<p>I'm a citizen of one country that requires me to serve for little less than 2 years. Do you think that this would help me go to better colleges even though it is a mandatory requirement?</p>
<p>It would presumably make you more mature and I think colleges would appreciate your different perspective from traditional students. Other than that, I don’t know. Maybe not a hook but a boost.</p>
<p>Are you south korean?</p>
<p>I think it will seem unusual if you are applying for undergrad</p>
<p>^
Nothing wrong with “unusual” in the admissions process. “Unusual” applicants usually make stronger impressions than “normal” applicants. Combined with a strong academic record and well written essays, military service will boost your application for the reasons already mentioned in this thread.</p>
<p>Since everyone in you country does mandatory military service, how would this distinguish you from other applicants from your country? Also, since you have no option of attending (i.e.this isn’t something you pursued yourself), the only (slight) boost it gives you is you’d be assumed to be a bit more mature than other incoming 18-19 year olds. </p>
<p>But this added boost would be minimal in the eyes of colleges I say.</p>
<p>It’s not a hook. A hook is something that colleges must have such as players for their football team.</p>
<p>If a lot of students from your country apply to the colleges that you’re applying to, it also won’t make you stand out since all of those students will have one military service.</p>
<p>Otherwise, it may be a slight tip factor.</p>
<p>“Since everyone in you country does mandatory military service, how would this distinguish you from other applicants from your country? Also, since you have no option of attending (i.e.this isn’t something you pursued yourself), the only (slight) boost it gives you is you’d be assumed to be a bit more mature than other incoming 18-19 year olds.”</p>
<p>This is valid only if your military service is mentioned as a single bullet on your application. Here’s the thing, it’s all about what you take from your experience in the military. If you can successfully demonstrate through your application that your military experience gave you some sort of unique incite, helped you grow up, and/or showed you a side of life that you consider invaluable, then it will strengthen your application for sure. It’s impossible to quantify how much exactly your service will boost your application. It’s all about what you can take from the experience. </p>
<p>“It’s not a hook. A hook is something that colleges must have such as players for their football team.”</p>
<p>I don’t define a “hook” this way at all. To me, a “hook” is something that draws an admissions official in, distinguishing your application from the countless others. I may be defining it incorrectly, but I think military service, sold effectively, can work as a hook. </p>
<p>“Otherwise, it may be a slight tip factor.”</p>
<p>Again, impossible to quantify. It’s all how you sell it. You cannot generalize about how much military service helps strengthen an application.</p>
<p>painholic
As a veteran of the IDF , that also applying to college I think you can use your army experience as a good thing. But make your duty worth something for instance I got 6 merits and a war signal, and was a commander over 8-12 soldiers. So I can talk about leadership . Make your duty a good one for you and for your country!</p>
<p>“Again, impossible to quantify. It’s all how you sell it. You cannot generalize about how much military service helps strengthen an application.”</p>
<p>This is true of virtually any aspect of a person’s application. The bottom line is, though, that having served in the military of a country that requires military service isn’t a hook when “hook” is defined as being something so important that colleges feel that they must have students with that characteristic.</p>
<p>jakoblives: You wrote: “I don’t define a “hook” this way at all. To me, a “hook” is something that draws an admissions official in, distinguishing your application from the countless others. I may be defining it incorrectly, but I think military service, sold effectively, can work as a hook.”</p>
<p>Note how that contrasts with Northstarmom’s def’n. There is a great difference between the two. Not everyone who is offered admission to the tippy-top schools have a “hook” (as I and NSM define it). Everone DOES have something remarkable that made his/her file stand out however. I think you refer to the latter. </p>
<p>Like NSM said: “a ‘hook’ is defined as being something so important that colleges feel that they must have students with that characteristic.”</p>
<p>"Everone DOES have something remarkable that made his/her file stand out however. I think you refer to the latter. "</p>
<p>I disagree, especially at some of the tippy top institutions. This is why admissions to those schools is considered a crap shoot. So many applicants boast ridiculously awesome academic awards, volunteer work, and various other excursions, that an admission’s rep has probably seen about a million times on various applications.</p>
<p>The same cannot be said for military service. How many applicants with competitive stats apply to top schools with military experience? I’m guessing a very small number. </p>
<p>Again, in addition to the cases you mentioned, a hook to me is also anything that causes an admissions officer to pause and say “Hmm, that’s not something you see every day.” in a positive way.</p>
<p>By the way, I’m speaking as a military veteran (albeit one from the US) who was accepted as a transfer to UC Berkeley, Columbia University GS, and Amherst College from a community college.</p>
<p>My veteran’s status was definitely a hook and I doubt I would have gained admission otherwise.</p>
<p>Yes this is a great hook. I’d rather have a soldier than a legacy or a football player.</p>
<p>jaykoblives can I PM you with some questions?</p>
<p>^
Of course, that’s what I’m here for, bro.</p>