Will these "hooks" help my chances in college?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I’ve seen chances posts on here and on some I’ve seen “hooks.” After looking up what that was, I compiled a list of hooks that I have. Are these hooks in the list below, combined with a 30+ ACT and 3.9 GPA, good enough for schools such as Duke, or UNC Chapel Hill?

-Low income
-I live in a very small town that is almost completely unnoticed
-Child of divorce and live with a single parent who has full custody
-I’m two races - white and Native American
-Gone through a variety of health issues (autoimmune disease, anemia, and some mental health issues)
-First gen. college student
-Proficient in art. I’ve won various awards throughout school

Thanks!!

2

The ones that work:

Single parent
Present yourself as a native american
DO NOT TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
First gen
Art isn’t really a hook unless you’re nationally ranked

3

Agree with @RoadTriptoCollege2017, don’t talk about health. The others that poster mentioned may be worth noting, and it looks like you may have a shot at some highly ranked schools.

4

You can talk about mental health issues, actually. You just have to phrase it in a way that makes it known that it was in the past and that you worked to overcome it. I did and got into some pretty prestigious top 50 colleges (tbh only applied to top 50 colleges and got into 13/16)

5

Low income and small town can help if you are in a disadvantaged community, and you are one of the best in your school. Divorce and mental health can be included in essays so long as you teach vital aspects of who you are to the admissions board. Your awards will almost always help. Your race and first generation status may also be to your advantage, although it depends on the school (affirmative action).

6

Low income, minority, first gen, some athletes. The rest are circumstances, not “hooks.” And you still need to be qualified for the school, which is more than GPA and scores.

7

@RoadTriptoCollege2017 gotcha. thanks!

@SeinfeldFan1 thanks!

@jackisawesome yes thankfully, it is in the past. I’ve decided against mentioning it in college essays though. thank you!

@lookingforward Thanks! I’m just new to the community so I wasn’t exactly sure what “hooks” I possibly had.

8

Look into this http://admissions.unc.edu/project-uplift-2/ (Those deadlines and dates are for this year.)

9

Native American will help you if you are registered with your tribe.
Also check out Dartmouth and Cornell, both have active Native communities.