Improve your chances of getting into college,

The reason to include a resume is if you have information that cannot be conveyed through the designated spaces on the Common Application. If you are able to tell admissions officers what they need to know with just the Common App, don't bother. But if you have more to say than what fits, use a resume.

Do be specific about what you have done. But more important than what you have done ("I was elected president of the Spanish club") include what you ACCOMPLISHED ("under my leadership the club doubled in size and raised $1500").

Don't simply rehash what you have already included on the Common Application.

It's not necessary to include test scores or information about your GPA on a resume. Admissions officers will already have access to that elsewhere in your file.

Be simple and straightforward. Use bullets to set off your accomplishments.

Make it clear to the people reading your application what you are capable of.

Usually it does, yes. But looking at the website for information on how an interview is handled is a wise idea. Some schools don't offer interviews at all. Others only offer informational interviews, which don't actually count in the admissions process. A few schools require them, in which case you bet your bippy they count. Many schools, though, will recommend that you interview if possible.

Schools in the latter group recognize that not every student is able to interview. Those who can, though, can make a difference for themselves in the application process. In general, it's a good idea to interview if you're at all able to. A strong interview can help an admissions committee make a decision about a student who's on the cusp of being admitted.

Interviews can work in a variety of ways. Interviews can be offered by students or adults. They can be evaluative or informational. They can occur on or off campus.

Interviews by students will almost always be on campus. They are a great opportunity for applicants to learn more about a school. And they provide a chance for a school to learn whether a current student believes the applicant will fit in well academically and socially.

Interviews by adults can be conducted by admissions officers or alumni. Some alums are relatively recent grads, while others may have graduated decades ago. Evaluative interviewers give feedback that generally ends up in the applicant's admissions file. The primary goal of an informational interview is to answer questions the applicant may have (these may feel a little like sales pitches depending on the school and the interviewer).

The most basic tip is Know what you want to say before you enter the interview.

What is important for the interviewer to know about you? What are the three most important things s/he should learn? Odds are that opportunities to talk about these will occur naturally over the course of the conversation but if you hear some variation of "Is there anything else you'd like to add?" and you haven't had a chance to cover one of your major points, grab that opportunity before it passes!

Another good tip is to practice so your responses are natural but not too polished. You don't want to sound like you've said the same thing 10 times before, but you do want to make sure you get your point across. Find a friend, a relative, or your college counselor and spend a few minutes making sure you are making the impression you want to make.

Interviews can be conducted by students, admission officers, or alumni representatives.

Regardless of who's conducting your interview, your job is to be professional. Don't assume that because you're talking to a student you have permission to be less formal. Student interviewers are frequently the toughest judges. They're the ones best able to answer the questions like "Would I want to be this applicant's roommate?" and admissions officers value that feedback.

Yes it's possible. Current students are great at answering questions like "Would I want to have this applicant as a roommate?" and "Would I want this applicant to be one of the other members of a 5-person class?" That sort of feedback is valuable to admissions officers who may never have attended the instituation they worked or and/or may have graduated from college some years ago.

If your interview is being conducted by a student, it's important to remember that it's still an admissions interview. Your job is the same: be polite, be professional, and make sure you tell your story.

Practice so your responses are natural but not too polished. You don't want to sound like you've said the same thing 10 times before, but you do want to make sure you get your point across. Find a friend, a relative, or your college counselor and spend a few minutes making sure you are making the impression you want to make.

Spend some time before you go making sure you know what message you want to send. What is important that your interviewer learn about you?

And do your research about the school. Try to have a couple of questions that can't be answered by a quick search of the school's website.

Absolutely. Constant fidgeting, touching your hair, playing with your clothing, et al, can create an impression of nervousness. Sitting with your legs extended four feet in front of your chair can impose upon your interviewers space and make him or her feel uncomfortable. Shrinking into your chair can make you seem timid.

Sit up straight, look your interviewer in the eye, and be natural. It's normal to be nervous; a good interviewer will understand that and, hopefully, help you feel more at ease as the conversation continues.

That's an interesting question. I can think of two ways having a theme song can help. First, if your theme song is one you can turn to for strength or inspiration internally, or somehow use as a mnemonic that can't hurt. Second, if you're willing to sing it for your interviewer, you can be pretty sure you'll be remembered.

Athletics can be a very important hook.

Colleges are communities. They're bringing more people into them every year. Anytime someone with specific knowledge about a particular piece of that community (like, say, a coach) approaches the admissions office to say, "This is an applicant who can make a difference here" it carries weight.

A school does no favors to anyone if it admits a student who clearly does not have what it takes to succeed academically. It hurts the student, it hurts the team, it hurts the coach. But if a student is capable of making it in the classroom, having that athletic talent can be a huge difference-maker in the admissions process.

There are a couple of different types of intercollegiate sports. I'll assume the question here is geared towards varsity sports, though.

There are two major governing bodies of intercollegiate sports: the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Within the NCAA there are three levels of competition, or divisions, Division I, II, and III.

Most of the time what you see when you turn on your TV is an NCAA Division I sport. Bowl games, March Madness, the Frozen Four are all NCAA D. I offerings. Most college athletic scholarships are given by NCAA D. I schools, although D. II schools offer athletic scholarships as well.

Playing a D. I sport can be like having a full-time job while also being a full-time student. Student-athletes often, though not always, have scholarships so there is an expectation that those will be earned through continued commitment to the school and the program. In short, the school is paying your tuition and expects you will work hard for it on the court, field, track what have you.

The balance between athletics and academics can be more even at a D. III school. Many students make the mistake of assuming, though, that the competition at the D. III level is not all that challenging. Depending on the school and program, the competition can be at a very high level.

The same goes for NAIA programs. Don't assume they aren't competitive. Make sure you do your homework. It might be that an NAIA or D. III school is the perfect place for you. You won't know unless you look.

Most begin by talking to their coaches. Telling your coach you want to play your sport in college is the most important step you can take. An experienced coach who has seen other student athletes go on to similar outcomes has a blueprint you can follow. He or she may also have contacts at the college level who can help.

It's important for you to get noticed by college coaches. This can happen in a number of ways. You should make contact with coaches at particular schools as soon as you know you're interested in their programs. Compose a brief, introductory email about yourself, your athletic accomplishments, and why you're interested in a particular school and send to the coach and/or recruitment coordinator (you can usually find the appropriate email address on the school's website). Many programs also have online prospect forms you can fill out. These will give you some idea of what information the coaches are looking for, as well.

Unless you're an athlete in a sport like swimming or track, where times, distances, heights, and numbers are used to measure success, most coaches will eventually want to see you play. Some coaches will be content to watch a video, others will prefer to evaulate you in person. Letting coaches know your schedule can help ensure they keep an eye open for you if they're going to be at a game or tournament you expect to be playing in. Telling your current coach of your interest can help with this as well. If your coach has access to video equipment, you may be able to use it to tape your games.

There are two types of financial aid for prospective athletes (and for anyone else, for that matter): need-based aid, and merit-based aid.

Need-based aid depends on a family's ability to pay. Some schools have discretion in how they award need-based aid and may find ways to award larger financial aid packages to families of prospective athletes even if the school doesn't technically award merit-based aid for athletic purposes.

Most financial aid specifically for athletes, though, is merit-based. It can come in the form of an athletic scholarship or a different type of scholarship. Most athletic departments at the NCAA Division I and II level have a certain number of scholarships to award. They apportion these scholarships among their different sports. Some coaches may choose to break their scholarships into pieces and award four different athletes 1/4 of a scholarship each or two different athletes 1/2 of a scholarship. It's actually quite rare for a student-athlete to receive a full scholarship to play a sport in college.

That depends a little on the sport. Newspapers are filled with headlines about football and basketball coaches offering scholarships to high school sophomores and juniors and even evaluating middle-schoolers who seem to have a lot of potential. But those stories are making news precisely because they're not normal.

It's possible for many students to find athletic homes without speaking to college coaches until the summer before senior year.

The first place to go for help with this process is your coach. Your coach can provide you with an honest assessment of where you are capable of playing and the steps you need to take to make it happen.

Consider how much of the reason for wanting to transfer is you and how much is your school. It's hard to take a good, honest look at yourself and your situation, but if you're considering a transfer, that's what you should do.

Ask yourself why you're unhappy and whether there is anything you can do improve your situation at your current institution. Are your primary concerns social? Academic? Something else?

Are you having trouble making friends? What will be different at a new school that you can't do at your current one?

Are you feeling unchallenged academically? Can you approach professors and/or look into opportunities for research or other outside of the classroom experiences?

Be sure the best solution to your problems is elsewhere otherwise you may find yourself in a similar situation with different scenery.

Colleges may have very specific needs when it comes to admitting transfers. Depending on the school, the year, and the semseter, there may be very real factors constraining the transfer admission process.

For example, a school may be out of financial aid to award. It may not have any housing left to offer. It may need to fill a particular spot on a roster in a certain sport.

These factors can change from semester to semester and year to year. If there's a certain school you're most interested in, it pays to learn as much as you can about that school's transfer process.

Start with why you're unhappy where you are. (You are unhappy, aren't you? Otherwise you wouldn't be considering transferring.) What are you hoping will be different at your next school?

Then take a good look at what you've written and ask yourself the hard question: How much of this is me and how much of this is where I am? Is there any hope of making a fresh start where you are?

If you still want to move on, you've got a good place to begin: You know what you like and what you don't. Find schools that match those criteria, then the work begins.

Depending on the type of school you're looking to move to, transferring can be either easier or harder than coming in as a freshman. Factors that can influence transfer admission rates and policies include availability of housing, financial aid, advisors, and classroom space. These are issues over which you have no control so it might make sense to cast a wider net unless you are seeking admission to one or two specific schools (in which case, you should have a very good reason why those are the best places for you).

Some schools may have more room for transfer students in the fall semester, while others may have more room in the spring. If you aren’t admitted to your first choice transfer institution the first time you apply, it might make sense to try again the following semester. One way to get a sense of an institution’s patterns is to contact someone in the admissions office – often the best person has a title like Transfer Coordinator or Director of Transfer Admission – and ask for some advice about how best to approach the process. Specific questions you can ask include: How many people typically apply to transfer to your institution in the fall vs. spring? How many transfer students do you typically enroll in the fall vs. spring? What factors influence your ability to admit transfer applicants?

Because fewer people in admissions tend to work with potential transfer students than with applicants coming straight from high school, it can be easier to establish a personal relationship with someone who will be involved in making a decision on your candidacy. If that opportunity exists, seize it (but not in a creepy, stalker sort of way). If possible, visit campus and interview directly with that admissions representative. Be polite and honest about your past experiences and hopes for your new institution. Be clear about what you expect will be different from where you are now and, more importantly, what you can contribute to your new community. When that admissions rep reads your application, having met you may make all the difference.

Ranking and reputation while not entirely unimportant are far less important than the opportunities that exist for YOU at a particular institution.

When you go to find your first job, employers will care to some extent where you went to school. But they will care far more about what you did there. If you go to an Ivy League school, get a mediocre GPA and are unable to take advantage of opportunities because you either choose not to go for them or are constantly beaten out for jobs, spots in organizations, etc. by people who have more drive or talent than you, you will emerge with a thin resume and no real story to tell.

If, on the other hand, you go to a school which doesn't have as high a "ranking" but where you are among the most talented and driven students on campus, you will have access to a wide range of opportunities that will allow you to take control of your college experience and write whatever story you wish to.

Official websites are important because they give you a sense of what a particular school says about itself. What opportunities are they emphasizing? What do they care about? What is their mission statement? Does that resonate with you as you read it?

Look carefully at what it says (and doesn't say) about its admissions process. What types of students do they say they value? What numbers do they report and how do you stack up against those?

What a college thinks of itself can be different than what former or even current students think of it. But it's important to know. If there is a disconnect but you really are attracted to what the college says about itself, you might be catching it at the leading edge of a change in its focus, which could open up some tremendous opportunities for you.