<p>in your opinion, how important is a hook?</p>
<p>I think it is fairly important, (It better be for me, b.c without it im effin screwed) b.c think about it. These schools aren’t all soley academics, they are looking for well roundness. Plus some schools place heavy emphasis on sports, and trust me HADES schools want to beat each other. However, I don’t think everybody appplying has hooks, it’s rather a like 20 percent of ppl applying.</p>
<p>I find them very important, without them, no one in these schools would be interesting (other than academically). Hooks are truly important when applying to any of these schools, it is what makes them what they are.</p>
<p>Agree they are absolutely very significant.
Having both outstanding academics and athletics are a given.
You need something else. Student Body President, significant community service involvement, etc…to make you stand out among hundreds of great student/athletes</p>
<p>uhmmm outstanding academics and athletics i disagree. u need to be smart in general, but athletes only the top are chosen. I don’t want to sound to braggy, but the coach at Deerfield told me tjhey received 200 highlight tapes, and they only choose like 15. and conclusively only 5-6 players get in. Being highly advanced in your athletic field can be ur ticket into the school</p>
<p>alright…can jazz choir and student council be hooks?</p>
<p>uhmmm i dont think soo unless ur like singing opera or something like that.</p>
<p>for instance, when I told my interviewers at Andover nd SPS, I told them I was vp. and they say oh thats good but we gots lots of those. See what i mean? Alot of ppl have that. I think there is a thread someone posted b4, but here are basics of hooks. CC places high emphasis on hooks, but note only lets say 10 percent do</p>
<p>1) Really long legacy- donated big big $$$$ I do mean big
2) Amazing athlete or artist or musicisian- I don’t mean recreational. Like sports team, for instance I play varsity and HCO is on club. Artist- Recognized as a legite artist. Muscisian- u play at Carnegie Hall? Are u a prodigal violin genius (again alot of asian apps who are considered musical geniuses)
3) Racial ethnecity and Geography- Schools want more diversity. Coming from the New England area doesnt help neither does being Asian or white. </p>
<p>I think these are true hooks. If im wrong feel free to add on</p>
<p>does california count as geographical diversity if i’m applying to all new england schools? thanks for the advice. i really appreciate it.</p>
<p>No, schools have many California students.</p>
<p>What is the % of students GADES take have hoods? I am guessing most people got in Adover have at least one hook.</p>
<p>I think hooks are great if you have them, but most schools don’t expect kids to have completed their life’s work by ninth grade. If you happen to have starred in a Broadway play or cured cancer, that’s awesome, but for the most part, I think the schools are looking for smart, well-rounded kids who will benefit from and contribute to the school community. So don’t stress out too much about hooks, much more important, I think, are who they gauge you to be as a person, your potential, and if they see you excelling in and taking advantage of their incredible school.</p>
<p>what about misssipsippi, alabama, and arkansas for atlantic schools in the east?</p>
<p>wrong hadeswisher</p>
<p>“Being an Asian football player from California helps. No worries about your ethnecity and your geography hurting you!”</p>
<p>words from the Deerfield football coach who emailed me</p>
<p>I totally agree wickedcrazy</p>
<p>thanks everyone for all the responses 
and i believe that hadeswisher and jyun are both correct. i’m from california but i’m only half asian. i’ve heard that being from california and fully asian helps more than being hapa like me, but i could be wrong.</p>
<p>im hapa too haha </p>
<p>and no one will know what that means ahah
are you from Hawaii cause thats like pidgin</p>
<p>Is being a top swimmer from Antigua who competes successfully in the caribbean a hook? Also, does having a mixed background make a student stand out? My daughter is lebanese, Puerto Rican and Caribbean black descent.</p>
<p>Exponentially more important to have a hook if you are applying for FA.</p>
<p>I don’t know, wcmom. My son was unhooked and received four extremely generous offers. Really, he had no “hook” in the way it is traditionally defined on CC.</p>
<p>But what is a hook, neato? I think it’s anything that makes the kid stand out from the crowd…doesn’t have to be athletics or musical talent. I think it can just as easily be something that pops out in an essay or the interview.</p>
<p>Here’s what I think: if you’re applying to boarding school because you genuinely need somethng different from what you’ve already got at home (rather than for prestige or because you parents went to boarding school or something like that), then figure out what it is that you want or what it is that makes you different from the kids around you–and that’s your hook!</p>