Directions to Access
Life after Levine Documents
GO TO:
www.levineacademy.org
AT THE VERY TOP MIDDLE OF THE PAGE CLICK ON:
FAMILIES
ON THE LEFT SIDE, IN THE BLUE COLUMN CLICK ON THE LINK:
Life after Levine
You will see all of the necessary forms contained in this packet
Final Resume Completion Date
November 22, 2016
Please turn in final copies of the resume to
Barbara Carr- Goodman
If you have questions or need guidance on the final format or content
of the resume, please see Ms. Carr-Goodman no later than
November 7, 2016.
The resumes must be printed on paper of your choice and in the final
format that you wish to present to the schools. We will not be reprinting your resumes.
You must provide the appropriate number of copies for the schools to
which you are applying.
It is the parent’s primary responsibility to provide input and guidance
on the resume as students are preparing them. Please pay special
attention to the resume timelines that we present to you. It is
extremely important that you and your child adhere to all guidelines in
order to assure that their application packages are completed in a
timely manner.
RESUME
CHECK-INS AND DEADLINES
To avoid last minute frustration on everyone’s part, following these
deadlines will keep you and your child on a positive path.
 October 14, 2016
By this date you should have made much progress
toward completion of the resume template and the
personal statement.
 November 3, 2016
By this date you should have made significant
revisions to the resume and personal statement and
moving into the final stage of completion.
 November 22, 2016
By this date you should have the final resume
completed and ready to send out to your schools
or to keep in your home file for future needs.
NOTE: It is the parent’s and student’s responsibility to make all
final format and content decisions.
RESUME PREPARATION TIPS
•
Use the template we have provided or find another professional resume form which you
like. Your parents, family friends, teachers or school counselor might have some
suggestions.
•
Make a list or outline to help you organize the information. Include all your appropriate
activities from grades 5-8. You can determine the best language to use after you have
your list/outline.
•
Take the time to format your resume. You should use a plain font, bold headings, and
leave adequate whitespace. Keep it simple and easy to read.
•
Begin each category with the most current information. Be consistent; either select the
year / years or the grade / grades of your involvement. If you have no information to
include under a specific category, omit that category heading. ( Example: VP Student
Congress, 2015 – 2016 or VP Student Congress, Grade 7 ).
•
Carefully proofread each draft of your resume. Try to catch your typos. Be aware of
proper grammar.
•
Have your parent review the resume several times.
•
Keep your resume up-to-date and save it to a resume file on your personal computer.
You also need to email a copy to your parents so they can review it. This is also for
back-up security.
•
Always tell the truth.
•
Add new items to the appropriate categories or sections of your resume as they happen.
•
You may also want to add an appropriate “professional-looking” photo of yourself with
your name in bold letters on the first page of your resume. Often it is placed in the
upper left corner of the page; however, you can decide where it looks best with the
particular template you are using.
•
Schools are looking at your resume to get a sense of your interests, character, skills,
scholarship, commitment to community service, and personality.
•
If you need to include a description of a particular activity or achievement, use action
verbs such as “organized, led, served, played, trained, created, ” etc.
•
Consider using heavier weight white or cream paper to print copies of your resume.
•
The “Personal Statement” category, the final section of your resume, is extremely
important. Your paragraph should include approximately 10 sentences. This is the
place to highlight a special aspect of your personality. “What makes you, YOU!” Your
voice needs to shine through, not anyone else’s. Think about the question, “What
makes me unique, or at least different from, any other student applicant?” You can
describe yourself in a creative manner or perhaps you would like to mention a particular
passion. Create sentences that you would enjoy reading. Use detailed, descriptive
words. Be authentic and honest, especially in this section. The goal is to create a
personal “snapshot”, memorable description of you – something that makes you stand
out from the crowd.
GOOD LUCK !
Resume For
_______________________________________
full legal name
Date of birth:
Number of years at Levine Academy:
School Activities/Organizations:
*
*
*
Religious Activities/Organizations:
*
*
*
Athletics/Extra-curricular Activities:
*
*
*
Awards/Honors:
*
*
*
Community Service
*
*
*
Hobbies/Special Talents:
*
*
Travel/Camp Experiences:
*
*
*
Personal Statement:
NOTE:
This resume, in its final form, will be included in students’ application packets sent from Levine
Academy to the designated schools. A copy of the resume will also be used by teachers as they
complete recommendation forms and for the interview with our Head of School.
THIS FORM CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE LEVINE ACADEMY WEBSITE.
( Please see more extensive notes in this binder pertaining to resume preparation )
FINAL RESUME DUE NOVEMBER 22, 2016
SAMPLE RESUME
Resume For
Full Legal Name
Date of birth: xx/xx/ xxxx
Number of years at Levine Academy : 12 years
School Activities/Organizations:
*Student Congress --President (2009 OR 8th grade—your preference of presentation
throughout the document)
*Student Ambassador--member (2009)
*Middle School Band--saxophone (2006 - 2010)
Religious Activities/Organizations:
*Kadima Youth Group--Congregation of your choice (2007- present)
Athletics/Extra-curricular Activities:
*Basketball—Levine Academy (2007 - 2009)
*Dance--Dallas Dance-A-Lot--ballet, lyrical, jazz (2001 - 2009)
*Swimming --SMU (2008-2009)
Awards/Honors:
*CML Math Award (2007 - 2008)
*Silver Medal at Jewish Community Center Maccabi Games (2009)
*Presidential Fitness Award (2006 — 2009)
Community Service
*Social Service--Golden Acres; Vogel Alcove; Habitat for Humanity (2006-2009)
(read stories to senior adults and children, fundraising)
Hobbies/Special Talents:
*Fluent in Hebrew and Spanish
*Photography
Travel/Camp Experiences:
*Israel (2010)
*Camp You-Name-It--(2004 – 2009)
*Family vacations to Arizona, Canada, Mexico, South Africa
Personal Statement:
WHAT WILL MAKE YOU STAND OUT? WHY ARE YOU A GOOD CANDIDATE TO
ATTEND THIS SCHOOL OR BE ACCEPTED INTO THIS SPECIAL PROGRAM? WHAT
MAKES YOU THE UNIQUE PERSON YOU ARE?
A Sample Personal Statement
Am I Sam?
After sixth grade, I felt like I was really starting to figure out who I was. Playing
basketball, breezing through work, having a good time with my friends. Schoolwork was
easy, playing sports was allowed, and hanging out with my friends was part of my
everyday life. Then, within six weeks I suffered two concussions, which made a huge
impact on my life. They changed my perspective as well. Interacting with people
became more difficult so I kept to myself. I found schoolwork and test taking to be more
challenging and sometimes impossible. Some of the scariest things were that my
writing speed decreased and I had trouble remembering things. Playing basketball was
no longer an option, according to my doctor.
These concussions left me wondering about myself. I have had to change the ways I
have approached schoolwork, including taking tests and quizzes. I also had to change
the way I connected with other people. I had to find new things to do to fill the time I
spent playing basketball. I have slowly started to figure out a new way to study and to
organize my tasks. I started running more to try and take my mind off of not playing
basketball (until I found out that I have a stress fracture in my heel and a problem with
an extra bone in my foot!). I have also made a huge effort to become more social and
have really decided to have a few close but fun friends instead of going with the pack.
I have learned a lot about myself and there are still more processes I need to figure out.
I don’t know what the final product will be but I know that I have grown up a lot and
faced a lot of things that will help me when I am adult. I have become closer to my
family and have relied on them a lot more than I did in the past. I also have become
more understanding about others who face challenges. I would definitely not have
chosen this situation, but it sure has taught me a lot about myself and what I can do. I
used to think I knew who I was, but now, I sometimes stop and think, am I really Sam?
***( Permission given by Sam Weinstein and his mother, Margie Weinstein, to use as a sample
personal statement for Life After Levine )
INTERVIEW PREPARATION
1. Find out everything you can about the school you are considering.
2. Read carefully through the website. Consider your strengths and interest areas. See
how that ties in with the details about the school community.
3. Practice for your interview. Ask a parent, sibling, best friend or your school counselor to
be the interviewer.
4. Body language is very important. Hand and arm movements should not be too large.
Don’t fiddle. Your posture should be relaxed, but alert. Sit up straight. Be interested.
Be yourself!
5. First impressions count. Look well groomed and dress up a bit. Try to arrive at the
school 15-20 minutes early for your appointment.
6. Greet your school host, admission personnel, and interviewer with a firm hand shake
and always maintain eye contact. Be enthusiastic, positive, confident and outgoing.
Show a sincere interest in all the people you meet. Ask good questions that reflect
some of the school research you have done or things you have heard about from
current or former students, neighbors and friends.
7. Be your real self. Interviewers can tell if you are not genuine. Be proud of who you are!
8. You are going to be asked some questions…
- Give short answers with strong points
- Look the interviewer in the eye when you are answering
- Think about the question before answering it. It’s okay if you need them to
explain it a little more.
9. Usually at the end of an interview, you will be asked if you have any questions. If you
don’t it can look like you are not very interested. Prepare some questions in advance.
10. Before you leave the school office try to make some positive comments about things
you enjoyed or noticed in their school community, such as….
“Today I really enjoyed ….”
“I was so impressed with …”
“When I toured the classrooms, I noticed …”
“When I saw the students at their passing period/lunch, I liked …”
11. Your interview isn’t over when you walk out the door of the school. As soon as you get
home, write a short thank you email or letter to your interviewer and host. Mention
that you appreciated the time they spent with you. If you would like to add something
you forgot to say then this is the time. End your thank you note with a positive
comment or compliment about their school community.
A Sample of Common Private School Interview Questions
1. What has happened recently in current events that interests you?
2. What do you read outside of school?
3. Tell me a bit about your family/friends.
4. Why are you interested in our school?
5. Tell us more about what you do outside of school.
6. What is your favorite subject, and why do you like it? What is your least favorite subject, and
why do you not like it?
7. Who are the people you most admire?
8. What questions do you have about our school?
9. Tell me 3 things you would bring to this school. (in terms of who you are as a person or your
personality)
10. If you could meet 1 person from history, who would that be and why?
11. Are you involved with community service projects? What has been the most significant
experience?
12. What do you see yourself involved in, if you were to come here to this school?