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  Get Into College—Hooks and Intangibles
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   Hooks and IntangiblesFinancial Aid
- Need-based vs need-blind
- What you want is not always what you get
- Building your aid package
- Where to learn more
What Happens Next?
- Awaiting admissions decision
- Waitlisted
- Time to reflect
Transfers
Taking a Year Off
International Students
List of all USA Colleges
 Join the Admissions Guide Advisor forums to share your experiences and questions about how to get into college!
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Hooks and Intangibles
Hooks are best described as ‘tip factors’ that can influence an individual’s application decision. The reason is that since ADCOM's view your application holistically, they look at everything that can help them make an informed decision about you as an applicant.
Evaluating hooks can be difficult, because adcoms needs to take into consideration of how that particular factor has played a part in a candidate’s life.
Hooks That Get Noticed
Compelling stories are the most popular type of hooks. The story of a first-generation immigrant who has achieved a high level of success in a new country with a new culture and language is a big hook. The international student from an underrepresented country who can bring a unique perspective to campus is no less appealing than the daughter of an alumnus applying for admission.
Speaking of which, geographic location can serve as a hook in the admissions process. The majority of applicants to a particular tend to come from the same area as the school itself, and in this respect, an applicant from another state or outside the US is valuable.
Mention the Good and the Bad
Then there’re the heartstring cases. These are stories of candidates who had to overcome some form of adversity to succeed, and adcoms have great amount of respect for them. Take for example the black girl in a rural area who worked during school to support her five siblings. Such a profile of an applicant will tug the hearts of any adcom, so in this case her lack of ECAs will not impact her chances much.
If you have to overcome some sort of adversity in your life, be sure that it gets mentioned somewhere on your application; be it in the essay, or your recommendations. Adcoms will forgive the lack of ECAs if you had to pump gas in order to care for your sick mother. Colleges love applicants with ‘adversity’ written in their lives because they are generally more mature in their thinking.
Needless To Say... Connections Help
As in so many things and places, having connections can help. Children of faculty receive additional consideration at all colleges. The significance of the hook depends on the school. Some may admit you automatically as long as you meet their minimum requirements while at other places it may just mean a more careful review.
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First Steps