Getting admission into a college is an achievement in itself. Once you are in, however, you need to find resources to pay for your tuition and board. This is where a college scholarship can help offset your tuition costs and other college expenses.
Researching resume examples for students and learning to create a student resume for scholarships will help you make a great impression on selection committees. This post will help you understand the format of a student resume and the things that you must include. So, let’s get started.
Steps to Create a Student Resume for a Scholarship
A college resume for scholarships states your career objectives and interests while highlighting your academic background and extracurricular activities. You can even mention any work experience, volunteer work, and other unique skills to improve your chances of landing a great scholarship.
If you are unsure how to write a resume for a scholarship, you can seek the guidance of a college counseling service, a career counselor, etc. That said if you are ready to create a student resume for scholarships, just follow these steps.
Step #1 – Always Follow the Format
A college student resume for scholarships must contain the following information/sections.
- Contact information – this section must contain your full name, contact information such as email address and phone number, and your city and state name.
- Objective Statement –write a short paragraph outlining your career goals, previous academic achievements, and why you wish to continue your education.
- Academic Experience – you must list all educational history, including your school’s name, dates attended, area of study, and your GPA.
- Awards and Honors – this section must mention all the meaningful academic and extracurricular awards you have received.
- Volunteering Experience – details of any volunteer work you have done in the past. If you have any work experience, you must include your employer’s name, the title of the position you held, dates of employment, and job description.
Step # 2 – Drafting Resume Sections
Now that you know the format of the resume for scholarships, it is time to start creating your first draft. First, you must always remember to include a header for each section that you are going to address. So, if you are writing your career goals, you must first give the heading “Objective Statement” and then write a small paragraph about your career aspirations and future goals.
Follow similar practices for all the sections throughout your resume for a scholarship. It would be a good idea to make your headings stand out by making them bold and using a slightly larger font size compared to the rest of the text.
Step #3 – Writing Objective Statement
Writing your objective statement will help you define the direction of your student resume for a scholarship. In this section, you can write a short paragraph mentioning your academic plans, career goals, and a summary of your educational journey.
You can also highlight your strongest academic skills in this section. If you are not sure about what your strengths are, then taking Empowerly Quiz might help. This short test will evaluate your previous academic experience to assess your overall college readiness. If you want more information on how to boost your college readiness, be sure to sign up to receive your Empowerly Score with details on your strengths.
After taking these assessments, you can use this information to create a solid objective statement for your resume for a scholarship. You can also mention your volunteer experience that have helped you gain knowledge and hone skills and how these skills will assist you during your time in high school or college.
Step #4 – Follow the Reverse Chronological Order
Except for your objective statement, you must follow the reverse chronological order in all other sections, including your work experience, educational history, and awards and honors. This means you must start each section by mentioning the most recent and relevant education or work history.
While mentioning your educational history is a great idea, you can customize other sections as per scholarship committee’s requirements. However, the more skills, awards, and involvement you mention, the better your student resume will be.
Step #5 – Proof Read
So, your resume for scholarships is complete. Now, it is time to ensure that it is written professionally and contains no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. Partnering with Empowerly for customized college admission counseling will help you highlight your best skills and create a flawless college student resume. Also, keep in mind that most resumes need to stay at a length of one page.
Once you have finalized the college student resume, you can use it for scholarships, internships, and other purposes. However, to ensure that the resume maintains its formatting when sending, it is always a good idea to save it in a PDF format to avoid errors. Do not forget to include a cover letter with your resume if you are allowed, to improve your chances of winning a scholarship.
Let Empowerly be your Educational Guide
From guidance for college admissions to career counseling and evaluating your strengths to helping with resumes for scholarships, Empowerly can be your strategic partner. The Empowerly Score is only available to students in the Empowerly Portal – it is a separate form and result process that gives you a detailed numerical score highlighting your best skills. Contact Empowerly Today!
