What are "hooks"?

[Anonymous]

Sorry, can someone please enlighten me?

[Anonymous]

Remember Captain Hook?

Like his, but applied to college admissions' necks.

[Anonymous]

it means having something specific about you that makes you a more attractive candidate for admissions - for example, being from North Dakota when a college has 49 states represented in the student body but no one from North Dakota (real life example given to me by the admissions office at Duke 20 yrs ago - I was not from ND!).

[Anonymous]

something the college wants - athlete, URM, legacy with big $, first in family to go to college, from Nebraska.

What is not a hook - being a rich white kid from MD, NJ, NY, MA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:something the college wants - athlete, URM, legacy with big $, first in family to go to college, from Nebraska.

What is not a hook - being a rich white kid from MD, NJ, NY, MA.

even worse - being Asian kid with high stats from this area.

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember Captain Hook?

Like his, but applied to college admissions' necks.

No, no... its shortened from Hooker.

Be glad if DS doesn't have any yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, can someone please enlighten me?

"Having a "hook," meaning something that offers strong positionality for an applicant, dramatically improves the odds of college admission. Typically 40 percent of the students attending top-tier universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale have a hook. The major hooks are:

• Legacy, meaning a family history of college attendance at a specific school (usually mother or father, but sometimes a grandparent -- and graduate school attendance does not always count)
• Recruited athlete
• Underrepresented student (African American, Latino/a, Native American, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, bi-racial, or multiracial)
• Development (donation) case
• VIP or high-profile applicant"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michele-hernandez/10-secrets-for-top-colleg_b_1921183.html

[Anonymous]

Geography can be important, to publics as well as privates. Virginia DD got a sweet deal of 1/2 tuition to attend a New England public. Don't necessarily try to go to the same schools as everyone else you know. A unique applicant may mean you have a (slight) hook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, can someone please enlighten me?

"Having a "hook," meaning something that offers strong positionality for an applicant, dramatically improves the odds of college admission. Typically 40 percent of the students attending top-tier universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale have a hook. The major hooks are:

• Legacy, meaning a family history of college attendance at a specific school (usually mother or father, but sometimes a grandparent -- and graduate school attendance does not always count)
• Recruited athlete
• Underrepresented student (African American, Latino/a, Native American, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, bi-racial, or multiracial)
• Development (donation) case
• VIP or high-profile applicant"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michele-hernandez/10-secrets-for-top-colleg_b_1921183.html

the Obama girls are going to kill this college app game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, can someone please enlighten me?

"Having a "hook," meaning something that offers strong positionality for an applicant, dramatically improves the odds of college admission. Typically 40 percent of the students attending top-tier universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale have a hook. The major hooks are:

• Legacy, meaning a family history of college attendance at a specific school (usually mother or father, but sometimes a grandparent -- and graduate school attendance does not always count)
• Recruited athlete
• Underrepresented student (African American, Latino/a, Native American, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, bi-racial, or multiracial)
• Development (donation) case
• VIP or high-profile applicant"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michele-hernandez/10-secrets-for-top-colleg_b_1921183.html

the Obama girls are going to kill this college app game.

LOL! And that's the best way to look at it -- as a game, just a game. It doesn't determine your child's entire future. (Sign me, "elated mom of 3 who's just finished the 3rd-time around with college admissions")

[Anonymous]

I think it's more than simply academics, location, legacy and sports.

Your child can create his/her own "hook" by being interested in something, such as robotics or environmental education or late 17th century Flemish painting. Get an internship in his/her area of interest, do something related in school, go to summer programs in that area, get a part-time job, create a research project, etc. Build a resume.

I know this works. A friend's daughter got into every college she applied to because she created her own hook. She had an A- average at a good private school, and decent but not fabulous SATs. White, upper middle class female from large East Coast urban area. Nothing special about her. But she had a very specialized interest, got a great internship, did research projects in her area of interest. On her application, she told colleges that particular area was what she wanted to study and why she wanted to go to that college. She got into every college she applied to, including Harvard, where she went.

This kid had no legacy, and she even got FA from Harvard. In the end, she didn't even study her area of interest becuase at Harvard, she found a subject area that interested her more.

I imagine this approach can help pretty much every run of the mill average kid who, like many, doesn't have a clue what he/she wants to do in college or life, has ho-hum grades and stats. It will make your kid stand out from the crowd of average Joe's and Julias.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, can someone please enlighten me?

"Having a "hook," meaning something that offers strong positionality for an applicant, dramatically improves the odds of college admission. Typically 40 percent of the students attending top-tier universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale have a hook. The major hooks are:

• Legacy, meaning a family history of college attendance at a specific school (usually mother or father, but sometimes a grandparent -- and graduate school attendance does not always count)
• Recruited athlete
• Underrepresented student (African American, Latino/a, Native American, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, bi-racial, or multiracial)
• Development (donation) case
• VIP or high-profile applicant"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michele-hernandez/10-secrets-for-top-colleg_b_1921183.html

the Obama girls are going to kill this college app game.

Just like any other famous politician who has/had kids who attended college or got a break in fields that regular folks can't crack without connections. Give it a break about the Obama girls. There's a whole lot of folks out there with connections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's more than simply academics, location, legacy and sports.

Your child can create his/her own "hook" by being interested in something, such as robotics or environmental education or late 17th century Flemish painting. Get an internship in his/her area of interest, do something related in school, go to summer programs in that area, get a part-time job, create a research project, etc. Build a resume.

I know this works. A friend's daughter got into every college she applied to because she created her own hook. She had an A- average at a good private school, and decent but not fabulous SATs. White, upper middle class female from large East Coast urban area. Nothing special about her. But she had a very specialized interest, got a great internship, did research projects in her area of interest. On her application, she told colleges that particular area was what she wanted to study and why she wanted to go to that college. She got into every college she applied to, including Harvard, where she went.

This kid had no legacy, and she even got FA from Harvard. In the end, she didn't even study her area of interest becuase at Harvard, she found a subject area that interested her more.

I imagine this approach can help pretty much every run of the mill average kid who, like many, doesn't have a clue what he/she wants to do in college or life, has ho-hum grades and stats. It will make your kid stand out from the crowd of average Joe's and Julias.

That's all great, but that's not the same as a hook, which is a class of applicants who are considered/evaluated differently. What you describe is an applicant who stood out from the other regular applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's more than simply academics, location, legacy and sports.

Your child can create his/her own "hook" by being interested in something, such as robotics or environmental education or late 17th century Flemish painting. Get an internship in his/her area of interest, do something related in school, go to summer programs in that area, get a part-time job, create a research project, etc. Build a resume.

I know this works. A friend's daughter got into every college she applied to because she created her own hook. She had an A- average at a good private school, and decent but not fabulous SATs. White, upper middle class female from large East Coast urban area. Nothing special about her. But she had a very specialized interest, got a great internship, did research projects in her area of interest. On her application, she told colleges that particular area was what she wanted to study and why she wanted to go to that college. She got into every college she applied to, including Harvard, where she went.

This kid had no legacy, and she even got FA from Harvard. In the end, she didn't even study her area of interest becuase at Harvard, she found a subject area that interested her more.

I imagine this approach can help pretty much every run of the mill average kid who, like many, doesn't have a clue what he/she wants to do in college or life, has ho-hum grades and stats. It will make your kid stand out from the crowd of average Joe's and Julias.

I know of five kids who got into top colleges because they played in youth symphonies and had established themselves musically. Not a one of these kids is a music major but plays in the college symphony. There are all kinds of 'hooks.'