Free printable and editable brag sheet template for high school, college, navy or generic for any purpose that you can edit to meet your specific needs.
A compelling recommendation letter is your ticket to standing out in applications and professional advancements. Since your parents or best friends aren’t always the smartest choice for a letter of recommendation, you may need to choose someone else, like an authority figure, teacher, professor, or an upstanding member of your community, to get the best possible advocate. So, how do you communicate your best qualities to a person who doesn’t know you as well as your inner circle? The simple solution is to create a brag sheet.
A well-crafted brag sheet is an essential tool that provides the foundation for a standout letter of recommendation. By detailing your accomplishments and experiences, it equips your recommenders with the insights they need to advocate for you compellingly and convincingly. An effective brag sheet not only showcases your achievements but also captures the essence of your journey, ensuring that your unique story resonates with those evaluating your credentials.
Putting more on these forms than a simple list of things you have done is critical. A good brag sheet can help turn any letter of recommendation into a highly personal document that allows you to shine by showing off your most remarkable features. Even a virtual stranger should be able to look at your brag sheet and compose a stellar fact-based recommendation. Moreover, a properly written brag sheet can highlight the qualities most likely to help you achieve your goals and gain acceptance when you need letters of recommendation or a way to show more of who you are than simple test scores can communicate.
What is a Brag Sheet?
A brag sheet is essentially a detailed resume or a list of accomplishments, activities, awards, and relevant experiences that you have achieved over a certain period of time. It’s commonly used by students when seeking letters of recommendation from teachers or counselors since it provides them with a detailed overview of the student’s achievements and experiences. It can also be used for job applications, promotions, or any other situations where showcasing your achievements is beneficial. The recipient is unlikely to mention everything you provide, but it helps direct the reader to your best qualities and most noteworthy accomplishments.
A high-quality brag sheet isn’t about ‘bragging’ to impress most people. Instead, it is a tailored look at your achievements, goals, and personality through the lens of your experiences. Make sure you give specific examples of everything. It is okay to include challenges you have overcome and anything you have worked hard to accomplish as well as your plans and long-term goals. The right brag sheet can help any writer recommend you for a school or position, or it may be used on its own as a part of the data schools, businesses, and organizations use to determine whether they wish to include you in their programs.
Brag Sheet Template
This is a generic brag sheet template, but there are more specific templates below for specific uses. All of the templates are available in MS Word so you can edit them to meet your needs.
Brag Sheet for Letter of Recommendation
A brag sheet for a letter of recommendation is the most common use. See the examples below for specific letters of recommendation.
Brag Sheet Examples
Below are a few examples of things to include in specific types of brag sheets. Use this as a guide to help craft the best-tailored recommendations.
High School Brag Sheet
Often used by students seeking letters of recommendation from teachers or counselors for college applications or scholarships.
A high school brag sheet is commonly used to get into colleges. Consider researching what your desired school’s values are and what type of students they are seeking. Once you have this information, you can tailor what you share to represent those ideals best while remaining true to yourself.
- Focus on academic achievements, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, and community service.
- Personal statements might touch on future goals, preferred majors, or what the student hopes to achieve in college.
Content to Include:
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- Academic Achievements: GPAs, class rank (if applicable), and standardized test scores (e.g., SAT, ACT).
- Extracurricular Activities: Participation in school clubs, sports, leadership roles, school performances, etc.
- Community Service: Volunteering, community outreach programs, and other philanthropic endeavors.
- Part-time Jobs & Internships: Any work experience during high school.
- Awards & Honors: Both academic and non-academic.
- Special Skills or Talents: Any specific abilities, such as musical talents, art skills, or languages spoken.
Scholarship Applications:
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- Emphasis on academic achievements, community involvement, leadership roles, and any other criteria the scholarship prioritizes.
- A personal statement explaining why they deserve the scholarship, their financial situation, and future goals.
College Brag Sheet
Often utilized by college students or recent graduates seeking letters of recommendation for graduate school, internships, jobs, or other opportunities.
Colleges focus heavily on academics, but they also want to see a well-rounded person who participates in their community. Include all your scholastic information and present the best possible picture of yourself as a citizen who is also an upstanding community member.
Content to Included:
- Academic Achievements: College GPA, relevant coursework, major/minor details, research projects, and thesis work (if applicable).
- Extracurricular Activities: Participation in college clubs, organizations, fraternities/sororities, leadership roles, collegiate sports, etc.
- Internships & Work Experience: Emphasis on roles that are relevant to the field of study or the position being sought.
- Research & Publications: Details about academic research, publications, presentations at conferences, etc.
- Community Service: Involvement in community projects or organizations during college.
- Awards & Honors: Recognitions received during the college years, both academic and extracurricular.
- Skills & Abilities: Technical skills, software proficiency, and other abilities acquired during college or relevant to the field of interest.
Please note that some institutions use different terminology such as:
- Academic Profile
- College Accomplishment Summary
- Student Achievement Record
- College Activity Resume
- University Performance Profile
The exact term can vary based on the institution or region, but the primary function remains the same: to comprehensively document a student’s accomplishments, activities, and qualifications during their college years.
A Navy brag sheet should be a comprehensive record of your accomplishments, skills, contributions, qualifications, training, and other noteworthy events. This document becomes particularly crucial during the evaluation period, known as EVAL, as it assists supervisors and commanding officers in writing accurate and detailed evaluations of your performance.
Navy brag sheets should include information about your time in the military. For example, you should add data about your jobs, relevant deployments, and achievements. However, you should also add data about your off-duty time, administrative data, and your desired future career path.
This form is based on the enlisted evaluation report input sheet
Job Prospects
Brag sheets are often used when looking for a job or by freelancers to concisely showcase their skills, accomplishments, and experiences to potential clients or employers. In this case, whereas the document is in essence a brag sheet it will be given a different title, one that is professional and indicative of its purpose. For example:
- Professional Achievements Summary
- Career Highlights Portfolio
- Accomplishments & Credentials Overview
- Freelance Success Record
- Expertise & Achievements Profile
- Performance & Milestones Document
- Skills & Successes Catalog
- Professional Impact Summary
- Value Proposition & Accomplishments
- Expertise & Results Showcase
Job Seekers (For Employment):
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- Emphasize work experience, job-specific skills, and professional achievements.
- May also include certifications, workshops, and seminars attended.
- References are particularly important.
Promotion or Internal Job Change:
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- Highlight achievements in the current role, including projects completed, goals met, or any commendations received.
- Training and certifications relevant to the new role.
- Feedback or testimonials from colleagues or superiors can be useful.
Freelancers or Consultants:
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- Showcase specific projects, client testimonials, areas of expertise, and notable outcomes.
- Might also mention collaboration with other professionals or teams.
Artists, Designers, Writers:
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- Portfolios with samples of work are crucial.
- List of exhibitions, publications, awards, or recognitions.
- Brief statement about their artistic philosophy or vision.
For Board or Committee Consideration
A brag sheet or a variation of it can be used when seeking consideration for a board or committee position. In such contexts, the document is typically more professionally oriented and is often referred to by other names such as a “board resume,” “executive bio,” or “leadership profile.”
When crafting a brag sheet or board resume for board or committee consideration, it should highlight:
- Relevant Professional Experience: Detailing roles, accomplishments, and how they align with the board’s mission or the committee’s focus.
- Previous Board or Committee Experience: Highlight any governance experience, roles held, and contributions made.
- Specialized Skills or Knowledge: Emphasize any unique skills or expertise that would be valuable to the board or committee, such as financial expertise, legal knowledge, industry-specific insights, etc.
- Leadership Roles: Both within and outside of one’s primary profession.
- Educational Background: Especially advanced degrees or certifications relevant to the board’s or committee’s focus.
- Awards, Honors, and Recognitions: Pertaining to leadership, industry achievements, or community involvement.
- Vision or Objective: A brief statement about what one hopes to achieve on the board or how one’s experience aligns with the board’s mission.
- Community Involvement: Philanthropic activities, volunteer roles, and other forms of community engagement.
- References or Testimonials: Especially those from colleagues or superiors who can vouch for one’s leadership skills and boardroom suitability.
The goal of this document, when used for board or committee consideration, is to showcase one’s expertise, leadership qualities, and the value one can bring to the boardroom. It should be crafted with a clear understanding of the board’s or committee’s objectives and the unique qualities or skills they are seeking in new members.
Parent Brag Sheet
A parent brag sheet is created by the parents or guardians of the student and often submitted to a school counselor to gather information about the child’s accomplishments, strengths, experiences, and personal anecdotes to assist in writing a more personalized and effective letter of recommendation for college applications or scholarships.
Here, parents can help by showing their student’s best qualities and most notable achievements. Unlike a student brag sheet, parents’ brag sheets come from an outside perspective.
FAQ
What Should The Title Be?
The title for your brag sheet should reflect its purpose and context, but here are some general and versatile titles you might consider:
- Professional Achievement Summary
- Accomplishment Profile
- Career Accomplishment Profile
- Career Highlight Sheet
- Personal Highlight Record
- Achievement & Activity Portfolio
- Performance & Success Overview
- Comprehensive Achievement Record
- Accomplishment record
- Activity Resume
- Performance Summary
- Success Record
Please note that the title should be both relevant to your audience and reflective of the content. If the brag sheet is for academic purposes (like college applications), you might lean towards “Achievement & Activity Portfolio.” For job applications or professional settings, “Professional Achievement Summary” or “Career Accomplishment Profile” might be more suitable. Choose a title that best fits your needs and the context in which you’ll be using the brag sheet.
What Should You Include?
A good brag sheet is generally about two pages long. That is roughly a thousand words, which may seem daunting at first, but once you get started, you’ll find that you likely have more relevant experience and interests than you thought. Here’s a list of what to include in a brag sheet to help get you started.
- Full Name
- Date
- School
- Graduation Date or Expected Graduation Date
- GPA
- Standardized Test Scores such as SATs
- Awards and Achievements
- Work Experience or Internships, this can include Volunteer Work
- Extra Curricular Activities like sports and clubs or activities outside of school
- Leadership Experience
- Your Long-Term Goals and Dreams
- Additional Information about you that is relevant. This section can include personal information, struggles you have overcome, and anything else that might help people see who you are and what matters to you.
Tips on How to Write a Brag Sheet
A great bragging sheet can literally help open doors for you, so it’s essential to focus on making yours the best it can be. Always type and print your sheet in a standard size 10-11 typeface like Times New Roman, but there’s more to these forms than ensuring you provide enough legible info. Here are some of our best tips on how to create a good brag sheet.
- Start by taking notes. Look at your life almost as though you were viewing someone else’s experiences from the outside. Write down all the things you think that ‘other’ person has accomplished or participated in that have value.
- Ask the people who know you best what they would include. Sometimes another person’s viewpoint will help you include things you might not have thought of on your own.
- Please don’t do it all at once. Setting down your brag sheet and returning to it later with a fresh perspective can help you get a complete idea of what to present. Plus, looking at your sheet later will help you with editing and prevent you from missing any important points.
- Use a pre-made professional format. Instead of trying to make everything up from scratch, it’s best to use our free brag sheet template. It will help you with the layout. If there are items that are not relevant to you then simply edit the text and make the necessary changes.
- Look at other people’s brag sheets and ‘take a page’ from them. Ask people you admire to share their brag sheets to see how they put it together. If there’s anything there you think is especially good, use it. You can’t list their accomplishments, and you should never lie, but the ideas and experiences of others can help you make the best possible brag sheet.
- Update your brag sheet regularly. When you do something new, please take a moment to add it to your brag sheet. Don’t worry if it exceeds the two-page limit for now.
- Edit everything. Before you hand over a brag sheet, ensure it’s all spelled and formatted correctly with proper structure and punctuation.
Benefits
A brag sheet, whether for high school students, college students, or professionals, offers several benefits:
- Comprehensive Record: It provides a consolidated record of achievements, activities, and experiences, ensuring that significant accomplishments aren’t overlooked or forgotten. It also helps guide the writer to the most relevant information.
- Enhanced Recommendations: For students, a brag sheet assists teachers and counselors in writing detailed and personalized letters of recommendation for college applications, scholarships, or internships. It offers a more intimate view of you as an individual beyond your test scores and relevant metrics.
- Preparation for Interviews: Reviewing your brag sheet can help you prepare for interviews, giving you concrete examples and achievements to discuss.
- Facilitates Resume Writing: It acts as a resource when updating or tailoring your resume for specific positions, ensuring you highlight the most relevant accomplishments.
- Boosts Confidence: Reminding yourself of your achievements can increase self-confidence and motivation, especially during job searches or application processes.
- Personal Reflection: It offers an opportunity for self-reflection, helping you recognize areas of strength and potential areas for growth or development.
- Goal Setting: By regularly updating your brag sheet, you can set and track personal and professional development goals based on past accomplishments and future aspirations.
- Networking Advantage: Having a detailed list of accomplishments can be beneficial during networking events or discussions, providing tangible talking points about your experience and achievements.
- Negotiation Tool: For professionals seeking promotions or raises, a brag sheet can serve as evidence of contributions and successes, aiding in negotiations.
- Transparency with Superiors: In professional settings, sharing your accomplishments with superiors ensures they are aware of your contributions, which can be especially valuable in large organizations.
In summary, a brag sheet serves as a valuable tool in various academic and professional scenarios, enabling individuals to effectively showcase their achievements and advocate for opportunities.
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