International College Counselors

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Team
    • Brochure
    • Scholarship Essay Contest
    • Why ICC?
  • Services
    • College Counseling
    • Graduate School
    • International Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Learning Differences
    • K-12 Placement Services
    • SSAT Flex Testing
    • A La Carte Services
    • Corporate Benefits
    • Giving Back
  • Contact Us
  • Results
  • News & Events
    • In The News
    • Press Releases
    • Awards & Recognitions
    • Upcoming Free Webinars and Seminars
  • Essays
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Locations
    • Florida Locations
    • Connecticut Location
    • New York City Locations
    • North Carolina Location
  • Resources
    • New Book: To University and Beyond

Top Tips for a Standout High School Resume

April 18, 2022 by Aimee Heller

high school resume

Students should begin working on their high school resumes as soon as possible and add to it at the end of every semester. This high school resume should include extracurricular activities such as involvement with school clubs, work experience, academic achievements, and volunteer work. Other sections can include interests, certifications, languages, and skills.

The advisors at International College Counselors will tell you that resumes have many benefits, including helping a student remember all that they’ve done.

Other purposes of a high school resume include:

• Having one to submit along with your application (many colleges and universities ask students to include a resume).
• Writing, reviewing, and reflecting on your resume may spark ideas for an essay topic.
• Filling out applications will be easier if you have a master list of your accomplishments, organized by date and categorized by activity.
• Sharing your resume with references, such as teachers or outside recommenders, will help them write an effective letter of recommendation.
• Having one to submit to scholarship organizations that require it as part of the application process.
• Using it to apply for internships, jobs, and study abroad programs, which often require a resume in order to be considered.

Your goal should be to create a concise and easy-to-read document that best presents you and your accomplishments. Here’s how to do just that:

1. Start with a list. Begin with ninth grade and write down all activities, honors, memberships, and academic enrichment programs by semester. Don’t forget summers, too, including the summer before ninth grade!
2. Organize your list into categories. Categories should include honors and awards, extracurriculars, community service, summer classes and programs, special skills (e.g., languages spoken), certifications, and work experience. (Note: this is last for a reason! Colleges do not expect you to have a TON of work experience, and if you’re busy with other pursuits, you do not have to have paid work experience.)
3. Arrange information into subcategories and organize by date. Pertinent details to include are grade level(s) and time commitment (e.g., how many hours per week and how many weeks per year). You should follow each entry with a few sentences describing the activity or accomplishment. Be specific about positions, titles, organizations, and locations. Additionally, you should write out any acronyms so the reader knows exactly what you are talking about. If it’s a common activity, try to focus less on what the activity is (for example, they know what Model UN is) and highlight what role you played in MUN. Quantify your participation where you can—for example if you raised money or increased member participation, include the number or amount.
4. Keep formatting consistent and clear. The document should be organized in a simple and attractive manner. Use an 11-12-point, easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, or Cambria. At the top of the page, include your name, home address, phone number, and email address. You may also include your school name, graduation year, and GPA (if it is above a 3.5). Try to keep your resume to one page; make sure it does not exceed two pages.

As you create your high school resume, here are some more tips to keep in mind:

• Begin each bulleted description with an action verb such as created, launched, managed, guided, or assisted. From Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, here are 843 action words you can choose from.
• If an activity is ongoing, use the present tense.
• Present your activities and accomplishments in descending order—from most central to you as an applicant to least. For example, if you are a dedicated musician applying for a degree in music, do not list your monthly, organized beach clean-ups first. Similarly, if you are applying to major in Environmental Science, do not list your year of junior varsity soccer at the top of your resume.

Lastly, make sure to get an expert, like someone at International College Counselors, to proofread your resume and give you feedback.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: College Planning Tagged With: college admissions tip, high school resume, high school tips

Sign up for free college admissions advice!

Subscribe

Recent Acceptances

M.I.T.
Yale University
Stanford University
Brown University
Caltech
Harvard College
Princeton University
Harvard Business School
University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School
Washington University St. Louis
Cornell University
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
Northwestern University
The Cooper Union
Johns Hopkins University
University of Florida
New York University
University of Michigan
University of Chicago
Brandeis University
University of Texas @ Austin
NYU Dental School
USC Dental School
Duke University
University of Virginia
Barnard College
Amherst College
UNC Chapel Hill
Wesleyan University
Rice University
McGill University
Olin College of Engineering
Tufts University
Emory University
Carnegie Mellon University
George Washington University
University of Notre Dame
Georgia Institute of Technology
Boston University
USC
U.C.L.A.
Vanderbilt University
Syracuse University
UC Berkeley
Rensselaer Polytechnic
University of Maryland
New College of Florida
Loyola Marymount University
American University
Harvey Mudd College
Middlebury College
Boston College
Babson University
Georgetown University
Colgate University
Bard College
Ohio State University
Indiana University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Tulane University
University of Miami
Purdue University
Oxford College @ Emory
Wisconsin @ Madison
Northeastern University
Lehigh University
Goucher College
Pennslyvania State University
Muhlenberg College
University of Connecticut
Loyola University Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
Colorado State University
University of Alabama
Louisiana State University
Drexel University
Embry-Riddle University
University of Arizona
Florida State University
University of Central Florida
S.U.N.Y @ Binghamton
S.U.N.Y @ Stony Brook
S.U.N.Y @ Albany
S.U.N.Y @ Geneseo
S.U.N.Y. @ Oneonta
S.U.N.Y. @ Oswego
S.U.N.Y @ Purchase
Art Institute of Chicago
University of Illinois
Pratt Institute
Ringling College Art & Design
George Mason University
University of Vermont
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Parsons New School of Design
Emerson College
Auburn University
Michigan State University
UC Santa Cruz
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
Elon University
St. John's University
UMass Amherst
UMass Dartmouth
UMass Lowell
UMass Boston
Suffolk University
Bentley University
Lynn University
Arizona State University
University of North Florida
Florida Atlantic University
Florida International University
Florida Gulf Coast University
University of South Florida
Nova Southeastern University
University of Tampa
Hofstra University
Pace University
University of New England
Western New England College
Bowling Green State University
Rollins College
Eugene Lang College
Baruch College
Hunter College
Santa Fe College
Fordham University
UNC Greensboro
University of Hartford
Lasell College
Shimer College
Hillsdale College
College of Charleston
Bryant University
Clark University
James Madison University
Curry College
Southern Methodist University
Florida Institute of Technology
LIM College
University of British Columbia
College of the Holy Cross
University of Pittsburgh
Purchase College
University of Minnesota
Virginia Commonwealth University
Columbia College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
St. Leo University
Stetson University
Canisius College
LIM College
Case Western Reserve
San Diego State University
Marymount Manhattan College

Blog Categories

  • College Admissions
  • College Applications
  • College Essays
  • College Planning
  • College Visits and Information Sessions
  • Extracurricular & Summer Activities
  • FAQ
  • Financial Aid & Scholarships
  • Giving Back
  • Graduate School
  • In the News
  • International College Counselors blog
  • International Students
  • Other
  • Special Students – Athletes, LD, Art Majors
  • Standardized Tests – SAT/ACT/AP Courses/PSAT
  • Summer Opportunities
  • Tips for High School Freshman and Sophomores
  • Tips for High School Juniors
  • Tips for High School Seniors
  • Transfer Students
  • Uncategorized

Blog Archives

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

International College Counselors

3107 Stirling Road, Suite 208
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312 USA
(954) 414-9986
(800) 452-9090

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Books By Our Staff:

To University and Beyond: Launch Your Career in High Gear by Mandee Heller Adler and David Teten. From Public School To The Ivy League by Mandee Heller Adler International Admissions by Mandee Heller Adler and Aimee Heller

Navigation

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
  • Contact Us
  • Results
  • News & Events
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

  • Tips for Transferring Colleges
  • What to Know about AP Score Reporting to Colleges
  • 8 Tips for High School Juniors: Ways to Boost Your College Chances Over the Summer
  • Demonstrate Interest in a College and Boost Your Chances of Admission
  • Top Tips for a Standout High School Resume

Copyright © 2022 · Enterprise Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

en English
en Englishes Spanishzh-CN Chinese (Simplified)nl Dutchfr Frenchit Italiande Germanpt Portugueseru Russianar Arabic