<p>I revived my school newspaper after it was dead for... around three years. Is this even considered a hook? Also, does being a President for a volunteer organization and dedicating 30 hours a week count for anything in college admissions?</p>
<p>It's all good and will help you get in, but in no way will it make up for poor grades, SATs, or be a huge factor in getting you into Harvard if you are not good enough for BC. Who knows really. Depends on how the adcom sees it and presents it to committee.</p>
<p>I don't know whether I'd consider it a hook, but both of those will help you a lot...</p>
<p>I would not consider either of those a hook. The original use of the word "hook" was to mean that you were either a URM, legacy or recruited athlete. Now it is more commonly used to describe an activity that is amazing, stellar, one of a kind and will give you a large advantage in the admission process. So although your activites will help your application, I don't believe they are extraordinary enough to warrant the term "hook". Good luck!</p>
<p>MrxPenguin,
I was accepted to UCLA with decent grades and extra curriculars that are somewhat okay. If your grades are good, I wouldn't be surprised if your got into at least an IVY league school. To be honest, I think the newspaper thing you are doing is a pretty good hook. But, the volunteer thing isn't a hook but depends on what you did with it. If the volunteer thing is outside of school, had a impact in your city, and you got awards for doing so, then that would be two hooks.</p>