Friend of mine is a 2350 FM as a junior. Likely will be an 2400 IM by the time apps are due, maybe even GM if he plays well. Would this be considered a “hook”?
Depends on the school, UTD strongly supports their chess team and even offers a full ride scholarships for top players
https://www.utdallas.edu/chess/scholarships/chess-program-scholarships.html
wow that’s pretty awesome
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread; “Asking for a Friend” posts are not allowed. Regardless, @3scoutsmom is correct; it depends and UTD is one example where it would be considered, if not a hook, at least a very key element of the application.