The value of hooks, how important are they?

Applying to College
1

<p>I hope this thread is a legal one, I read the terms and I'm honestly not sure because I am legitimately curious. I'm wondering how much of importance hooks play in the admissions process. Ever since acceptance letters started coming in, I've been wondering this.</p>

<p>First of all I applied to a lot of schools because I didn't think I had a high chance of getting in because I didn't have much background with the whole process (no one to talk to about it). However once I got me decisions back, I was very surprised.</p>

<p>Here was my accept/reject breakdown.</p>

<p>Rogers State Univeristy: Accepted
Rogers State University Honors: Accepted
University of Oklahoma: Accepted
University of Oklahoma Honors: Accepted
University of Arkansas: Accepted
University of Tulsa: Accepted
Amherst College: Accepted
Barnard College: Accepted
Bowdoin College: Accepted
Columbia University: Accepted
Dartmouth College: Accepted
Swarthmore College: Accepted
Duke University: Accepted
University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill: Accepted
Vassar College: Accepted
Washington University in St. Louis: Accepted
Wellesley College: Accepted
Williams College: Accepted
Yale University: Rejected
Carleton College: Accepted
Kenyon: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Not only did I do very well, I also received a BUNCH of likely's and early writes. Don't get me wrong, I'm a really good student, but I'm not in the super elite rare level. I also don't play sports and I don't have anything like that really going for me, except for hooks, which I have a lot of. I'm a URM, First-generation student, from a very underrepresented region, from a very rural public school, and was at the time of my application was a Female indicating a STEM major. I previously had no idea how powerful hooks are, but looking back I'm starting to think they are a lot. </p>

<p>Here were my stats, EC's, etc...</p>

<p>STATS:</p>

<p>• Grade Point Average: 4.0
• Rank: 1 of 59
• ACT Composite: 33 (34 superscore) (English 35, Math 34, Reading 33, Science 32, Writing 10)
• SAT: 2060 ( V:640 M:760 CR:660 ) </p>

<p>Honors and Awards </p>

<p>• Valedictorian (2013)
• Oklahoma Scholar (2009-2012)
• Foreign Extemporaneous-Speech and Drama, First Place (2010)
• Prose- Speech and Drama, Third Place (2010)
• Financial Math State Business Professionals of America, Third Place (2012)
• NAQT in Chicago Fourth Place (2011)
• NEO State Quiz Bowl, Tournament Champion (2011)
• Tri-State Academic Bowl, Champion (2011)
• Art on the Hill, Rogers State University Art Competition, Best in Show (2010)
• National Achievement Finalist (2013)
• National Merit Commended Student (2012)
• Computer Concepts, Northeastern A&M College Business and Technology Day, First Place (2012) </p>

<p>School Activities</p>

<p>• Academic Bowl Team (2005-2012)
• National Honor Society (2010-2013)
• Student Council (2010-2013)
• Class Office (2009-2013)
• Business Professionals of America (2009-2013)
• Math Club (2010-2012)
• Speech and Drama (2009-2012)
• Spanish Club (2011-2013)
• Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (2010-2011)
• Mock Trial (2009-2010)
• Upward Bound (2010-2012)
• Educational Talent Search (2006-2010, 2012-2013)</p>

<p>Leadership</p>

<p>• Vice President, National Honor Society (2012-2013
• Homecoming Chairman, Class Office (2010-2013)
• Treasurer, Business Professionals of America (2011-2012)
• Vice President, Math Club, Co-Founder (2010-2013)
• Treasurer, Speech and Drama (2010-2012)</p>

<p>Community Service and Work Experience</p>

<p>• Rebuilding Tulsa (2011-2013)
• National Honor Society (2010-2013)
• Provide Tutoring in Math and Art (2011-2012)
• Member of High on Life Society, a drug prevention program (2010-2012)
• Youth Court (2009-2010)
• Assisting Middle School Administration (2009-2013)
• Worked at Community Clothing Closet (2011)
• Sorted Canned Goods for Local Food Pantry (2009-2010)
• Made Care Packages for Overseas Troops (2009-2011)
• Volunteered and Interned at Veterans Center (2011)
• Interned for Educational Talent Search (2012)
• Worked on Commission as an Artist (2009-2013)
• Illustrator for a Children’s Book, never published (2009-2010)</p>

<p>Special Interests</p>

<p>• Art (Drawing, Painting, etc…) (listed in EC's on common app)
• Music (vocals, piano, guitar) (listed in EC's on common app)
• Video Games (playing, history, and design) (maybe listed in EC's on common app)
• Japanese Culture
• Science of sleeping and dreaming
• Primitive living and survival skills
• Ancient arts (herbal medicine, acupuncture, cultural practices, cuisine, etc…)
• Lost sciences (alchemy)
• Mental Disorders and Psychology
• Pharmacology
• Programming</p>

<p>I'm wondering how many acceptances I would have received had I had no hooks? I'm trying to get a grasp on how significant hooks play in the admissions process and I'm wondering what the experiences of others were? From both sides of few hooks to many, and whether they feel that hooks were the reason why they were/were not accepted.</p>

<p>Any views?</p>

2

<p>As far as your acceptance list goes, how many of the schools in question have affordable net prices, after applying non-loan financial aid and scholarships?</p>

<p>4.0 GPA and #1 rank are said to be very significant for the super-selective schools, even though that is not really a “hook” in the usual sense (usually meaning something that you are born into, rather than achieving).</p>

<p>Note that female in STEM major is not that unusual for some STEM majors (e.g. biology and chemistry).</p>

3

<p>Congratulations, but why did you apply to so many? Anyway you had hooks all over the place E.G. Rural public school, #1 in class, perfect GPA, community service, etc, etc so for you it appears that it certainly helped. GL</p>

4

<p>Actually no, sosomenza, you are misunderstanding the tern “hook”. GPA, class standing, community service, etc. are not hooks. A “hook” is some characteristic an applicant has that a school needs. (A classic example being a crackerjack tuba player being “hooked” at a school whose marching band’s tuba player just graduated.) Dartmouth didn’t accept OP because it needed valedictorians–it had them coming out of its ears. But it’s possible Dartmouth needed a student from OP’s state in order to fulfill a self-imposed diversity goal. But apart from her URM status and geography, and possibly her STEM interest, the arrows in OP’s quiver weren’t hooks, just a lot of very positive elements that made her a highly attractive candidate. As for whether OP’s hooks or resume–or maybe an astounding essay–did the trick in racking up those acceptances, no one can do more than guess. (I would say, however, that OP’s “special interests”, unless reflected in something OP actually did, added nothing to her applications, since they are just a laundry list of subjects that anyone could claim to be interested in.)</p>

5

<p>@sosomenza I didn’t have much confidence in this process so I applied to a lot of back up schools lol, I didn’t have anyone in my actual life that wasn’t from the internet who had done this before and I wasn’t sure what to expect</p>

<p>@MommaJ, sorry for the long list, this came from an academic resume and I probably should have cut that out before posting XD lol.</p>

<p>I guess the reason I’m wondering is because I see a bunch of kids on this website with equal or better stats/EC/etc… than me, yet are talking about how so many schools are reaches and crap shoots, and before I give advice to other students (saying it’s not based on my experience) I want to figure our how my hooks affected me. I don’t want to give kids in my region false hope that college admissions aren’t as bad as they are made out to be if you write a good essay, but I feel as though because I got in with several hooks, that would be a lie. Any people on the (unfortunate) other side of the fence with good or bad acceptances?</p>

6

<p>@UCbalumnus: Pretty much everyone, TU had a scholarship that I applied for and didn’t get so it would be expensive, but all the others would have been good had I finished the financial aid (I didn’t know that the CSS profile cost money so I had to narrow down after I got done applying because we couldn’t afford to send it to so many places, but were barely over the free one mark :/) I’ve got several great financial aid packages in my opinion from the top ones in this list. Several of them I never sent aid to beyond FAFSA.</p>

7

<p>You are a big fish in a very small pond. You have asked in several different places now why you got the acceptances that you did. You are a URM from a URS (Under-Represented State). Congrats on your acceptances, quit worrying about why you were accepted, and get ready for the next stage of your life.</p>

8

<p>Agree with #7, move on and choose one of the schools that admitted you and is affordable. Don’t worry about why, since you obviously have the academic background to do fine at any of the schools.</p>

9

<p>You have rock solid stats and interesting ECs. Plus, you got rejected by Yale.</p>

<p>You earned it. Move on. </p>

<p>Hooks are a crap shoot. Nothing you can bet money on.</p>

10

<p>Female future STEM major from a rural school with good grades, good class rank, a lot of “non-local” honors, from an area some of your reaches would target for “geographic diversity”, yep, you had it. Congratulations! Well done. Now the questions are: which can your family afford and from those, where’s the best “fit” (in that order)?</p>

11

<p>“Hooks” don’t say a lot about a person, but what a person does in their particular circumstances can say something. What stands out to me about you is what you accomplished in your circumstances- your interests and your achievements- that are not as easily attained in rural areas because there are typically fewer resources and opportunities. Your rural public school may not offer the same classes and extracurriculars as a large city school. </p>

<p>Since it is clear that you have made the most of what has been offered to you- you have bloomed- quite impressively- where you are, you are most likely going to make the most of the college environment. I’m not a college admissions officer, but if I were, I’d think “wow, what will this student accomplish if all the doors of my school were open to her?”</p>

<p>You were accepted because of your own merit. You’re qualified. Now walk though those doors and show the college you choose how right they were to admit you.</p>

12

<p>tipa:</p>

<p>How many schools would you have gotten into if you had a different application? You’ll never know.</p>

<p>More importantly – based on the information you have provided, it appears that you are a highly qualified candidate for all of the schools you applied to, without regard to hooks, and you should expect to do well at whichever school is lucky enough to have you.</p>