The Brag Sheet: How to Get Started

The brag sheet is essentially a resume of everything you have done outside the classroom throughout high school. A brag sheet can be used for college and/or job applications and is helpful when putting together a formal resume. Brag sheets are also useful to provide someone when requesting he or she write a letter of recommendation.

You should keep record of what you have been doing since you started ninth grade. Updates/additions to the worksheet while you move through high school will ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities to highlight activities that might raise your profile.

It includes 7 categories:

Extracurricular: Includes Student Senate, yearbook, music, drama, art, organizations, clubs, etc.

Sports: Includes organized sports in and out of school.

Summer Experiences: Missions trips, summer travel programs (not vacations), summer school at a college that interests you, sports/summer camps, community service projects, etc. You can include the summer before ninth grade.

Awards/Honors: Includes school, regional or national prizes in any subject, sports awards, National Merit Standing, end-of-year awards, etc.

Employment: Camp counselor, babysitting, internships, tutoring, jobs, etc.

Hobbies: Interests you have that are not organized: READING (with a book list), computer programming, etc. Be selective.

Church/Community: Youth group/discipleship group involvement, leadership positions, mission trips, community service, etc.

Once you read the example, download the brag sheet blank to get started. List extracurricular activities and hobbies in order of their importance to you. Everything else should be listed in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent.

Also indicate the amount of time you have spent on the activities. Note: In the third column, which is titled “Hours/Weeks”, this means how many hours a week you do (did) the activity and how many weeks a year you do (did) it. For example, if you write “4/40” it means you do it for four hours a week for 40 weeks of the year.

Ask your parents or someone close to you to sit down with you and start brainstorming.

Download the Brag Sheet template on the next page and start entering activities. Save it and add to it after each semester. This will give you a big head start when it gets to fall of senior year! This can also make you aware of areas you might want to concentrate on “filling in” a bit in the years to come.