What's a High School Résumé ?

A high school résumé is a one-page document that highlights different attributes about you to help you stand out as an applicant. One way to use the résumé to your advantage is to share information that’s not in your college application essay.

What should I put in my résumé?

Because a high school résumé is meant to highlight your personality and achievements, try to include the following:

• A résumé header that includes your name, address, phone number, and email address.
• A subsequent piece of information about your school and your academic record. List the name of your school and graduation date. Consider highlighting any academic highlights.
• Extracurriculars that involve education or learning, such as a summer program, a college-level course, or other academic achievements.
• Work experience and/or community service that you committed to while in high school, either during the school year or summer.
• Extracurricular activities that aren’t academic but are important to you and demonstrate your commitment to activities outside the classroom (e.g., sports teams and clubs).
• Special skills you have (e.g., fluency in another language, playing an instrument, or coding in a language such as Java).

A few things to consider when writing your résumé:

• Highlight leadership positions you held in any of the activities you committed to inside or outside the classroom.
• Indicate which activities on your list you’ve participated in the longest.
• Describe 1 or 2 things you’re proud you accomplished in the activity you’re most passionate about.

When do I need a high school résumé when applying to college?

It depends on the school and scholarship programs you’re looking to apply to. Some school and scholarship programs require you to submit a résumé with your application. Some recommend a résumé. Others don’t require it. We suggest you take your time to review the application process for the schools and scholarships you’re interested in to see if you need to create a high school résumé.

Do you have any other tips?

Before you jump right in and start writing, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Use concise language when describing your accomplishments so they’re easy for the reader to understand.
• Use an easy-to-read format because most people who will read your résumé will want to skim the document to pick out the highlights.
• Spell check your work before you send it to the school or scholarship programs.

For more college planning resources, visit bigfuture.org.