<p>I was a regional finalist in 2008 and a semi-finalist in 2009. Can this be considered a hook?</p>
<p>No…</p>
<p>The term hook is overused on CC. In general, these are things you have little control over, like being a legacy, minority, developmental case, or having famous parents/being famous. While Siemens is a well-respected competition, your levels of accomplishment aren’t particularly remarkable in an application pool that will see plenty of other applicants with high levels of science talent.</p>
<p>Still, if this is coupled with stunning recs from science teachers, other science awards, independent research (perhaps publication?), and summer programs, you may very well carve out a niche for yourself as the “meteor kid” (or whatever your particular area of research is). But this won’t compensate for mediocre stats otherwise, and it is far (far far) from making you an automatic admit.</p>
<p>It’s a plus, but not a hook. </p>
<p>I am thankful that is not my last name.</p>