What is a brag sheet for college applications?

A brag sheet is a one- or two-page summary of your activities, awards, test scores, and accomplishments in high school. Students use it to keep all their information in one place and to share with teachers, counselors, and others who are helping with their college applications.

When should I start my high school brag sheet?

You can start a brag sheet as early as 9th grade and update it each semester. The earlier you start, the easier it is to remember details like hours, roles, and dates when you are filling out applications later.

How do I use my brag sheet to write college essays?

Use your brag sheet as a brainstorming tool. Highlight a few activities or experiences that matter most to you, think about what you learned from them, and look for patterns or themes. Those themes often point to strong personal statement or supplemental essay topics.

How can a brag sheet help with teacher recommendation letters?

A brag sheet gives teachers and counselors important context they may not see in class, such as your activities, leadership roles, and goals. When they know more about your story, they can write more specific, personalized recommendation letters.

What is the difference between a brag sheet and a resume?

A brag sheet is an internal planning document that can be longer and more detailed, while a resume is a polished one-page document you send to colleges, employers, or programs. Most students create their resume by selecting and reformatting information from their brag sheet.

How do I organize test scores and retakes on my brag sheet?

Create a section where you list each test, the dates you took it, and your scores. Include which scores are your highest and any notes about retakes or superscoring. This helps you and your counselor decide which scores to send to colleges.

How to Write a Brag Sheet

Four-Year Academic PlanningCollege Counseling

Jun 9

Written By Lynne Fuller

By Lynne Fuller, Founder of College Flight Path

Keeping track of high school activities is essential to accurately track experiences, reflect on interests, and identify growth opportunities. The following article covers how to write a brag sheet, including highlights of some of the key features your student will want to share with colleges, national honor society, internships, and their first employers. We recommend using the College Flight Path Brag Sheet and using it to outline all pursuits for the college admissions process and beyond!

What is a Brag Sheet?

A Brag Sheet tracks everything done outside of high school coursework. It is wise to start when entering high school in 9th grade and update it frequently. This can include joining a club, playing a sport, or volunteering at a food bank. Students should simply write it down on their brag sheet and note how often they meet, any roles they have, and how long they have been involved.

The following article highlights some of the reasons why students should utilize a brag sheet. The outcome can help articulate experiences with colleges, interviewers, and more.

How to Write a Brag Sheet

Here are some key reasons to document activities in a brag sheet:

Extracurricular Activities: Colleges and universities consider extracurricular activities when evaluating applications. By closely tracking their activities, students can provide a comprehensive and accurate record of their involvement, showcasing their work experience, hobbies, academic clubs, community service, skills, interests, and commitment beyond academics. If you’re unsure which activities to prioritize on your resume, consider our guide to the best extracurriculars for college applications.

Personal Development: Activities in and out of school allow students to explore interests and goals and provide essential clues about their future ventures. Documenting activities allows for reflection on these experiences, identifies areas of interest and passion, and explores areas for future exploration.

Leadership and Responsibility: As students become involved in new activities, there will be opportunities for leadership positions. Leadership experiences provide valuable opportunities to explore skills and talents. These experiences can be critical in college applications and future job opportunities, as they showcase your student’s ability to take initiative, work in teams, and handle responsibilities.

Networking and Connections: It might feel too early to begin thinking about networking, but the connections students form both in and out of school provide valuable chances to learn from and connect with people in specific fields of interest. Maintaining a record of the peers, mentors, and organizations they have worked with can be valuable in the future when requesting references, recommendations, or collaborations.

Personal Satisfaction: Documenting activities and accomplishments throughout high school can provide a sense of personal satisfaction and fulfillment. It allows for reflection to look back and see how far students have come, the challenges they have tackled, and the contributions they have made. It can be a source of motivation and inspiration as they move forward in their educational and professional journey.

Remember, keeping track of activities doesn't have to be a burdensome task. Use this handy brag sheet to document all involvement. Click here for a downloadable Brag Sheet template resource, and see below for a sample to guide you. The brag sheet also becomes an excellent document to work from when building a resume and the activities description during the college and career planning process.

How to Use Your Brag Sheet to Brainstorm College Essays

A good college essay doesn’t try to mention everything you’ve ever done. Instead, it zooms in on a few meaningful experiences and shows how they’ve shaped you. Your brag sheet helps you spot those experiences quickly. Once you’ve circled a few key experiences on your brag sheet, you can use them to explore different themes for a compelling personal statement.

Try this simple process:

Circle 3–5 activities or experiences that feel most important to you (not just the most “impressive”).
Ask “Why does this matter to me?” for each one. Think about what you learned, what changed, or who you helped.
Look for patterns or themes across those answers: leadership, creativity, problem-solving, helping others, persistence, curiosity, etc.
Match those themes to Common App or supplemental essay prompts that ask about challenges, growth, community, or future goals.

Example: From bullet point → essay topic

Brag sheet entry: “Tutored a younger student in math twice a week during junior year.”
Possible essay angles:

A story about learning patience and communication.
Realizing you enjoy teaching and might want to pursue education or mentoring.
Seeing your own confidence grow as your student improves.

You can also share your brag sheet with a counselor, teacher, or essay coach. It gives them a quick overview of your story so they can help you pick topics and avoid repeating the same information in different parts of your application.

Using Your Brag Sheet to Update Portfolios & Resumes

If you’re applying to programs that ask for portfolios, resumes, or project lists (art, design, music, STEM, writing, research, etc.), your brag sheet is the perfect starting point.

Use it to decide what to feature and what to leave out.

Ways to turn your brag sheet into a stronger portfolio:

Tag “portfolio-ready” items. Mark activities and projects that include real work you can show: artwork, performances, writing samples, coding projects, research abstracts, recordings, or presentations.
Choose depth over quantity. It’s better to showcase a few projects you’ve developed over time than a long list of one-time activities.
Add context for each project. From your brag sheet, pull key details: your role, the time frame, tools or skills used, and any results (awards, exhibitions, publications, outcomes).
Update it regularly. Each time you finish a big project or performance, add it to your brag sheet so you don’t forget the details later.

Turning Your Brag Sheet Into a One-Page Student Resume

Many students also use the same information to build a simple one-page resume for internships, jobs, and summer programs.

From your brag sheet, you can:

Copy over your name and contact info.
Select your most important activities, work experiences, and leadership roles.
Add concise, resume-style bullet points for each:

Action verb + what you did + result/impact.

Example:

“Led a team of 6 students to organize a community fundraiser that raised $2,500 for the local food pantry.”

Your brag sheet becomes the “master list,” while your resume is the short, tailored version you share.

Tracking Test Retakes and Score Improvements on Your Brag Sheet

Testing can feel like its own mini-season in the college process. A brag sheet helps you keep all of your test information in one place, especially if you’ve taken exams more than once.

You can create a small table or section on your brag sheet for:

SAT / ACT dates and scores
AP / IB exams and scores
PSAT or Pre-ACT (if relevant)
TOEFL, IELTS, or other language/placement tests, if needed

What to Record for Each Test

For each exam, include:

Test name (e.g., SAT, ACT, AP Biology)
Date(s) taken
Section scores and total score
Highest score you might send to colleges
Quick notes, such as “superscore improves math by 60 points” or “retake scheduled in October”

This makes it easier to:

Talk with your counselor about whether to retake a test.
Decide which scores are strongest for score-choice or superscoring, based on each college’s policy.
Share accurate information with teachers or programs that ask about your testing background.

Remember: your brag sheet is a planning tool. You’ll still follow each college’s official instructions about which scores to send and how to report them.

Sharing Your Brag Sheet with Teachers and Counselors

One of the most powerful uses of a brag sheet is to help teachers and counselors write stronger recommendation letters.

When they can see your activities, achievements, and goals all in one place, they can write more specific, detailed letters that go beyond basic facts.

When and How to Share Your Brag Sheet

Timing: Aim to finish your brag sheet at least 2–4 weeks before you ask for a recommendation (earlier is even better).
Format: A clean PDF or shared document works well, especially if it matches the template your school or counselor recommends.
What to include:

Your up-to-date brag sheet
A list of colleges or programs you’re applying to (if you know it)
Deadlines or approximate timeframes
Any specific strengths or stories you hope they might highlight

You can also attach your brag sheet when you email a teacher to ask for a letter. Here’s sample language you can adapt:

“I’ve attached my updated brag sheet, which includes my activities, test scores, and a few things I’m proud of from your class. I hope it helps as you write the recommendation, and I’m happy to share more details about anything on the list.”

Teachers and counselors appreciate having this information up front and you’ll feel more confident that your applications tell a complete, consistent story.

Don’t forget to reach out to College Flight Path for any postsecondary planning needs. To learn more about how to write a brag sheet or any other related topics, email hello@collegeflightpath.com or book a free 15-minute call.