Is this a "hook?"

Applying to College
1

<p>Would research be counted as a "hook?"</p>

<p>Such as shadowing a prof. for a year and doing research with him. </p>

<p>Didn't get any papers published or anything, but I'm working with him in research.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>I wouldn’t say it’s a HUGE hook, because lots of ppl on here seem to have the same thing going for them, but it’s a nice thing to have nonetheless.</p>

3

<p>I don't think so. That's something quite a few people have done. Maybe a small hook, definitely not a significant one.</p>

4

<p>I don't think its a hook either because, ya, everyone is doing this now, but I think if it satisfies your scientific sweet tooth, who cares.</p>

5

<p>It is a strong EC if you emphasize your interest in science. The word "hook" is sometimes reserved to mean things like URM, legacy, athlete, development case or VIP.</p>

6

<p>Dufus: What do you mean by "development case?"</p>

7

<p>Applicants whose families have donated, or will or could, large sums of money.</p>

8

<p>I guess you could try to make it seem big, but its hard when you don't have any publishings. Are you entering Science Fair?</p>

9

<p>You can make virginity a hook if you really tried.</p>

10

<p>lol 'tis funny</p>

11

<p>I've been wondering about this for a long time. Would it be possible to shadow an economics professor? Do they even research things like market trends?</p>

12

<p>Just doing research isn't a hook. Showing the validity and importance of your research helps make it a hook. You can help achieve this by publishing papers (the higher in the author list, the better--first authorship is always the best), doing very well in major competitions (Intel, Siemens, ISEF), etc. Demonstrate that your research was not some minor project of little or no importance to the field--thousands of HS students do that. "Hookable" research (yes, I just made that term up :p) is something at a higher level than that. Hence the importance of science competitions (although personally I think that having papers under your belt in peer-reviewed journals, or being in the process of writing them, is equally or more important). Another big step towards making research "hookish" (again, made up term ;)) is demonstrating that it is truly your life's passion. If you did bio research but really want to be a stockbroker, the research might not be a hook. If your goal in life is to discover a cure for AIDS and you know your life's love is studying the human body, and you can show that, I'd think it helps. Harvard wants the next Nobel Prize winners ;)</p>