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How can I improve my college resume during my junior year?
Currently looking to strengthen my application for college.
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7 answers
Updated
Jennifer’s Answer
Hello Elina,
Nice to meet you!
I'm not sure what are you currently studying, or the industry field you are looking to eventually work in, but I can offer a couple suggestions for you:
1) Any volunteer opportunities with non-profit organizations that resonate with you or you are passionate to help with. This gives the impression to an Employer, that you are willing to put your time and energy in helping others to some capacity without monetary gain. Compassionate employees is a huge asset.
2) Any elective course(s) that you believe can be a stepping stone to your already pre-requisite courses. Even if it is just one, and not one where you have to attend an in-person class i.e. online course, can be a nice addition to your resume. Some examples include: Business Writing Essentials, Negotiation Skills, Communication Skills etc.
3) Any networking opportunities in your field. Networking is such an essential key to decide whether you want to work in a specific industry. Some associations offer mentoring opportunities, so you can develop the soft skills in the business world. These days Employers are trying to attract candidates who have high emotional intelligence, who are able to be autonomous and meet deadlines with minimal supervision, due to the post-pandemic situation.
Hope this is helpful to you and I wish you great success in your career journey!
Kind regards,
Jennifer Bari
Nice to meet you!
I'm not sure what are you currently studying, or the industry field you are looking to eventually work in, but I can offer a couple suggestions for you:
1) Any volunteer opportunities with non-profit organizations that resonate with you or you are passionate to help with. This gives the impression to an Employer, that you are willing to put your time and energy in helping others to some capacity without monetary gain. Compassionate employees is a huge asset.
2) Any elective course(s) that you believe can be a stepping stone to your already pre-requisite courses. Even if it is just one, and not one where you have to attend an in-person class i.e. online course, can be a nice addition to your resume. Some examples include: Business Writing Essentials, Negotiation Skills, Communication Skills etc.
3) Any networking opportunities in your field. Networking is such an essential key to decide whether you want to work in a specific industry. Some associations offer mentoring opportunities, so you can develop the soft skills in the business world. These days Employers are trying to attract candidates who have high emotional intelligence, who are able to be autonomous and meet deadlines with minimal supervision, due to the post-pandemic situation.
Hope this is helpful to you and I wish you great success in your career journey!
Kind regards,
Jennifer Bari
Updated
Lauren’s Answer
Great question! College prep can be terrifying and competitive and I'm sure you'll be getting a ton of difference advice. However, I would love to share a piece of advice I received when working on my college resume.
I'm sure you are aware that getting involved in Extracurricular Activities is very important for a resume. When I was in high school, I made sure to get involved in as many things as possible. Student government, theatre, Spanish club (you name it, I was in it). However, one day when listening to a lecture from a college admissions advisor, they shared some advice that completely changed my approach to my college resume.
This admissions member said, "almost everyone has good grades and are involved in every extracurricular offered by their school.... that's not going to make you stand out". My world shattered at this thought.
He then said, "In order to stand out, we need to know who you are. What is your intent, your passion. If you create that story that tells us who you are and what you bring to the table, I will be more inclined to admit you".
An example of this, let's say you want to go to school for Engineering and you are really passionate about robotics. You should focus on getting involved in clubs or activities that involve this passion of yours. Join the robotics team at school, if you don't have one, create one! Research robot building competitions or teams and try to join them. Show the college admissions board, I am an active member of my community, and I am passionate about robots and engineering, and this is why I want to study Engineering in your college.
Apart from this advice, I would also have to mention you should try to apply early admissions as I found this may increase your chances of getting into college. Take the SAT and the ACT as you might perform higher on one rather than the other. Good luck!
I'm sure you are aware that getting involved in Extracurricular Activities is very important for a resume. When I was in high school, I made sure to get involved in as many things as possible. Student government, theatre, Spanish club (you name it, I was in it). However, one day when listening to a lecture from a college admissions advisor, they shared some advice that completely changed my approach to my college resume.
This admissions member said, "almost everyone has good grades and are involved in every extracurricular offered by their school.... that's not going to make you stand out". My world shattered at this thought.
He then said, "In order to stand out, we need to know who you are. What is your intent, your passion. If you create that story that tells us who you are and what you bring to the table, I will be more inclined to admit you".
An example of this, let's say you want to go to school for Engineering and you are really passionate about robotics. You should focus on getting involved in clubs or activities that involve this passion of yours. Join the robotics team at school, if you don't have one, create one! Research robot building competitions or teams and try to join them. Show the college admissions board, I am an active member of my community, and I am passionate about robots and engineering, and this is why I want to study Engineering in your college.
Apart from this advice, I would also have to mention you should try to apply early admissions as I found this may increase your chances of getting into college. Take the SAT and the ACT as you might perform higher on one rather than the other. Good luck!
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Elina
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hi Elina,
There are a number of ways you can improve your college resume but I would probably say it is all about extra curricular activities and internships. When you graduate, you want to show your potential employers that beyond good grades, you were active in other ways - whether that is playing sports, volunteering for an organization/cause you were passionate about, interning in your field of study, etc. You can also double major if that's an option for you. Ultimately, the "real world" experience is what will help you differentiate from other potential candidates and hopefully get you the job. Good luck!
There are a number of ways you can improve your college resume but I would probably say it is all about extra curricular activities and internships. When you graduate, you want to show your potential employers that beyond good grades, you were active in other ways - whether that is playing sports, volunteering for an organization/cause you were passionate about, interning in your field of study, etc. You can also double major if that's an option for you. Ultimately, the "real world" experience is what will help you differentiate from other potential candidates and hopefully get you the job. Good luck!
Updated
Pamela’s Answer
Create a story that tells the story of what you have done. For example, if you enjoy Musical Theatre and participate at school, try to tie that back to something you have done in the community to benefit the culture of theatre in your area; how are your grades and why are they what they are? Explain how you studied and worked to achieve the grades that you have and what you have done to prepare yourself for college, request as many recommendations from teachers, coaches that can speak to your character.
Loved reading this, thanks!
Elina
Updated
Ziyu’s Answer
Hi Elina,
I would recommend a few things to think about and take actions:
1) What major do you want to learn? What colleges are within your application list?
2) According to 1), what are the minimum requirement of application (pre-requisite courses, standard examination scores, etc.)?
3) If you have already met all criteria of 2), then you could look at some other areas to further enhance your application competitive advantages:
- Extracurricular activities including volunteer work/student union/ internship.. to show your leadership/team work/problem solving capabilities
- Strong refer letters
- Clear career goals to justify why major and why school to show your strong motivations
I would recommend a few things to think about and take actions:
1) What major do you want to learn? What colleges are within your application list?
2) According to 1), what are the minimum requirement of application (pre-requisite courses, standard examination scores, etc.)?
3) If you have already met all criteria of 2), then you could look at some other areas to further enhance your application competitive advantages:
- Extracurricular activities including volunteer work/student union/ internship.. to show your leadership/team work/problem solving capabilities
- Strong refer letters
- Clear career goals to justify why major and why school to show your strong motivations
Updated
Scott’s Answer
It looks like your are trying to strengthen your resume for college vs. post college as the other answers suggest?
For college applications:
- Focus on improving your GPA and your class rank as much as possible
- If you plan to apply to schools that require SATs/ACTs, take prep courses that can better your chances for success
- Get involved in extracurricular activities that show your well-roundedness
- Volunteer work and internships help
- Research any awards or honors your school offers that for which you may qualify
- Begin working on your writing and how you would approach essay questions on applications
And, use the many tools available online to determine what schools might suit your interests and goals and tailor working on your qualifications as applicable
For college applications:
- Focus on improving your GPA and your class rank as much as possible
- If you plan to apply to schools that require SATs/ACTs, take prep courses that can better your chances for success
- Get involved in extracurricular activities that show your well-roundedness
- Volunteer work and internships help
- Research any awards or honors your school offers that for which you may qualify
- Begin working on your writing and how you would approach essay questions on applications
And, use the many tools available online to determine what schools might suit your interests and goals and tailor working on your qualifications as applicable
Updated
Cedric’s Answer
Hello Elina,
It's great that you are already thinking about ways to improve your resume. One place I would definitely tell you to look is your universities career services office. Most companies have to reach out to them to get in contact with students and a lot of times there are free resume review workshops where you can reach out and speak to someone that can review your resume. Another thing I would encourage you to do is to look at Linkedin profiles. A lot of times you can see people in the field that you are interested in and what things they are calling out in their profiles as well.
It's great that you are already thinking about ways to improve your resume. One place I would definitely tell you to look is your universities career services office. Most companies have to reach out to them to get in contact with students and a lot of times there are free resume review workshops where you can reach out and speak to someone that can review your resume. Another thing I would encourage you to do is to look at Linkedin profiles. A lot of times you can see people in the field that you are interested in and what things they are calling out in their profiles as well.