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swang, you don't need a hook to get into college. Relax -- the vast majority of students don't have so-called "hooks."
A "hook" is something colleges define to meet its institutional goals. At Brown, Pres. Ruth Simmons has stated she wants more first-gen students on campus. That makes it an institutional goal, and so a higher percentage of first-gen applicants may be accepted. They won't all be accepted. It's just that the admissions office is on the lookout for them, and makes admissions decisions with that goal in mind.
Other "hooks" can include things like underrepresented minorities, geographic locations, female engineers, legacies, development (people who are ultra wealthy). Most "hooks" aren't something you can make up overnight.
What you can do, swang, is find colleges who need what you offer. If you live in New Jersey, apply to a school in Oregon. If you want to major in the sciences, find a school that is expanding its science departments. If you are male, apply to the liberal arts colleges which have a higher percentage of female students.
Most important, though, is just do whatever it is you like doing, and make sure you market yourself as convincingly as possible in your application.
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