If you want to apply for scholarships or a spot at your favorite college, then the first thing that you need to learn how to do is to write a unique essay. You can find a guide on how write a scholarship or college essay by clicking here, but today we want to show you something different. The best way to make sure that your essay stands out from the ones sent by the other applicants is to write a great hook that will grab the attention of the person who is giving out the scholarships and college entries.
What is a Hook?
We are going to start things by explaining a hook. The only thing that you need to know about it is that a hook is the name of the introductory 1-2 opening sentences of your essay. These sentences serve the purpose of capturing the reader’s attention and hence, they are called a “hook” because they will grab the attention of the reader the same way that shiny lure catches fish. However, we need to mention that a hook should never be confused with an introduction.
Examples of Great Hooks
#1 Start with an Interesting Fact
“Archaeologists believe, based on marks they’ve seen on mummies, that human beings had tattoos between 4000 and 2000 B.C. in Egypt.”(David Shields, 36 Tattoos)
#2 Start with a Celebrity Quote
“Any achievement in business is never accomplished by a single person; a team of skilled members from diversified fields is always needed.” (Steve Jobs)
#3 Start with Literary Quote
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”(J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)
#4 Make a funny joke
“A Chukcha comes into a shop and asks: “Do you have color TVs?” “Yes, we do.” “Give me a green one.” (Unknown author)
#5 Start with Statistics
“According to 2008 figures from the Pew Research Center, 97% of today’s K-12 students spend many hours each week playing video games.”(Keith Devlin, Learning Math with a Video Game)
How to Write A Hook
The first and biggest mistake that students make whenever they are assigned to write an essay is that they think this is a boring task. Writing an essay should be the exact opposite. The person who is in charge of giving out the scholarships or college entries wants to see that you are creative and that your personality stands out from the other applicants. This is why the first step when creating a good hook is always to write something that is attention-grabbing and not boring,
Another pro tip that we have to share with everyone is that the best way to write the perfect hook is to do it after the essay has been finished. This way, you will know exactly what the essay is about and how to make a short 1-2 sentence long introduction.