<p>I hear about this all the time.</p>
<p>What exactly constitutes a hook?</p>
<p>tons of threads talk about this… put it in a search and youwill get more</p>
<p>oboe player
URM
BIG legacey/donor $
etc</p>
<p>A hook is an attribute of the applicant that is of <em>benefit to the school.</em> It’s more than something that makes you stand out. It’s something about you the school wants to increase its own fame, fortune, or desirability.</p>
<p>The traditional hooks are being rich, famous, politically well-connected, URM, son or daughter of the above, plus rercuited athlete, and legacy. Some hooks are more powerful than others.</p>
<p>Being say a poet or a talented musician are nice ECs but they are not hooks unless you are so talented and accomplished that you have become a famous poet or musician.</p>
<p>A hook is something that you do not have control over in most cases.</p>
<p>Examples: URM, Legacy, $, fame, etc.</p>
<p>Most of the things you accomplish are just extra-curriculars.</p>
<p>URM, legacy, recruited athlete are the big three. Oftentimes hooks are not within your control. And people overuse this term all the time on CC to mean “high quality EC,” which it isn’t.</p>
<p>My definition is, Something that gets a student admitted who is otherwise unqualified, by the school’s own academic standards. Usually something over which the student has no control.</p>
<p>Things like virtuoso pianist, published author, original research – those are my definition of “tips.” In those cases, it’s likely that the student IS academically qualified.</p>
<p>A hook is anything that distinguishes you from the rest of the pack. If you and your 4.0 GPA is applying to a 3.0 average school, the grade in itself can be a leading hook. Vice versa, this towards a 4.0 average school will not be a hook at all. National Honor Society? Definitely not.</p>