<p>I recently got elected as Head Boy of my school. It was a vigorous process in which I had to make speeches to both the head teacher and then my peers after which they all voted. I was wondering how to use this as a hook or a spike for the IVY colleges.
All help is appreciated :)</p>
<p>That’s not a hook.</p>
<p>it’s not a hook, but it can definitely help. put it on your app.</p>
<p>@stressedoutt how would you suggest I put it in my app. It isnt really considered as an EC so where else would I put it?
In addition I play a sport at a professional level for my country of residence, would I be able to use that as a hook of any sort?</p>
<p>A hook is something you can’t control: race, legacy, low income.</p>
<p>I think I meant spike then :P</p>
<p>Altho the experience may have been vigorous, it doesn’t warrant more than a passing comment on your application. It doesn’t sound much different from being elected class president, or school president.</p>
<p>Are you trying to convey to the schools that you have leadership skills?</p>
<p>If so, you’ll be able to mention this in passing during one of the smaller essays. Alternatively, depending on the content or format of your primary essay, you can mention it in passing there.</p>
<p>It’s not a hook; it’s an EC (or an honor if there are no associated, regular responsibilities). A hook would be something out of your control (being an under-represented minority, a legacy, etc), while this is comparable to student council president. Many applicants will have such accomplishments, meaning that this alone won’t make you stand out. While it’s an impressive school-level accomplishment, many Ivy acceptees will have national awards as well.</p>
<p>Would I be able to use playing a sport for my country at an Under 17 level, professionally, as a spike?
And in my school there is a student council as well as a headboy, the headboy is in charge of the student council though.</p>
<p>Perhaps you mean “tip” rather than “spike”? </p>
<p>You don’t “use” anything in college admissions, you simply list your activities and accomplishments on your application and admissions people at the schools decide how much weight and importance to give to them. It’s not going to be the same across the board, being headboy is going to be much more impressive at Podunk U than at the Big H.</p>
<p>I think we should all stop being so persnickety about which words he uses, whether it’s “hook”,“spike”,“use”, or “tip” it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>If you’ve worked hard for this honor/title and you feel colleges should see this, then write about it. Write about how you have dreamed about this honor for a long time, the journey to get the position, the responsibilities you have and perhaps even the positive changes that are associated with you leading the class.</p>
<p>A thing such as this only matters as much as you make it. If your essays are wonderful, then it will seem like a big deal. If you put it down at the bottom of your application, it will be glanced at and forgotten. Even a simple, and not nearly as prestigious of an award, may be made into something huge. Really, it’s in your power to present yourself in the best light possible. The rest is up to the admissions people.</p>
<p>^At the risk of being called persnickety again (although I rather like the sound of it ;)), I think that activities and accomplishments should be listed in the appropriate places on the application, and that the essay should be reserved to address something that does not show up on the rest of your application.</p>
<p>Haha, entomom, I meant nothing bad by it, just merely pointing out that everyone was so concerned with semantics that they ignored the OP’s questions. It is a pretty cool-sounding word though :D. </p>
<p>I think you’re right that essays should be reserved to things that do not appear on any other part of the application, but at the same time, one line sometimes does not to justice to something a person is really passionate about. I think if the OP feels that this is very important to him, he could write about it, but otherwise he could simply mention it as an honor or extracurricular.</p>