“What’s your favorite subject? What’s your preferred learning method? Do you have any hobbies? What about pets? Description of your family? Your favorite color?”

Everyone knows the “All About You” forms that come at the beginning of every school year in every class. Look forward to after graduation for more ¨All About You¨ forms that hold importance over your future and further education at the collegiate level: applications.

“They want to see a well-rounded student… It shows a lot more maturity and ability to handle college life,” math teacher Kim Davis said.

Applications involve essays and many questions about your accomplishments achieved throughout your school career. If you question how to fill these out, and what will lead to good results, you must be a well-rounded student. They want to hear of the clubs you’ve taken part in, teams you’ve been on, and awards you’ve received. A well-rounded student can show a college board that they are ready for college. Colleges are evaluated by their graduation rate, called matriculation rates, so they want to make sure they accept those with the habit of time management. Being an accomplished , these candidates tells the college board that your graduation is likely. Being well-rounded tells the college board you are likely to graduate,; therefore, a good candidate for their school.

“Try to be involved in clubs. Find something that you like, and do something with it,” senior Diversity Chair of National Honor Society Ally Layman said.

You’ve always heard “Get involved!” in your school and community. Well, turns out, being involved pays off. Being able to call yourself a member, or better yet, a leader, of groups inside or outside of school, allows colleges to know why they should pick you. Layman exemplified this by being a part of Har-Ber’s Spanish Honor Society, and then going on to win with the club at the Spanish state competition. She also suggested keeping a journal of awards, honors, and hours accomplished, so when application time rolls around, Layman is prepared.

“Anything that involves community service is great. That’s what they want to see; that’s what sets you apart,” junior Pablo Manon said.

Majority of clubs and extracurricular activities require mandatory community service hours to maintain membership. Community service hours open you to a wider variety of connections. You not only receive real life-needed skills like teamwork, ability to listen and follow instructions, seeing concepts of the real world first handedly, and experiences in situations you might not see ever again, but you also receive great connections for recommendation letters, if ever needed, while applying for jobs and schools.

Being involved and completing service hours will not only improve your applications, but get you further in life.