Do you have any suggestions for templates for resumes for college applications?
I know there are tons of free templates online and in Word, but they all seem a bit over the top for a high school student applying to college.
I’m looking for something relatively simple that has the information in a well-presented way. But nothing too glitzy.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Well…first a question…
Why do you need a resume to send with college applications?
When we were doing resumes, WORD had resume templates. They aren’t that complicated.
I think a FEW colleges require a resume. I believe that Wash U is one of them.
On the Word templates, even they seem to be too OTT for a high school student. But worst case, they are there and easily accessible.
ETA: Our “favorite” college ranking publication has this about college application resumes. Apparently, it’s more prevalent than I would have thought:
I hope others weigh in. Unless a college specifically asks for a resume for some specific purpose, I would not fret over this. There are a couple of other threads where resumes have been brought up, and the consensus has been not to send anything extra…and that adcoms are unlikely to read a resume.
In addition, the common application has a good amount of space for most things most students need to include.
Are you suggesting that your student can’t include all the relevant information on the application itself?
I guess I should add…I don’t hold much of what USNews publishes about colleges as the gospel.
No, not suggesting anything more except that there are schools that seemingly require a resume. Ordinarily, I would agree that the CommonApp is fine for almost all, but, to the extent a school requires it as part of the application process, that’s all I’m getting at.
Could you please list the colleges that require this? Not from the USNew thing…but from the college application website itself.
@Mwfan1921 @aunt_bea @blossom your thoughts?
I really don’t know. I understood that Wash U was one of them, but I am not sure. Happy to stand corrected on this particular college, but it seems like others may require them.
Here are the application requirements for Wash U. I don’t see a resume as required…or even suggested.
Where did you hear that Wash U required a resume? Or any other college?
I could be wrong….but I do take the college websites as accurate. But you could always call and ask!
Many colleges allow students to upload a resume. The only college that many counselors often encourage students to send a resume to is UT-Austin (they may have required it at some point in the past, but don’t now).
I don’t think most applicants need a resume. One doesn’t want to duplicate what’s in the activities section of the common app. With that said, some applicant’s activities can not be adequately explained on the common app.
If you want a template, I would google something like ‘UT-Austin expanded resume template”. But again, don’t do a resume if the activities section adequately represents one’s ECs.
Generally athletes looking to get recruited for their sport also have resumes.
Fair enough, @thumper1, and I think you’re absolutely right. I had been told this, but this is a classic example of checking the college admission requirements so that you know exactly what is required. Hint, hint, applicants!
This suggestion is from CollegeVine, if that’s at all relevant. That may be total malarkey too.
Even College Vine says…it’s optional.
Let’s return to the original question please. Do you have a template?
Which colleges require resumes and the value of adding a resume are best dealt with in those threads
A web search of “resume template” brings up lots of resume templates.
However, many high school students would not have a lot to fill a resume – perhaps a high school student job, expected graduation date from high school, some extracurricular activities.
Our Career Center, at SDSU, provided a resume “template” but it didn’t target HS students. It did however present the student with good pointers.
Edited to add: please read the Resume Checklist on the 2nd page. It explains the why and how to create one.
We have all used the resume templates on WORD. They aren’t complicated.
Does the student’s high school use Naviance for tracking applications, teacher recommendations? If so, there is a way for Naviance to generate a resume.
We just used this site to get a resume template last night. One of my daughter’s teachers asked for a resume to do her recommendation. She pretty much copied the activities and honors section on the common app that she had already filled out.
The CEG is also where we started for my D23 to work on a very basic resume for schools that would look at it. None were required. Ultimately, I’m not sure which template she decided on, but it wasn’t an over the top resume, but a little more than just a straight listing of bullet points, like one school suggested.