Fluent in Hebrew (parents born and raised in Israel and moved to US year before I was born) and semi-fluent in Spanish (I’ve been in advanced Spanish classes since 7th grade, am taking AP next year, and working in an environment with many Hispanics (I am a Marshall’s employee and I speak to my bosses quite often in Spanish)) → essentially makes me “tri-lingual”
over 8 years of drum-set lessons, a perfect score on the highest available level of my state’s music proficiency assessment (the test at this level is generally intended for high school juniors and seniors, and i took it as a freshman, or possibly 8th grade, i don’t really remember i’d have to check).
<p>The drum thing might be a very good hook.
If you prove in your application (through your EC's and essay) that music is a significant part of your life, and that you have passion for it, you will have gold.</p>
<p>Ofcourse, you'll also need good stats to back it up.</p>
<p>nice, did your parents go to israeli universities? my mom went to tel aviv university and my dad to the technion (israel institute of technology).</p>
<p>well, the problem with the drum "hook" is that i have not excelled in music in my school. i had major personal issues with the music staff at my school and decided to quit the school band after my sophomore year, however out of school, music is a huge passion of mine and i've devoted insane amounts of time to it. i was in two bands (i.e. rock music with friends) that have performed in two huge local charity events that raised large amounts of money (in the thousands of dollars), both of which were run completely by my friends and me (from the funding of the show, to the booking of the band, to the renting of equipment, to the actual manual labor--we did literally EVERYTHING). could that show passion as much as excelling in a school/marching band?</p>
<p>Whether or not these accomplishments can be considered hooks depends on what you do with them. </p>
<p>Do you intend to continue playing drums -- either as a music major or as an extra-curricular. Colleges need musicians for various groups -- orchestra, marching band, jazz band. If you can fill one of those spaces it's a hook.</p>
<p>Being tri-lingual is also appealing especially if you can segue it into an academic stream. For example, are you interested in using your language skills to study history, linguistics, social work?</p>
<p>Basically what a good hook should do is provide value added to the campus community. Think about what you can contribute and communicate this in your essays and resume.</p>
<p>yep, both my folks went to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.</p>
<p>The fact that you didn't get involved in your school's music proggrams is barely a set back. Colleges prefer seeing involvement outside of school in any case.</p>
<p>You truly have gold in your hands. Your initiative (remeber this key word) is reflected through your organization of 2 bands plus charity events. It's great. Make sure you focus your essay on that.</p>
<p>and i could definitely see myself getting involved in the jazz band at the school i apply to, but i would not put any academic focus on music (i.e. majoring or minoring in it). although, another thing that was interesting to me was a family friend of mine, who plays bass, got involved in a band at Brown and they played many if not all of the frat socials and formals where a band was required. is that not contribution to the community?</p>
<p>and orrican, your parents beat mine ;) (hebrew is ranked higher by Time in their "Universities of the World" rankings)</p>
<p>Well that's exactly it. Thoughout high school, I've never done anything to "get an edge" over other applicants, as I never really knew about "hooks" outside of the obvious being famous and being a URM. It wasn't until I joined CC that I discovered all the other facets to the college application process, and it is now [the summer before senior year] that I look at myself and wonder what facets of my personality and life and experiences are benefits to my college application.</p>
<p>"Hooks" aren't anything aside from what characteristics you possess that make you <em>you</em> as opposed to <em>everybody else</em>.</p>
<p>Reading app after app with 7XX math, 7XX verbal, 7XX writing, 3.9X GPA, Honor blah blah Society, Varsity Blergh for four years, President of Shnargmorg.... It gets pretty boring and makes your eyes go numb. You want something interesting, aside from all that, to make the admissions officer wake up and go, "Hunh... fluent in Hebrew... Does rock 'n' roll charity. That's pretty cool."</p>
<p>And that's what a lot of frantic CC'ers don't always get.</p>