A curriculum vitae, or CV, is a list of a person's academic and other achievements. It could be said that a CV is nothing more than a resume for a school or scholastic program. You might have to prepare a CV if you are attempting to help a professor publish a scholastic paper or obtain a job working alongside a teacher or professor. Listing your achievements correctly in your CV can help you stand apart from other candidates and increase your chances of achieving your overall objective.

Choose the alignment of your CV. The CV can be aligned on the left or right side of the paper. You can also use center alignment. Which you choose doesn't matter as long as you use the same alignment throughout the entire CV.

Type your name at the top of the CV. Your name should be in all capital letters and one or two font sizes larger than the rest of the text on the CV.

Put your address and contact information directly underneath your name. Type your address as you would on a postcard or letter. Underneath the address, include your home phone number, cell phone number and email address, each on a separate line.

Add an "Objective" heading to the CV. "Objective" should be written in capital letters and either underlined or put in bold to show that it is a heading.

Under the "Objective" heading, describe what you hope to achieve by preparing the CV, such as getting into grad or law school.

Create an "Education" heading, followed by your education history. Provide the name of your most recent school on the first line, the location of the school on the next line, and your degree and the year you obtained that degree on the next line. Repeat this sequence for each school. Go no further back than high school when writing this portion of the CV.

Create an "Academic Achievements" heading. This is where you will list things such as "graduated with honors." Place your achievements in order. Remember that there should be only one achievement on each line of the CV. If you don't have any academic achievements that you wish to showcase on the CV, skip to the next step.

Create an "Extracurricular Activities" heading. This section could include school sports and after-school activities. List these activities chronologically, starting with the most recent. Include the dates you participated in each activity directly next to the activity. Put each activity on a separate line. If you have no extracurricular activities that you want to highlight on the CV, skip to the next step.

Add a "Work Experience" section. After the heading, list each job, starting with the most recent one. The first line of each job listing should give the name of the company. The next line should be used for the job title. On the third line, put the dates that you started at and left the company. Include at least your past three jobs.

Create a "Skills" section. These skills could include your experience with software programs, typing skills, problem-solving abilities or any other skills that you think make you stand out. Remember to start with a heading before listing your skills.

Finish the CV with a "References" section. This is a list of people who could recommend you to that particular school or program. You could use former teachers, bosses or coaches as references. Refrain from listing any family members in the references section. For each reference, include a name and phone number. An address is not necessary if the person does not want you to share it.