What Do Selective Colleges Look for in an Applicant? : Hooks

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In admissions parlance, a hook is a special characteristic a college deems desirable, over and above the qualities it is generally seeking in its students. Hooks are institutional priorities that don’t appear explicitly on any of the admissions forms but that can be powerful factors, tipping the outcome in favor of the applicant. A good understanding of the different kinds of hooks and their role in admissions decisions can help you appreciate the many considerations beyond the traditional academic and extracurricular record that can lead to an “admissions tip.”

Most applicants compete not with the whole applicant pool but within specific categories, where the applicant-to-available space ratio may be more, or less, favorable than in the pool at large. . . . Students in the selected categories, which vary from institution to institution, have a “hook” because they help meet institutional needs. - Paul Marthers, dean of admission at Reed College, reflecting on admissions practices at selective institutions

Legacy Status

A legacy is a child of someone who received an undergraduate degree from the school (and the alum doesn’t even have to be famous). Some colleges, like MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, also count grandchildren of alumni as legacies, and a few, like Stanford University, consider children to be legacies if a parent received an undergraduate or graduate degree there. Colleges are usually eager to recruit legacy children, since they believe that legacies are likely to have a strong commitment to their parent’s college, accept an offer of admission, and become enthusiastic, contributing students. Parents, in turn, like the idea of having a child follow in their footsteps and are more likely to support their alma mater financially and in other ways if their child enrolls there.

Another reason for the legacy practice is the image of the college as a humane, caring community. Legacy status is sometimes regarded as akin to giving preference to a member of one’s own family. But the bottom line plays a major role as well. Giving special admissions preference to legacies can be a wise financial decision for colleges that depend heavily on contributions to support their programs. Colleges and universities throughout the country regularly solicit alumni for donations. Tuition pays only part of the cost of educating a student at private institutions, so fundraising and other forms of external support are critical for colleges to operate successfully. Many public research universities also receive considerably less than half of their funding from state sources and tuition. While legacy status may be a factor in admissions at some public institutions, it plays an important role in admissions at most private ones. Some private colleges, in fact, have special information sessions for legacy applicants, special legacy-only interviews, and staff assigned to deal specifically with legacy concerns.

How Big Is the Legacy Advantage?

At many selective private colleges, legacies tend to be admitted at up to twice the overall rate of admission or more. At Dartmouth College, for example, where about 30 percent of legacy applicants were offered admission to the class of 2012, less than 13 percent of applicants overall were admitted. At Middlebury College, about 48 percent of legacy applicants for the class of 2012 were accepted compared to the general acceptance rate of 18 percent. Admission rates differ partly because the legacy pool overall is usually somewhat stronger than the general applicant pool. Also, many legacies choose to apply early action or early decision, which, by itself, can boost the chances of admission. But clearly a separate, distinct boost comes with legacy status at many institutions. Being a legacy by no means ensures admission, however, since selective colleges have low admission rates to begin with.