I know a hook is something special about you that makes prep schools want you and stuff, but I am am having a hard time coming up with one for myself. What are some examples of hooks?
Based on what I have read, a hook is something you are, not something you do. examples: being a legacy or under-represented minority or impact athlete. In other words, most people will not have a hook.
They are things that are "institutional priorities ". So if a school has decided that it wants to enroll students from nevada and you are from Nevada, you have a hook. But you only have that hook if the school has determined that enrolling students from Nevada is important. Not all schools have the same priorities.
So not only is it something you are, it differs from school to school. And @Calliemomofgirls is right - most people don’t have them.
Hook can be something you do. I’d argue that playing sports on a competitive level is something you do not just something you just are (you certainly have to keep working at it to be any good), as is being an accomplished musician (our school certainly seems to like those), singer, debater or robotics kid with even just local awards under your belt. None of these are massive enough hooks to get you in if unqualified, but if you are, meeting with the teacher/coach in charge of your ‘hook’ interest, and impressing them can and often does lead in them supporting your application which certainly qualifies as a hook in my book because it pushes your application up toward the top of the pile. That is not to say that every school has a need for all of these things every year, they do not, but some definitely will and if you meet with them it will be pretty clear if there is a real interest or not.
A hook is something that makes you unique, or gives you an advantage. The common hooks are: legacy, sports and URM. But there are others. Do you do something outstanding that is uncommon? Maybe you are nationally ranked in table tennis. Or maybe you started something that has impact on your community. Those are hooks also. The thing is, students often look at others rather than thinking about what makes them unique.
When my kid was accepted on a revisit day they read through the list of accomplishments for kids in the audience. Some were really unique and cool. Those are hooks too. Really you want to convey who you are.
If you don’t have a hook now, you don’t have a hook…period. It’s not something you just one day decide you will develop.
A hook will vary by school, but in most cases, is something that fills an institutional need. In general the major hooks are:
- Recruited athlete
- Underepresented minority
- Child of alum (some may consider grandparents)
- Child of major donor
Some others that may be hooks (or tips) to some schools:
- Child of a world leader/celebrity
- Celebrity in own right
Who are considered Under Represented Minorities at the HADES schools?
The typical group. Blacks, Hispanics, etc. You can figure out who’s underrepresented by school stats, which are often hidden somewhere on their websites. But also places you’re from can be underrepresented. If you’re international, you probably have that going for you (depending on the school - internationals aren’t uncommon at all over here), but in the States I would think Midwest. New York, California, and the New England states are classically overrepresented, so if you’re from most place else, that geographic diversity works in your favour.
Also, let’s maybe stay away from the ranking acronyms, if you don’t mind?