Competition this year for admission to the nation's colleges has been called "cut-throat" and "ferocious," as top students were relegated to the rejection piles at schools from Colorado College, to Berkeley, to Harvard. So, how can the current crop of college applicants get an edge?

Nationally recognized college consultant Pam Proctor provides the solution in her book, The College Hook: Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game (Center Street, Hachette Book Group, 2007, www.collegehook.com).

"Stellar academic achievement has become commonplace," says Proctor, who has been cited as an expert on college admissions in U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, the Associated Press, the Miami Herald, and other major publications. She has advised hundreds of public and private-school students for nearly a decade. "To combat the competition," she says, "applicants need a 'hook'- something extra that sets them apart from others."

In The College Hook, Proctor shares proven strategies for increasing the odds of admission to the student's college of choice.

What's special about The College Hook? Among other things, the book:

· Focuses exclusively on packaging the "hook" as an overlooked application tool

· Features profiles of real students whose hooks have helped them succeed in admissions

· Demonstrates how the college application process can help students find an empowering identity for life

" Every student has a hook," says Proctor, who is president of College Application Consultants, Inc. "Whether it's leadership, athletic accomplishments, understanding of other cultures, talents, or aptitudes, every high school student has that one special something that sets him or her apart."

Identifying that hook begins with listing specific accomplishments, interests, activities and passions by categories. Parents can provide observations about personality and character. Proctor advises paying particular attention to students' passions, seeing where their time and energy have been committed, looking for offbeat interests, identifying what challenges they may have overcome, and highlighting any recognition they have received.

Once a student discovers a hook, the next step is pitching it to colleges in a powerful "package" that includes a résumé, activity lists, and essays themed to the hook.

"Start early," says Proctor, whose program has enabled students at every level of academic achievement to gain admission to colleges they once thought out of their league.

She advises focusing on the hook in the all-important essay, developing several "talking points" for interviews, and then following up, or "romancing," admissions with e-mail, phone calls or mail.

"If you are visiting colleges, ask to meet the admissions rep who handles your school or area of the country," she says. "Get the rep's business card and follow up with an enthusiastic e-mail."

"In the end, applying to college is all about empowerment," explains Proctor. "It's about discovering who you are through your hook and then learning how to promote yourself on paper and in person at every stage of the application process."

Proctor says, "Your hook can take you further than you've ever dreamed. You'll not only maximize your chances of being admitted to a great college but also build confidence that will carry you through your college years and into the job market." For more information, go to www.collegehook.com.