By Dakota McLaughlin, 2025-2026 International Vice President – Division III
Can I be real with you? College costs way more than money. It eats up your time, your energy, and sometimes even your peace of mind. But what if I told you there’s a way to lighten that load?
As a community college student who has earned local and national scholarships—and as a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Transfer Scholarship—I have learned how powerful one document can be: the scholarship resume. Most students don’t think about it until they need it, but it can be the difference between hoping for opportunities and actually securing them.
Why This Matters
Across the country, institutions are looking for Phi Theta Kappa students who bring passion, persistence, and intellectual rigor to their campuses. Documenting your involvement makes those qualities visible. Whether you’re a nontraditional student or came straight from high school, a scholarship resume can become one of your strongest tools for opening doors.
Now, let’s clear up a common mistake: a scholarship resume is not the same thing as a job resume.
- A job resume focuses on your work experience, technical skills, and results tied to a role.
- A scholarship resume highlights academic achievements, leadership, service, honors, and projects that show growth and promise.
Both open doors, but not to the same room.
What to Include
So, what goes into a strong scholarship resume?
Start with contact information and education—your GPA, honors, service-learning courses, and, of course, Phi Theta Kappa membership. From there, highlight scholarships and awards you’ve earned, leadership positions you’ve held, and community service you’ve completed. Round it out with projects, research, and skills—languages, technical tools, or anything else that brings your story to life, showing reviewers the person behind the paperwork. The key is tailoring—a generic resume won’t cut it. Research what a scholarship values and shape your resume to reflect that.
Where PTK Gives You an Edge
This is where PTK shines! Your involvement demonstrates measurable leadership and problem-solving—if you frame it with outcomes. Maybe you mentored officers with a guide that cut transition time in half. Maybe you led a committee that surveyed 300 students and presented findings to local leaders. Maybe you organized your chapter’s weekly meeting or monthly social event. Even if your role felt small, you still demonstrated initiative. When you quantify those efforts, you give reviewers data to measure your effectiveness.
Be Specific and Show Impact
Don’t just say, “I helped with our HIA project.” Instead, say, “I conducted cross-disciplinary research using psychology, sociology, and public health data to identify connections between mental health and belonging, which shaped a new campus support initiative.” The more concrete your examples, the more undeniable your impact.
Presentation Matters
How you present your scholarship resume is almost as important as what’s on it:
- Keep it clean, consistent, and professional.
- Stick to one page unless your record is exceptionally deep.
- Use action verbs, measurable results, and consistent formatting.
- Don’t waste space on unrelated work history—focus on academic, leadership, and service experiences that prove your readiness for opportunity.
Avoid common pitfalls: don’t overcrowd the page, don’t use vague descriptions, and never exaggerate what you can’t back up.
Your Story, Your Future
Here’s the truth: the scholarship resume is your chance to tell a story about who you are, the impact you’ve made, and the potential you’re ready to fulfill.
So, my challenge to you: Start now! Collect your achievements, quantify your impact, and tell your story with confidence. Every project, every event, every late-night, early-morning, or between-class meeting is worth documenting! A well-crafted, thoughtful scholarship resume can open doors you once thought impossible, giving shape to the future you’ve long imagined.
