ATTENTION PARENTS: Why Your High School Senior Should Have a Resume, LinkedIn Profile, & Tailored Essays for College Applications
As a high school student preparing for college applications, standing out from the crowd is essential. With thousands of applicants vying for limited spots, having a strong resume and LinkedIn profile—and essays that are not AI generated—can make the difference in acceptance. These tools not only showcase a student’s achievements but also give them a way to control their narrative and highlight their unique story. Below is why:
1. Resumes Highlight Achievements Beyond Academics
While some colleges require only an activities list, submitting a resume provides a fuller picture of a student’s accomplishments. A well-crafted resume showcases academic achievements, work experience, volunteer involvement, extracurricular activities, and awards in one place. A distinctive resume also features your value proposition, and a summary of the value you bring to a particular college’s culture.
Key resume sections:
Education: Your school name, GPA, class rank, and relevant coursework (e.g., AP or Honors classes).
Work & Volunteer Experience: Part-time jobs, job shadowing, or community service projects. Highlight leadership roles and responsibilities.
Extracurricular Activities: Sports, clubs, civic organizations, and hobbies that demonstrate your passions and interests outside the classroom.
Honors and Awards: Academic recognition, athletic achievements, and external recognitions such as an Eagle Scout award.
Skills: Hard, soft, and technical skills. Also include languages and proficiency level (i.e., basic, conversational, etc.)
Teachers and mentors who are writing recommendation letters for your students, greatly appreciate a resume for context. By sharing your resume, you make it easier for them to highlight your strengths and accomplishments.
2. LinkedIn Offers College Networking Opportunities & More
LinkedIn isn’t just for working professionals—it’s a powerful platform for high school students to build a digital presence and share their story. And with more than 560 million users, LinkedIn connects students to colleges, admissions officers, professors, recruiters, and professionals in their fields of interest.
Nowadays, many colleges consider an applicant’s social media presence. A Kaplan Test Prep survey found that 68% of colleges view social media as ‘fair game’ when evaluating students. By maintaining a polished LinkedIn profile, you control what admissions officers see and ensure it aligns with the story you’re telling in your application.
Benefits of a LinkedIn profile for college applications:
Showcase More Than an Essay: Unlike the Common App, which limits you to 650 words, LinkedIn allows you to share your passions, awards, projects, and even videos or links. It acts as a supplemental portfolio that brings your story to life and humanizes you.
Engage with Colleges: Many universities have LinkedIn University Pages. By following and interacting with these pages, you can demonstrate interest in specific schools and learn more about their programs.
Build a Professional Network: Start connecting with family friends, mentors, community leaders, or even professionals in fields you’re interested in. These connections could lead to recommendations, internships, job shadowing opportunities, or career advice.
To make the most of LinkedIn, include your profile link in your college applications. Be sure to create a custom URL with your name to make it professional and easy to share.
3. Authentic essays showcase your unique voice, experiences, and personality
More and more colleges are using tracking systems to screen out Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated application content. Have this conversation with your student so they don’t get eliminated unnecessarily from the admissions process.
Admissions officers value genuine stories that reflect a student’s character and aspirations. AI-generated essays lack the personal touch and depth that make an application memorable, reducing your student’s chances of standing out in a competitive pool.
Bottom line
Parents, I speak from first-hand experience when I say, these tips can be a game changer for your young adult in submitting a competitive college application. My own son secured acceptances from his top 5 schools – none of which we were fully confident he’d meet the requirements. But he initiated every tip in this article, and after following up with his admissions advisors on college acceptance, here’s what they told me “…made the difference…” in his applications:
Essays were personal. “…clearly not AI generated. So personal!”
Resume & LinkedIn all-star profile, “…got my attention. I really felt I got to know him.”
Recommendation letters from meaningful connections. “…great choices. It takes courage for these students to do this. His approach stood out."
Commitment letter—“…rarely, do you see these. Good sign he really wanted to be here.”
If you’d like help with putting your student’s college materials together, click here to learn more about my communications background or get started with a free consult.