Brag Sheet Template for College Applications and Scholarships

Students often wonder - what is a brag sheet? A brag sheet concisely lists your accomplishments, activities, and attributes. You give it to teachers, counselors, or scholarship committees to help them write better, more personal recommendations for you. Essentially, it serves as a cheat sheet about you.

A standard brag sheet template presents your basic information, academic achievements, activities, work or volunteer experience, awards, and a few short answers about your aspirations and personality. In this article, we explain what to include and how to complete each section. We also provide a downloadable template you can use.

Brag Sheet Questions to Help You Fill Out Each Section

It can be daunting to look at a blank brag sheet. Remember that you simply need to answer simple, specific questions about yourself rather than trying to articulate who you are in one big thought. Below are questions to help you think of detailed responses for each category. The more specific you can be, the better your brag sheet will be!

Academic Achievements

• What classes have been most challenging for you, and how did you excel?
• Are you proud of any honors, high grades, or awards for a specific subject?
• Do you want to include a specific project or paper that you worked hard on?

Activities

• What clubs, teams or organizations have you dedicated a significant amount of time to?
• Did you hold any leadership roles or help with organization?
• What was different about your experience because you decided to do this activity?

Volunteer & Community Service

• Where have you volunteered?
• How long were you involved with each opportunity?
• Who did your work/service help?
• Did you have an experience that changed the way you view yourself or the community?

Work Experience

• What jobs or internships have you had?
• What were your responsibilities?
• What did this teach you about working with others or about yourself?

Awards & Honors

• What awards/honors have you received? School-related or not!
• Were any of these particularly competitive or important to you?

Skills

• What are you truly good at? Be specific (technical skills, creative, etc.)
• What would your friends or teachers say you excel at that makes you unique?

Goals & Questions

• What are you hoping to study or do? Why?
• What obstacle have you had to overcome that helped shape who you are today?

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Brag Sheet Template

Essentially, your brag sheet summarizes everything you want your recommender to know about you in one location. This includes your basic contact information, academic highlights, activities and leadership, work/volunteer experience, awards and honors, key skills, and a brief write-up about you, including your goals and personality. A brag sheet template keeps everything brief and focused with enough specifics and details. Doesn’t make broad statements. You can copy and paste the following college brag sheet template, fill it out, and customize it to your needs:

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Brag Sheet Examples

A completed brag sheet really does make it easier to write your own. Here are three short examples for three very different students. Follow each one with a brief commentary about what to look for. Use them as guides for style and substance, not as answers to copy. Remember: be specific, honest, and concrete.

Example 1: The Well-Rounded Student

Name: Maya Chen
Intended major: Environmental Science

Academic Achievements: AP Biology and AP Chemistry pushed me hardest, and I earned a 5 in both. I placed second in the regional science fair for a project on local water quality.

Extracurriculars: I served as president of the Environmental Club for two years, growing it from 12 to 40 members and launching a school-wide composting program.

Volunteer Work: Over 150 hours with a local river cleanup group, organizing monthly events that removed more than 800 pounds of trash.

Skills: Data analysis, public speaking, and turning big ideas into organized action.

Goals: I want to study environmental science to work on water conservation policy.

What to notice: Maya pairs every claim with a concrete number or result. "Grew it from 12 to 40 members" is far stronger than "led the club." In a college school brag sheet, specifics make achievements believable and memorable.

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Example 2: The Focused Specialist

Name: Daniel Okafor
Intended major: Computer Science

Academic Achievements: I taught myself Python and Java outside of class and earned the top grade in AP Computer Science. My independent coding project, a budgeting app, is now used by over 200 people.

Extracurriculars: I founded my school's first coding club and led weekly workshops for beginners.

Work Experience: Summer internship at a local software startup, where I helped debug and test a customer-facing feature.

Skills: Programming, problem-solving, and teaching technical concepts simply.

Goals: I plan to study computer science and eventually build tools that make everyday tasks easier.

What to notice: Daniel shows depth in one area rather than spreading thin. His brag sheet for work tells a clear, consistent story, every entry connects back to his passion for technology, which makes his application memorable and focused.

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Example 3: The Emerging High School Student

Name: Jordan Bell
Grade: 10th grade
Intended interest: Undecided, leaning toward business or media

Academic Achievements: I improved my math grade from a C to an A over one year by attending tutoring and study sessions. English is my strongest subject, and my teacher chose my personal essay to read aloud in class.

Extracurriculars: I joined the school newspaper as a staff writer and play on the junior varsity basketball team. This year I started managing the newspaper's social media accounts.

Volunteer Work: I help run the book drive at my local library each summer, sorting and organizing donations for about 30 hours total.

Work Experience: I babysit regularly for two neighborhood families, which has taught me patience and reliability.

Skills: Writing, social media, teamwork, and staying organized between sports and schoolwork.

Goals: I am still exploring my options, but I enjoy writing and connecting with people, so I want to find a path that uses both.

What to notice: Notice how in this high school brag sheet, growth becomes the highlight, turning a C into an A shows effort and improvement, which matters as much as a perfect record. Even without a fixed goal, showing curiosity and steady involvement makes a strong impression. Younger students should focus on progress, initiative, and the activities they genuinely enjoy. 

Tips for a Successful Brag Sheet

When writing a brag sheet, make sure it is readable, concise, and scannable. Use these quick tips to help ensure your bullet points are impactful and give your recommenders what they need.

• Include numbers. "Provided tutoring to 15 students each week" is more impressive than "provided tutoring frequently." Remember: Specificity sells your story.
• One or two sentences per activity is fine. Recruiters and recommenders will be skimming your bullet points. You want to grab their attention with a right brag sheet format.
• Emphasize growth if necessary. Talking about how you improved a situation or took initiative despite your lack of knowledge can be just as effective as talking about your successes.
• Don't exaggerate. Never inflate or invent. Authentic detail is always stronger than exaggeration.
• Add context where it helps. If you balance work with school, say so. It makes your achievements more meaningful.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even a strong brag sheet can fall flat with a few easy-to-miss errors. Watch out for these when creating a brag sheet.

• Being too vague. "Involved in clubs" tells a recommender nothing. Name them and your role.
• Listing without impact. Activities mean more when you show what changed because of you.
• Cramming everything in. Quality beats quantity. A few strong entries outshine a long, shapeless list.
• Waiting too long. Filling it out at the last minute means forgotten achievements.
• Exaggerating. Inflated claims read as dishonest and can backfire.
• Ignoring formatting. A cluttered sheet is hard to use, so keep it clean and skimmable.

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Final Words

Think of your brag sheet as your opportunity to ensure your accomplishments are remembered and showcased in the best light possible. Be specific, honest, and organized. Continually update it as you achieve more. If you do this, you'll give your recommenders everything they need to advocate on your behalf. Remember, you've done more than you realize. So take the time to brag about it proudly.