Sachem East High School

Tips For Building A Winning College Resume

• Start by writing down all activities and work experiences you have been involved in during your high school career.  Generally, your resume should include only those things you have done in grades 9-12.
• Once you compile your list of activities, organize the list into key categories.  Some common categories are:  Work Experience, Awards and Honors, Extracurricular Activities, Community Service, etc.

• Prioritize your activities within each category.  List those involvements that have been the most important/meaningful to you towards the top of the resume and work your way down.  List those activities that you have participated in more recently before those that you completed early in your high school career. 

• Elaborate on meaningful activities by listing key accomplishments in bullet format underneath that activity. 

• Avoid repeating your transcript on your resume.  The colleges will receive a record of your grades, GPA, class rank, and test scores.  It is not necessary to repeat this information on your resume.  Do not list courses in progress or prior honors/AP courses on your resume, unless the college specifically asks for this. 

• Don’t sell yourself short and don’t over-elaborate.  Don’t assume that certain involvements are unimportant or not worth including.  These things may actually set you apart from the competition.  Do not misrepresent your involvements by including activities that you did not participate in or did not fulfill your obligations toward.

• Try to keep it to one or two pages at the most. 
• Use this sample resume to help start the process.