In terms of supplementing an application, how much would a unique circumstance help? For the sake of anonymity I’m not going to say mine here, but it is definitely something the AOs have never seen before and I’m pretty sure they would remember it. Could this help an otherwise mundane application? When I say schools I mean HADES schools, and second-tier schools.
You know that the answer is “it depends.” Try thinking about your unique circumstance from the perspective of the school…is there something about it that makes you more likely to elevate a sports team, a class discussion or a student organization?
I’m assuming that you have already detailed the unique circumstance in the applications and/or covered it during your interviews?
It’s not even “It depends;” It’s a flat out no. A true “hook” would be a depends, since each school can decide if said hook is meaningful to them. For most schools, a hook is a recruited athlete/URM/legacy/development case/celebrity. Period. Other things might, repeat might, give go a very slight edge, but whatever your secret is, it’s not a hook.
Honestly- aside from residing in a tent somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness since birth or a complete game changer on the athletic field, I think hooks are a little overrated . The BIG question that always begs to be answered is pretty simple : Why do you want to go to BS and have this experience? If you’ve answered that question in a genuine and thoughtful way and made a compelling case ( during the interview and on your app ) that’s really the best hook out there.
All three of my kids were FP with strong athletic hooks and nice stats… but they still had to answer that question and make their case for admission. It’s never enough to rattle off a list of accomplishments or have one thing define you. You still have to answer Why.
Perfect stats ( even if you’re FP with a hook ) will NOT get you through the door if you cannot answer that question in a clear, compelling and meaningful way. ( Okay- maybe a few slipped in here and there but why take the chance? 
)
Perfect stats or a rock star hook ( or both ) doesn’t necessarily mean an applicant is ready for BS either. Think about that! And never assume amazing stats = certain school(s) because that’s when “HADES” applicants ( and their parents… ) get into trouble. Hopefully, you found schools you truly love and you were able to make your case for each school individually.
IMHO- That’s how it’s done.
All the other stuff ( stats, hooks, whatever ) is great, but it’s all window dressing if you can’t answer that all- important question- WHY?
BS Admissions is an arms race but it’s definitely not the arms race you think it is when you factor in all the kids who can’t ( or don’t know how to ) answer that question.
All the best and good luck M10!
Thanks for your answers everyone! Also, yes @AppleNotFar I have done both as well as written a supplementary letter explaining my situation in greater detail.
@skieurope is right. Even legitimate stand out hooks are no guarantee. I know this isnt very eloquent nor will it be well articulated but there is no secret sauce. Sometimes there is just no explanation. I know current students at Andover and Exeter and there is really nothing that crazy special about them. That includes my own son. I think many many times it’s as simple as we have 300 spots: half are girls, half are boys. We need 20% of these spots for legacies. Then we need half of admitted to be full pay. We need x% minorities. We need 100 kid s that play all of our sports and so on…
@Center is how i look at this. For a white male kid there are very few spots lefts. Half are female so you are down to 50%. 1/3 are minority, so you are down to 33%. I figure another 8% for celebrity/legacy and space to add to the class for sophomores, and you are down to 25% of the average class size. So for a 400 student school, there are about 25 slots available, 50 for an 800 student school, 37 for a 600 student school, and so forth. You could maybe cut those available spots down even further if you need financial aid. If you want one of those spots, you had better bring more to the table than one talent, and even if you do, it is so hyper competitive for those few spots that it is very difficult to stand out.
@Korab1 I’m not certain about your percentages, but when you are figuring the number of admissions spots that are offered by a school, remember that it will be some number greater than the actual number of seats as the schools must factor in their anticipated yield (% of admitted students who accept the offer of admission for that school).
and if you should happen to live an already over-represented state, well, things just got that much harder for you. It’s really disheartening when you think about it!
You are absolutely correct @AppleNotFar , they offer approximately 50% over desired enrollment - somewhere in that range anywhere, so adjust the numbers accordingly. The point stands though - the actual number of spots you are applying for is incredibly small, and even super talented kids with all the right intangibles can easily be passed by.
Also, sometimes it seems there is no rhyme or reason why someone did not receive an acceptance. I have looked at some stats on here with straight A’s, 99 percentile across the board, lots of honors classes, great extracurricular activities… What seems like the whole package… Who have not gotten in. What needs to be remembered is that applicants are more than grades and scores. Personality is also going to play a part, passion is going to play a part, and other unknown quantities are going to be taken into consideration.
We have taken the philosophy “if they want him, he will get in”. He has the test scores, and he has a solid sport though may or may not be good enough to be a “hook” (depends on school). Whatever will be, will be. The future’s not ours to see.
@Korab1 That isn’t necessarily true. Of the 1/3 minority half of those may also be female. So it may only be 1/6 of males are minority. However you look at it though, white males probably have one of the highest admit rate of any group.
I’ve posted about how few seats any applicant may actually be chasing; it’s fewer than you think:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19886546#Comment_19886546
@makp715 , I’ve written about this before, perhaps excessively, but the “no rhyme or reason” is often a fit thing that’s hard to understand when you’re going through it and often, even afterwards if you’re not “on the inside”. You’ve hit on that in your post. In so many ways, these boards, where people talk about stats and activities, make it seem more like if you pass a hurdle, you’re “good enough” when really, the process is so much more nuanced and is so much about selecting kids who will really thrive there, not just kids who can do the work.
DS was rejected from one school where his stats were well above those reported by the school. In retrospect, it would have been a terrible environment for him – he just didn’t have sharp enough elbows, or indeed, enough desire to “self-promote” . And he would have needed both to be successful there. The AO clearly picked up on something, and I’m guessing it was that, that made them decide not to give him the opportunity to make the bad (for him) decision to attend there.
Another school, on the other hand, gave him a small merit scholarship, clearly realizing that he would be a nice fit in their community. It was a more nurturing school, and one where his personality attributes were not a liability but valued. He chose that one, and honestly, I can’t imagine him having become a better version of himself anywhere else.
A friend, who many years ago worked as a Head of School, told me before we began this process that unlike colleges, who pretty much pick who they think they’d like to have, BS are far more intentional in picking kids that they think will do well with what they have to offer. So they may admit the “lesser” student who they know will maintain his self-esteem through sports and pass on the one with better stats who for some reason seems like he might wilt in that environment. From the outside, it looks sort of crazy and random, but most of these schools have a lot of experience in knowing who will excel there (and not just academically, but emotionally and socially). I’ve often wondered how, from all the amazing applicants they have, they can identify which ones will be resilient enough to handle being the bottom half of the class because half of them will be!
It’s SO hard to trust that it’ll work out for the best, but really, it does. One of the reasons that most of the parents on these boards are such cheerleaders for the schools that their kids have attended is because those schools did right by their kids. While none are perfect, these places let their kids become their best selves, and that’s what we’re all hoping for!
^Post of the day!
DS1 is at a large well-known BS. It has been a great place for him but would have been wrong for DS2 (who didn’t apply to any boarding school and is at a great day school). Different kids, different needs.
It is better to choose the assumption that: there is no such thing as a hook. The entire admissions process is a mystery. You have to make your best case, and then sit back and wait. You can have 2 identical candidates and 1 will get in and 1 will not. It is important not to fall in love with any school until, and unless, you have a letter in hand offering you a spot.
Apologies if that sounds harsh but, over the past 3-4 years on CC, I have seen more than a few hopes get dashed. I can say with certainty that if you love the school that loves you, you will be happy.
Hook is what a school dearly needs, and not just what it might want or what is very rare.