The Power of the Hook : Part 1

The College Hook: Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game
by Pam Proctor

A comprehensive guide to the powerful packaging tool called the 'Hook' - a special talent or achievement that leaps off the page of a college application and catches the eye of admissions officers. Competition for entry to the nation's top colleges is at an all-time high - and intensifying every year.

Now nationally recognized college consultant and writer Pam Proctor reveals the 'packaging' secrets that can help any student maximize the odds of admission to the college of his or her choice. Using real life anecdotes and examples from winning applications, Proctor provides students with a step-by-step program that will enable them to determine and develop their unique 'Hook,' and then package and market themselves at every stage of the admissions process.

Chapter 1

Every high school student actually has a College Hook - that one special interest that will cause admissions officials to salivate over an application and significantly increase the odds of getting into a favorite college.

Sometimes students have an obvious Hook, such as the highly ranked basketball player from Florida or the budding cholesterol researcher from Georgia. One student transformed herself into a "foreign correspondent," and still another became involved in a heart-rending search for a Chinese birth mother.

Other times, I encounter students whose Hook has been as seemingly frivolous or mundane as watching soap operas every afternoon, or reading science fiction, or working during summer vacations at Sears.

In the end, the secret to finding and exploiting a College Hook is to pinpoint a dominant interest, activity, or set of experiences that reflects one of your deepest passions in life - a passion that will set you apart from other students for purposes of college admissions.

"But absolutely nothing about me sticks out!" many of my students protest in initial interviews. "I'm involved in lots of activities, but nothing about me is special."

If that's your attitude too, you're wrong. Somewhere, deep in your background, experience, or interests, lies a talent or passion that you can mine, massage, and market to increase dramatically your chances for admission to the college of your dreams.

This book has been designed to show you how to find and use a special Hook that will cause your true, dynamic identity to leap off the pages of your college application and into the hearts of admissions committees. To get started, take a lesson from Josh, whose Hook took him further than he could ever have imagined.

How Josh Discovered His Hook

Josh's mother was worried.

"He's never going to get into a good college," she lamented at our first independent counseling session.

It was September of Josh's senior year, and based on his numbers, his prospects didn't look too promising. Certainly, his credentials seemed far out of reach for the schools that most piqued his interest: Bard, Hampshire, and Oberlin.

He had struggled in school ever since returning from a year abroad in Israel in ninth grade, exhibiting a kind of culture shock that he found hard to shake. But, finally, he found his niche at a small private school on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

"We have confidence in you, Josh," the admissions director had told him. "We're willing to take a chance because we believe you have what it takes to succeed here."

Josh did, indeed, succeed. By the time senior year rolled around, he had been elected president of the student council and captain of the basketball team. His electrifying personality and precocious verbal ability had made him one of the most popular students among the faculty and his peers.

But it was clear that when it came to schoolwork, Josh lacked confidence. Although his grades were on the upswing, with more Bs on his junior-year transcript, he seemed afraid to face the college application process. As his senior year began, the specter of his rejections during sophomore year hung over him like a cloud, and I could sense his motivation flagging.

"You're a winner," I told him. "Now it's your job to let the colleges know it."

For starters, I gave him his marching orders: "Ace your grades senior year, and prep for the SAT." I knew that by coming on strong the first semester senior year, Josh could appear to colleges as a "late bloomer" who was finally starting to hit his stride.

Next, I helped him zero in on his Hook. Despite his obvious leadership skills, it was clear to me that Josh needed something spectacular to turn the heads of admissions committees.

"You've Got to Have Something More"

"There are thousands of student council presidents," I told Josh bluntly, "and there are even more captains of athletic teams. You've got to have something more."

"Something more" turned out to be photography. After pressing Josh for an hour and a half to describe his activities and passions, I discovered that he had been quietly working away at photography ever since a summer college course prior to sophomore year. With this expertise, he had photographed children on travels abroad with his family in South America and Asia. He had even spent the summer before his senior year working for a nationally famous portrait photographer, assisting him on shoots and around his studio. Inspired by that experience, Josh had set up a darkroom in his own basement.

Clearly, the young man had a passion and a growing array of credentials. The main thing missing was a portfolio.

"Between now and December," I advised him, "create a portfolio to submit with your applications that will knock the socks off the admissions people."

© 2007 by Pam Proctor

About the Author

Pam Proctor, a former senior editor of Parade, is the author of seven non-fiction books, including: Love, Miracles and Animal Healing, with Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M; Looking Good at Any Age, with dermatologist Amy E. Newburger, M.D; and The Joy of Living, with "Today Show" personality Willard Scott. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and holds a Master's degree in government from Claremont Graduate University. Pam Proctor lives in Vero Beach, Florida.