How to Write a College Resume (+ Example Templates)

First things first. Remember that you are not your college resume. You are a human being, not a human doing. If you don’t have a rockstar resume, that’s okay. Work with what you’ve got.

Now that we’ve got the touchy-feelies out of the way, let’s talk about how to write an amazing resume.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• How Important is the College Resume?
• How Do I Pick a College Resume Template?
• What Are The Most Important Parts of a College Resume Template?
  • Contact Information
  • Education
  • Experience
  • Awards and Honors
  • Skills

  How Important is the resume for college?

  Well, it depends.

  In general, most colleges have a dedicated space on their application system called the Activities List where you will be able to list out all of the things you’ve been involved in outside of school. That section is your BEST place to share those details. Don’t skip it.

  However, some colleges offer the option of submitting a separate, more traditional style resume. (Think PDF-style resume that you upload.)

  If you feel like you’ve totally communicated all of the important details in your Activities List, you may not need to submit a separate resume. In fact, for many colleges, you may not even have the opportunity to upload a traditional PDF resume.

  But if given that option, should you do it?

  Some colleges strongly recommend that you submit a resume along with your application (see UT Austin’s policies for certain programs.) While others forbid it (see UVA’s FAQ section.) So be sure to check with individual colleges to see what they prefer.

  However, keeping a professional resume on hand will serve you in a few other ways. How?

  1. Serves as a foundation for the Common App Activities List (or vice versa—see this post if you’ve already written your activities list).
  2. Gives teachers and counselors a framework for their letters of recommendation.
  3. Provides you with a list of ready-made talking points for an admissions interview.
  4. May inspire your Common App essay.
  5. Is a requirement for many scholarships or internship and employment opportunities (read: $$).

  Finally, it’s like having your own business card. There’s a “professional cool” factor when you’ve got a slick resume to slap on someone’s desk.

  Now, let’s make one.

  For this post, we use examples from this resume template—but feel free to use any of the others linked below.

  College Resume Templates:

  Note: To use these example college resume templates yourself: Click on the link, go to "File" > "Make a copy. " > "Ok"

  We also recommend checking out some of Canva’s ready-to-use, customizable resume templates. Choosing the right template is kind of like choosing the right outfit for an interview. You want it to look sharp and feel like you. Ultimately, though, the outfit (or template) doesn’t guarantee success—it’s how you rock what you’ve got that matters the most.

  For whichever template you choose, make sure you do the following: Go to File > Make a copy, and copy the document to your Google Drive.

  Read along and make it your own!

  How do I Pick a College Resume Template?

  You’ve heard it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Well, when it comes to college resume templates, looks matter too. Think of the resume like your first impression.

  Here are some things to consider when it comes to format and design.

  1. (Don’t) Give ‘em Helvetica. Choose a serif font. What’s a serif font? It’s a font with little feet at the bottom of each letter, like Times New Roman. The opposite of a serif font is a sans-serif font, like Helvetica—no feet, see? A serif font looks a little more traditional and professional on a resume.
  2. Create a style for each level of information. Bold or capitalize headings. Use italics or underline if you’d like. Make use of bullet points. The key here is consistency. There’s not one right way—just choose a style and stick to it.
  3. Commit to one page. Your concision will gain you brownie points from college admissions counselors who’ve read one too many applications.
  4. Respect white space. Leave the document’s margins at 1 inch. Keep a space between each section. White space is both a useful design tool and gentle on the reader’s eyes.

  

  Use this one. Ex: Times New Roman

  

  Don’t use these. Ex: Helvetica

  How to write the college resume:

  Here are 5 things you need for your college resume:

  1. Relevant contact information
  2. Detailed education history + test scores
  3. Experiences (think “Activities List”!)
  4. Awards/honors
  5. Additional skills

  I recommend sharing those details in this order, from top to bottom: contact information, education, experience and skills. If you’ve received honors and awards, you’ll have a separate section for those, too—but not all of us are that cool.

  1. Contact Information

  Include the following:

  1. Your name. If you go by a nickname, use the name that’s attached to your college application—again, consistency is key.
  2. A professional email that you check regularly. If you don’t have one, make one. If you’re still using ZendayaLover99 from middle school, it’s time to make a change—for everyone’s sake.
  3. Your cell phone number.

  It might look something like this:

  2. Education

  This section requires a little more work. Include the following:

  1. High School Name, City, STATE (start year – end year).
  2. GPA, weighted and unweighted.
  3. Best test scores (ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, AP).
  4. Relevant coursework. This section allows you to show off any extra classes you’ve taken in high school that reflect an interest in your major. So, if you want to be a doctor and you’ve taken Anatomy, add it!

  North Shore High School, Somewhere, TX (2015-2019)

  GPA: Weighted: 3.6 / Unweighted: 3.2

  Relevant Coursework: Advanced Journalism, Desktop Publishing, Multimedia Graphics

  3. Experience

  Remember those kids who started random clubs like underwater basket-weaving just so they could write “Club President” on their resumes? Even if the club never met? Right.

  This section is your chance to show that you’re different, because it’s more than just your responsibilities. It’s also about your accomplishments. What’s the difference?

  Responsibilities vs. Accomplishments

  Maybe the underwater basket-weaving club president was responsible for hosting meetings, planning events and organizing a fundraiser. But if she didn’t actually accomplish any of those things, she can’t add them to her resume. So consider both your responsibilities and accomplishments, whether in a club, on a team, at a job, through a service project, etc. and then think of those accomplishments in terms of numbers.

  Why numbers matter

  Numbers give context and scale, plus they can help you stand out. Here’s what we mean:

  Say you’re the editor of your school’s newspaper. Think back to how many papers you’ve published. How many articles? How many meetings have you led? How many students in each meeting? Say you babysit neighborhood kids. How many kids? How old are they? How often do you babysit? For how long each time? Maybe you work at a coffee shop. How many shifts per week? How many hours per shift? How many people do you serve on average each shift? Maybe you’re the team captain for your lacrosse team. How many warm-ups do you lead each week? For how many teammates? Do you lead team study sessions to help keep everyone’s grades up? How often?

  Use strong active verbs

  Once you’ve got the numbers, think of active verbs that describe exactly what you did. Here’s your chance to show that you’ve led, managed, organized, created, problem-solved, budgeted, maintained, coached, produced, written, presented, scheduled, built, developed, traveled, bought, bid, sold, delivered, etc.

  Some tips for organizing the Experiences section of your college resume:

  1. List experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent activities and working backward.
  2. For each activity, list the organization/business (even if it’s just your school), location, your position, and the dates of experience. The dates show much you’ve invested in that activity.
  3. Avoid first person. Instead of saying “I managed,” just say “managed.”
  4. Keep verb tenses consistent. So, if you’re still participating in the activity, use present-tense verbs. If you’re not, use past-tense verbs.

  Want a huge list of verbs you can use to perfectly describe your experiences? Boom, here you go.

  Need help thinking about your experiences?

  Sit down with a parent, guardian, teacher who knows you well, or good friend, and ask them to help you remember what you’ve done.

  Note that “experiences” can include lots of things. Don’t sell yourself short; even taking care of your younger siblings could count (if you’ve spent significant time and energy!).

  Other ideas for your Experiences section:

  1. Taking care of an elderly neighbor.
  2. Volunteering at your house of worship.
  3. Organizing weekly pick-up basketball in your neighborhood.
  4. Working on your parent’s/friend’s car.
  5. Organizing a fantasy football league in your class.
  6. Serving on the board or council for an organization/group.
  7. Taking summer art classes.
  8. Selling homemade crafts on eBay.
  9. Teaching your little sister to play the guitar.
  10. Writing a regular blog about baking cakes.
  11. Showing pigs through your local 4-H troupe.
  12. Competing in local beauty pageants.