<p>I was just perusing my cerebral storage system, thinking about the few anomalous talents I possess, when it finally hit me. Letters are constantly flying through my head throughout the day. When I was about 10 (that's as early as I can remember), I realized that I could alphabetize the letters in any given word nearly as fast as I can spell it. For example, if you give me the word "ostentatious", I can arrange the letters to be "aaeinnossttu". Or the word "incredible" - "bcdeeiilnr". What do you guys think? I even looked online, and from what I can see, there are only a few people who can do this with great speed. Is this something that can set me apart from other college applicants?</p>
<p>No… This is not a “hook.” A hook is being born black, or hispanic, or American indian… Or having a parent who went to the school you’re applying to, or being the first from your family to go to college… Ya’ know, things that you have no control over, things that would NEVER give you any kind of advantage outside applying to college. =P Ohh, and if you’re a recruited athlete, that’s a hook (that, I think, should actually be a hook). </p>
<p>Sadly, your nifty talent isn’t a hook, but you could write one of your essays about it, and maybe use it to get moderately famous on youtube. =P</p>
<p>Oh cool. Guess I had a misunderstanding about what a hook was. I am black though, lol.</p>
<p>That’s awesome! It doesn’t really show why you would succeed in life though…Unless plan B is ditch college and become a youtube star ;)</p>
<p>Actually, you might be able to develop a good or humorous essay from this. My friend’s daughter wrote a hilarious essay on how she learned to tie cherry stems with her tongue…she received comments on it at an interview and on an acceptance letter.</p>
<p>Yes, some of these strange ‘talents’ can make an applicant memorable in a fun way. Don’t build your application around it, but by all means mention it somewhere!</p>
<p>Does having ADD/ADHD count as a hook? My whole family except for my mom has it. We all went untreated/undiagnosed until last December, but I’ve still managed to be successful in school struggling with it.</p>
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<p>No.</p>
<p>A hook is a quality of an applicant that meets a college or university’s institutional want or need. For example, most colleges have a football team, and football teams need linebackers. So if you’re one of the most sought-after high-school linebackers in Texas, that’s a hook. Most colleges need generous donors. If you come from a family that is likely to bestow a major gift on the college, you’re hooked. Most colleges want their alumni to be happy. Happy alumni donate to the college, and happy alumni are also good PR for the college. One way to make alumni happy is to give their children a leg-up in admissions. So if you’re a legacy, admitting you would help fulfill an institutional want. Many colleges like celebrity students. When Emma Watson applied to Brown, and Chelsea Clinton applied to Stanford, they were hooked.</p>
<p>But do colleges have an institutional need for, or for that matter a shortage of, students with ADD or ADHD? Not really.</p>
<p>Unfortunately not. =P Not sure why something that makes you a weaker student would be a hook… No offense.</p>
<p>Haha neither am I. Diversity and creativity maybe 
Thanks for the answers.</p>