do you need to present your resumé in the college application?

Answered

It depends. If you are like me and have more than 10 activities (I've participated in several writing contests, pre-college programs, and have a few awards) then you will probably need a resume to send to college. The Common Application (which is what many American students use when applying to college) only has 10 spots for activities, 5 spots for Foreign languages, and not much else. This can be limiting for some students. Only have a resume if a large part of your activities is at the national/ international level. Submitting a resume that only has local, really non-prestigious activities won't do much. On top of that, be selective where you send it. If a college has a 60% or up acceptance rate, don't send one. There won't be any reason to send one, since you will likely be accepted. Sending a resume there will only end up in a horror story and leave admissions officers unamused.

Edit: This is where I recommend you download an example pdf of the Common Application. In it, you'll see a list asking you what languages (apart from English) you speak. There are 5 spaces for any languages you speak. If you speak more (which would be a little shocking if you are a high-schooler) then I'd include it in the resume.

Also, contrary to what some people are commenting on, you shouldn't use a resume to further talk about your activities unless they are super hard to explain. Writing contests, playing an instrument, and etc, are not that hard to explain in the space you are provided in the Common App. (NOTE: Try to quantify your achievements when describing them. This gives a bit more But let's say you have some more rare things, like building Newton Telescopes. This is where having a resume or doing interviews with AOs really helps.