<p>I'm not really sure what the definition of a "hook" is, so if someone could enlighten me as to what hooks are or include (other than legacy, urm, international math champ, etc), that'd be great =].</p>
<p>Does being a state policy debate champion count as a hook?
Or how about placing first (or second?) place in a state science championship? (For team and individual events)</p>
<p>Oh, and would you put "deaf/hard-of-hearing" on your college app? o_O. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>of course debate and other contests are considered hooks. everything that YOU think makes you better than someone else (as long as it’s reasonable) can become a future hook.
I would put deaf/hard of hearing if it’s a serious or near serious medical issue not because somebody yells at you from the other side of a field and you can’t hear him.</p>
<p>Hooks are pretty constant and include URM, legacy, developmental admit, celebrity status, cure cancer. :)</p>
<p>Other good EC’s help, and look good, but are not hooks.</p>
<p>I disagree with andreeab. I think of hooks as inherent things, such as location, legacy, race, and first generation.</p>
<p>Recruited athlete, legacy, underrepresented minority, and serious developmental case are the only real hooks.</p>
<p>Butting in;</p>
<p>Do you think putting that you are deaf/partially deaf will affect you on college acceptance? </p>
<p>Im Completely deaf in my left ear, and contemplating bringing a hearing aid to college (it amplifies the sounds so it picks up whispers and everything;; Very annoying).</p>
<p>Will it hurt me?</p>
<p>They are right. Hooks don’t include things that you’ve won really. I imagine those are the things that get automatic flags whereas things that you’ve won might get the adcom’s attention otherwise. </p>
<p>And why would a hearing aid help you or hurt you in admissions? If it’s been a significant or interesting experience you can always turn it into an essay(everything can be an essay apparently, how cliche).</p>
<p>I meant more so the fact i was partially deaf, because some schools, i don’t know i figured it could hurt me or something. </p>
<p>Being as i’ve attend 2 years of high school in a hearing school, and
1 (this past) year in MSD, the deaf school.</p>
<p>It shouldn’t affect admissions. Most schools have offices for accommodations for people with disabilities and stuff like that anyways but I imagine it’s totally separate from the admissions and financial aid offices.</p>
<p>Amarie92,
I don’t know about a “hook” but it could be a factor in admissions. Top schools are looking for students who have overcome significant obstacles. If you can turn your own personal challenge into an interesting essay, it could help. But at the end of the day the quality of the essay will count for more than the disability itself, I think.</p>
<p>I bet admissions committees get depressed with all these essays about struggles though. I bet they’ve heard about every sort of ailment and social condition.</p>
<p>How much of a hook is first-generation?</p>
<p>Not enough for a Hispanic with a 31 ACT and 2060 to get into HY or P. :-(</p>
<p>The Rochester Institute of Technology has a combined program with over 1000 deaf and hard of hearing students. From what I understand, it is very successful with the integration with the regular RIT Population.</p>
<p>How is RIT/NTID different from other colleges and universities? </p>
<p>With 1,100 deaf and hard-of-hearing students and 14,000 hearing students on campus, RIT/NTID offers you a unique opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds! </p>
<p>What can I study at RIT/NTID? </p>
<p>You can choose from more than 200 programs of study in exciting fields such as Biotechnology, Information Technology, Professional and Technical Communication, Graphic Design, Photography, and more. RIT is consistently ranked among top universities in U.S. News & World Report: America’s Best Colleges. </p>
<p>What if I don’t know what I want to study? </p>
<p>RIT/NTID offers a range of programs to match your interests and abilities. If you want to collect additional information about careers and majors before deciding on a program of study, you may choose one of our career exploration/decision options. </p>
<p>What access services are available? </p>
<p>FM loop systems, real-time captionists, TTY pay phones, tutors, many faculty and staff members who use sign language, and depending on the program of study you choose, sign language interpreters and notetakers–all of which make for excellent accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. </p>
<p>[RIT</a> - NTID - Prospective Students](<a href=“http://www.ntid.rit.edu/prospective/]RIT”>http://www.ntid.rit.edu/prospective/) </p>
<p>Hooks are not EC accomplishments - they are Legacy, Minority Status, Athlete, relative is an employee of the college</p>
<p>Good Luck.</p>
<p>so bi-racial is a hook? i thought it would be but i don’t know how much it actually helps</p>
<p>How big a deal is Legacy at Penn?</p>
<p>
A pretty big deal in the ED round.</p>
<p>Dammit. I hate topics like these, or actually, I hate the reasons that people post topics like these.</p>
<p>Everything’s relative. There is no “counting” as a hook. A hook is a term that people on here have created to describe things that are at the very high end of the scale of looking attractive in admissions. But hooks are still on the scale, not off of it in magic land. They are not separated from everything else, and they do not necessarily carry equal weight as each other.</p>
<p>kleibo - wow, excellent info on RIT. I never knew that. All those access services you mentioned, really makes me look at RIT o_O. Of course, if a lot of other schools also offer those services… XD. I’ll have to look into all that.</p>
<p>Thanks for the clearing up, everyone =].</p>
<p>Celebrity status is the coolest hook of them all…now I just need to get with that audition for that movie and I’ll be set! ;)</p>