Academic resumes are similar to the traditional resume with one notable difference – rather than describing your work experience or on-the-job-accomplishments, you will give a rundown of your academic accomplishments and college-related qualifications. There are two major reasons why you want to have an academic resume handy if you’re interested in applying to grad school in the near future:

Because, Recommendation Letters

Academic resumes are great tools to assist in seeking out well-written letters of recommendation. Mostly all graduate programs require some form of letter of recommendation. Preferably, your letter writer knows YOU, your intentions to go onto grad school, and can speak to your aptitude to do well – with specific examples and personal anecdotes. But oftentimes, you ask someone who knows you fairly well, but only in a certain context. For example, the professor you’ve taken a few classes with, TA who’s more accessible than the professor, or a supervisor at work.

Professors are practically bombarded with requests for letters of recommendation during Grad School Application Season. It only makes sense to make their job easier. Submit an academic resume along with your request. It gives them a more complete view of your overall background and potential to do well in grad school than what they may know about you personally. More detailed information equals richer letters of recommendation. Richer letters of recommendation speak for itself that the letter writer *really* knows the candidate.

What if you’ve been out of school for awhile? You have even more of a reason to get started writing your academic resume. Natural choices to ask for letters of recommendation include work or volunteer supervisors. These people will need it even moreso. Yes, they know YOU, but they may not know about the fact that you made Dean’s List or were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society or any number of the wonderful extracurricular activities you’ve been participating in.

Special Request By Committee

Sometimes, the admissions committee will request a copy of your academic resume as part of your overall application package. It will be reviewed alongside your GPA, standardized test scores, essays, and other items you were asked to submit. Again, the resume should provide an overall portrait of you as a candidate.

What To Include

Academic resumes need not be lengthy. As a matter of fact, a one-page-er is more than adequate. Two pages is a hard limit. Some of the information to consider including:

• GPA
• Major/Minor
• Honors and Awards
• Research Experience
• Internships/Practical Work Experience
• Volunteer Experience
• Extracurricular Activities

Once you have the basics, then it’s high time to get down to the business of formatting. Stay tuned for Part II on where you can located adjustable templates.