There is a lot to cover on the topic of résumés. I will save conversations for strategy, quantifying accomplishments, demonstrating “fit,” how admissions evaluates the résumé, and other themes for later posts.

Today, I want to talk about formatting.

College résumés are not professional one- or two-page résumés. I think, sometimes, well-meaning parents adapted to the corporate world assume that practices in their area of expertise apply to college admissions. This simply isn’t the case. College résumés are different. For UT, and for most universities that allow for a paper résumé, the résumé can be as long as the applicant chooses.

The formatting also doesn’t matter as long as it is organized and free of errors. UT used to provide some excellent examples and templates of what they expect in the résumé. They don’t anymore. After some digging, you can still find this useful document.

There are no correct or incorrect ways to format the résumé. Here, content counts.

You should still thoroughly complete the résumé sections on the Apply Texas application. UT recommends that students submit a paper copy called the “expanded résumé” through their Document Upload System online after you submit Apply Texas. For transfer students, the expanded résumé is required.

The résumé should add details and complement the information provided on Apply Texas. I will discuss this in future posts.