Less is More. I cannot stress this enough: We don't need to see a four page resume. We don't need to see every single blank on the Common App activities page filled in. In fact, the more you add on, the harder it is for us to get a sense of what you are truly passionate about. Remember, I am not looking for well-rounded students; I am looking to build a well-rounded class of students. Let me know the few things you love to do, are passionate about, and will possibly continue when you get to college. Trust me on this one—your resume shouldn't be longer than your parent's. Pick your top three or four things you commit the most time to and let us know. Keep the most important stuff at the top. Cut the fluff, unless you were NHS president, we don't really need to know you were a member—the majority of the students we admit are (nothing against NHS!). Keep it succinct, sharp, and focus on your passions and what makes you...you.
Get a Job. I just finished reading a resume of an applicant who is a Barista at Starbucks. I loved it. Back in the day everyone had a summer job: lifeguarding, waiting tables, working the carnival rides (or did I just watch too much The Sandlot as a kid). We think having a job shows dedication, responsibility, and maturity—all things we look for in college applicants. Having a humble, part-time job carries just as much weight as being on a sports team or an officer in student government. I did a survey of the admission staff and most of us had summer jobs in high school:
Leila: Employee at a flower shop.
Morgan: Receptionist at a hair salon.
Nora: Worked at a knitting store.
Jill: Ice cream scooper.
Jeff: I worked in the stockroom at good ol' Pier One Imports.
Think Outside the Box. We like non-traditional extracurricular activities. Your resume doesn't just have to be BBYO and baseball. I read an applicant who had a collection of stamps from 136 countries that he'd been working on his whole life. I read someone who did a huge ancestry project to find his family's Russian heritage, even saving money for a trip to his family's homeland. I read applications from students whose parents work very late and they are the primary caregivers to their younger siblings. Or applicants who design custom t-shirts. It doesn't have to be something that you think we're expecting to see.
Be Specific. Did you increase the budget for your student government association by $5,000? Make it to the state meet for the first time in men's track history at your high school? Become the first person in your school to be elected to a national nonprofit group? Tell us the specifics of what you are involved in. Just like in a real life resume, a fact or figure can help out here.
Go Digital. We see things a bit differently at Tulane. While your scores and grades are the most important parts of your application, we'd love to get your story behind the numbers. That is why we are partial to ZeeMee, a great platform that allows high school students to visually share their resumes with us. It's way cooler for me to hear your spoken word poetry than read about it in your resume. I'd rather see a photo of you as the lead in The Wiz than just read about it. We're impressed by seeing you in action. Think of it as LinkedIn meets Instagram for high school seniors. The bonus is this site can stay with you as you build your resume in college and go on to the real world with it. The links in the jobs section above are actually the ZeeMee pages of a few of the admission staff. Have a look at Tulane legend, Owen, too. There's a spot to add your ZeeMee page on the Common App. (side note—ZeeMee is totally, completely optional, and not "optional" optional like the optional statement. That is a lot of times to say optional)
Hope this helps as you get that resume or activities section together in your applications. Good luck!
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