Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to the powerful packaging tool called the "Hook"--a special talent or achievement that leaps off the page of a college application and catches the eye of admissions officers. Competition for entry to the nation's top colleges is at an all-time high--and intensifying every year. Now nationally recognized college consultant and writer Pam Proctor reveals the "packaging" secrets that can help any student maximize the odds of admission to the college of his or her choice. Using real life anecdotes and examples from winning applications, Proctor provides students with a step-by-step program that will enable them to determine and develop their unique "Hook," and then package and market themselves at every stage of the admissions process.