High School Activities: More Than Meets The Eye

"I'd like you to create an Activity Resume," I say to my students. It should be easy, right? One thing I've noticed after guiding high school students through the college application process for 15 years is that they aren't very good at highlighting their accomplishments. They write down "Football" without specifying "Varsity all four years," or "Most Valuable Player Award."

This is where I come in.

A student's Activity Resume is an increasingly important part of the college application. Since the Common Application only allows students the ability to highlight 10 activities, students can often upload an Activity Resume that allows them to showcase their accomplishments in more detail.

I sit down with each of my students and have a conversation about their activites. "How many years were you involved?" "Were you elected to that position?" "How much money did that community service activity raise?" These kinds of questions lead to a much more thorough and comprehensive Activity Resume that can really make a difference in the admission process.

For students creating an Activity Resume, here are some other helpful hints:

- Make sure your heading (Name, Contact Information, High School and Year of Graduation) is at the top of the resume and really stands out (larger font or bold)

- Sort your resume by category, rather than by grade

- Provide a brief but detailed description of each activity and/or achievements

Here is an example:

Athletics

- Field Hockey, Varsity (grades 9-12)

- Most Improved Player Award (9), Coach's Award (10)

Community Service

- Walk for Hunger (grades 9, 10)

- Raised $1000 for local preschool

For more sample Resumes, or personalized advice about how to create your Activity Resume, contact us. We are experts at helping students put their best foot forward during the admission process.