Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about kids who qualify to compete at Nationals for DECA? Is that meaningful, or just okay?

That is not a hook.

Is DECA a high school marketing & business club? That seems pretty much the bastion of privileged kids. I know my podunk high school didn't have a 'chapter' -- sounds like a fraternity.

being the child of a donor or someone with potential to donate (aka rich person)
See Daniel Golden's book.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/books/review/Wolff2.t.html

Anonymous wrote:Being born a particular race isn't an achievement. Therefore it shouldn't be a qualification.

To suggest that being black or gay or transexual is the equivalent of being an Olympian or winning the Menuhin competition is ludicrous.

But surely that's because a hook is a hook, not necessarily a skill or a talent but a circumstance too.

Being born a particular race isn't an achievement. Therefore it shouldn't be a qualification.

To suggest that being black or gay or transexual is the equivalent of being an Olympian or winning the Menuhin competition is ludicrous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has applied to a lot of schools that have more girls than boys. I tell him it is probably the only time in his life that being male is a hook!

This is not a hook. This is a bump. It means that if all other things are equal between your son and a female applicant with the same credentials, he would get the nod.

A hook is something that lifts you up, out of, and over the pool of equally qualified applicants, and oftentimes even more qualified applicants.

Recruited athlete. URM. Fame of self, or fame of parents. World class achievement in area of academic or artistic pursuit.

That definition makes no sense. Athletic, academic or artistic skills are qualifications. Experience living as a person of color, and overcoming prejudice is a qualification. If you have them, and are accepted over another applicant who doesn't have them, labeling the other person "equally qualified" or "more qualified" makes no sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has applied to a lot of schools that have more girls than boys. I tell him it is probably the only time in his life that being male is a hook!

This is not a hook. This is a bump. It means that if all other things are equal between your son and a female applicant with the same credentials, he would get the nod.

A hook is something that lifts you up, out of, and over the pool of equally qualified applicants, and oftentimes even more qualified applicants.

Recruited athlete. URM. Fame of self, or fame of parents. World class achievement in area of academic or artistic pursuit.

I'll say the achievement needn't be world class. What if you're a decent harp player? Might get the nod over a clarinet player.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has applied to a lot of schools that have more girls than boys. I tell him it is probably the only time in his life that being male is a hook!

Believe me, he will be plenty hooked in the business world after he graduates, so don't worry!

Yes because it's 1950?

Anonymous wrote:My son has applied to a lot of schools that have more girls than boys. I tell him it is probably the only time in his life that being male is a hook!

This is not a hook. This is a bump. It means that if all other things are equal between your son and a female applicant with the same credentials, he would get the nod.

A hook is something that lifts you up, out of, and over the pool of equally qualified applicants, and oftentimes even more qualified applicants.

Recruited athlete. URM. Fame of self, or fame of parents. World class achievement in area of academic or artistic pursuit.

Anonymous wrote:Grad school of parents - does that help or does only undergrad count? Thanks

Depends on the school. For UVA (my graduate program) our kid would be considered in the "In State" pool when applying vs. out of state. Still would pay out of state tuition though.

Is being a legac still a hook if the parents have not contributed or donated to the school in any meaningful way? I've donated nominal amounts twice but for the most part have been so absorbed with work and kids and living overseas that the college contributions fell by the wayside. Short-sighted of me I know . . .

Anonymous wrote:My son has applied to a lot of schools that have more girls than boys. I tell him it is probably the only time in his life that being male is a hook!

There is at least one traditionally female jobs where being male is sometimes a hook. I've known a couple of male nurses who said it was easier for them to find work than their female counterparts especially with institutions that are trying to balance their employee demographics. One also worked for a visiting nurse program and it was explicitly a hook there because they had some patients that were heavier and they wanted a male nurse who could lift more because several of the nurses were having problems helping the heavier patients in in-home care.

Anonymous wrote:My son has applied to a lot of schools that have more girls than boys. I tell him it is probably the only time in his life that being male is a hook!

Believe me, he will be plenty hooked in the business world after he graduates, so don't worry!

My son has applied to a lot of schools that have more girls than boys. I tell him it is probably the only time in his life that being male is a hook!

Anonymous wrote:Grad school of parents - does that help or does only undergrad count? Thanks

We found grad school admission was much more factual/objective than undergrad admission. As a kid with no hooks, DC liked it much better - GPA, research exp, and LOR.

Many of the things listed here are not hooks.

They are helpful on the balance scale but a hook is something that makes the applicant unique so they alone are hooked in instead of all the other students like them.