How to Create a Brag Sheet

High school students have busy schedules often filled with extracurricular activities, clubs, volunteer work – not to mention academic work, too! All these aspects make up who you are; college admission boards want to see students shine. All your hard work will pay off in the end—you just need to keep track of all these brag-worthy accomplishments.

Free Brag Sheet Template

What’s a Brag Sheet?

A brag sheet is similar to a student resume – it highlights your accomplishments, key experiences, leadership skills and employment throughout your secondary education. Essentially, it’s a quick reference guide with all the details and achievements for someone trying to get to know you better.

How to Use a Brag Sheet

Your brag sheet can be used for many purposes. A Letter of Recommendation Guide: Share your brag sheet with your public high school teachers, coaches, or any other adults with whom you are asking for letters of recommendation. Though a teacher may have you in class, they may only know some of the clubs and activities you participate in, both in and outside your school district. The brag sheet will help them easily reference your accomplishments, activities, and skills should they need help. Remember, many of these adults have hundreds of students to keep track of, so it’s difficult to reference each student’s accomplishments without help. Making it easier for them to do so will help them write a letter of recommendation effortlessly, which certainly works in your favor. A College Application Supplement : Including your brag sheet with your college applications can also give college admissions officers more insight into who you are outside your student role. While having an excellent GPA and high test scores is terrific, colleges also want to see students who give back to the community and are active beyond traditional academics. You may also want to keep your brag sheet handy when, or if you decide to complete the Common Application. A Tool to Help with Scholarship Applications: Use your brag sheet to help you reference the activities and projects you have been involved in. This will also serve as a writing prompt for any scholarship applications that require an essay. Be sure to update your brag sheet each semester.

How to Create Your Brag Sheet

As with college essays, keep your brag sheet as clear and concise as possible. Anyone who reads your brag sheet will read many student documents. For enhanced readability, you can use bullet points instead of long paragraphs and keep your brag sheet to one page.

What to Include on Your Brag Sheet

A brag sheet doesn't need to look like a typical resume. It should include your grade point average (GPA) and any test scores (such as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT). But remember, the main highlight of your brag sheet is to showcase your high school career and personal accomplishments. Starting from ninth grade, include all your experiences. Ideally, you would have been keeping track of all your time in any extracurricular activity, sport, club, travel, or volunteer service, as well as any awards, leadership positions, etc. If you have not been keeping track, you should start building your brag sheet (you’ll be grateful you had come your senior spring semester). At the top of your brag sheet, include your name, address, and contact information. Some brag sheets include a question-and-answer format, which is your option. Some students answer questions but only include them when giving their brag sheet to individuals writing letters of recommendation, not to potential colleges. You'll have to figure out the best option for you.

Sample Brag Sheet Questions

• What would you consider your most outstanding academic and personal accomplishment thus far?
• Talk about an event or happening in your life that significantly impacted you. How did it affect your life, both personally and academically?
• Describe yourself using only five positive adjectives.
• What do you consider your three greatest academic strengths and weaknesses? Please briefly explain your answers.
• What do you consider your three greatest personal strengths and weaknesses? Please briefly explain your answers.
• Are there any factors or circumstances in your life related to your grades or admission test scores that you would like colleges to be aware of?
• Are you excited to explore a particular academic area in college? If yes, which area of study and why?
• Are you interested in a particular profession? Why?
• Briefly introduce yourself to your future college roommate.

High School Experiences and Activities that Colleges Like to See

• Volunteer and community service work
• Leadership positions you’ve held
• Non-academic extracurricular activities such as your involvement in music, arts, or athletics
• Academic clubs or academically focused extracurricular activities you are (or have been) involved in
• Honors and awards you’ve received (in school, community, or otherwise)
• Employment, part-time or otherwise
When listing items like jobs, volunteer work and community service, include your supervisor’s name and number with the description. This way, colleges can verify your experiences. Listing all you’ve accomplished can seem uncomfortable, but they are your WINS! Remember, this is called a brag sheet for a reason. While you should be honest (some schools do verify these), you should not be overly humble – it’s time to highlight your triumphs!

Free Student Resume Template

We've created a brag sheet template you can use to keep track of all your student activities. Consider converting this into an electric file for safekeeping. This will also allow you to add and edit it quickly!

Brag Sheet Example