Tuesday, September 30, 2008

RESUME TIPS FOR GRAD SCHOOL!

I was in the same predicament as Anna is in about a month ago. She had kindly reminded me that the deadline for UM applications is Dec. 1, as opposed to Feb. 1 like all the other graduate schools in the nation!! I had minor breakdown (sugarcoating a bit), rescheduled my GRE for a closer date (now exactly 4 weeks away!), and panicked for answers of how to gear my resume for graduate school. I was actually a bit confused of why graduate schools even needed resumes. Mcclung says its just a reference for them just in case your GRE score or GPA aren't too high. If they see you have a ton of experience, internships, and positions, it's an explanation.

So, I decided to head over to the Career Center for someone to take a look at my resume and guide me in some direction. Here are a few tips they told me:

  • NO RELATIVE COURSEWORK: they can see that in your transcripts
  • Put any volunteer projects instead- schools like to see community service
  • Avoid as much white space as possible
  • Put any relative experiences (internships) and jobs you've had in undergrad
  • Don't put languages unless you know more than one
  • Don't put computer skills unless you know Photoshop, Illustrator, etc
  • If you have languages and computer skills, combine the 2 under "SKILLS"
  • Put dates for activities and positions held
  • Don't put "references:available upon request"- there is no need and they have recommnedation letters
  • Putting an objective is optional- you could personalize it to the school and program but not neccessary
  • Nothing from high school
  • Remember that they have your transcripts, recommendation letters, admissions essay, and GRE scores- the resume is only a supplement, unlike for a job
I think that is pretty much it for catering your resume for graduate school applications. It really helped me a lot and I was able to fill in that space when I took out "Relative Coursework." These tips were mostly based on the resume I walked in with, but I hope it helps anyone applying to graduate school! Go to the Career Center for them to read, most are grad students and can help answer a lot more questions!

RESUME TIPS FOR GRAD SCHOOL!

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