<p>There is a lot of talk about "hooks". I realize that in the final anaylsis the 'right' hook is one that fits the student to the school. But what are some hooks that tend to strengthen an application at most schools?</p>
<p>At most schools, a hook would be a parent who went there, or, more cynically, being a full pay applicant.</p>
<p>There are as many hooks as there are kids applying to any given school. I have said it before, but living in a state that starts with a vowel might help.</p>
<p>zp</p>
<p>URM = Under-Represented Minority status is definitely a factor as schools seek to diversify their student bodies. URM generally means African-American, Hispanic, or Native American. Sorry, Asians don’t qualify, as they are OVER-represented in applicant pool.</p>
<p>Well, we live in a state that starts with a vowel and my daughter is African-American so we’ve got those covered. Sadly, she will need close to full FA. </p>
<p>She is looking to add a new EC and nothing has caught her eye yet. We are going to an EC Open House tonight so she can try and find one that she likes. I was curious if any particular EC is expected or “better” than others.</p>
<p>I’d say that the EC you do because you love it and pursue it with all your heart and soul, the one where you seek out opportunities beyond your school or beyond what is required at your school, the one EC in which you can shine, and possibly star, the EC that shows who you are and what makes you special, is the best.</p>
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<p>No EC is expected or “better” than another. Taking up an instrument, for instance, might count if the student has been playing for years and can contribute to the orchestra. It won’t make a difference if the student started playing 6 months before applying to BS.</p>
<p>I’m an interviewer and I actually had a student admit they took on an EC so they could have it on their resume. Let me tell you we have a thousand ways to figure out if the student is resume padding, or passionate about something and self-motivated. I love kids who explore, but they are often sabotaged by parents who try to second guess the system.</p>
<p>Your daughter needs to get involved in something she loves - even if it is not through a school or organization. We look for longevity (activities done over time). Short term activities don’t really count for much unless something stunning comes out of it.</p>
<p>Trust me - Adcoms and interviewers have been doing this for decades and we’ve seen it all.</p>
<p>So let me ask a question - is there no activity your daughter has been involved with for a long term (under her own initiative?) And if the answer is no - is it due to lack of local activities? In that case, the Adcoms will look for other signs of self-motivation to determine if she will be able to function on campus.</p>
<p>Would my photography be considered a hook? In my application, I wrote about it in my essay as to how in 9th grade I developed a love for it. I received two awards for it. I took 3 classes in it and am now on the Yearbook staff in photography committee. I also talked about how I started my own business (summer after 9th grade) where I do photography for childrens birthday parties.</p>
<p>I speak about getting involved in clubs as a historian or somewhere that I can use my skills.</p>
<p>Would that be enough to catch an admissions officers eye?</p>
<p>“I love kids who like to explore.”</p>
<p>^^^
This is her. She tries so many different activities but only rarely does something ‘click’ with her. The good thing is that the coaches/teachers always want her to pick their club/team so she does well when she tries things. </p>
<p>She has two long term ECs (one 5 years that she is stopping at the end of this year and one 9 years that she is continuing), a two year activity that ends this year, and she has done random volunteer work but is desperately waiting until she is old enough to volunteer at the local animal refuge. </p>
<p>I think she just hasn’t found where her heart lies yet.</p>
<p>@hghschjunior: absolutely, all of these schools have fine newspapers, literary mags, yearbooks, even alumni mags that require campus photography, and they pretty much all have amazing facilities for developing your own images (old school) or digital labs for digital images, etc. It’s certainly a kind of hook, and the way you talk about your love of photography is exactly what Exie is talking about in her comments.</p>
<p>I hope you are right because Im hoping that University of Florida sees the passion I have for my photography. I slopped it all over the place so that they can see that I am wanting to get involved somehow, someway with this … thank you for giving me a bit of hope. Decisions are coming out friday.</p>
<p>@hopes43 - she’ll be fine. There is a saying that the right school with pick a student and the student will pick a right school. The key will be if she clicks with a school and vice versa. There will be plenty of new opportunities for your daughter to find that thing that defines her bliss on a campus. There’s just so much more available then most local schools offer. The biggest problem my daughter encountered was that there were so many opportunities at BS that she couldn’t figure out how to fit it all in.</p>
<p>But - and it’s a big butt - despite all the musings on the board about “hooks” and states and URM’s, for the right candidate it might give you an edge - but it’s not an automatic and a lot of URMs from states that are underrepresented get declined. The real issue is that schools are looking at who is academically qualified, then who can fill out the class and campus needs, then who “fits” the culture. From there they begin to “build” a well-rounded, diverse class.</p>
<p>Just do your best and don’t worry about trying to guess what might make an Adcom choose a student - what attracts one school might not appeal to another. And it changes every year as the applicant pool changes.</p>
<p>Just tell your daughter to pursue activities based on interest - not on resume padding. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>She surprised me! I tried to stay in the background as we walked around the EC Open House. I wanted to see what things drew her attention. Her 5 year EC is a musical intrument that she no longer wanted to play, but after seeing what else was out there she signed up to learn a new instrument (I’m so thrilled! especially as it does not require us to purchase an instrument; they have enough ‘loaners’ for all 1st year players!). She also joined a new sports team and a drama group. </p>
<p>I should have had more confidence in her ability to find activities that she liked. (She was so painfully shy up until recently that I’m still adjusting my view of her. I’m so thrilled with the young lady she is becoming!)</p>
<p>The application is tricky. I agree that it’s a balancing act. It appears the schools want to see a “passion” demonstrated by sticking with something for a few years while at the same time wanting kids who are willing to explore and step out of their comfort zone. How to express both well on a short application is a challenge.</p>
<p>I’m currently in 7th grade and I’ll be volunteering in Nepal this summer. (2 weeks) would this count as a hook?</p>
<p>In my opinion, no. Many kids do community service trips and I don’t see how this would be considered a hook.</p>
<p>I agree. Unless you solve poverty in Nepal altogether in the process that would unlikely be counted as a hook. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do it - it’s a great addition to your ECs.</p>
<p>Build on it. Make a slideshow of your trip and volunteer to do presentations in your community. Girl/Boy Scout troops, church groups, 4H, etc. etc. That will add dimension to this awesome experience.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, I’d a “hook” is whatever makes your eyes light up when you talk about it.</p>
<p>A community service trip in a foreign country is not a hook-- it is a one-time activity that you might use as a topic for an essay. A hook is something enticing to the school that will last through your years at BS, like a talent or an underrepresented geographic home address.</p>
<p>As an AO told us years ago, '…if I see another application that emphasizes the applicant built latrines for a week in (south american country), I’m going to puke." Something like that. Bottom line is that these 1 or 2 week trips, and I think this includes pay to play programs such as People to People, don’t count for much in the top schools. It depends on the school being applied to and the applicant pool.</p>
<p>While meaningful extracurricular activities may make you a more attractive applicant, they are NOT a hook any more than your grades or your standardized test scores are a hook. </p>
<p>Being an underrepresented minority (African-American, Latino, American Indian, etc.) is a hook. So, too, is having a talent in the arts or being a recruited athlete, a legacy, a development admit, or a resident of an underrepresented geographical region. </p>
<p>As a result, the pertinent question is not whether doing community service in a foreign country is a hook. It is whether it is a meaningful experience that demonstrates an authentic passion or just an effort to pad your resume. If it is the latter, it should help you. If it is the former, it may hurt you.</p>