<p>what is it exactly? i hear mention of it alot on here
can it be a deceased parent? or does it have to be some sort of talent? </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>It typically is some sort of minority or other status (legacy, female in engineering, etc...). At least that is my take.</p>
<p>A hook is something that by itself significantly boosts your chances of admission. Winning a national competition, getting your research published in a scientific journal, and being a recruited athlete are all examples of hooks. I would not consider URM to be a hook because a significant portion of the applicant pool falls under this category.</p>
<p>A hook is something that a student has that makes a college say "I hope he/she has the minimal stats so we can admit them". Recruited athletes are probably the most hooked -- but at some schools, high talent in art/music, minority status or other such things.</p>
<p>A hook changes from school to school -- depending on what the school is looking for and what it offers. </p>
<p>Having a dead parent would not ba a hook.</p>
<p>Legacies are not hooks -- they may be a "tip factor" at best. A tip factor is something that would tip your application into the acceptance pile when the admissions committee looks at two basically equal candidates.</p>
<p>I stand corrected...</p>
<p>pmr, you were right. A certain hook is things like recruited athlete, legacy, URM (definitely a major hook), development candidate, staff kid. </p>
<p>Getting your research published is only a hook sometimes. It would have to be an important scientific finding you had a major role in. Being another name on basic research is a nice EC but not a hook. Being in your local symphony is a nice EC, being Yo Yo Ma is a hook.</p>