<p>It is so weird to ask this question, but I suppose one of my hooks (applying EA) is that I overcame a life-threatening illness during high school and now have a physical disability. I will definitely need to mention this somewhere in my application just to explain why I missed so many months of school and whatnot, but is it appropriate to write an essay about this? I have no interest in attracting pity and I'm well aware there will be applicants with far more difficult circumstances, but as this was such a big part of my life (and a potential tiny advantage in being "different" from other applicants) I wonder if it makes sense.
Thanks so much for reading this and good luck with all your apps!</p>
<p>Don't even attempt to turn this into a hook. If it affected your school work, write about it in your essays and show how you strived through the illness. </p>
<p>So to answer your questions: yes you should write about this. No, this won't be a plus for you</p>
<p>A hook is anything that makes you special and wanted by the universities. Something that differentiates you from others.</p>
<p>You can turn the illness into a hook, provided you really learned something from it. If you can tell the adcoms about your new zest for life (in more eloquent terms) after nearly dying (or at least lie well enough to convince them), then it could be a hook.</p>
<p>The question of whether you waste an essay explaining your illness or turning the experience into an inspiring hook depends on how well you write. Since you have to write about it, I suggest you try your best.</p>