<p>How much of a role does a hook have in the college admission process? Can it every help a low gpa or low sat score? Would it play differently if one had a high gpa/low sat or low gpa/high sat? </p>
<p>just curious me asking....thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Very few people have hooks. Unless you have one, just put it out of your mind.</p>
<p>lol im wondering how much of does it play into the role of admission. Such as URM, first generations…and other things like that. Or are they more of icing on the cake.</p>
<p>For instance someone in one of the thread mentioned things about famous people/politicians. Do they get in regardless of their other stats?</p>
<p>Thanks for answering :)</p>
<p>Most hooks are minority based.</p>
<p>That being said, if you are an underrepresented minority you may have some leeway at top schools if you have a slightly below average ACT/SAT or GPA. It will only help slightly, though. If you’re talking about anything out of top schools, it wont really play a factor at all.</p>
<p>A 4.0 timed 40 for a 6’ 3" 250 lb linebacker is a hook that can cure a low GPA or low SATs.</p>
<p>The following article discusses 3 types of hooks:</p>
<ol>
<li>Legacy students, development students, and under-represented minority students.</li>
<li>Recruited athletes and full-pay students</li>
<li>“Uniqueness” quality of your application
(a) Based on institutional needs
(b) Differentiation - stand out from other students because of their accomplishments and interests</li>
</ol>
<p>Also a hook at one college may not be at another. Usually, hooks are defined as qualifiying for a special pool for admissions. Recruited athletes, for example are not assessed with everyone else. The athletic director, some coaches and someone so assigned from admissions works on those applicants separately. Development often has input from the Development office. </p>
<p>Most of the time, those students who have hooks are pretty much in the running for admissions. It puts them in a pool where they may have a 40-50% chance of getting accepted as opposed to some of the single digit chances that the general pool applicants have. There are exceptions to this, but rare. Be aware that even hooked applicants are turned down, some with the stats that one would think would have gotten them in. I 've known athletes, legacies, URMs turned down even with the numbers that were within the midstream of accepted students. That they have a better chance does not mean it is a certainty. </p>
<p>The hooked students i have seen that are the most blatant exceptions to those standard are the very good athletes in a high stakes sport for a college. It can’t just be in any sport but in one that the college really has a vested interest in, a strong coach pushing it and a top notch athlete involved.</p>
<p>Being a recruited athlete is generally the only hook that is based on your own achievements, as opposed to some inherited characteristic (e.g. legacy).</p>
<p>@ cptofthehouse
So are you saying that someone with a unique and strong hook would have a greater chance of getting in if they don’t have the avg sat or the avg gpa for that school? Would appreciate a clarification if you have time 
Of course I understand that it doesn’t’ mean they will automatically get in if they have extremely bad stats</p>
<p>Also I am talking about all types of colleges not just ivys/top 20. </p>
<p>This is for a debate and would greatly appreciate anyones opinion. </p>
<p>Thank you to all who have answered so far :D</p>
<p>The term “hook” is usually misunderstood. A “hook” is a demographic characteristic that makes your application be read separately from the main applicant pool. Being a recruited athlete, black, or legacy is a hook. Being a great chess player, a wonderful non-recruited athlete, or winner of a competition is an EC rather than a hook.</p>
<p>Almost everyone has a hook but the doesn’t always apply to the college you most want to go to. </p>
<p>You could be a legacy somewhere but if you don’t apply to that school, it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Some schools have low income as a hook which includes many folks.</p>
<p>Race is a hook at some schools but an AA trying to go to an HBCU has no hook status there but Caucasians do.</p>
<p>If you are wealthy, you are hooked at most schools. If you are super wealthy, you are hooked everywhere.</p>
<p>Athletes and highly talented kids are hooked but only according to your talent and the supply and demand for it. I’ve seen people get football scholarships to lesser schools and get a good education and folks go to more elite football programs and not get any education.</p>
<p>The musician, artist or writer can be hooked but not equally so at every school and maybe at none to which the student wants to attend.</p>
<p>The whole issue of who has and doesn’t have a hook is ridiculous to me. Almost every kid has a hook. Other hooks: really high GPA, really high SAT scores, recommendations from VIPs, a unique life story, living in-state vs OOS, etc.</p>
<p>These are all hooks but if all you want to do is go to Princeton, then you better be more than hooked because even that is not enough to get a person in.</p>
<p>Being an under-represented somewhat-qualified minority African-American male is usually a reliable “hook” for a non-athletic-team-recruit applicant, which will allow for a lower than average GPA and/or Score. But applicant still needs to be in “15% - 25% percentile profile” range for “hook” to be realistically effective for admissions. There’s no quantum leap. Common data set stats often reveal “hook” conditions. Problem with obtaining “hook-related” admission for a lower-quarter percentile student is “student retention” remains a significant problem, because these students are most likely to flunk-out or become six-year bachelor-degree students. (There’s a new book out on this specific subject; I’ve read it recently, and am reporting back what authors reported from their analysis of stats.)</p>
<p>For Division I schools, varsity football and basketball team-caliber athletes are recruited according to altogether different academic standards, and in many instances, won’t necessarily obtain a college degree for their athletic services to school. These stats are available on-line, and offer a picture of dismal academic athlete-student performances at many (but not all) these schools.</p>
<p>For many LACs, male applicants receive somewhat preferential review than female applicants, due to enrollment and application imbalances. Kenyon’s admission director wrote a well-circulated essay several years ago regarding this application issue.</p>
<p>Lynn O’Shaughnessy’s book “The College Solution” addresses these issues.</p>
<p>All this make hooks the most random and arbitrary of factors in admissions considerations. Especially since Not every hooked applicant gets accepted.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not true everywhere, at least when narrowly considering the admissions process (as opposed to previous opportunities to improve grades, test scores, etc. by being able to attend better schools, etc.). Some selective schools admit strictly by a formula including only academic credentials. And open admission community colleges do not favor anyone over anyone else.</p>
<p>Of course, wealth makes it less likely to be unable to attend due to the net price being too expensive.</p>
<p>I said if you are super wealthy, you are hooked everywhere. If your family has the money to endow a named scholarship or get their name on a building, you are absolutely hooked.</p>
<p>And rules are made to broken if the price is right.</p>
<p>I live in the real world, can’t help separating words from facts. This is true.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If they actually donate. Merely being super wealthy without donating any of it to the school is different from actually donating a large amount of money. (And the community college lets everyone in anyway, so hooks are irrelevant.)</p>
<p>I love the speculation of hook threads!! How about the two-fer… does a first gen from Alaska=a URM ? does a uber rich white girl = a native american who won a gold at the eskimo olympics? Does a youtube sensation with 50,000 followers who talks about the lip gloss she just bought = latino mathalete?</p>