<p>Is being from a small high school in Mississippi a hook due to lack of ECs, etc?</p>
<p>no...</p>
<p>these are all factors that might help you get in, but it definitely isnt a hook. Like I said before, a hook is something that you can bank on, something that instantly makes you stand out among the applicants. Think about the word "hook." Your "hook" "hooks" you up to the acceptance pile. (if that even makes sense)</p>
<p>Hook: something that makes you stand out above all the applicants and gives you much bigger chance of getting in. it doesn't have to be something you're born with or cannot control.</p>
<p>If you want to know if you have a hook or not, look at your potential hook, then compare it to 500 other people. If none of them have the same or similar "hook", then you probably have a hook.</p>
<p>im still a jr, so im not applying this year, but here's my hook anyway:</p>
<p>I organized an independent service trip to India this past summer where I spent a month tutoring English, playing with, and installing computer games for formerly abused street children in an orphanage-like group home. Prior to the trip, I set up an in-school money/CD-rom collection and donated a new computer once there. I also may return again this year.</p>
<p>Aside from that....Is going away from the Asian norm a help at all? I'm Indian and I know most Asians are hardcore math and science, and while I am good at that as well, my academic background is deeply rooted in International Affairs, Law, and Government/Politics (President/Founder of Model UN, Cambridge University Summer Program course on International Law, Applicant for United States Senate Youth Program {decision pending}, volunteered for a Congressman, etc.)</p>
<p>I have plenty of other great ECs and although my school doesn't rank, I should be inducted into Magnum Cum Laude (top 10%)...i don't wanna list everything else I have, beeing as those two things are my main hooks as of now I guess...please tell me what u think. Thanks.</p>
<p>why does it matter what we think</p>
<p>do what you think is good</p>
<p>true^, but i just thought that this thread was where ppl post hooks and recieve responses....if not, sorry about adding that last part</p>
<p>My point is don't pursue an activity b/c you, or a random person who surfs CC thinks that it will help you get into harvard. A hook is a hook b/c the student has achieved a high enough level on a particular subject to clearly show his/her extraordinary ability and true passion. That is why I think this thread is entirely pointless besides for being a place to brag.</p>
<p>hook= URM, legacy, developmental, recruited athlete.</p>
<p>nothing more.</p>
<p>I know it might sound a little bit weird as a hook, but one of my ancestors was a reknowned artist and his pictures now hang all over Harvard University Art Museums. Although he never attended Harvard because Harvard didn't exist during his lifetime, could I use it as a hook?</p>
<p>BTW we have the same WEIRD name which only about fifty people in the world still have.....</p>
<p>wow thats pretty cool. I wouldn't consider it a hook but it would be something interesting to write about! What time period was he in?</p>
<p>Blademaster, that is cool. However, if you say that he lived before Harvard was founded, then he must have lived during the 1500s, and you would need some kind of proof to verify your connection to him. I don't really know if it's a hook or not, but it definitely is something worth mentioning.</p>
<p>
[quote]
hook= URM, legacy, developmental, recruited athlete.</p>
<p>nothing more.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>A lot more things than that qualify as a hook. e.g. internationally renowned pianist.</p>
<p>Blademaster, I don't know if that's a hook. A hook is generally something not a lot of applicants would have, or that an attribute that applicant has (except for AA and legacy, but that's a seperate debate). How many ancestors would that guy have?</p>
<p>Am I the only one who thinks Blademaster is referring to someone along the likes of da Vinci?</p>
<p>Even Harvard would be extremely lucky to have a single Da Vinci painting in its collection -- let alone many...</p>
<p>I meant da Vinci et al. I used his name to represent a whole class of painters. Nifty, eh?</p>
<p>Yeah, how much are all the paintings in the Louvre worth?</p>
<p>Hes not a DaVinci and most people have never heard of him. But he comes from the very same region in Germany I come from and has the same name. The only family in Germany with this name is mine...</p>
<p>But I wouldnt know how to actually prove this....</p>
<p>If I'd just mention it, where would the best place for this be?</p>
<p>Probably incorporating it into an essay</p>
<p>You could write a whole essay on that, if indeed your unique family name has inspired you to conduct genealogical searches that ultimately led to self-discovery.</p>