<p>I have been playing the violin for several years now and would be interested in joining an orchestra in college. I don't want to study music, but I would like to play just as an extra activity. Will this mean anything to colleges?
I am a sophomore now and plan to get my eagle scout by the end of the year. I always hear that it looks great on resumes, but how much does it mean to colleges?
Also, I'm talking about fairly prestigious schools, (Columbia, UChicago, other Ivy League etc.)
Thanks.</p>
<p>Both are good ECs but they don’t rise to the level of “hooks”.</p>
<p>Could you give me an example of something that would be good enough to be considered a “hook”?</p>
<p>Being a recruited athlete iis probably the best, or being a member of an underrepresented minority group, or being the child of a graduate of the college to which you are applying.</p>
<p>I am not involved in any athletics of any sort, and I am not a minority in any way.(Nor am I related to any alumni) Will this make it difficult for me to be accepted into a top school?</p>
<p>Lots of unhooked applicants get into good schools. It’s pretty competitive, though.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Of course not every applicant will be hooked–colleges aren’t aiming to fill entire classes of legacies, developmental admits, URMs, or athletes–though the number of hooked applicants may be as high as 50-60% at the most selective schools. Those who are unhooked in the traditional sense are likely to have compelling interests that they’ve pursued to national or international levels outside the classroom. Your accomplishments are certainly a boost, though maybe not one big enough to get you through the door. Just apply and see.</p>
<p>"Will this make it difficult for me to be accepted into a top school? "</p>
<p>If you’re a living breathing human being, it will be difficult to get into the tippy top schools. However, have a cranking GPA and find some ECs you really enjoy, do well on the SAT/ACT and you’ll have a successful collegiate career regardless of where you attend. Savvy?</p>
<p>I’m not too clear on what is considered a hook so I’ll leave it to more experienced CCer’s to chime in on that aspect, but I do know that some colleges do pay attention to Eagle Scout on the application. I’m the advancement chair for one of the premier scout troops in our district. We’re a large troop so I see about 15 to 20 guys achieve the Eagle rank a year. </p>
<p>The thing about Eagle is, did you merely achieve the rank or are you an Eagle Scout? I see two types of guys make scouts, those that do the bare minimum, (merit badges, leadership, time etc…),l eagle out and then we never see them again, or they do the bare minimum, drop out and then we hear back from them about 6 months before their 18th bday (many times on a parent’s insistence), do their project, eagle out, then they’re gone and those that hold multiple leadership positions, not only in their troop, but district & council positions as well, take advantage of all the training they have access to, serve as mentors to the young guys, are always the first to come forward when some organization in the community needs help, or a scout function needs volunteers, will rearrange their plans if needed, actively live by the Scout oath and law, stay active after Eagle and even register as an adult after 18, or join the crew These scouts may not achieve Eagle till they are 17, but it’s because they are too busy actually being a scout. In other words Eagle is not the end all for them. Both types achieve the Eagle rank, but are both types Eagle Scouts? </p>
<p>Because a resume doesn’t always have room for all the detail, I have had colleges contact me to get more in-depth information on the activities and achievements on some of my scouts. From personal experience, my son, who is applying this year, has received 2 acceptance letters that have mentioned that they were impressed with his level of involvement in scouting and one engineering leadership scholarship that also singled his scouting activity. In addition it has come up in a couple of interviews that he has done. My school attends a private school, with sadly not too many scouts, not viewed as cool I guess, but our college counselor believes it is an EC that many (I’m not saying all) colleges look favorably on. No it’s not going to get you into a school you’re not qualified for at any other level, but I do believe at some schools it carries a little more weight than some other EC’s. Again this is just my opinion, but it is based on at least some fact.</p>