<p>Would being editor-in-chief of a CSPC award-winning newspaper or yearbook be considered a hook? I'm editor-in-chief of a yearbook that won a CSPC pacemaker last year and I'm wondering if that would help me at all in my application. My scores are good (2380 SAT I, 780,760,710 SAT II) but I need SOMETHING to set my application apart.</p>
<p>no, that won't put you into the "superstar" category. it's an achievement like being all-state in cross country, or starring in the school musical a few years in a row. you don't need a hook, you need a selling strategy. and the best one you can have is to tell something deeply personal in your essay, thoroughly research stuff for the Why-Columbia blurb, and come across as well-informed and mature if you get an interview. It's the soft side of things that make a big difference.</p>
<p>thanks Denzera</p>