After test scores and grades, admissions officers look for how students spend their time. An activities resume is not only a way of providing colleges with information about how you spend your time, but it is also a means for learning about yourself. An activities resume is a extraordinary tool because so few students take the time to put one together, do it very well, and then know how to effectively use it in their admissions.

1. Many students are reluctant to write or talk about themselves because they see this as bragging. However, you need to let admissions offices know who you are and what you do. An activities resume is one of the best ways of doing that.
2. An Activities Resume is a 1-4 page written picture of your academic, extracurricular, sports and other involvements, focusing on your high school years and tying in long-term interests, talents and activities.
3. You can give an activities resume to:
   • Your high school counselor who will complete the School Report forms
   • Teachers who will complete the Teacher Evaluation forms
   • Other recommenders

   A resume helps people who are supporting your college applications “get” who you are and to have the information they need to write what makes you different and special from other applicants.

4. Some students upload their resume into online applications; others send it as an attachment to an email introduction or thank you note that is sent to an admissions officer, athletic coach or a college professor.
5. A resume is a great source for finding topics for essays and dealing with interview questions

	Freshman Years 9th grade is not too early to begin noting down all of your various activities, awards, sports, and other involvements, regardless of how important or unimportant they may seem to. If you don’t write them down, surely you’ll forget some (if not many!).
	Sophomore Years Keep writing down your volunteer activities, awards, sports and other involvements.
	Junior Year 11th grade is the time to put everything you have done into a formal activities resume.
	Senior Year If you haven’t done it already, it’s not too late to put together a resume. This is one of the most useful tools you can have in the college admissions process.
	Parents High school students are not very familiar with adult tools such as resumes, so this is another part of admissions where you can really be helpful. Starting in the 9th grade, remind (or record yourself) everything your son/daughter does or wins. During the 11th grade, offer to show your child how to put a resume together.

If you want more information about any of the above, or

• The many people you can give a resume to
• How to use a resume to fill out application Honors, Activities and Employment grids
• Identifying themes in your resume that then translate into powerful, one-of-a-kind essay topics and content
• What to do if colleges tell you not to submit a resume or have their own directions for doing it
• Ways of describing different activities on a resume
• Actual sample resumes from:
  • An average student from a public high school
  • A better than average student from a private school
  • A super-star student from a public high school
  • A private school student with learning or other disabilities
  • A public school student with special talent such as art, music or dance

If you want to gain access to Guide 8, Your Activities Resume, click here for an online, bare bones version.

You can also purchase an illustrated, formatted, printable, PDF color version of this guide for $2.50. We offer this and 14 other printable color guides in order to support the upkeep of this website and to develop a future Spanish language version.

How the color PDF version differs from the free online one can best be demonstrated by your viewing a free guide by clicking here.