One supplemental document that a graduate program might request that you provide is your resume. You should take the time to prepare your resume so that it reflects and highlights everything you see as applicable to the program that might increase your chances of acceptance. Thus, your resume should be tailored to the program that you are applying to, for example if you are hoping to be accepted to medical school, be sure to include any hospital volunteering you’ve done, relevant upper level biology classes, etc. Be sure to go into detail about your academic history. List your degrees, GPA (if it is above a 3.2), acknowledgments, awards, clubs or sports teams that you were involved in. Use your resume as a summation of yourself. If you have internships or job experience, be sure to list those as well. Your resume will be used by admissions committees as a reference for who you are and where you’ve been. Include references of people that can be contacted to speak on your behalf. These might be the same people that wrote your recommendation letters, though a former boss might work just as well. At the end of the day, the admissions committee wants to know who you are as a person, and the resume acts as that liaison in your absence. That being said, keep your resume updated and descriptive. However, be wary of going overboard on the resume. Typically, a resume should not be longer than one to two pages, so keep it concise where possible and focus on the things you most want known about yourself via your resume.
Here is a sample of a resume for someone that is applying to a creative writing or English master’s program, note how they’re writing experience is on display more than other details:
Resume Example:
John Smith
123 Address Ave, Madison, RI, 29414, (123) – 546 – 7891, [email protected]
Education
Salve Regina University
- English Lit Major Newport, RI
- McAuley Scholarship Recipient August 2015-May 2016
- Senior Thesis: Optimism in Dystopia
College of the Holy Cross
- English/Art History Double Major Worcester, MA
- Varsity Track and Field Team August 2013 to May 2015
- Art History SAC (Student Advisory Committee)
- Patriot League Academic Honor Role
Portsmouth Abbey School (High School)
- Head Boy (student body president) Portsmouth, RI
- Harvard Book Award Recipient (2013) May 2013
- Dorm Prefect
- Scholar Athlete Award (2013)
- 3 Sport Varsity Athlete (2 Sport Varsity Captain)
- Debate Club President
Work Experience
The Newport Mercury
- Event Section Editor Newport, RI
- Weekly Publication January 2016-May 2016
- Freelance Work
Millennial Culture Blog
- chillennials.wordpress.com Portsmouth, RI
- Creator, Manager, Editor November 2016 – Present
- Twitter page manager (500 followers)
Reggae Music Blog
- thereggaeconnection.blogspot.com
- Founder, Maintainer, Producer Portsmouth, RI
- Created website and all content February 2016 – Present
- Twitter page garnered over 500 followers
Rainbowexoticmusic.com
- Album Reviewer Portsmouth, RI
- New Music Critic November 2016 – Present
- Daily-Weekly Posts
Campus Activities and Service
Volunteer Assistant Track Coach Spring 2014-Present
- Assisted in technique and skills for local public middle school track and field team
Appalachia Service Project Spring 2012
- Assisted in refurbishing and building of homes along Appalachian trail in Kentucky
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center
- Helped out in the food pantry and with seasonal events
Portsmouth Public Library
- Reorganized the movie/DVD section of the library
Skills
Computer: Microsoft Office Suite, PowerPoint, Public Speaking, Web Browsers, Social Media, wordpress, blogspot
Language: English
References
Available upon request