Many students wonder if they should include a resume when applying to college. Here are some tips to help assess:
Rehash
If your resume is a repetition of the activities in your application, don’t bother uploading, attaching or copy/pasting one. I’ve talked with many admissions reps who say that the 10 extracurriculars/jobs/internships that students share in their Common App, UC App or other proprietary portals is sufficient information for them to understand who the student is outside of the classroom.
New Information
The character count on application portals can be limited and therefore limiting. If a student runs out of space in their activities sections to provide those additional details that seem important to what they’ve accomplished on a team, at a job or during an internship, then a resume can be helpful. I had a student who launched a club at his school that he then grew into a national organization. The resume became the perfect place to describe the nitty-gritty of his efforts.
As early as freshman year, prospective engineers, medical professionals, entrepreneurs, performing or fine artists engage in activities that prepare them for specific college programs. Increasingly, my students are creating LinkedIn profiles during their high school years to communicate their expertise and time-investment in a particular career path. LinkedIn serves as an efficient online tool that can do double-duty as a resume as well as a workplace networking platform.
In general, my advice is don’t add “busywork” to an already hefty senior year To Do List; however, if a student has experiences that can’t be communicated in other sections of their college application, then a resume is a wonderful option for sharing information.
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