By now you’ve probably heard how important it is to have a good resume for college. If not, I’m telling you now. It’s SUPER important to have a good college resume. If you’re not really sure what a resume is, I’ll break it down.
What is a College Resume?
A resume is a document that lists your education, qualifications, and previous experience. Colleges ask for resumes because they want a sneak peek at what type of student you are and want to know if you can succeed at their school. Making a college resume can be intimidating because it’s likely that thousands of other people are applying to your same dream school. You may find yourself obsessing over whether your resume is good enough to make the cut. Well, you don’t have to worry anymore. Here’s what you need to make your resume stand out from the crowd and to get accepted to your dream school.
1. Research Your College
When you’re applying to college, it’s important to do your research, so you know if you meet the basic requirements. Does your dream school require a 3.0 GPA, but you only have a 2.5? If so, you may not even want to send in your resume at all. Does the college you want to attend have a thriving business program, and you served as the president of your high school’s FBLA? Awesome! Make sure to include that in your college resume. Your resume should be two pages max, so you have limited space in which to highlight your accomplishments. You have to be selective and include details that would be the most impressive to your dream school. To find out what these details might be, research. A good place to start would be your college’s about page.
2. Use Data to Back Up Your Experience
The quickest way to significantly improve your college resume is to back up your experience with data. You need to go beyond giving your college a general overview of your accomplishments. Instead, provide quantifiable evidence of what you’ve done. As the saying goes, seeing is believing, and your admissions counselors need to see how hard you’ve worked over the years. If you’re not sure what it means to use data to back up your experience, here’s an example:
Worked 20 hours per week while maintaining a 3.5 GPA.
This is much better than saying the following: worked part-time at Wendy’s
A lot of students have part-time jobs. You can stand out by listing how many hours you’ve worked and what you’ve accomplished in or despite your position.
3. Proofread Your Resume
If you’re heading off to college, you’ve already taken years of classes in reading and writing. Your dream school knows this, and it expects your resume to be flawless. If your college admission counselors see typos and incorrect grammar in your resume, you’ll make a bad first impression. Remember, these people don’t know you. They’ve never met you. The only thing they’ll ever know about you is what they learn by reading your resume and application. If your resume contains careless mistakes for what could determine your entire future, they’ll wonder if you’ll have what it takes to do well in college classes. Most importantly, avoid misspelling the name of your college. Before you ask, yes, I’ve seen this happen before. It’s super embarrassing. Don’t let it happen to you. Proofread your college resume.
4. Be Your Authentic Self
Last, but not least, be your authentic self. While it’s important to tailor your college resume to the school you’re applying to, it’s also important to be original. Trust me, your college wants to know what makes you unique. Did you take a mission trip to Thailand? Are you a competitive bass fisher? Are you a freelance photographer? Whatever makes you unique, share it. Colleges are always looking to increase diversity.
Now that you have a killer resume, it’s time to put it to use. Not sure what college to send your resume to? Check out my alma mater to see if you’d be a good fit.
Want $500 to attend your dream school? Apply to the Melissia Vincent Scholarship today.