So really what you’re asking is what you can do as a high school student to prepare yourself to look good as a college applicant. Aside from good grades, lots of volunteer hours (200 hours per year or more) look good. Not volunteering for a lot of different organizations, but putting in a lot of time on a single cause or project, and taking a leadership role with it. Involvement with measurable results. “Raised money to purchase 500 blankets for a homeless shelter.” “Organized and operated Blessings in a Backpack program at local grade school, resulting in donations of 200 backpacks, and food donations for 100 kids each week.” “Shaved my head for St. Baldricks and raised $5,000.” “300 hours volunteer service at children’s museum over the summer.”
You get the idea.
The good thing about volunteering a lot in the community is that it’s easy to put in a lot of service hours, you meet people that will be able to write you recommendations who are not teachers or church affiliated, and your experience may provide a good foundation for essays. Strong community service involvement and commitment to a cause is a well-rounded thing to do. Everyone does their 30 hours for NHS or Beta Club.
Balancing good grades with working, sports and volunteer work shows a well-rounded student with time management skills.