How to Write an Activities Résumé for College Applications
Your high school résumé isn’t just for jobs—it’s a powerful tool to show colleges what makes you unique. While many applications include a section for extracurriculars, a separate résumé helps you organize your achievements, stand out, and stay prepared for interviews, scholarships, and more.
Follow this step-by-step guide to build a strong activities résumé for college, and download our free template to get started.
📄 Download Activities Résumé Template
📌 What Is an Activities Résumé?
An activities résumé (also called a student résumé or college résumé) is a one-page document that summarizes your extracurricular involvement, achievements, leadership roles, service, skills, and work experience.
It’s commonly used for:
- College interviews or competitive programs
- Scholarship applications
- Letters of recommendation (to help your teacher or counselor speak to your involvement)
- Staying organized when completing college applications
🧱 What to Include in Your Résumé
Here are common sections to include—use what’s relevant to you:
- Contact Information: Name, phone, email, city/state, optional LinkedIn or portfolio
- Education: High school name, graduation year, GPA, class rank (if known)
- Extracurricular Activities: Clubs, sports, music, theater, etc. (include roles and accomplishments)
- Honors & Awards: Academic, athletic, artistic, leadership honors
- Community Service: Volunteer work, projects, number of hours
- Work Experience: Jobs, internships, family businesses, babysitting, etc.
- Skills & Certifications: Languages, software, leadership trainings, CPR, etc.
Want help deciding what to include? Bring this guide to your next meeting with your counselor and check out our College Counseling Checklist.
📝 Example Entry Formats
Leadership Role Format:
President, Student Government — 11th–12th Grade
Led a team of 8 students to organize school events and weekly meetings. Raised $2,000 for senior prom.Work/Volunteer Format:
Volunteer, Humane Society — 9th–12th Grade
Cared for animals, helped with adoption events, and organized donation drives. Over 200 service hours completed.Skills Format:
Skills: Fluent in Spanish, Adobe Photoshop, CPR Certified, Google Sheets
✅ Tips for Making Your Activities Résumé Stand Out
- Colleges want to see what you’ve done in the past 3–4 years. Leave out middle school achievements like the 8th grade spelling bee.
- Organize by category and be consistent. Group activities (like clubs, service, or work) and use consistent formatting for bold text, dates, and titles.
- Use clear, universal language. Avoid abbreviations or inside terms your school uses. Spell out acronyms and briefly describe what each group or activity does.
- Be concise—but specific. Try this format:
– Describe the activity
– Describe your personal involvement
– Mention any honors or outcomes - Your résumé doesn’t replace the activities section on applications. Always complete both unless the application says otherwise. You can note “see attached résumé” as a supplement.
- Don’t copy your essay. Avoid repeating your personal statement. Use your résumé to highlight different strengths and expand on other areas.
- Keep it to one page. Admissions officers don’t have time to read more—edit for clarity and impact.
- Save and send as a PDF. It’s the cleanest and most professional file format unless a school specifies otherwise.
📎 When to Submit Your Résumé
Most colleges don’t require an activities résumé, but many accept or appreciate them. Submit one if you’re:
- Applying to competitive programs or scholarships
- Doing an optional interview or portfolio submission
- Sending supplemental materials to admissions or a specific department
🎯 Ready to Build Yours?
We’ve created a free résumé template to help you get started. Use it to keep track of your accomplishments and submit polished applications with confidence.
📄 Download the Résumé Template
As you build your activities résumé, use our college application checklist to keep track of essays, recommendations, transcripts, deadlines, and other requirements
Written by Tyson Schritter, College Advising Contributor at Colleges of Distinction.
Last updated: April 2025
