|
 Putting together the best possible application for college can mean the difference between receiving an acceptance letter and being rejected. Creating a great resume for a college application not only helps the student put their best foot forward, but also helps to organize their accomplishments into one document.
In this publication, we're going to cover the topic of resumes for college applications. As part of that discussion, we're going to review the elements of the Universal College Application, and see how the information on that document applies to a high school student's resume. At the same time, we'll review the elements of the functional resume - which is the format most commonly used by students. Finally, we'll pull all this information together in an example that you can download free of charge.
Applying to Colleges and Universities
Traditionally, students were told to complete admissions applications for five to eight colleges. In that mix, students might have schools they considered "stretch" targets, as well as those they considered as "backups." Applying to a mix of schools is a good way to ensure that a student is accepted to college, but it also requires filling out many admissions applications - until recently.
The Universal College Application helped students through this process by creating a standardized application format that is accepted by over 80 (as of December 2009) colleges and universities throughout the United States. As such, it's a great resource to utilize when deciding what to put on a resume that's going to be used when applying to a college.
College Application Resumes
We're going to review the information to be completed on the Universal College Application at each step in the form, and capture that information below. We'll then use this bulleted list as a reminder when constructing the functional resume later on.
- Personal Information - the college application asks for mailing and permanent addresses as well as telephone numbers at each address. This is standard information on a resume. The application also asks for citizenship and ethnicity. We'll avoid the ethnicity information on the resume since it's optional on the application.
- Family Information - since most college students rely on a parent or guardian to help finance college costs or to be notified in an emergency, we'll include this non-standard information on the college application resume. This section would include names, addresses, phone numbers, professions, employers, and college / high school degrees (if they apply).
- Academic Information - this information includes high schools or prior colleges attended - which is typically included on a resume. It also includes a complete list of courses being taken in the current year - something we'll add to the resume.
- Test Scores - many colleges and universities still require students to take standardized tests such as the ACT, SAT, or Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate exams. This is another example of information that's not normally contained on a resume that's used when seeking a job, but we'll add this to our resume for college applications.
- Academic Achievements / Activities - college students should always include academic achievements on their resume as well as activities such as volunteer work. Extracurricular activities such as athletic distinctions are usually not included on a resume since employers should not be interested in athletic accomplishments. But this information is important to colleges and universities attempting to gain an understanding if the student is likely to be involved in campus activities.
- Employment Information - this is another example of information asked for in a college application that is essential to a resume. This section can be completed using some of the same resume writing techniques appearing elsewhere in this publication.
Resume Writing Tips
There are over fifty articles in this publication that provide help in understanding how to go about putting together a great resume. This includes not only resume writing tips, but also many examples that can be downloaded free of charge. Admittedly, it's not necessary for students applying to universities to review all this information.
We've pulled together in the section below, the articles we believe contain the most valuable information for college students putting together a resume to include with their college application.
If at all possible, don't take shortcuts when it comes to putting together this resume or completing an application. You want to maximize the chance of being accepted to the college of your choice, and these documents are the first impression you'll make with the college's admissions office. Think of your application and resume as a personal advertisement to the college you want to attend.
Resume Example - College Application
Following all of the above guidelines, we've put together an example resume for college applications. You can download this sample and use it for reference when writing your resume. This sample leverages work previously done in our publication Resumes for College Students, which is an example of a functional resume. In fact, it's a good idea to compare the two documents so that you better understand the differences in how each is constructed.
About the Author - Resumes for College Applications
Copyright © 2010 Money-Zine.com
Resume Writing Resources on the Web |
Home 
