Published in Newspaper HOOK???

In addition to writing for my College Newspaper (I’m a dual enrolled student) and serving as a youth Journalist for a national organization (has over 3 million members), I recently was published on the front page of The Huffington Post and just published in The New York Times. Will this help my chances of getting into a top school—not necessarily Harvard??

I wouldn’t say it is a hook, but it is a very nice EC. Include it in all of your apps, of course.

It’s not a hook*, but definitely a strong EC. However remember that first they see if you can do the work (grades, curriculum rigor) so it wouldn’t compensate for a 3.0 or a 1100 SAT at a top 50 school. But if you are in the average for that school, it’d likely push you closer to the admit category.

  • a hook is something that reflects an institutional need.

Consider submitting a supplement with the articles and other writing, a writing resume, maybe a letter or two of recommendation related to writing.

Not a hook, but it is a nice achievement. It may give you a point or two but is certainly not going to make you a prime candidate.

Nice EC. You can include the link to the articles in your app.

Agree…a strong EC but not a hook.

Unless you’re applying to journalism school, then it could be a hook.

I do have a 1570/1600 and 4.0, and I’m working with the largest publishing company in America on composition research and have been accepted to present my research at NCUR (National Conference of Undergrad Research).

You’re a strong athlete unhooked applicant.

A lot of kids get some sort of youth assignment for HuffPo.

Not a hook, not how hooks are defined.
Try to figure out what your target colleges look for. You’d need balance and some activities that somehow reflect your possible major. Is it journalism or humanities?

@lookingforward My article wasn’t a youth assignment, but rather an op-ed that was featured on the front page of HuffPo and.its contributor platform.
I’m interested in a major within the realm of the humanities. I do a lot of journalism related extracurricular and am working on composition research, but outside of that I also started a non profit for refugees (my grandparents and mom are refugees) and serve in various leadership clubs (vice-pres and pres).