Im sure this is probably a thread already, but is being the child of faculty at the university considered a hook? And if so, where does it rank on the list of hooks?
it would depend on the school. Usually a strong hook unless your stats put you in the bottom 10% of applicants.
Building on what @TomSrOfBoston said, the “power” of the faculty member him or herself plays into this. An adjuct? No hook. A tenured, highly-respected in the field professor? Hook. If you’re Noam Chomsky’s or Henry Louis Gates’ kid? Oh mais oui. Here is your golden ticket.
Thanks. My parent is is a tenured professor and actually pretty respected, so hopefully it’s at least slightly helpful…