How to Write a Compelling Resume for College Applications + Examples

You may be thinking: why are there SO many items required when applying to college?! From supplemental essays to transcripts to resumes to letters of recommendation, it can all feel very complicated and overwhelming. 

Today, we’re here to clear up one of those sources of overwhelm: your resume. “Résumé” (or “resume,” both are correct) sounds a lot scarier than it is. The purpose of a college application resume is simply to speak briefly about your experiences, strengths, and education thus far. Keep reading for our best tips and advice for crafting a standout resume for your college application.

At the end of the day, your college application will have a ton of information about you and your academic background. It may seem redundant to also need a resume, but here is why it’s important: your resume gives a one-page peek into your life and experience as a student. Even if you don’t have a ton of experience to list, you are able to concisely list your strengths and soft skills that you show off in other areas of your application.

Before we jump into tips on writing your resume, it’s important to understand what exactly your resume should include. For many students, this will be their first time needing to write a document like this. The great thing about resume format, however, is that once you create your baseline template for the first time, updating your resume will be much easier in years to come as you apply for internships and jobs in the future. To make this process even smoother, you can use tools that offer advanced personalization for every application, helping you tailor your resume efficiently for different schools or opportunities while keeping your information accurate and impactful.

There are a few standard elements of a resume that are always present, no matter the age of the person writing it.

• Contact Information (make sure you include a professional email address)
• Education (test scores and GPA will be listed here)
• Extracurriculars
• Skills
• Experiences
• Awards/honors

Remember, colleges and companies offering internship opportunities to high schoolers are not expecting you to have a ton of experience. Don’t feel like you must write a full-scale resume. Creating a one-page, clean, straightforward resume with your extracurricular activities and achievements will be great for the purpose of a college application. If you are worried about having little/no experience, here is a great video covering this topic:

Take a look at this real, high school resume example from an Empowerly student for inspiration. This student was accepted to the following universities in 2024:

• Case Western Reserve University
• Rutgers University, New Brunswick
• Stony Brook University, State University of New York
• The George Washington University
• The Ohio State University at Columbus
• University of California, Riverside
• University of California, Santa Cruz
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Rochester

The first thing you should do when beginning your college application resume is to type in a quick Google search. Try to be as specific as possible, for example: “high school resume example”, “STEM high school resume”, or “athletic focus resume for a high schooler.” Scan the top Google resumes just to get a better idea and spark some inspiration for formatting your own.

You can often find free resume templates on Google Docs or Microsoft Word that are very helpful to give you a starting point as well.

Most resumes stay within one page. Your resume is supposed to be a quick, succinct version of the rest of your application. The more concise you can be about your experiences and skills, the better.

When writing your resume, you want to be sure to use unique, action-oriented verbs to describe your experiences. If you find yourself repeating verbs such as “helped” or “participated in,” you can do a quick thesaurus search to find more distinct words to use in their place. 

Here are a few great phrases and words to incorporate into your resume:

• Implemented
• Collaborated
• Optimized
• Increased (Numbers are always great if you have them! See next tip.)

Including specific numbers of measurable results can make your experiences more tangible and impactful. 

For instance, instead of saying that you “led a volunteer project,” you could say you “led a volunteer project that organized 200 care packages for local shelters.” Numbers help paint a clearer picture of your contributions and accomplishments.

The great thing about including a resume when submitting your college application is that you can emphasize or discuss experiences that you weren’t able to get into in other areas of your application. Be sure to highlight these in your resume.

First, take a break and come back to proofread your resume with fresh eyes. Once you’ve done that, seek feedback from a trusted mentor. As you reread, pay special attention to grammar, spelling, and formatting consistency.

Further, you can consider tailoring your resume to align with the specific values of the colleges and programs where you’re applying. Customizing your resume can make your application stand out and show that you have taken the time to research what the school values.

What does that mean? We’re not just talking about the one-sentence “objective” section that appears on so many templates; we’re talking about content. If a college emphasizes community service or leadership, make sure to highlight relevant experiences.

We hope that these tips and resources helped make submitting a resume seem a little less daunting. Just remember —your college application doesn’t define you. 

If you want to learn more about crafting a cohesive college application, you can always talk to Empowerly. We love to help students make the most of the limited time they get in front of college admissions officers.

Our team spends on average 25x more time with students than the average high school counselor, and 98% of students who have worked with Empowerly have been accepted into top choice schools. If you want to join that 98%, please feel free to book a free consultation with our Enrollment team. We are here to help walk you through every step of the way.