<p>I would disagree with low income being a “hook” however- if you are a student- who is first gen college- from very low income yet have stellar grades and scores- you are going to be perceived as someone who can really benefit from an challenging academic environment ( and which will probably make the school look good as well)</p>
<p>A student whose parents are college professors, who make 6 figures ( combined), just can’t show the challenges that a student who had to make their own breaks can.</p>
<p>More schools are going to “need aware” as many endowments just can’t bear the burden of automatically guaranteeing 100% of need, to all admitted students.
If a student has extensive need, he also is likely to have other strengths that is needed in the student body if he is accepted.</p>