Are you afraid that admissions officers will take one look at your resume and just pass you off as "average" or "boring"? Take a look at the list below and see how many unique qualifications you have in comparison.
Here are just some things that can make your resume recognizable and distinctive:
Languages:
- Speaking more than one language fluently
-Knowing “exotic” languages such as Greek, Latin, Arabic, and even Mandarin Chinese (if you’re not a native speaker)
-Taking the SAT II/AP on your non native language and scoring high
-Being a top scorer/perfect scorer on the national language exams
Sports:
- Varsity sports for 3+ years
-Captain of your sport
-Major Awards/Medals/Competitions
-Nationally ranked
Academics:
- High GPA (pretty cliché, but a ‘necessity’ nevertheless)
-High Rank/Top 5 or 10 percent
-College Book Awards (Harvard Book Award, Stanford Book Award etc)
-Awards based on merit (writing, Science Olympiads)
- AP awards
-High SAT score
- NMS
Teachers:
- Outstanding teacher recommendation letter
-Great personal counselor recommendation letter
Activities:
- Volunteer service project
-Studying/volunteering abroad
-President (or other officer positions) of clubs
-Participating in clubs for 3+ years
-Show dedication (eg: 5 years of hospital volunteering)
-Local and national service awards
-Internships
-Taking college courses during high school
-Jobs
-Attendance at prestigious summer programs
These are just some of the many unique qualities that a resume can contain. If you have six or more of these, then your resume is most likely in great shape. I will elaborate on Science Olympiads and national exams in a later article, but if you have any questions feel free to email me. I've participated in many competitions and would be more than happy to answer your questions.
Keep in mind that there are many many more opportunities to spruce up your application. If you would like me to explain any of these acronyms or help supply more ideas, contact me at:
