Most high schoolers believe in order to look good for colleges, they need to pad their resume with rigorous classes, impressive accolades on the fields or courts, leadership positions in six different clubs, and a volunteer experience list that would make Mother Teresa look lazy. While all of these efforts are commendable, the reality is everyone is doing it, and that secret has long been out of the bag. So what can you possibly do to stand out to your dream colleges? Well, according to college admissions officers, there is one thing. During interviews with prospective freshmen, they want to know one piece of information more than anything else: "What have you read lately?" "Tell me about a good book you read recently." "Do you read?" It's really that simple. Do you read? And if you don't, why not? The answer might seem pretty predictable. With schedules stretched thin and any free time reserved for social media scrolling, people just aren't reading as much. In fact, even in their classes, most high school students say they have never read an entire book cover to cover. What could be the reason?  Are students managing their time poorly or flatout just refusing to read what's assigned to them? Do they claim it's too "boring" to read? Or do teachers think their students don't have the stamina or attention span to read the whole text? Regardless of the "why," the sad fact remains. So we all need to be reading more. And not just to look good to colleges. Reading benefits people of all ages and walks of life. So what will you read next?