voicemail greeting is up-to-date. In case a recruiter calls while you’re busy—or you don’t recognize the number and swipe it to voicemail—this greeting could be their first impression of you. Even recording something as simple as, “ Hello, you’ve reached Christine. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible, ” can help them feel confident they reached the right person and that you’re able to present yourself professionally.

Your physical location can be based either on your school’s address or your permanent home address. If you’re targeting opportunities in one location or the other, include the most local address so they know you’re familiar with the area (and likely won’t have a problem finding housing).

Pro tip: Save space by listing your email, phone, and location all on one line. If you have a LinkedIn profile , you can add that in your contact information section as well. The result might look like this:

Karla Perez Stillwater, MN ∙ (000) 765-4321 ∙ [email protected] ∙ www.linkedin.com/krperez

For college students, education should be right below the contact information on your resume. This immediately orients your reader to the fact that you’re a current student and conveys important information, like what you’re studying. What you include in your education section can also demonstrate that you’re a good match for the opportunity you’re targeting, increasing your chances of a recruiter call.

The basics you should always include are:

• Your school’s name
• Your expected graduation date
• The type of degree you’re pursuing: For example, you might write “Bachelor of Arts” or “Associate’s Degree.”
• Any majors, minors, or concentrations: If you’re applying to opportunities in these areas, this will help an employer see you already have some knowledge and a motivation for working with them.

Depending on your personal strengths and what jobs you’re applying for, you might also want to include:

• Your GPA: But only if it’s strong. (It’s usually good to include 3.5 and above.) If you stumbled through some of the general requirements you had to take but nailed all the courses in your major, consider adding two GPAs—your cumulative GPA and your major GPA—to show you have stronger grades in your chosen discipline.
• Standardized test scores: If you’re applying to opportunities in quantitative fields, like finance or consulting, you might consider listing standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT.
• Relevant coursework: Selecting and highlighting three to five classes that match closely with the specific opportunity you’re applying to is a really fast way to tailor your resume and make you a more attractive match. For example, if you’re targeting an internship in computer science, you can list your “Introduction to Python” and “Introduction to Algorithms” classes.
• Other colleges or universities you’ve attended: If you’re a transfer student or you studied abroad at another university, adding these schools can signal that you have other strengths, such as cultural awareness or language skills, or give you a chance to highlight key classes you took elsewhere.
• Your high school: If you’re shooting for an opportunity local to your high school or went somewhere well-known, then you may want to keep that as your last entry for educational experience. Otherwise, high school is the first entry to cut when you’re short on space. It has gotten you to where you need to be, but the focus should now be on the higher-level degree you’re working on and you should dedicate as much space as you need to boast about all of your amazing college accomplishments!

Here is an example of what a completed “Education” section might look like:

Candidate for Bachelor of Arts degree ,   St. Olaf College , Northfield, MN Double Major: Political Science and Economics ∙ Expected Graduation: May 2023 ∙ GPA: 3.7 Relevant Coursework: Introduction to Political Theory, Politics and Human Rights, Global Interdependence

The experience section is where the real substance of your resume lives. This is the chance to show a snapshot of the jobs and internships you’ve had (if any), the work you did, the skills you used, and your accomplishments. Let’s talk about what experience you can include, how to pull out skills and demonstrate your value, and what it should look like on the page.

Experience can cover a lot of things. It can be full-time jobs, part-time jobs, internships, or research. Unpaid work—like volunteer and community roles—counts too! Don’t discount the value these other kinds of experiences can add to your resume just because you didn’t earn money. You can leverage all of your experiences on a resume by pulling out transferable skills , or broader talents you’ve developed that will be beneficial even if you aren’t applying to the same type of role.

Take a significant class project, for example. That can be built out as experience as long as you’re clear it was for a class. If you worked on a group project, you probably collaborated on a team, organized, worked under deadlines, completed some independent tasks, presented your work to others, and had some kind of outcome. Even if you were doing something that might not seem widely applicable, like designing a rocket, many of those skills can transfer over to another role. Say you had to do cost comparisons for the materials you selected for your rocket, those same analysis skills could be useful to a business role or for a part-time job where you have to order supplies for a restaurant.

You can also create targeted headers for your Experience section(s) if there are themes that correlate with the internship or part-time job you want. Specific headers—such as “Research Experience,” “Marketing Experience,” or “Software Engineering Experience”—can immediately help your reader see that you’re aligned with the needs they have for their open role.

If you don’t have something that specific, it’s OK. You can still shift your experiences into categories like “Relevant Experience” and “Additional Experience.” For example, if you’re applying to research roles, you’d want to put any research related work under “Relevant Experience,” and your cashier job and website building side hustle would go under “Additional Experience.” These two headers are great for allowing you to bump the best of your experiences up toward the top of your resume.

Once you decide which headers to use, make sure each entry includes basic information—the title of your role, the organization’s name, the location, and the dates you worked there—along with bullet points describing what you accomplished. For example:

Intern , Minnesota State Senate , St. Paul, MN June 2019–August 2019

• Researched prior legislation and current bills, summarized content, and identified alternate actions
• Coordinated the schedule for Senator Harriet Maxwell and kept accurate minutes for all meetings
• Drafted memos for important interoffice updates outside of normal meeting schedule

A skills section is a great way to make your most valuable knowledge and expertise stand out—and be easily spotted by a recruiter. Which skills belong in your own skill section depend on the jobs you’re applying for, so be sure to read the job description carefully to figure out what skills are most relevant for each particular role.

Skills that might appear in this section include (but are definitely not limited to): technical skills; software or other tools you know well; languages you can speak, read, or write; other job-specific skills like using a POS system or cash register; and, for some jobs, even your ability to drive different vehicles.

From this range, you can see why it’s important to change things up based on what job you’re applying to! Some skills—for example, being fluent or conversational in a second language—might be relatively permanent fixtures on a college resume. If you’re looking for a part-time job waiting tables, you might add the fact that you can bartend, whereas you might list your mastery in JavaScript instead when going after that software engineering internship you have your eye on.

Once you’ve decided which skills are most important for this role, you can simply list them on your resume. If you have a few different types of skills, you can separate them into categories. For instance:

Languages: Spanish (Fluent); Russian (Basic) Software: JavaScript, Python, CSS

Note that just listing your skills in a separate section isn’t always enough. You also want to make sure to describe how you’ve used key technical and job skills elsewhere on your resume (usually in the bullet points of your experience section).

Other Optional Sections

There are some other sections you can consider adding depending on your experiences and what your target employer might be looking for. For example, a consumer product firm might be looking for examples of design work. In that case you could add a section called “Design Projects,” which might include significant assignments from some of your academic classes or independent projects that you’ve developed in your spare time. Don’t be afraid to include links to your work if you’re submitting your resume online! (Just avoid hyperlinking out from important words, as this could trip up the online systems that scan most resumes.)

Another popular section is “Leadership Experience” where roles like being the vice president for one of your student organizations or being a co-captain for your athletic team would be a good fit. Employers love to see leadership themes on resumes, as it demonstrates the transferable soft skills they’re looking for like communication, collaboration, and initiative.

An “Activities” section can also demonstrate skills. If you dedicate time to learning more about consulting cases with your consulting club, you likely increased your analytical skills in a team setting, which is valuable for many business roles. If you’re an athlete, you can showcase your ability to manage your time, create or be part of a cohesive team, or organize and motivate teammates during practices. These skills gained as an athlete can be ideal if you’re applying for a heavily collaborative role. Additionally, if the activities that you’re involved in are directly applicable to the job, these are powerful to include as it demonstrates interest and dedication. So if you’re majoring in healthcare administration, adding that you’re a member of the Healthcare Society on your campus can be a major plus for an employer.

Any optional sections like these will usually need to be set up similar to your experience entries. Include the organization (or class), your role, the location, the dates you participated, and your key achievements. Here is an example of an entry you might put under a “Leadership” heading:

Head Delegate , Model United Nations , Northfield, MN September 2019–April 2020

• Researched global topics such as human rights and sustainable energy and developed persuasive positions
• Represented Chile as a delegate in an education simulation at a conference with 2,000+ participants; negotiated with others and collaborated on common goals to deliver resolutions on political issues
• Liaised between the delegation and the Secretariat, serving as a first point of contact and resolving issues

6 Tips for Writing a Successful College Resume

From formatting to crafting strong descriptions, attention to detail can pay off when tackling your resume. Here are six tips to help you develop a great resume:

1. Choose the Right Resume Format for You

Your parents or other family members might share their resume and have you copy it because it has worked for them. But they’re at a different place in their career and their format may not be the best one for you.

There are three main types of resume formats for laying out your experiences, skills, and education—the functional resume , the combination/hybrid resume , and the chronological resume . The chronological format is almost always the best fit for college students.

With a chronological resume, you’ll list your experiences within each category/section in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent, based on end date). Since this is the most traditional and common resume format, recruiters are familiar with it and can quickly see what you have to offer.

2. Be Clear and Consistent

In terms of resume formatting, there are a lot of small choices to make about things like font, style, and spacing. Whatever you decide, make sure it is easily readable, consistent, and not overly fancy. You could have the greatest content in the world, but if it’s too difficult or annoying to read, a recruiter is going to move on.

In order to make a document easy to scan, use clear headers for your sections. Maybe they’re bold and in all caps, or maybe they’re a couple font sizes larger, but they should be the same throughout your resume. The rest of your content should be consistent as well. For example, all your organization or previous employer names might be in italics, your dates all right aligned, your locations in plain text, and the titles of your roles in bold. Keeping things uniform helps the recruiter easily absorb all the relevant information you want them to have.

3. Make Sure It Can Pass Through an Application Tracking System (ATS)

Formatting is also important because your resume will likely pass through something called an applicant tracking system (ATS), a type of software that helps recruiters organize incoming candidate applications. Recruiters can apply filters or search for keywords, and the ATS will show candidates matching the desired criteria, making it easier to identify good candidates in large applicant pools.

In order for your resume to pass this first round and make it to the human who has the power to get you to an interview, the ATS needs to see you’re a good match. But there are formatting choices that can confuse an ATS—for example, some won’t read the content inside tables, text boxes, or graphics. And if the ATS can’t read your materials, your resume might be filtered out. (Read more about formatting your resume for an ATS here .)

This all means that using one of the fancy resume templates you see online isn’t necessarily the best move . Most basic formatting can be achieved with bolding, italics, and spacing, and you will still end up with a good-looking resume—meaning that starting with a blank document can actually be a better bet. (If you still want to use a template, we’ve curated 41 free ATS-friendly templates here .)

4. Create Impactful Descriptions

Give the descriptions you use for your experiences some TLC, as this is what recruiters will focus on once you’ve caught their attention. I often discover students undersell—or simply forget—all the things they’ve done that might be interesting and of value to an employer (including those transferable skills).

Here’s an exercise that can help. Reflect on an experience (such as an internship you had or volunteer work you completed) and quickly jot down what you did. You don’t need to have much structure for this—try it as a brainstorm. Think about answering some of these questions:

• What was your role?
• What were the goals for that position or experience?
• What tasks did you specifically do?
• What projects did you work on?
• Were there any side projects or tasks you completed?
• Who did you work with?
• What did you contribute?
• What did you accomplish? (Or what did/do you intend to accomplish? This can be a useful way to think about things especially when considering research or longer term projects that are still in progress!)
• Can it be quantified? Numbers can paint a clear and impressive picture of your accomplishments to someone reading your resume. You might write that you fundraised as part of the Student Government Association, and that will generally get your point across, but if you can say you increased SGA fundraising by 30% and were able to create two new social events attended by 100+ students each, that will make more of an impact. Look for ways to quantify your accomplishments wherever possible.

Once you have a good brainstorm, take the information you gathered and try crafting several statements using this formula:

Action Verb + Subject + Outcome/Purpose/Result (i.e. Accomplishment)

So you might say:

Organized a fundraiser event for 70 participants resulting in $1,000 in donations to a local hospital

Your descriptions are most valuable when leading with an action verb that reflects specific skills. For example, swap “Worked on” for “Collaborated on” and “Responsible for” with “Oversaw.” Other verbs I often recommend students use include:

• Communicated
• Facilitated

5. Tailor Your Resume for Each Opportunity

Always tailor your resume to each specific job you apply to. Making it easy for the recruiter to connect your skills to what they are looking for can increase your chances of success. The job description is your blueprint and key to doing this. A couple of these exercises could help you identify what you’ll want to highlight.

• Activity 1: Take the job description and go through and underline everything you’ve had some experience in. This might be specific tasks, software/programs/tools, or qualities. Write a quick note in the margin to highlight when you’ve done that. Underline things where you have transferable skills too. For example, if you’ve used a software that is similar to a software they’re looking for, underline it. A recruiter should be able to see on your resume that you used similar skills and would be a quick study.
• Activity 2: If you aren’t sure which skills to emphasize, take the entire job description and pop it into a simple online word cloud generator, like TagCrowd . It automatically shows you the words most used in the description, which are likely of highest importance to the company or role. If you have those skills, make sure you mention them in your descriptions and mirror the language as exactly as possible (our friend the ATS will be looking for precise keywords!).

These activities can help you identify the right action verbs, keywords, and tools—like software—to weave into your descriptions. They can also help you decide what past experiences to include or which of your college courses are relevant to this role and which direct and transferable skills to highlight to make your resume a stronger fit for your target job.

6. Keep a Few Other Tried-and-True Tips in Mind

Here are a few other parting tips to keep in mind as you build your document:

• Avoid writing in first person (“I,” “we,” “our,” and “my” statements).
• Bullet points will make your document more readable—usually two to three per entry works well. But it doesn’t have to be even: Give more description space to the most relevant entries.
• Attention to detail matters. Proofread—not just for typos, but to make sure formatting is consistent (like date dashes). Employers will use your resume to make assumptions about how detail-oriented you are.
• Review any headers you put in all caps. Some spell checkers are programmed to assume that they’re acronyms and skip them.
• Ditch jargon and acronyms wherever possible. Don’t assume the reader always knows what you’re talking about. Sometimes the first person reading your document is a general recruiter and not familiar with the technical side of a role.
• Be aware of tenses. If you’ve completed an experience, those descriptions will be in past tense, and current roles can be described in present tense. (If you’re still actively involved in a role you can list the role through “Present,” and if more than one entry has the same end date, make a strategic decision to put the most relevant experience first.)
• Acceptable margins are usually between one and 0.7 inches.
• Pick a readable font, like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, and try not to go below font size 11.
• As a college student, stick to a one-page resume. However, you should consider keeping a longer version (called a master resume) for your own personal use. That’s where you keep a full record of your experiences to make it easier to pull out the relevant ones each time you tailor your resume for a specific job.

What Does a College Resume Look Like?

A college resume should showcase your education, experiences, and skills (direct and transferable!) in a clear way, while keeping in mind what is most relevant to your target employer. The resume below shows a student highlighting their relevant education and experiences specifically for internship opportunities in government and politics.

Download sample college resume

There are many ways to write and format a resume. Ultimately, you want one that best represents you and your accomplishments to recruiters for the job at hand. Try out some of these tips, and I hope they help you succeed in catching that recruiter’s eye!

How to Write a Resume for College Applications

Watch the  Matriculate x CollegeVine webinar  to hear from Sarah (former Matriculate Advising Fellow and current Matriculate staff member) and a Matriculate alum – Wiralba (QuestBridge Match Scholar at Grinnell College) for tips on how to write a college resume. Here are some key takeaways:

“SHOULD I SUBMIT MY RESUME TO COLLEGES?”

(Start the video at 17:38 to learn more.) The short answer is, “Yes!” On the Common App, you can only add 10 activities to the Activity Section and use only 150 characters to describe them. By submitting your resume, you can share all of your activities with colleges and share far more details than 150 characters will allow. Note: Some colleges will not have the option to upload a resume to the application, in this case, use your resume as a guide to complete the Activity Section. Here’s advice from Common App on ‘Approaching the Activity Section.’

“WHAT SHOULD I PUT ON MY COLLEGE RESUME?”

Unlike a professional resume, where the reader is looking for professional skills and experience, colleges are more interested in your scholastic achievements, awards, activities, athletics, clubs, leadership, community service, special talents, and other program participation .. *AHEM* Matriculate! 🙂 The college admission resume is designed to show how you spend time when you’re not sleeping, eating, or in school, and what you’re passionate about. 

HOW TO WRITE A RESUME FOR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS?

Use this free college application resume template and verbs list to get started! Start the video at 4:12 to learn how to write the different sections of the resume.

Here are some key experiences to include on a college resume:

• Volunteerism and Work Experience: While college resumes focus on your academics and how you spend time in school, the purpose of the Activity Section is to better know you as a student and how you spend time outside of the classroom – this includes your afterschool job, summer internship, and all volunteer work (even if it was a club requirement).
• Leadership: Don’t forget to include your job title! In each activity description, if you‘ve had a specific job or leadership position, include that – for example: team captain, Vice President, Teacher’s Assistant, etc.
• Family Responsibility: Many students have major responsibilities at home, including Home Health Aid, caring for younger siblings, etc – you should also include this in your resume!

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO IMPROVE MY RESUME?

Looking for advice on how to spend your summer and add more to your resume? Check out the CollegeVine x Matriculate webinar on “How to Make the Most of Your Summer.”

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Scoir – The College Resume: A How-To Guide
• College Essay Guy – How to Write a College Resume (+ Example Templates)
• The Princeton Review – Write a High School Student Resume for College Applications

NEED FREE COLLEGE APPLICATION SUPPORT?

If you’re a high school junior and need free college application help – the Matriculate Class of 2026 Application will open in February 2025.  Join our mailing list  and get early access to the application!

If you’re a younger student and need free college application help –  join our mailing list  to receive quarterly college prep newsletters and and be the first to get access to the application for your class.

MEET THE AUTHORS

Wiralba Pichardo 

Wiralba is a current junior at Grinnell College, a QuestBridge scholarship recipient, and a Matriculate High School Fellow alumna. Currently based in Barcelona for her study abroad program, Wiralba is a political science major with a concentration in education. She is very passionate about rural and urban education initiatives and bettering education. She loves cooking and is currently exploring saffron recipes.

Sarah Oppenheim

S arah is from Bay, Arkansas and is the High School Fellow Recruitment Associate at Matriculate. Prior to this role, she was an Advising Fellow with Matriculate and graduated from Columbia University in 2021. In her free time, she loves kayaking, hiking, and trying new restaurants.

Matriculate © 2024 All rights reserved.

Best Resume for College Application

Make a Best Resume for College Application

Published on August 9th, 2024

Some colleges and universities may ask you to provide a resume when you submit your application. Your college admissions resume provides an opportunity to highlight your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, work or volunteer experiences, special abilities, and any other of your qualifications that make you a candidate worth accepting. Knowing how to put together a well-written resume can strengthen your applications for colleges and universities effectively.

Things to Add in Your Resume for College Application

A college admission's resume describes the academic performance, extra-curricular activity, and the work or volunteer experience of a high school student. You usually submit an admission's resume along with your application to a college or university. An Admission resume is one sure way to prove to schools that you are capable of academic success.

While a job-seeking resume focuses on work experience, an admission resume is generally focused on academics. If you have had jobs during high school, you can include those on your resume, but the majority of the document covers information about your academic history and relevant school activities. Generally speaking, a college admission resume includes the following items. 

Header : A header is where you put your full name and contact information, such as your telephone number and email address.

Overview : A summary is a resume that provides a brief explanation about your academic performance and specialized skills. Also, you can write a statement about your academic or career goal to show colleges that you are serious about continuing your studies.

Education : You may want to include the date you expect to graduate and anything else that is essential for your application, such as your GPA and scores.

Activities : This would involve extracurricular activities you are participating in-sports or school clubs.

Work Experience: This section describes any work experience that you might have. Examples of things that you would put here include job experiences, but also internship or job shadowing experiences.

Skills : This can be a way to show colleges unique skills or capabilities, such as fluency in another language or technical skills.

Awards : An awards section is one way you can highlight yourself on your admissions resume and make yourself different from all those other students applying to that school. Academic honours qualify as notable awards for this category.

Volunteer work: You can make a section on your resume in case you volunteer or did community service that was of value.

How to write a college admission resume

Create or Choose a Resume Template

Begin with categorizing the information you want to include, such as activities, experience and awards. Be sure to leave space under each category to add specific information about each item. It's also a good idea to do an Internet search for templates you can use for a college resume. You can also choose any resume builder or template to create an attractive one. When you develop a template to base your resume on, remember the following formatting suggestions:

• Use 1 inch margins all around the document.
• Choose a font that is easy to read, such as Times New Roman or Georgia, and choose a font size of 10 or 12 points.
• Use bolding for your name and any section headings so colleges can skim through easily and identify important portions of your resume.
• Make sure your resume is only one page so colleges can effectively skim through in minimal time.

Research the College

Some colleges may require certain pieces of information to be on your resume. For example, a performing arts college may want to know all the roles or productions you have been in during the past few years. Research each college you'll be applying to and include information that may be requested. You'll want to make an entirely new version of your template for each college you apply to so you can tell why you are such a good fit for that particular school.

Gather Information

Using your template and the categories you have determined, you will want to know what information you would like in each space. Go ahead and take some time to get dates correct such as dates of an internship you have held. For each type of entry on your resume, you write the information in reverse-chronological order-the most recent experience first. So if you have had two part-time jobs, you would list the current or most recent job. 

Here are some examples of what you might include on your college resume: High School Course grades relevant to your intended major or field of study SAT or ACT scores Class Rank High School Overall GPA Dates of employment, extracurricular or volunteer experience.  

Describe your experience

Once you have the information you want to include, use it to fill in each section of your resume. Use action-oriented bullet points to describe your education and experience. Be specific and concise in describing your duties, activities and accomplishments. Begin each bullet point with an action verb and describe the results of each action. 

Example: If you worked at a fast food restaurant after school for several years, your bullet points may include the following. 

Worked at the cash register using math to keep an accurate till. Informed fellow colleagues about the division of labor to raise productivity through shifts. Prepared orders in rapid but calculated fashion to satisfy customers. Greeted every customer with politeness to provide the best service possible. 

Highlight your skills

Highlight in your skills section those traits and abilities that will make you an attractive candidate for admission. If you have an idea of what you want to study at college, try highlighting academic skills related to your major. If, for example, you know you want to major in computer science, then a number of technical skills may be included, such as coding or operating systems. 

It is also useful if you add some soft skills on your resume to show colleges your personality. The good soft skills one could add may involve teamwork, leadership, motivation, time management, communication, organization, active listening, etc. 

Read more:  How Many Skills to Listed on Resume

Final Words

Tailor your resume to each college application, highlighting experiences and skills that match the best with the focus of the program or activities you are applying for. A neat, clear, and professional resume will go a long way in impressing college admissions committees.

Tomsy Thomas

An aspiring writer with a desire of crafting lines with powerful words from what she learned and discovered from her surroundings.

Hire the best without stress

Never Miss The Updates

We cover all recruitment, talent analytics, L&D, DEI, pre-employment, candidate screening, and hiring tools. Join our force & subscribe now!

Stay On Top Of Everything In HR

• Online Students
• Online Alumni
• Faculty & Staff
• African American/Black
• Asian, Pacific Islander & Desi American
• DACA & Undocumented Students
• First Generation
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Indigenous/Native/First Nations
• International
• Justice Impacted
• Middle Eastern/North African/Arab-American
• Military Members and Veterans
• Neurodivergent
• Students With Disabilities
• Liberal Arts
• Social Sciences
• Create a Resume / Cover Letter
• Earn Certifications & Badges
• Expand Your Network / Mentor
• Negotiate an Offer
• Prepare for an Interview
• Explore Your Interests / Self Assessment
• Prepare for Graduate School
• Explore Internships
• Search for a Job

How To Write A Personal Statement & Examples

• Share This: Share How To Write A Personal Statement & Examples on Facebook Share How To Write A Personal Statement & Examples on LinkedIn Share How To Write A Personal Statement & Examples on X

Whether you’re using the Common Application, the Coalition Application, or a school-specific application portal, it can be scary to come up with an essay topic that encompasses the complexity and vastness of who you are as a person. So to help you move past the intimidating aspects and focus more on the fun and meaning, in this post, we’ll describe what differentiates the personal statement from other college essays and what function it serves in your college application.

Make Your Resume Shine during International Update Your Resume Month

Table of contents.

September is here, and with it comes a great reminder for professionals everywhere: it’s International Update Your Resume Month! Whether you're actively job hunting, considering a career change, or just want to stay prepared for unexpected opportunities, this is the perfect time to refresh your resume. While that probably sounds as exciting as spring cleaning, it is important nonetheless. A well-crafted resume is often your first interaction to a potential employer, while a poorly written resume is often the last. Here’s why you should take advantage of this month and important strategies to make your resume stand out.

Why Update Your Resume?

1. Stay Prepared: You never know when a dream job might pop up or when you’ll need to present your resume to a networking contact. Keeping it updated means you're always ready to seize new opportunities.

2. Reflect on Your Achievements: Over time, we often forget to document our achievements. Updating your resume allows you to reflect on what you've accomplished, whether it's completing a successful project, learning a new skill, or earning a promotion.

3. Tailor Your Experience: If you’re considering a career change, updating your resume gives you the chance to highlight transferable skills and experiences that align with your new career goals.

How to Polish Your Resume Properly

1. Start with a Clear Format: Choose a clean, professional layout. Avoid overly complex designs that might distract from the content. Substance wins out over flash the vast majority of the time.

2. Focus on Contact Information: Ensure your contact information is up-to-date and easy to find. It sounds obvious, but there’s no point in convincing an employer to hire you if they can’t let you know about it!

3. Highlight Recent Experience: Make sure your most recent job experience is front and center. Describe your role, key responsibilities, and significant achievements. Use bullet points for clarity and digestibility.

4. Quantify Your Achievements: Whenever possible, use numbers to quantify your impact. For example, “Increased sales by 20%” or “Managed a team of 10”. This adds credibility and makes your accomplishments more tangible.

5. Tailor for Specific Roles: Customize your resume for the types of roles you’re interested in. Highlight skills and experiences that are most relevant to the positions you’re targeting.

6. Update Skills and Certifications: List any new skills, courses, or certifications you’ve acquired since your last update. This shows that you’re committed to professional growth and staying current in your field.

7. Proofread and Get Feedback: Typos and errors will hurt your chances. Proofread your resume carefully and repeatedly. Consider asking a friend or mentor to review it as well – second opinions can be invaluable.

Tips for Students and Recent Graduates

If you’re a student or recent graduate, you might not have the same extensive job experience as some other candidates, but that’s ok! International Update Your Resume Month is still a great time to build or refine your resume, albeit with a slightly different focus:

1. Include Relevant Coursework: Highlight courses or projects that are directly related to the jobs you’re applying for.

2. Showcase Practicums and Part-Time Jobs: These experiences can demonstrate your work ethic, skills, and the ability to juggle multiple responsibilities.

3. Don’t Forget Soft Skills: Employers value soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Be sure to weave these into your resume where relevant.

History of the Resumé

Fun fact, the great Leonardo da Vinci is often credited with the first professional resume back in 1482. Da Vinci decided to record some of his many personal achievements on paper in the form of a letter. He was applying for a position as a military engineer under the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. Da Vinci eventually left employment with the Duke to pursue his passion as a full-time artist. A decade after leaving Milan, da Vinci returned to the city and Sforza, this time to create the iconic masterpiece known as “The Last Supper”.

International Update Your Resume Month is more than just a reminder – it’s an opportunity to reflect on your career journey and position yourself for future success. Take some time this September to refresh your resume, and you’ll be ready to tackle new opportunities with confidence.

ABM’s employment services team is always happy to assist students and graduates in effectively marketing themselves to potential employers. After all, our primary mission remains providing Education that Gets You Hired! Contact us today to see how we can improve your own career prospects, or continue reading our fascinating and informative blogs !

Happy Resume Revision!

Share this article

You Might Also Like

Labour Day 2024: Embracing the Spirit of Hard Work and Dedication

Top 5 Innovative Approaches in Humanitarian Aid

12 Ways to Embrace National Relaxation Day – Student Edition

Free College Information Kit

Get started on the road to becoming an ABM College graduate today with our free information kit. In it, you will learn about all of the exciting programs we offer, our philosophy, information about our campuses, and lots more.

I understand that by submitting this form, I consent to be contacted by email, phone, or any other form of communication by ABM College. My consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Note: For students requiring a study permit, please see our International Students form here .

Important links

Student information.

Education That Gets You Hired

© 2024 ABM College. All Rights Reserved.

• Schedule an Appointment

• Undergraduate Students in AS&E and SMFA
• Graduate Students in AS&E and SMFA
• Faculty & Staff
• Parents and Families
• What is a Career Community?
• Reflect, Discover & Explore Multiple Interests
• Arts, Communications & Media
• Education, Nonprofit & Social Impact
• Engineering, Technology & Physical Sciences
• Finance, Consulting, Entrepreneurship & Business
• Government, International Affairs & Law
• Healthcare, Life Sciences & the Environment
• Exploring Your Interests, Careers & Majors
• Writing Resumes & Cover Letters
• Finding an Internship
• Finding Jobs & Fellowships
• Preparing for Interviews
• Applying to Graduate & Professional School
• First Generation
• International Students
• Black, Indigenous & People of Color
• Students with Disabilities
• Students with Undocumented Status
• Women & Gender
• For Employers
• Contact & Location
• Career Fellows
• Career Services by School

Transitioning Your High School Resume to a College Version

• Share This: Share Transitioning Your High School Resume to a College Version on Facebook Share Transitioning Your High School Resume to a College Version on LinkedIn Share Transitioning Your High School Resume to a College Version on X

All the information & samples you’ll need to adapt a high school resume to the document you’ll want during your time at Tufts. Through this resource, you’ll learn how to:

• Begin creating a college resume
• Decide which details to include
• Organize your information
• Write strong bullet points

Click here to download the guide!