Hey there, I need to come up with a brag sheet for my college applications and I'm pretty lost. Has anyone ever seen or made a standout brag sheet? Could really use some guidance or examples!
For sure, crafting a brag sheet is an essential step in the college admissions process, and it's all about strategic self-promotion.
Firstly, a brag sheet should be organized in sections that correlate to a standard resume, except the focus is on academics and extracurricular activities as opposed to work experiences. Here's a basic breakdown:
1. Personal Information: Your full name, grade, current school, contact information, and a very brief bio.
2. Academic Achievements: List and describe your academic successes. This could include your GPA, honor roll, advanced coursework (AP, IB, honors classes), awards in academic competitions, recognitions received, etc.
3. Extracurriculars: Detail your involvement in clubs, sports, community service, summer programs, leadership roles, etc. Use the 4 Tiers of Extracurriculars to help prioritize your activities (Tier 1 being the most prestigious). Include depth and breadth of involvement, as well as your specific contributions.
4. Community Service: Highlight your service activities. This could involve long-term volunteering at a local organization, single occasion volunteering events, or any community service project that you've led or participated in.
5. Work Experience: If you've had any jobs, internships, or work-based learning experiences, note down your roles, responsibilities, and any quantifiable achievements.
6. Skills and Interests: This is where you can showcase your unique talents, hobbies, or skills. They can give more context about your passions and personality.
A good example entry for extracurriculars might look like this: "Varsity Debater, School Debate Club (11th and 12th Grade) - Led my school's team in multiple regional and state-level competitions, successfully placed in the top 3 in four meets."
Remember to make your descriptions action-oriented, clear, and detailed. The goal is to demonstrate your skills, achievements, and character traits. Your "brag sheet" will give the colleges a snapshot of who you are beyond your academic achievements.
Note that application portals often limit the number of extracurriculars you can include, so your brag sheet may have more activities than you can include on your applications. That's totally okay—your brag sheet is meant to be a comprehensive record of your high school accomplishments. If you find that you have a lot of activities and not enough space, you should prioritize the ones where you've shown growth, leadership, commitment, or a significant achievement.
If you're utilizing this for recommendation letters, remember that your teachers and counselors can only include stories or accomplishments in their letters that they know about, so the more details and activities you share with them, the more ammunition they have for their letter. You might want to customize or update your brag sheet depending on who you're giving it to. For math or science recommenders, highlight your STEM activities; for humanities recommenders, focus on your humanities-oriented accomplishments.
Although creating a brag sheet might take some time and thought, it's extremely rewarding. Plus, it can also be useful when you sit down to complete your college applications and resume. Good luck!
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