How to Write a Resume for Colleges Using Your Common App + Examples

While many college applications do not require a resume (and many outright ban them), knowing how to write a resume for college using your Common App is an incredible time-saving move for a high school senior. Making a college application resume will help you when applying for internships, jobs, and scholarships. In this guide, we'll provide tons of example college resumes, tips for how to format your resume, and even templates you can download and use right away.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Part 1: Do I Need to Send a Resume to Colleges?
• Part 2: How to Write a Resume for Colleges Using Your Common App
• Part 3: Additional resume tips and another awesome sample resume

Do I Need to Send a Resume to Colleges? (Part 1)

Before you start making a resume to send to colleges, you should first consider this important question:

Do I need to create and send a resume to colleges?

What do I mean? Well, a few things. Ask yourself:

1. DO MY SCHOOLS EVEN WANT ME TO SEND THEM A RESUME?

Find out by checking each university admissions web page or logging onto the Common App to see which schools include a place to upload a resume. Each school has a different policy on whether or not to submit a supplemental resume and it’s usually a good idea to follow their instructions. #Sarcasm

The University of Virginia says clearly that they do not want students sending additional resumes. Other schools like Brown University, Boston College, and Carnegie Mellon provide space for uploading optional resumes in the Common App, whereas some schools like the University of Texas - Austin say that submitting a resume is “strongly recommended.” i.e. You should probably do it.

In short, look at what each school requires.

2. SECONDLY, DOES MY RESUME PROVIDE INSIGHT THAT ISN’T ALREADY ON MY APPLICATION? (OR JUST BECAUSE I CAN SEND ONE, DOES THAT MEAN I SHOULD?)

So if submitting a resume is optional, how do you know if your resume provides value beyond your Activities List? Easy. Take a look at your entire application, including your main Common App essay, your Activities List (maximum of 10 spots and 5 honors/awards), your supplemental essays, and your Additional Info section.

(Note: If you haven’t noticed, that’s a lot of space to submit information about what you’ve been doing.)

Then ask yourself this: Is there something important about my application that is not already being highlighted or communicated clearly to the university admissions board? One example might be:

• Significant work experience. Have you worked multiple jobs almost full-time to help support your family? Or did you have an awesome internship that you couldn’t fully explain in the 150 characters that the Common App provides? Or maybe you spent hundreds of hours studying marketing and internet search engine optimization and started your own business? It might be worth mentioning these in more detail. Take a look at this (real) resume and ask yourself: Would it have been possible for this student to include all of this detail in 10 spots of 150 characters each? Probably not.

I know, this resume looks unreal for a high school senior. But even if your experience is 1/3rd of this and you’re not able to fit it into your Activities List, consider creating a separate resume that highlights your unmentioned accomplishments and experience