Strategies To Make Your Activity Resume Get Noticed

Strategies To Make Your Activity Resume Get Noticed and Have A Positive Impact On Your Application!

It's not enough to just put the words "Activity Resume" at the top of the page and then list all things you did in high school. No, it's not much better if you add a couple of sub-headings and group your items under them. In fact, too many students view this as a "brag sheet" or an opportunity to make a long list of things they think an admissions officer wants to see. That's really the wrong way to go about it!

A common mistake is simply using the wrong tone or perspective when writing your activity resume. Be careful not to just "brag" or highlight all the great things you've accomplished and been involved with. Rather you need to draw attention to what you can bring to a particular college and give the reader reasons to want to accept you!

Boasting about all you've done doesn't quite do that. Yes, you do want to make sure you bring attention to your accomplishments and all that you've done in addition to your solid academic preparation. But, it's important HOW you convey that information.

Here's some strategies to help you build an activity resume that gets noticed, read, and has a positive impact on your application!

Don't Substitue A Resume For Completing The Activity Section Of The Application

Before we start writing, just a quick reminder that you still need to complete all parts of the actual application for admissions. Do NOT write in "see attached" or any other verbage to direct the reader to your personal highlight page. You still should fill in the application as requested. Not doing so says that you can't follow instructions.

If you are only provided a few spaces on the actual application, list those things that are most important to you or that highlight who you are. Just be sure to follow the directions you are given and not neglect that part of the application.

Write It From The Perspective Of The Admissions Officer

The REAL objective of this piece is to give the admissions officer reasons to accept you. To do that, you want everything about this page or two to be written from their perspective - not yours!

What they want most is to offer admission to qualified students that can add something of value to their institution. They are looking for a good fit, for good character, for diverse backgrounds, for passion, for creativity and a host of other characteristics that might make you a wonderful addition to their campus.

Organize your activity resume to highlight what YOU CAN OFFER THEM, not just why they should accept you!

Add Some Personality, Just Don't Overdo It

This is a great opportunity to add some individuality and some flair to your application. How you organize the page, what you put on it, even the style of the font you use will impact the impression you leave. It's absolutely fine to be a little creative here.

I would caution you, though, to not go overboard. A good strategy is to use fonts that are easily read and are easy on the eyes. Don't bold and italicize every other word. You've got to make your case quickly and having something that's hard to follow or hard to read won't help you.

Consider Using Different Ones For Different Colleges

If you are applying to different types of institutions that may value different qualities, you might want to restructure some things or emphasize different accomplishments to better appeal to each specific school. Kind of like if you were applying for two different jobs that required different skills, the same cover letter and resume won't work for both. You've got to highlight the skills you have that are valued by that employer or in this case, the key things about you that would be valued by that college.

Use Sub-Headings

Just like on this web page, you want to use sub-headings to help the reader quickly find the information they are looking for. There are not any specific ones you have to use. And, you can use your creativity here to add your own style. Use this strategy to make it YOUR activity resume.

Headings can be as simple as "Honors and Awards, School Acitivities, Community Involvement, Personal Accomplishments, Interests and Hobbies, My Passions, Athletic Highlights, Published Writing, Leadership Skills Developed, Work Experience, What I Can Bring To XYZ College," etc, etc.

Keep It Brief

Remember it's a summary, not an essay! Try to keep it to one page if you can, definitely not more than two. You don't have to get everything you've ever done on here, but be sure to include the items that best describe who you are and what's special about you.

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