There’s a bonus to putting a resume together now. If your child has any weak spots, they’ll be able to see where they are while there’s still time to do something about them. A resume is a place for your child to show off their hard work. It can speak volumes for them, especially when they’re not there to do it themselves. They can use their resume to apply for jobs and internships, attach one to scholarship applications, and give one to those whom they’ve asked to write a letter of recommendation. Last but not least — save some for those college applications! Here are the steps that explain how to write a resume for a college application.
Putting it on paper
Your child needs to create a resume that highlights their strengths and interests. Many scholarships and programs have their own form or format, but if your child starts out with a basic layout, they can use it to transfer the information quickly. For formats and guides try:
The Resume Workbook for High School Students by Yana Parker
Creating Your High School Resume by Kathryn Kraemer Troutman
Resumes include:
Personal information
Name
Address
Phone number
E-mail address
Scholastic information
Name of high school
Class rank, GPA
SAT, ACT, SAT Subject scores
Academic achievements
Honor roll
Advanced placement classes
College credit classes
Awards, nominations, recognitions, citations or special projects in subject areas
Tutoring or mentoring roles
Computer skills
Programs they know
Skills (website design, programming)
Workshops, camps, programs, seminars, projects, special classes, and competitions
Work experience, internships.
Club involvement
• School
• Community
• Church
Special interests hobbies, pursuits.
Volunteer work on-going and one-time events
Athletic participation and achievements
Leadership roles holding office in class, sports, clubs
Taking initiative or responsibility for projects
The Wrong Way and the Right Way to Write a Resume for a College Application
When admissions committees look at your child’s student resume or list of activities, they are not necessarily impressed with well-rounded students.
What does this mean?
It means that admissions committees don’t want students who excel in three million different activities. That is not what they are looking for on your child’s resume. Rather, these days, admissions committees tend to be more impressed with applicants who specialize in one or two extracurricular activities. Your child should work to highlight those activities on their resume. In particular, admissions committees want to see a significant level of commitment to activities. Think narrow
and deep as opposed to wide and shallow.
Some students seem to think that there is a special formula for the student resume that admissions committees are looking for. In fact, there has been a recent trend of high school students spending their summers in far-off lands to be able to brag about their unique work or travel or experience.
If your child is truly interested in these activities and they can afford to spend their summer devoted to them, that is fine. On the other hand, if your child is trying to game the admissions committees into believing that they are the next Mother Teresa to pad their resume, they are in for a rude surprise. Admissions committees can see right through an activity list that highlights an extracurricular activity that a student is not actually passionate about.
Even worse, while a student was fabricating a unique interest, they weren’t spending time finding out what they were really interested in pursuing. While students are gallivanting around some distant land, they are not gaining work experience, learning about their true interests, or following their actual passions.