<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I've been meaning to ask this question for a while, so here I am. What EXACTLY is a "hook"? I know some obvious hooks, such as being nationally ranked sports player, URM, etc. So what exactly counts as a hook? Are some hooks better than others? For example, is a nationally ranked baseball player valued more than a international science olympiad winner when it comes to hooks?</p>
<p>A hook is a quality of an applicant that meets an institutional want or need of a college or university.</p>
<p>Most colleges and universities have football teams. Football teams need players. So if you’re one of the most sought-after high-school linebackers in Texas, you have a hook. Most colleges need generous benefactors, so if you come from a family that could and would make a seven- or eight-digit gift to the university, you have a hook. Many colleges want racial diversity, so if you are a member of an underrepresented minority group, you satisfy an institutional want, and you have a hook. Many colleges and universities want to enroll celebrities, so when Malia Obama is ready to go to college, she’ll be hooked.</p>
<p>The specific example you ask about–a nationally ranked baseball player vs. a science olympiad winner–is debatable, IMO. Neither baseball nor science is really a big-time big-money college sport. (Well, there’s a lot of money in science, I guess, but universities bring that in at the faculty level, not at the undergraduate level.)</p>
<p>Baseball is still a big deal for colleges like USC, Rice, and Cal Fullerton</p>
<p>College baseball was taken over by the minor leagues but yes all sports have a hook because if it went by profitablility then barely anyone would have a hook for sports.</p>
<p>[NCAA</a> Athletic Departments: College Football, Men’s Basketball & Revenue ? Sportsologist - Christopher Lee | Sports Marketing & Business](<a href=“Christopher Lee - Christopher Lee”>Christopher Lee - Christopher Lee)</p>
<p>And even schools like Florida can’t seem to earn profits from sports.</p>
<p>[Contrary</a> to Popular Belief, College Sports Teams Lose Money](<a href=“http://www.quickanded.com/2010/06/contrary-to-popular-belief-college-sports-teams-lose-money.html]Contrary”>http://www.quickanded.com/2010/06/contrary-to-popular-belief-college-sports-teams-lose-money.html)</p>
<p>
Exactly.</p>
<p>
Yes. In my opinion, the most valuable hooks are those that cause a specific person or group within the college to actively advocate for your acceptance. For example, coaches typically have a number of slots with admissions, so if you’re an academically qualified top recruit you’ve got someone working for you.</p>
<p>Similarly, the development office is going to actively lobby for applicants who will bring substantial money in the door.</p>
<p>Other hooks probably work a little differently. A college might give preference to legacies and URMs, but there probably isn’t anybody specifically lobbying for any particular individual applicant.</p>
<p>The science prodigy is an attractive applicant. If admissions asks their science profs to weigh in on admissions, then it would be a hook. Otherwise, just a strong attribute.</p>
<p>Well, yes, there is a smallish number of universities that are in the College World Series year after year, and baseball is a big deal to them. On the other hand, all colleges want top students, and some specialized institutions really, really want top science students.</p>
<p>Both the baseball player and the science prodigy have their appeal. I’m just not sure whose appeal is greater. And I suspect that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to that question. I suspect one of those students might appeal more to Arizona State, and the other might be more appealing to Virginia Tech.</p>