Many high schools and middle schools now mandate community service. While that's a good thing for the community, it's leading many colleges to place less emphasis on volunteering as a factor in admissions.

"I'm not sure [community service] is a huge priority for the admission process," said Regina Meredith, a guidance counselor in Virginia. "It's more important when applying for scholarships."

John Bailey, a senior at Blacksburg High School in Virginia would probably agree. He volunteered at the Montgomery County Christmas Store in order to help round out his application to the Naval Academy. However, after receiving early admission, he wonders how much volunteering helped his application.

Many colleges have made changes to their applications when it comes to listing extracurricular activities. For example, University of Virginia and James Madison University both ask for an abbreviated list of activites, forcing students to list what they consider most important to them. This gives the admissions team a better idea of a students talents and passions. Or, as University of Virginia puts it, "a full resume tends to tell less about (a student's) passions and talents."

Colleges still place academics at the top of the admissions criteria, however. According to Amy Widner, Public Relations Coordinator at Viriginia Tech, "Absolutely grades and a challenging curriculum are the most important aspect of the application. They are the single most important predictor for college success."