What qualifies something as a hook

I think you’re missing the point regarding the spike. It’s something that goes way above the level of a hook. A mentioned above, being an Olympian, Carnegie hall musician, best seller novelist, etc. Just a strong passion for something without any notable results would only be a strong EC. So you can write a great essay regarding your passion if you are able to show the adcom your true color and how you will be a great asset to their student body.

You are getting a lot of good info here. It can be hard to grasp just how many amazing students there are out there. This list of stats from Brown gave me a bit of an “ah-ha” moment regarding the realities of college admissions these days: https://www.brown.edu/admission/undergraduate/explore/admission-facts

CS is a very hot field right now and there are many, many, many students interested in majoring in it in college. And a good portion of these students have likely done as much or more than you have done with CS in HS.

Do you still have a shot at top tier schools? If your stats and all of the other parts of your application are excellent, perhaps. But the reality is that most students, even with excellent test scores, grades, and ECs, are not accepted.

Have you looked at any schools in between top tier universities and your instate safety? Maybe some schools with a 25-50% admit rate, or schools ranked by USNRW from 30+ on? (While you are looking at acceptance rates, keep in mind that state schools are harder to get into for OOS students.) There are a ton of great schools out there.

It’s very easy to create a list of dream schools. But it’s smarter to put your efforts into finding safety schools you would be happy to attend. Match schools are also worth investigating. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

A “nurtured interest” can become a “hook” when it fills an institutional need. So can geographical diversity and/or musical talent.

A “spike” shows passion for a given subject (e.g., the STEM kid that has done significant research and or has consistently participated ECs related to the area of interest, or the humanities kid that has learned 4 languages, interned in museums, and/or has published his/her original writing). Your course work, summer activities, ECs, end electives will generally highlight your “spikiness.”

A “spike” becomes a “hook” when the areas of interest and the student’s passions are of potential interest to a professor for his/her research or they are done at a very high level of achievement (e.g., the aforementioned STEM kid winning an INTEL award or attending RSI or the humanities kid attending TASP or getting a highly sought out internship). Sometimes, but not always, a coach, a department, a conductor of an orchestra and/or a director, etc. will lobby for the kid. Then the spike serves as a hook.

Other hooks can involve overcoming adversity (or helping others overcome adversity), as well as the aforementioned “hooks by nature” such as those described by @TiggerDad.

Thanks all of you so much for the replies. This is probably the best information I have gotten relating to this, so I thank anyone who commented. I will definitely continue to look into hooks and spikes and all these pointy college things :P.

Let’s assume you get a great test score. Yes, you are a very competitive applicant, but no, I don’t think you stand out from the crowd in a significant way. You have a lot going for you, but you will be applying to top schools with a LOT of other equally qualified applicants. In your case, I suggest you cultivate good relationships with your teachers. Teacher recs hold a lot of weight at top schools. Write a killer essay too. Remember, top colleges want to admit people they like and who they think fit their ethos. You are an unhooked ORM. I think for you, teacher recs will be crucial.

@happy1 mentioned top students who end being shut out during admissions. I personally know a girl who was class Val and had a nearly perfect SAT score, who didn’t get into any of the tippy top unis she applied to. She was, however, accepted to three prestigious LACs and attends one of them.
Read this: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1876770-what-did-i-do-wrong-p1.html
There are several posts like this every year. And those are just the ones who actually come back to tell us what happened.

I think the main hooks are underrepresented minority (urm), first gen, and legacy

@astrophysicist2b - Those hooks are becoming more common. I think major recruited athletes and development cases (think building buildings) are stronger hooks than URMs (unless you’re talking Native American with blood papers), first gen (unless there’s an interesting backstory – farm laborers, homelessness), or distinguished alums (think Nobel Prize winners, CEOs, etc., which, of course, ties in with major development cases). URM, first gen, and legacy will only get you so far…for the really elite schools, you’ve got to be all of that and a bag of chips.