<p>So i was wondering..
Suppose someone has good grades, not outstanding but pretty solid, but not Ivy material, a decent SAT score, about 2100, tons of very strong extracurricular activities, and one HUGE hook, what would their chances be for a top notch school, say Columbia..
In this case the hook would be an enormous social service initiative. Raisinf huge amounts of money for underprivileged HIV positive children of sex workers, and getting schooling for about 50 kids... Could that be a tipping point in an adcoms decision?</p>
<p>It would depend on the rest of the application. Having a great EC, such as being involved in fundraising, is a huge plus in admissions. But if the rest of the app isn't up to par it will only do so much.</p>
<p>What's 'pretty solid' as far as grades go. As long as it's equal to or above a 3.7uw it's probably OK.</p>
<p>I don't know if that's even what some people would call a hook. 'Hooks' from this year's admissions round at CU: grew up on a boat in nantucket, grew up IN yellowstone. Both kids had substantial community service work within their communities, but they also had unique experiences to offer the school.</p>
<p>I wouldn't call that a hook.
It's a great EC, but certainly not something to sway decisions.</p>
<p>The obvious hook is sports; nothing swings decisions more than being a recruited athlete. That leaves a little lax room for grades, especially football. Not so much smaller sports though.</p>
<p>Ok thanks.
Also, i was wondering, would a reccomendation from an extremely well known/prominent person, affiliated with the university help? I know colleges say they don't look at them differently, but is that really true?</p>
<p>If that person knows you and can actually write a recommendation about your personal merits, then sure.</p>
<p>There was a poster on here a few days ago who was interning at a law firm that was owned by Joe Lieberman's nephew. She wanted to get a rec from him and thought that it would guarantee her admission to Yale.</p>
<p>Not only do I doubt that she could get that rec, it's not guarantee. In most cases such a rec is fluff. They get tons of them and they aren't really recs for the students, they just say 'so and so is nice', which won't give you an edge in admissions.</p>
<p>Oh ok...thanks for the replies</p>