<p>Can you give me some examples?</p>
<p>Recruited athlete, legacy,
President of the university’s child, cured cancer, etc!</p>
<p>Being URM (under-represented minority; ex: Native American, African American, although I think African American less so)</p>
<p>Being a first-generation college attendee in your family.</p>
<p>Recruited athlete.</p>
<p>Solving world hunger, winning the Nobel Prize, etc. (which means like, nobody)</p>
<p>That’s about it. There are other unique traits/circumstances like being able to speak six languages or not having a place to live, but those aren’t really hooks, but can make your application stand out or seem more interesting. It seems like being URM doesn’t even help THAT much anymore.</p>
<p>Yeah, being a URM isn’t really a “hook” anymore. It can boost you a bit, but I wouldn’t really call it a hook.</p>
<p>Now if your parents donate a million dollars (not kidding…I know of people who’ve done that), now THATs a real hook!</p>
<p>Hook: the tip of a long metal thing that one uses for catching a fish when the fish ate one’s bait. </p>
<p>Just kidding:)</p>
<p>Some examples of a hook:</p>
<p>Captain, line and sinker, -ed on phonics, -ah, off the, -er.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>The jokes are really unnecessary and not funny…
What if you’re a unique story, like someone who turned their life around?</p>
<p>Well, lots of people have turned their life around, but if your story is really good (like failing school and drug issues and illness at first and then you get straight A’s and come clean) then it’s still not considered a hook, but can lead to great essays and stuff and make your app more unique.</p>
<p>This thread is really unnecessary and not funny…</p>
<p>The “search” button, however, is a hilarious thing! You should try it sometime. :)</p>
<p>Newest newb never actually gives helpful info or advice, so don’t mind him/her</p>
<p>Actually, if you read many of my posts, you will notice that I very frequently give very helpful info and advice. The secret, however, is that I shroud it so that only the intelligent readers can interpret the meaning and benefit from it.</p>
<p>You are clearly not one of them.</p>
<p>Do not let my persona fool you into thinking that I am not a helpful resource if used correctly. Such myopia will not suit you well.</p>
<p>i wasn’t just refering to your jokes i was also talking about the other person’s jokes…
and i searched but I couldn’t find anything that i was looking for…</p>
<p>OP: My understanding of a “hook” is something that gets a student admitted who otherwise would not be qualified, by the school’s own academic standards. By definition, hooked students are rare. Personally, I wouldn’t consider curing cancer or solving world hunger to be hooks, because such a student would probably be academically qualified.</p>
<p>Recruited athletes
Celebrity students (Brooke Shields at Princeton)
Children of VERY influential/powerful people (the child of Bill Gates, or a US Senator)
Children whose parents have donated (or will donate) mega-bucks</p>
<p>so a homeless person doesn’t count?</p>
<p>Homelessness greatly increases geographic diversity because you can be placed in that elusive “other” category.</p>
<p>haha that joke was actually funnyyyy</p>
<p>A hook can be very fair (accomplishing something incredible) or be very unfair (legacy, first generation, race).</p>
<p>Note that accomplishing something incredible does not really mean that winning a state championship in Chess or Piano or whatever is a “hook.” It just helps you a lot.</p>
<p>However, if you win the US Chess Championship at age 13 and become a international chess grandmaster at age 15 like Bobby Fischer (world chess champion 1972-75) you can view it as a “hook” and go to Harvard if your grades and SATs are up to par. But good luck achieving that (lol).</p>
<p>would having a cousin who is a professor (for the school i want to go to) write a recommendation for me be a good enough hook to get me in?
SAT’s and GPA are in range but a little on the low side</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>IMO that would be a “tip” – something that sets you a little apart from other students who have the same qualifications as you do. A tip might make them take an extra look at you, might even tip you into the “admit” stack, but is not a slam-dunk.</p>
<p>The specific answer to the question that is the thread title was answered fairly recently – I believe in this very subforum. Please do a search and you’ll find the answer.</p>