I’ve heard a lot of mixed opinions about attaching a resume when applying to colleges through the common app. I see both sides; some think it’s unnecessary and wasting the time of the admissions counselors, but some think it’s a great way to elaborate on extracurriculars that you may not be able to fit in the limited Activities section.
I have a good amount of extracurriculars, at least over the 10 allowed in the Activities sections, and I also have quite a few music awards for violin that I can only really elaborate on within the resume. The format of the given common app fields also don’t work well since (again, with violin/viola) I have participated in a lot of competitions and orchestras. If I separate my musical achievements into more than one field to elaborate on each one with the attention I wish to give it, then I’ll be even more pressed for space to describe the rest of my activities, which I’m also deeply involved in.
So should I refrain from attaching a resume and just focus on my most important activities/awards within the Activities section of the Common App? Would that provide enough information to really confirm to highly selective colleges how much I’ve done during high school? What schools think that resumes are pretentious and unnecessary, and which would actually find it helpful?