<p>I'm a very good student (3.8 weighted GPA, 2100 SAT, 700+ on all subject tests,) with all my extracurriculars relating to genocide prevention. I plan on studying Anthropology and International Relations in college to relate my interest in genocide prevention to my career. I've used this theme in my applications, and I am wondering if that is considered a hook.</p>
<p>I'm applying to a few ivy's, but mostly very good liberal arts schools (and a few women's colleges.) I also come from a low socioeconomic background (my Dad did not go to college, lost his job last year, mom returned to work to become a nurse...) and I moved around schools a lot. Are these things good enough hooks for Ivy adcoms to overlook my very good but not fantastic academics?</p>
<p>Unfortunately a lot of people lost their jobs last year. A lot of people also did not go to college. Congrats to your mom for going back to work to become a nurse. I agree these aren’t hooks and do make you interesting, so have you thought about writing about your background in your essay? Of course the most important thing would your ability to convey this and its impact on you.</p>
<p>Okay, so my background isn’t a hook. I DO have exceptional academics, just not 4.0/Valedictorian academics (but I have lots of personal reasons for that…)
But what about my focused/themed ECs? </p>
<p>And if those aren’t hooks, then could you please tell me what a hook would be?</p>
<p>A hook is also what distinguishes you from the other excellent students, and adds to the diversity of the student body. So I think your interests, if well-described, could be a hook.You sound like a great candidate, especially if you have a lot of hours working on your cause. be sure your essay(s) and recs reflect this.</p>
<p>Hooks=recruited athlete, legacy, URM, staff offspring, development (big donor).</p>
<p>Low income is a tip factor at a handful of schools, not a hook. It is usually a bigger tip when accompanied by being a URM, having parents that didn’t attend college, living in an inner city or underrepresented area.</p>
<p>low income is like a family of 6 being supported by one person who works double shifts at an hourly paid job. I’m not saying that you are not in a miserable condition. I do fell bad for you. But then again, you have not seen the worst like other applicants have. Thats what low income is.</p>
<p>I’m not saying I’m the worst; but applying to top schools as a successful applicant (both academically AND in ECs) that hasn’t been pushed since birth to do so and hasn’t had the financial support to do so is a factor in my application as whole, wouldn’t you agree?
I just think it’s very annoying that, for example, I got really good SAT scores on my own, and the kid in my class who got the same exact score, but who has Doctor parents that paid for 2 years of SAT tutoring for him, are going to be viewed in the same context academically.</p>
<p>hey look, don’t tell me. If yo have a major problem with it, argue with the college.
One kid grew up in the ghettos and started a company to keep his family from poverty. THATS what real low income is.</p>
<p>Federally, low-income is 150% of the poverty line or less. For a family of six, that’s $44,295 (poverty line for a family of six is $29,530). Plus, it sounds as if your dad DID work part of this year, meaning that your income is even higher. Maybe it sucks, but those are the numbers. There has to be a cut off somewhere. However, feel free to write about your experiences. The low-income tip (not really a hook - maybe at Stanford, which loves socioeconomic diversity) is usually reserved for poverty line or federally low-income students. I’m not debating that your family hasn’t struggled. If you work a lot of hours during the school year and summer to pay the bills, it helps support the low-income status. However, even we low-income students know there’s always someone who’s got it worse. So relax. Don’t be angry that you’re not getting the low-income tip; be happy you’re not that kid spending 39 hours a week at Burger King after school.</p>
<p>I understand all that, and I know I’m not the bottom of the economic ladder, but I still think that they should look holistically at these things. I do work a lot, so perhaps that will show in my application. I don’t want to lean on that as my hook anyway, since I really have nothing to do with it. </p>
<p>Could anyone tell me how much a specific interest (like being very involved in activism or in art, etc.) can help an application when the adcoms are trying to decide between two academically similar students?</p>
<p>Fine, itry, I’m not LOW income. But as a part of the group of people with LOWER income than most people who apply to HYPs and other top schools, I feel that it should be taken account of in the application process. Plus, with my family income, Yale and Harvard would give me full rides, so obviously they see it as a lower income bracket.</p>
<p>Anything that has significantly affected your life and that has been illustrated in your application is taken into account. If for you that’s income, so be it. While you may qualify for lots of financial aid, unfortunately you may not (or maybe you will, I certainly don’t know you) qualify in the “succeeding despite great odds” category. Heck, as a low-income student sometimes I decide I don’t fall into that category. Clearly we make enough money for an internet connection, so that’s luxury #1. And it goes from there. Everyone is, unfortunately, in a lower-income bracket than everyone else. Should the kid with the $200,000 family income complain because her mom couldn’t by her a Stradivari, so her music sounded better? How much can I complain, for example, knowing that I am so much more than fed and clothed?</p>
<p>I LIVE in poverty. In a family of three, we only make $18,000 a year. We live in NY, where property taxes and expenses are mad expensive. I also go to a college prep school on scholarships worth $7,600. From my two years and a few months of experience, and even though only in 9th Grade, at this upper class school, where the majority of the families can afford the $8,000 tutition, sure, you get upset. But, you really can’t. You get to go to school. You can get a least a decent education. Maybe, not Ivy League, but at least, a good education. Somewhere in this country, a low-income student has to drop out of school, so he can survive. </p>
<p>This year, my Dad doesn’t have a job. My Mom is on the edge of losing her job. But I’m not complaining about my grades and my scores, because of my parents’ income. There’s only one tip for academic success. It’s not what you can do extra. It’s what you can do extra with what you have. You have a science textbook in your locker. So, you didn’t do what the science section of the ACT. Take that science textbook home and study.</p>
<p>For me, I can’t even complain. I go to a preimer college prep school, where you can borrow SAT/ACT prep books for free. A lot of teachers offer free SAT/ACT prep classes. If you can’t afford to be in a camp, join an activity, or go on a field trip, teachers and staff will find a way for you to afford it. I don’t know how you are, but at this moment, I just can’t say that my life sucks, because of my income, but my life does not suck.</p>