Picture a day in the not-so-distant future. You’re finally graduating from college — leaving the picturesque campus of Iowa State for an unknown destination somewhere past the horizon.

You’ve prepared your resum‚, hunted out your favorite potential employers and you’re ready to apply.

So you get the application. You sit down and fill out the easy stuff: name, address, employment history, G.P.A. (Well, maybe that’s not so easy.)

You move on to the experiences section. You write down your clubs, athletic activities and all accomplishments from as far back as high school.

But then you stumble onto “Volunteer Experiences.”

Volunteer Experiences?

“Let’s see. Um, volunteering. So if I got paid, it doesn’t count, right?”

That’s right.

“Well, I used to baby-sit my little brother, and I didn’t get paid. Does that count?”

This is what happens to most young adults.

But there’s really no reason for it to happen to you.

Volunteering your time makes you feel good about yourself, and most importantly, it helps others.

Ames has tons of places to volunteer — non-profit stores, nursing homes, shelters and other social service agencies all needing our help. The volunteer series in this week’s Daily highlighted a very small sampling of the available choices.

There are even opportunities on our own campus. Hundreds of international students need someone to help them with their conversation skills.

An hour a week is all they ask. That’s one episode of “Days of Our Lives.”

When you think about it, how much of a sacrifice is it to play with homeless animals, help an elderly person play a game or talk to a few kids who just need someone to understand?

Some professions require their members to do pro-bono work, but as students, we often don’t think to donate. We might back off when the Salvation Army asks for a check because we are “poor starving college students.” One thing we all have, though, is time.

There will always be a place on the application form labeled “Volunteer Experience.”

How are you going to fill the blank?