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good recommendation letter</a> should give a strong impression of who you are and what you’ve accomplished during your time in high school.</p>
<p>Now, you might be thinking…</p>
<p><em>My guidance counselor barely knows me.</em></p>
<p><em>I just moved here. How will my teacher know what to say? </em></p>
<p><em>I’m not involved at school, but I do a lot of community service outside of school that no one even knows about. </em></p>
<p><em>My teacher has 15 letters to write, what if he forgets what I asked him to say? </em></p>
<p>It’s normal to feel anxious about trusting a teacher, guidance counselor, coach, or mentor to write your recommendation letter, but don’t fret. A student brag sheet for letters of recommendation is the perfect way to give your potential recommenders a snapshot of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. </p>
<h2>What is a Brag Sheet for High School Students?</h2>
<p>A brag sheet is like your <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/writing-about-high-school-accomplishments">high school resume</a>, but a little less formal. It’s a space to “brag” about your academic, leadership, employment, and community service accomplishments.</p>
<p>Some brag sheets follow a question and answer template with questions like this: </p>
<p><em>What accomplishment are you most proud of from your time in high school? </em></p>
<p><em>What profession are you interested in and why? </em></p>
<p><em>What three words would you use to describe yourself and why? </em></p>
<p>Others merely list your achievements—a section for contact information, a section for activities, a section for work experience, and a section for community service.</p>
<h2>What is the Purpose of a College Brag Sheet?</h2>
<p>Students hand brag sheets out when asking someone to write a recommendation letter for college admissions. It’s a great “cheat sheet” for the person writing the letter. They can quickly learn about what you’ve accomplished and incorporate some of those ideas into their writing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In some cases, you might even send the brag sheet along with your college admissions applications. However, an official high school resume is a more professional way to format your achievements for an admissions counselor. </p>
<p>What Do I Do with My High School Brag Sheet?</p>
<p>When you ask a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, etc. for a recommendation letter, give them your brag sheet. This versatile document gives your recommender the information he or she needs to recommend you for a job, a <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/how-to-develop-leadership-skills-in-high-school">leadership position</a>, college admissions, an <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/getting-an-internship">internship, or a <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/apply-for-scholarships">scholarship.
<p>Hand out a paper copy but offer to email it too. An electronic copy of your high school brag sheet is easier to refer to when typing out a recommendation letter.</p>
<p><img src=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/asset.plexuss.com/news/images/what-to-put-on-brag-sheet.jpg" alt="What to Put on Brag Sheet"width="400" height="250"/></p>
<h2>How Do I Know What to Put on a Brag Sheet?</h2>
<p>Putting together a college brag sheet is a lot less pressure than putting together a high school resume for college applications or <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/high-school-college-fairs">college fairs</a>. You’re only handing it to individuals who know you and who are doing you a favor, not weighing whether you’re a good fit a particular college. You don’t need to fret over whether something is “good” enough to include. Just include it anyways.</p>
<p>Your brag sheet should always include the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Contact information</li>
<li>Expected high school graduation date</li>
<li>Expected college enrollment date</li>
<li>GPA and test scores</li>
<li><a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/college-majors">Chosen major</a></li>
<li>Future career goals</li>
<li>9<sup>th</sup>-12<sup>th</sup> grade activities and achievements* with dates</li>
</ul>
<p><em>*Experiences and achievements include </em><a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/high-school-extracurricular-activities">extracurricular activities</em></a><em>, sports, church membership, volunteer service, leadership positions, awards, and employment. Leave off anything that happened before 9<sup>th</sup> grade, unless it was something exceptional like winning a national spelling bee or publishing a book. </em></p>
<p>Optionally, your brag sheet might include a question and answer format. Question and answer brag sheets give your recommenders more to go off. When you answer the question, <em>why do you want to go to college and study nursing</em>, you’re providing more personal details than merely writing “nursing” as your chosen major.</p>
<h2>How Do I Format My Student Brag Sheet?</h2>
<p>Resumes have traditional formats that employers and colleges are used to seeing. Brag sheets come with more wiggle room.</p>
<p>You can put together your brag sheet however you would like, but most go in the same general order: contact information, academic information, major and career goals, list of activities, and an optional questions and answers section.</p>
<p>Other brag sheet format tips include:</p>
<ol>
<li>Type and don’t handwrite the brag sheet</li>
<li>Use an easy-to-read font in an appropriate size (11 or 12)</li>
<li>Opt for bullet points when describing achievements and activities</li>
<li>Keep responses thorough yet concise</li>
<li>Include dates wherever possible</li>
<li>Save it as a PDF for sending via email</li>
</ol>
<p>If you’re unsure about what format to choose, speak with your <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/how-high-school-guidance-counselors-can-help-with-college">high school guidance counselor</a>. Guidance counselors write letters of recommendation and know what information they want from students. Some high schools even require college-bound students to fill out a standardized brag sheet. It typically includes a section for your activities and several prewritten questions to answer. </p>
<h2>Do I Have to Make a Brag Sheet?</h2>
<p>If you need a recommendation letter, you need to put together a brag sheet.</p>
<p>The time spent putting it together is worth it because you’ll end up with a more personal, more memorable letter of recommendation.</p>
<p>For some, writing a brag sheet can feel uncomfortable, especially if you’re soft-spoken or humble. Instead of thinking of it as a <em>“brag”</em> sheet, just think of it as a helpful reminder tool for your recommender. It makes the task of writing a recommendation letter less burdensome and more accurate.</p>"/>
