If you are looking to obtain a postgraduate degree or enter an internship course, a well-written college student resume may help you complete mission. College student resume is included in the standard package of documents to admission to Master's program or doctoral studies of most universities. In case of Bachelor’s Degree programs, this document is not of high importance. For future masters and postgraduate students, an academic resume can become a serious competitive advantage in the struggle for a place in the course.
The academic summary is a generalizing document of professional, academic and non-academic achievements of the candidate. The purpose of an academic resume is to strengthen the profile of the candidate and highlight those qualities that admissions committee members want to see in candidates. Academic resume writing is not about listing your professional skills, experiences, achievements, awards, school education; here, you need to choose winning sales/ marketing strategy to brand yourself and make a customer (committee) interested.
A well-written resume can increase your chances of admission at times. In this article, we decided to share a few tips that will help make your academic CV more individual and interesting. Let's talk about effective techniques to be used in college resume creating.
Important Aspects of Academic Resume Writing
The main objective of the academic resumes is to familiarize members of the admissions committee with an academic background you have so far. Remember that academic CV is not a biography. It should outline the stages of your development that should dispel the doubts of the university staff about the fact that you are the best candidate. Remember that this document cannot exceed 2 pages. Even if the applicant is a successful candidate and has a lot to say about himself, word count standards are to be met.
Just like any coursework, a top resume for college student consists of three main parts:
- introduction;
- body;
- conclusion.
Each major element should serve its specific purpose. Information an applicant aims to convey shouldn’t be mixed; assure a logical flow of content development within your piece of writing.
What to Start with?
The most spread mistake applicants make is indicating their detailed personal information (name, gender, age, nationality, etc.) at the beginning of a resume. These general data do not matter a lot. In the world of science, achievements are estimated first; knowing your gender, nationality, and age do not make any sense to the admissions committee. We advise you indicate your contact information (email, postal address, mobile). Admission committee members should know where to reach out to you.
If you want to make your CV eye-catchy, this writing guide is will show you what techniques are useful it catching reader’s attention immediately.
What to Write in Body?
After the introductory data in the CV, information about the educational background follows. The main thing is that you need to show everything in the reverse chronological history; briefly state the places where you studied and degrees you have received. In this section, you can include information about the certificates obtained and courses you have taken. It would be great if the acquired education is related to the field in which the applicant plans to study and he has some knowledge of the subject. If it is not the case, it is possible to provide any information smartly.
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Publications/ Scientific Works/ Speeches
Having scientific/ non-scientific publications and mentioning them in an academic resume can be a significant competitive advantage. The only thing is important here - make sure they are correctly formatted in your resume (APA or MLA format). Follow the order: the name of the publication author, publication title, and the year of the publication. If you do not have any publications to put in your CV, alternatively, you can indicate speeches at scientific meetings or educational events. This information is relevant and will add value to your application to create a good impression. Do not hesitate to mention honors; they should be a part of your CV.
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Knowledge of Foreign Languages
Even if you have completed a basic course on French, do not hesitate including it in the content. No need to write what this course was about and how much time it lasted. It would be enough to specify the level of knowledge acquired. If you know one or two foreign languages, include this data in your CV, elaborating on the level that you can confirm with official papers.
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Skills
In this section, it is necessary to tell about key skills you have obtained in the course of professional or academic activities. Write down a standard set of phrases typical for this kind of CV’s. Strong communication and leadership skills, knowledge of MS Office are some of them. In this section, more complex skills should be demonstrated; for example, the ability to work in highly specialized programs. In the text, you can list programs you have experience working in.
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References
In addition, if you have references and recommendations from well-known professors/ company employers with whom you worked together, include this in your CV. This information will add an extra value to your application.
How to Make Conclusions?
A good way of summing up a college student resume is to duplicate your personal information so that an admissions committee doesn’t need to find it elsewhere. Each word should make sense.
Academic Resume Writing Tips
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Adjust a resume
Make a resume based on the description of the program you are applying to. Carefully read the requirements to applicants. Ask yourself what to include in the resume so that it fully complies with the format of the program. From your resume, it should be clear that you are the person who possesses all the necessary skills and knowledge for the successful study or work.
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Play with the design
The information you provide in your resume should be easy to understand and perceive. Choose a font and design convenient for reading; the arrangement of categories in CV should be logical not to misguide a reader. Nothing should complicate the reading.
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Think on how to present your skills
It is work experience and professional skills that make your application special and easy to notice by the admissions committee among many other students. We advise placing this category before identifying the obtained diplomas or educational certificates.
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Mention a volunteer club teamwork
Point out your volunteer employment and activities in any industry or business. It will be an advantage for you apart from any other jobs listed in your academic resume.
An academic resume is an important document that can decide your future and professional development. If compiled correctly, it can open many doors in front of you. Follow the above pieces of advice to increase your chances of being accepted and obtain a job of your dream. You can check free examples of CV’s submitted by applicants after graduation to position them well. You can use college student resume examples as a college student resume template and fill it out with your career information and cover it in your CV sample.