What is considered a "hook"?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi, I am currently a junior looking a some fairly competitive, but not ridiculously so, colleges. </p>

<p>To give you an idea, the below occupy a high place on my list: </p>

<ol>
<li>Carleton </li>
<li>Whitman </li>
<li>Vassar </li>
<li>Oberlin </li>
<li>Occidental</li>
<li>Grinnell </li>
<li>Bard </li>
</ol>

<p>At this point in the game, I hold a B+ average unweighted, so, roughly, a 3.3 GPA, I believe (basically, straight Bs, but, our school is tough)
By graduation, I will have taken seven or eight AP classes, the rest mostly honors.
SAT will likely land in the high 1800s-2000s, judging by this year's PSAT. </p>

<p>So, to get on with this, is writing considered a hook?
With the exception of frisbee, every extra curricular I have been involved with pertains to writing (newspaper, copy editor of school yearbook, several writing awards, member of writing team, contributing writer for national magazine, etc..)</p>

<p>In terms of the SAT, well, I have yet to take it, but I did pull a 74 (missed one, omitted two for some unknown reason) on the CR portion of the PSAT, just to give you an idea of my brain's lopsidedness :) Math was a pitiful 52. No prep. </p>

<p>Anyways, I was just curious: If I package myself just right, might I have a chance at colleges that would otherwise be out of my league by astronomical proportions? </p>

<p>Side note: no financial aid needed.</p>

2

<p>Hooks are considered special admission categories which are “must-haves” or critical needs for a particular college or U. For example,</p>

<p>Being an under-represented racial or ethnic minority category: black (domestic or internat’l), hispanic, Native American.
Being an explicitly recruited athlete.
Being a significant donor (usually prior to the application year!)
Being a celebrity (performing artist/actor/musician/writer, etc.)
For some schools, being a legacy + applying ED (such as UPenn). Legacy can also be an RD tip<a href=“not%20hook”>/u</a> for some schools which particularly track legacy participation, such as Stanford and several LAC’s.</p>

<p>The notion of hooks tends to be more limited to the ED or EA round, where the college or U has such a round. Most students who are hooked are aware of it and thus often use that hook in an Early effort, esp. if that is a reach school where a hook can make a difference in a competitive contest. It’s not that hooks are not taken into consideration in RD rounds; they are, but their value is magnified in Early rounds because of the “essential” nature of the hooked categories and the competition between colleges to seize such categories.</p>

<p>Every other advantage is considered a “tip” or an “edge” – such as, geography, socioeconomic status, gender in an unbalanced school, fluency in several languages, being clearly headed toward a particular major in an underpopulated major at that school, etc. Another example of a tip would be very strong overall academic standing when applying to a school not known for academics (such as an art school whose profile would benefit from more hard-core students).</p>

3

<p>Wait, so, in short, you are saying “no”?
Thank you. </p>

<p>Anyone else care to comment?</p>

4

<p>Basically, you need to do something that catches admissions officers’ attention. Applicants coming in with a bunch of regional writing awards and ECs are a dime a dozen. If you win some major national writing awards (like some of the more important of the Scholastic ones), it would boost your chances, although this might not be a true “hook”. If you do something truly amazing in writing, you are much more likely to get in. But remember to do this out of enjoyment, not to get into a college.</p>

5

<p>Thanks proletariat2.
Haha, no, I would never write merely to boost admissions chances. I have always written in my spare time for fun. I am definitely not one of those "must get in <em>pant</em> <em>pant</em> college grinding machines :slight_smile: Hmmm…What do you mean by “more important of the scholastic” awards?</p>

6

<p>I agree with Epiphany. Your writing is not a hook but could be a tip. If you really do want to go into writing look at Kenyon and Denison.</p>

7

<p>epiphany’s list pretty much defines what a hook is. So no, at this point in the game, you can’t become a recruitable athlete :). But, if your school’s rigor is well-known to these schools, your GPA shouldn’t be too much of a disadvantage. What you have to do know is focus your apps so these colleges get a definite sense of who you are as a student and a person. Your focus on writing will likely advantage you in this sense–but, again, as a “tip” factor, not a hook.</p>

<p>Also, I’d consider adding Kenyon to your list. They have a phenomenal English program, and their lit mag is pretty well-known.</p>

8

<p>I see two question here.</p>

<p>Writing is not a hook.</p>

<p>But the second question about packaging–yes, great packaging can help a lot. It has spawned an industry.</p>

9

<p>Thanks everyone! </p>

<p>hmom5, when precisely might one do to “package” themselves to their advantage?
Send a writing portfolio, perhaps? Get published? Write the next great American novel? OK, just kidding on that last one, though I doubt it would hurt :slight_smile: Thank you!</p>