Ideally, college application resumes include these five sections:

Contact Information: Who you are and how to reach you
Education: Your school background and intended college major
Experience: Jobs, internships, volunteer work, leadership roles
Awards and Honours: Achievements that show dedication or skill
Skills: Abilities that support your academic or career goals
Let’s zoom in on each section.

1. Contact Information
Start with the basics so the college has a general idea about who you are. Keep this section simple, clean, and easy to find. It’s essential that the details here are accurate and professional.

What to include:

Full name (use the same version across all application materials)
Email address (make sure it sounds professional)
Phone number
City and state
LinkedIn URL (not a must, but still nice if you’ve built a profile)
Example:

Jordan Lee
jordanlee@email.com
(555) 123-4567
Chicago, IL
linkedin.com/in/jordanlee

2. Education
This part lists where you’ve studied and what you’ve been working toward so far. You’ve also probably decided on your college major by now, so now’s the time to include it.

This section should cover:

Full name of your high school
Location (city and state)
Graduation year
GPA (if it’s strong)
College major or academic focus
Courses related to your major or field of interest
Example:

North Ridge High School – Chicago, IL
Expected Graduation: May 2025
GPA: 3.9
Intended Major: Environmental Science
Relevant Coursework: AP Biology, Honors Chemistry, Environmental Science

3. Experience
This part focuses on your activities outside the classroom. You have a chance to impress the admissions officer with the roles that helped you build responsibility and leadership skills. Talk about your accomplishments and the impact they had; listing your job titles won’t do much. Use numbers where you can, and make sure to keep your phrasing active.

Tips for writing the experience section:

Start with the most recent role
List your position, organization, and location
Include dates of involvement
Use bullet points, not paragraphs
Start each line with an action verb
Mention specific outcomes or achievements
Stay consistent with formatting
Keep entries short and to the point
Focus on growth, leadership, or results
Tailor your descriptions to your goals
Ideas for this section:

Babysitting or childcare
Tutoring classmates or younger students
Summer internships
Part-time jobs
Volunteering at a local shelter or community event
Leadership roles in school clubs
Organizing fundraisers or events
Being a team captain
Creating content for a school newsletter or club
Assisting teachers with classroom tasks
4. Awards and Honours
If your hard work has been recognized and rewarded, this is the time to show it off. This section of your college application resume talks about any existing awards or honors. These can be academic, athletic, artistic, or simply community-based.

Tips for organizing this section:

Start with the most recent award
List the name and year
Add a short description
Stick to honors that are meaningful or competitive
Group similar recognitions together for clarity
5. Skills
Use this section to demonstrate the skills you’ve picked up along the way. Anything you’ve learned in class, at work, or on your own that you think would be relevant to your application. This part should feel practical and directly connected to your future goals.

Tips for a strong skills section:

Be specific
Break skills into categories
Avoid listing personality traits
Keep it short and scannable
Only list skills you’re confident using
Examples of skills to list:

Canva design
Google Sheets
Public speaking
Data entry
Spanish (intermediate)
Adobe Premiere Pro
Research writing
Social media content creation
Coding with Python
Time management