What looks good on a college Resume.

Capitalizing words only when they need to be capitalized would be a good start.
It’s all very dependent on where you’re applying to. But usually good grades, a clean record, and some community service will go a long way.

I’m in a co-op program, my work terms alternate with my school terms, and I’m going through the interview process right now. In my experience, companies looks for one of two things: relevant experience or passion.

Jobs that don’t require high technical knowledge look for people who have very strong soft skills, most important communication and teamwork as well as passion and interest. For these jobs, your résumé should reinforce extracurricular activities.

The second kind require a good amount of relevant experience or a very strong interest. This means putting emphasis on your work experience and any interests that relate to the job.

Wait, @lanahopple, are you applying for a job at a college, or applying to a college?

applying to a college

Well shit, disregard my answer completely then. Wow.

well preparing to apply….. lol what question

Colleges ask for resumes now? I just had to do applications…

no I’m just preparing to go to college, so I’m not applying now

Ohoh, you’re looking for what sort of experiences colleges like to see when you apply?

Exactly.

@lanahopple: Take the most challenging courses you can and do well in them; participate in activities, sports, community service, etc that suit you and learn how to write clear, concise essays.

There is no ideal college student. Colleges look for students who can #1) handle and enjoy the work load and #2) make a contribution to non-academic life. Be your best self. What does not look good on a college application is pretense, artifice and self-aggrandizement.

(Unless used at the beginning of a sentence, resumé is written thusly.)

So really what you’re asking is what you can do as a high school student to prepare yourself to look good as a college applicant. Aside from good grades, lots of volunteer hours (200 hours per year or more) look good. Not volunteering for a lot of different organizations, but putting in a lot of time on a single cause or project, and taking a leadership role with it. Involvement with measurable results. “Raised money to purchase 500 blankets for a homeless shelter.” “Organized and operated Blessings in a Backpack program at local grade school, resulting in donations of 200 backpacks, and food donations for 100 kids each week.” “Shaved my head for St. Baldricks and raised $5,000.” “300 hours volunteer service at children’s museum over the summer.”
You get the idea.

The good thing about volunteering a lot in the community is that it’s easy to put in a lot of service hours, you meet people that will be able to write you recommendations who are not teachers or church affiliated, and your experience may provide a good foundation for essays. Strong community service involvement and commitment to a cause is a well-rounded thing to do. Everyone does their 30 hours for NHS or Beta Club.

Balancing good grades with working, sports and volunteer work shows a well-rounded student with time management skills.

Heh.

Colleges are businesses. What looks good on an application:

> demonstrated ability to do the subject you wish to study (i.e. good grades, particularly in fields relevant to the degree) – it’s bad business to take a student on who isn’t capable of finishing the course.

> the money to pay for the course.

Anything else is just window-dressing, imo.

Colleges and universities are also think-tanks, providers of intellectual and scientific research, arenas for sporting events, theater, studio arts, music, and myriads of diverse activities. Admissions officers rarely accept students who might struggle with the work load.

On any resume, things that make you stand out from the rest are good to have. Anything from a cool/unusual experience that you had that helped you to grow as a person, to certain skill sets like if you know multiple languages.