With a resume, you can add even more depth to your extracurricular list, by providing details that may not fit on the small Activities Chart typically included in a college application.  You can either upload your resume as a Word document into the Additional Information section of the Common (or other) Application (if you have nothing more compelling to put there), or you can print it out on nice paper and send it to colleges by mail.

A resume can include details such as the instrument(s) you play, honors your choir has won, your position on the football team and its excellent win-loss record, your specific leadership roles in an organization, non-academic honors and awards won, details about a community service project you undertook. The resume should be one page long, two at the most, and can be organized in categories that fit your strengths.

Click for an example of a simple one-page resume.

Click for an example of a more elaborate resume.

You might also want to try a thumbnail resume.  Pick a number of activities that are important to you, and write a meaty paragraph or two about each one -- detailing the duration and intensity of your involvement, and what you have learned as a result of it.

Do NOT submit a resume if the Activity Chart presents a relatively complete picture of your extra-curriculars.   As demonstrated below, you can cram a LOT of information into an Activities Chart!

Resume Tips

Community Service is a valued part of a student's resume, so be sure to list the ways you have helped in your community. Read more about what the experts say about how community service is evaluated in college admissions. If you have a number of short-term activities, lump them together, cite a couple of examples, and indicate total number of hours. For example: "30 hours of service in a variety of activities, including Northwest Harvest shelf-stocking, Mt. Baker Park clean-up, and Arboretum weeding."  This advice goes for the Activities Chart as well.

Use active verbs to describe your activities!

Some resume formats list activities by school year, but it is more difficult to assess the intensity and duration of a student’s commitment to a particular activity when the reader must track participation through different sections of the resume.

Not all colleges welcome resumes, but many do. As the instructions on the Common Application emphasize, even if you plan to attach a resume, you should fill out the Activities Chart as completely and effectively as you can.

Students with limited extra-curricular, volunteer, or work activities can include a Skills category, and include such things as web design, carpentry, cooking, auto mechanics.

A resume can be useful in many ways. In addition to including it with your applications where appropriate, you can give it to teachers and counselors to assist them in writing your recommendations. You can also present your resume to a prospective employer.

Special Talents

Students with special talents should consider developing a specialized resume summarizing their training, experience, and achievements in a particular area. A top-notch vocalist, for example, could list teachers worked with, membership in ensembles and choirs, repertoire mastered, competitions entered, and awards won. Such a resume may come in handy if you decide to send in an optional arts supplement like a CD or art portfolio, for example, or a letter to a college coach. Read what experts have to say about when an optional music submission is a good idea.

Such resumes are usually sent separately by mail.

Click for an example of an arts resume.

Click for an example of an athletic resume.

 

Printable Forms

Information Request Tracker

Application Checklist

Individual College Application Tracker

Essay Checklist

Interview Checklist

Recommendation Checklist

Junior Checklist

Senior Checklist