Building a Resume: I Need Help.

Applying to College
1

<p>Basically, I'm trying to come up with a high school resume for my college apps next year, and I am lost. My mom is trying to have me put every single trivial thing I have accomplished on there and I feel that method is pointless. I am having a hard time coming up with a way to put what the college needs to see on one or two simple pages. Anyone who has done this and is willing to send me their former resume, or anyone who has advice that will be helpful will be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Start with a rough that has everything you’ve accomplished (what your mom said). Shorten as you go along to 1-2 pages. GL</p>

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3

<p>Insert Bump…</p>

4

<p>I think your resume should try and highlight the activities that you have devoted your most time to. For example, if you are into sports, you would list the different teams you have been on, positions played, leadership spots, summer activities, and awards. If you are into theater you could list the different plays you have been in and the roles played. Is music your thing? Again, write about the different ensembles you have participated in, summer programs, etc. </p>

<p>If your activities are more mixed, then pick out the 2 or 3 that are most important to you and give detail about those specific activities.</p>

5

<p>^Agreed. Don’t include every little thing.</p>

6

<p>Iwouldappreciatemoreresponses.:)</p>

7

<p>When DD was doing this, her resume had multiple headings: academics, sports, academic honors, music, travel, theater, etc. She maintained two resume files. One was the one she normally sent out and it was more brief. It used words and phrases. The second file included explanations of activities and honors. For example, she competed in Destination Imagination (problem solving), which was extremely time intensive, yet it was an activity that not everyone is familiar with. The second resume included these extended explanations.</p>

<p>When she needed to write applications or essays for scholarships, she had everything in the second file that could be copied and revised to work for what she needed.</p>

<p>The beauty of maintaining the more detailed resume is that you can use parts of it as needed. However, most adcoms don’t want to look over four pages of notes. At my daughter’s school, the resumes were limited to two pages and that is probably plenty for most kids. My daughter had to edit: my son, well, won’t have any trouble keeping to to two pages! Good luck.</p>

8

<p>Well, What I’ve actually been doing is looking through the Ivy decision threads to see what I should have and how I compare to them.</p>

9

<p>There are a couple sample “brag sheets” in one of Kat Cohen’s books. I think it’s “The Truth About Getting In”.</p>

<p>Even if you don’t want to buy the book, I highly recommend flipping through the section on the resume and seeing how she organizes it. It is by far the most simplistic, straightforward, and thorough resume format I’ve seen. You should definitely check that out for the samples too.</p>