​Track Your Achievements, Activities and Accomplishments

Only a few more weeks and school is out for the summer!  But until then you will be busier than ever. Finishing up classes, getting ready for finals, celebrating your accomplishments and planning for next year.  Clubs and groups will hold elections for new officers. Some teams will hold tryouts for next year. Honor societies will host inductions for new members. And awards ceremonies will celebrate student achievements and accomplishments.

But have you been keeping a record of your high school activities and achievements?  

Paper notebook or computer notes! Your choice!

It is important.  And it is never too early to start.  Freshman and Sophomores, this message is for you.  Juniors, now is the time if you have not already. Just create a document on your computer or in a notebook and at the end of each school year (or each semester) update it with anything new.  

Why?  Because when you are filling out your college applications, you will be very happy to open your tracker document and have all the information you need about your activities, achievements and accomplishments neatly saved in one place.  

What format should your tracker document be? Anything that works for you.  A list with each item. A table with columns. It just needs to be simple and easy for you to update it quickly with your latest and greatest activities and achievements.  Remember, this is not your resume. This is all the information about you that will be used to create a resume or fill in your applications.

What information should you keep track of? Here is a list to start with.  

• Extracurricular Activities (teams, clubs, groups)

• Leadership (roles, titles)

• Honors/Awards/Accolades (date awarded, achievement, accomplishment)

• Community Service (locations, task, hours)

• Work (location, responsibilities, hours per week)

• Skills/Passions/Hobbies

Data to keep track of (you might not have this information for each item).

• Start Date

• End Date

• Location (School, Work, Group)

• Team/Club Name

• Role (Member, Leader, Title)

• Number of hours per week

• Number of weeks per year

Examples:   

May 2018 - May 2019 - Tompkins High School - President, Best Buddies Club (11)

June 2018 - August 2018 - Kroger - Personal Shopper, 20 hours per week (11)

April 2018 - Present - Tompkins High School - Member of National Honor Society (10)

June 2018 - August 2018 - Lunches of Love - Delivered lunches to kids, 2 hours per week (10)

March 2017 - Outstanding Technician Award, UIL District 19-6A One Act Play Competition, Katy, TX (9)

This is a simple list.  It is easy to add to each semester or at the end of each year.  But it captures the data that you will need when creating a resume or filling out college applications. One less thing to feel overwhelmed about!

By creating and updating your tracker document throughout high school, you can be confident that you will remember all the activities, achievements and accomplishments you want to share with admissions officers, future employers and membership committees.  

Planning ahead keeps you in control of your college access journey!