What Is a Student Brag Sheet?

When your student begins applying to colleges or trying to land scholarships, they often need to gather some letters of recommendation as part of the process. The main issue is, students may feel that they have little control over what goes into those letters. Luckily, by having a student brag sheet at the ready, that doesn’t have to be the case.

If you’re curious about student brag sheets, here’s what you need to know.

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What Is a Brag Sheet for College?

A brag sheet is a document that outlines a student’s accomplishments. In many ways, a student brag sheet is similar to a student or scholarship resume, as it provides a solid overview of key achievements in a student’s life.

The main difference between a resume and a brag sheet is that the latter is designed with letters of recommendation writers in mind. The goal is to provide the writer with helpful details that they can include when creating the letter, making it easier for them to recall specifics about projects, awards, and other accomplishments.

Whether your student needs letters of recommendation to go along with their Common App, scholarship applications, or any other purpose, providing letter writers with a student brag sheet helps. It gives the writer direction about what the school or scholarship committee needs to know, allowing them to create more effective letters to go with applications.

How to Create a Senior Brag Sheet for College

Creating a brag sheet is fairly simple. Usually, the most difficult part is simply recalling the accomplishments your student wants to include.

At times, they can use scholarship and college essay questions they encounter as a guide. Those give them clues about what the admissions or scholarship committee wants to know, so they can use that to get them thinking in the right direction.

Additionally, simply reflecting on moments they are particularly proud of can work wonders. This can include projects, sports, volunteering, employment, and any other activity that showcases who they are and why they deserve this scholarship or be admitted.

Once they identify some achievements, the process is pretty straightforward. If your student needs to create a senior brag sheet, here is a handy high school brag sheet template and student brag sheet example.

High School Brag Sheet Template

Usually, your student will want to divide their brag sheet into sections. This helps organize their achievements, making it easier for the letter of recommendation writers to find the details they need.

Here is a list of topics a brag sheet may cover, most of which can serve as section headers:

Name and Contact Details
GPA and Class Position or Rank
SAT, ACT, PSAT, and AP Exam Scores
Top Choice Colleges and Target Majors
Academic Awards
Academic Achievements
Non-Academic Awards
Extracurricular Activities
Leadership Positions
Volunteering Experiences
Work Experiences
Additional Information

Now, students don’t necessarily have to include every section. This simply gives them a solid starting point, showcasing the kinds of details they should likely include.

Students should organize their achievements into various categories, giving basic details about each one. The brag sheet is meant to serve as a memory refresher, helping anyone who is writing them a letter of recommendation to identify the information they may want to discuss. It’s okay if each entry is brief.

In many cases, when it comes to a brag sheet format, organizing the information into a table or spreadsheet is the easiest way to go. Here’s what a simple college brag sheet template may look like, depending on the sections your student wants to discuss.

Name:	Address:	Email:	Phone Number:


GPA	Class Rank


Top Choice Schools	Desired Majors




Academic Awards	School Year Earned	Description




Academic Achievements	School Year Earned	Description




Extracurricular Activities	School Year Participated	Description




Volunteer Work	School Year Participated	Description

Student Brag Sheet Example

If your student wants to make sure they use the student brag sheet template properly, seeing an example can help. With the contact information and top choice schools and majors, it would look like this when filled out:

GPA	Class Rank
3.95	4 of 200

Top Choice Schools	Desired Majors
ABC College	Pre-Med
XYZ University	Human Physiology
State U.	Biology

The other sections are all highly similar when it comes to how they are put together. Here is a brag sheet example for extracurricular activities:

Extracurricular Activities	School Year Participated	Description
Varsity Soccer	11 – 12	Varsity soccer mid-fielder, League Champions both years, State Champions 12th grade
Debate Team	10 – 12	Participated in a state debate tournament, placing 3rd in 12th grade. Debate team captain years 11 and 12
Model UN	11 – 12	Model United Nations participant, attended Model UN conference in 12th grade, representing Security Council member nation

As you can see, the goal isn’t to be overly specific. Instead, it’s quick highlights about a student’s experience that can jog a letter of recommendation writer’s memory.

How to Use a Student Brag Sheet for College

For Recommendation Letters

Once your student has their brag sheet for college ready, they may have questions about when to provide it to a letter of recommendation writer. In most cases, the easiest thing to do is ask the person if they would appreciate the information.

Your student can let the letter writer know that they’ve prepared a quick overview of their relevant achievements, designed specifically to help people remember information that may be beneficial to the letter. They should state that their goal isn’t to have the letter writer attest to details they couldn’t reasonably confirm. Instead, it’s a source of inspiration and general guidance.

In most cases, anyone writing a letter of recommendation will appreciate the information. It makes it easier for them to choose relevant details, simplifying the process on their end.

For Non-Letter Purposes

It is important to note that student brag sheets can serve other purposes, too. It can help a student track their achievements, making it easier for them to write college or scholarship essays. If they strive to keep the document updated, it will give them a way to jog their memories when they need it most.

Similarly, they can review it before taking part in college or scholarship interviews. Since talking about achievements can be a big part of the interview process, any quick reference – like a brag sheet – can make that easier.

Ultimately, a student brag sheet is a resource. Make sure your student reviews the high school brag sheet template and college brag sheet example above, even if they aren’t a senior yet. That way, they can get theirs squared away as quickly as possible, allowing them to make the most of this handy document.

What Is a Brag Sheet for College?