What do you consider a hook?

Prep School Admissions
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<p>I know a lot of people think hooks can be different things. Some people think if you have musical talent, super high test scores, if ur really good at a sport, if you do a ton of community service, or if you're good at dancing or ballet, it's a hook.</p>

<p>Some people think hooks are only stuff like if you are very good at an instrument or singing and u play exactly what the school needs, if you are an all-star/all-state at a sport, if you are a legacy, or if your parents/relatives donated a ton of money.</p>

<p>I might have forgot a few in both categories but what do you consider a hook?</p>

<p>Also, if I play the trombone and I'm first chair in my high school band and jazz band as a freshman and I'm in the All-State band and jazz band is that a hook?</p>

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<p>A question that has been asked many times. Plenty of threads if you search on hook within this forum.</p>

<p>To give you a better way to think about a hook…</p>

<p>Things that are essential for it to be a hook…</p>

<p>1) If it is a necessary component of the operation of a significant boarding school program or major objective of a school. Examples: Quarterback for football team, URM, child of family with name on building on campus ($$ is a major objective). Please note that if you are a star dancer and the school does not have a dance program, it is not a hook.</p>

<p>2) Skill or level of rarity or level of contribution are critical. Example: The quarterback that can take the team to the championship, inner-city minority (not just any minority), legacy who is active on board of directors.</p>

<p>3) Multiple hooks are useful. With so many objectives, a one-trick-pony isn’t nearly as valuable as an applicant who can fufill more than one objective. Example: minority star quarterback who can win championship. Legacy with school involvement who is top Lax goalie.</p>

<p>4) Everything is relative. Top schools have no problem finding star quarterbacks, qualified URMs, and have plenty of involved donating legacies. 2nd-tier (I hate that term) schools typically don’t get as many of these applying, so the what is not a hook at a HADES school may very well be one at another school.</p>

<p>You may very well be a star trombone player. It is all relative. Back in the day, I was the 3rd chair violist in a local college orchestra in 9th grade. I went to inner-city schools and didn’t even know boarding schools existed and they didn’t know about me either. Point here is that you don’t know who else is applying, nor how good they are. </p>

<p>Do the schools you are applying to have suitable music programs where your talent would be important in creating a notable output (do they perform just for the students, or are they showcased for important events where all parents and board members attend, or perhaps do they take their show on the road?) These would be clues as to how much hook you might have and might suggest where your talents would be valuable.</p>

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<p>I know they have a pretty good music program but I’m not sure who they perform for</p>