<p>okay, i just want to get some definitive answers here; i know there are other threads asking a similar question but none of the responses seem to satisfactorily address it, so pls bear with me. </p>
<p>first of all, i know the common app has 12 spots now but the descriptions are still only 100 characters and for a lot of applicants this is really not enough. i am definitely not some crazy intel search-recruited athlete-drum major beast, but past the usual stuff (debate, choir) i do have a few "unique" extracurriculars (founding a nonprofit and my town's youth council) and accompanying awards that greatly outnumber the slots, so i'm definitely attaching a resume. my problem is that even with extremely rigorous edits, it comes out to 5 and a half pages! this is in size 10 arial, regular margins, every extraneous thing possible cut out, and no repeats. i used the table format presented in a book called rock hard apps. </p>
<p>the conventional wisdom seems to be 2 pages max - i just don't see any way of doing this. and frankly, looking at some of the people from this site who get into HYPS, i find it hard to believe that all of their resumes were only this long. so i'm asking previously successful [as well as current] applicants, how long was your resume, if you sent one in? is there a way to compensate greatly condensing it, or some unconventional format that is more effective? i don't just want to rely on my recs, even though one of my supplementals is from a member of my nonprofit's board of directors. the common app activity response also only goes so far. most helpful, and i would think hardest to come by, would be links to like, the first page of an actual admitted student's resume. this would seriously be only for format reference - i promise i'm not trying to start new extracurrics now or something.</p>
<p>any [concrete] advice is appreciated!</p>