<p>I just started my junior year of high school and plan to apply to some highly selective colleges. I'm working on stuff like SAT scores, GPA, and ECs but one thing I'm missing is a "hook". I know for selective schools a hook can be important, but right now I don't think I have anything!</p>
<p>-I'm American-Indian, grew up in the States but now go to an American International school in India
-I don't have any family hooks/alumni who have attended colleges I will apply to
-I'm on my school swim team and I love to swim but I'm definitely on the lower rank of fast swimmers
-I'm the leader of a community service club at my school where we teach underprivileged kids</p>
<p>Does anyone have any suggestions for something I could get into that would be considered a hook? Right now I am very loosely considering trying to start my own service organisation. I used to be very into writing in elementary and middle school, and I got a short story published by Scholastic in fifth grade. I'm maybe thinking I should try to write and get a book published? However, I am unsure as I'm already a junior and caught up with school work, ECs, and SAT prep and may not have enough time and energy to write and publish. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!
Thanks!</p>
<p>It’s “Indian-American” probably, not American-Indian (implies Native American). You can’t really develop a ‘hook’ unless you suddenly start playing basketball at a professional level.</p>
<p>Starting your own servicing organization will be seen by the college admission people as serving YOURSELF. Too many students do this, usually as juniors, and the programs don’t get off the ground, or die when the student graduates. Over done, accomplishes little for you or for the people you are planning to “serve”. </p>
<p>Writing a book and trying to get it published by a reputable publisher, while participating in Junior Year of high school sounds rather challenging. What compelling story do you have that a publisher would snap up that quickly and get published so promptly?</p>
<p>It’s not so much that I want to shut you down, but hooks are not something that you create simply because you want to have a hook. Hooks are something that you are - a racial minority, cancer survivor, athlete, etc. Or they come about because you have a strong interest in something and the drive to do something that has sprung naturally from your core. </p>
<p>Hooks say something about you, and come from your simply being yourself.</p>
<p>Find the magical cure for ebola, mediate peace talks between Israel and Hamas, stop the fighting in Ukraine, or rescue the Yazidi refugees attempting to flee from the ISIS. I am sure any of those would count as a “hook”.</p>
<p>It’s really to late to make a change that will significantly affect your admission chances. Get involved in something new if it pleases you to do so. Otherwise, keep doing what you’ve been doing.</p>
<p>You definitely do not need a “hook” to be admitted into a good school. Also, I’m pretty sure it’s not something you can obtain simply by working hard (as you might do to get a higher SAT score, better grades, etc.) unless you do manage to cure ebola or perform some other miracle other posters have suggested between your junior and senior years at school.
If you are really passionate about something (service, writing, etc.), it should (and will very likely) come through in your application.
I may sound harsh in saying this, but do not waste energy searching for a “hook” if you don’t have one. Most applicants will be in the same boat as you and, odds are, quite a few “unhooked” applicants will be accepted into a great school. </p>
<p>Research schools, do well in school and tests, and write great essays. At some schools, great essays and loving a school a bunch (and demonstrating why) is as good as a hook.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is considered a hook, but if you enter some well-known competition (Siemens, Intel Science Fair, others I don’t know of that aren’t science-related, etc) and place (Siemens semi-finalist, for example, is actually much easier than it may seem), then it helps you a LOT. You have one+ year to prepare for something like this. Even if you suddenly get something in the fall of your senior year, it can still be added to your app and will help you.</p>
<p>Another thing is to join a good research lab that often publishes student lab assistants. It’s honestly not hard if you find a good mentor. Just play a small role in the lab and your name will get added to the published paper, and you can put it on your app. That’s just an idea though; it’s still kind of tough to have access to these things. Normally Asians don’t have hooks - only anti-hooks. </p>
<p>From what I’ve learned about the application process so far, for the vast majority of people, no one thing will get you admitted (although one thing may get you rejected!). Don’t worry about a hook. Focus on trying to improve every part of your application. Your GPA. Your SAT. Your ECs. Your Essays. Your Interview. </p>