<p>There are many candidates who can be identified by one particular thing in their application. For example, my oldest D was the “singer”, whereas my younger D will be the “artist”. You will be the “boy scout.”</p>
<p>Now how that plays out in admissions will depend on how much you stand out in that category and whether a college needs that category to complete the profile of their class.
If you stand out from others with a similar label, and a school is looking for your “type”, then I would view it as a hook.</p>
<p>Now you can try to play that out to your advantage as much as possible. The fact that you have other leadership roles helps. Because when you get to college they will want to see you use your “boy scout skills” in other leadership roles impt to the school.</p>
<p>Your essay can hone in on things you learned as a scout that has helped you become a better leader. (You get the drift.)</p>
<p>Another thing to look at is to try to apply to schools that don’t have as may “boy scouts.” My D’s “singing” label was more advantageous at GW, Brandeis and Barnard than it was at NYU (where she is a vocal performance major.) At NYU, everyone is a singer so she stressed her leadership roles in music and student gov’t and how she was the founder and director of an accapella group that did charity concerts and community service. So at NYU her “hook” was more about leadership than talent.</p>
<p>So mostly, it is about how you market yourself. It is not so much as having a hook as creating one.</p>