Building Your First Academic CV

What an academic CV is for

Summer programs, research mentors and scholarship committees use your CV to answer three questions: what have you studied, what have you done beyond class, and what are you curious about? A school-level CV is usually one page, two at most.

It isn’t a job résumé. Focus on learning, projects and responsibility rather than every certificate you’ve received.

The sections to include

1. Header: your full name, email address, phone number (optional) and city. No photo, CNIC or B-Form number, date of birth or home address unless the application specifically asks for them.
2. Education: school name, city, curriculum (Matric/FSc, O/A Level, IB), years attended and your results so far.
3. Academic awards and competitions: olympiads, contests and prizes, with your result and how many took part, where known.
4. Projects and research: independent projects, science fair entries or research. Say what you did, not just the title.
5. Activities and leadership: clubs, societies, volunteering, sports and family responsibilities. Caring for siblings or helping in a family business counts.
6. Courses and certificates: only completed courses that are relevant, such as an online course you finished.
7. Skills and languages: programming languages, lab techniques and languages you speak (for example English, Urdu, Punjabi or Pashto).

Write bullet points that show impact

Each bullet should say what you did, how and what happened. Start with a verb, add a number where you honestly can, and cut filler.

Explain Pakistani grades and context

Reviewers abroad may not know what “1050/1100 in Matric” or “FSc Pre-Engineering” means. Add short explanations:

• Write marks with the total and the board: “Matric (BISE Lahore): 1,032/1,100 (93.8%)”.
• For O/A Levels, list grades by subject: “O Levels: 6 A*, 2 A”.
• Spell out abbreviations once: “FSc (Pre-Medical), the Higher Secondary School Certificate”.
• Give the scale of local achievements: “1st of 40 schools, inter-school debate, Lahore” tells a reviewer more than “debate winner”.
• If results aren’t out yet, write “Expected” or “In progress”. Never estimate grades as if they were final.

Be accurate: it’s checked more than you think

Programs contact schools and recommenders, and interviewers ask about anything on your CV. A small, honest CV is far stronger than an inflated one.

• A one-week workshop is a workshop, not a “research internship”.
• If you were one of a team, say so: “Co-led a team of 4…”.
• Only list a publication if it actually appeared in a recognised journal or proceedings.
• Paid “research programs” are fine to list, but describe them accurately.

Formatting checklist

• One readable font, 10.5–12 pt, with clear section headings.
• Most recent items first within each section.
• Dates in one consistent style, such as “Sep 2025 – Present”.
• Save and send as PDF, named like “Ayesha-Khan-CV.pdf”.
• Ask a teacher to read it for typos, then read it aloud yourself.

Example: a first CV

Start from our Academic CV template and replace every line with your own details.