The hook is the first sentence of your essay. It grabs your reader’s attention and makes them want to keep reading. As you’re brainstorming ideas, it’s important to keep this in mind. You want your essay to be as engaging as possible, and the hook is a great place to start. For example, you could start by asking a question or sharing an anecdote. You could also use a parallel or an analogy to catch your reader’s attention. Whatever you do, make sure it’s relevant to your topic and the college you’re applying to. Let’s break this down with one example. Say you’re planning to write about your love of sailing—a hobby that can be difficult for most people to understand. In your hook, you could start by asking, “What does sailing have to do with college?” Then, you could share an anecdote about sailing that illustrates a key point about your academic or personal goals.