提到美國本科留學申請,除了語言考試、GPA,相信最讓大家燒腦的部分,應該是Personal Statement(個人陳述)的構思和創作。或許大家心中都有疑問,每個申請者都是獨一無二的,那麼我的文書如何在衆多文書中脫穎而出呢?是否有統一的標準呢?

College Board在其出版的關於文書寫作的輔導書籍The College Application Essay (P28)中,指出:

“There is not set combination of items that every applicant must have to gain acceptance at a certain college. You, your essay, and your application profile do not have to match a single narrow standard.”

就是說:要拿到大學錄取並沒有一套固定的因素組合。你個人,你的申請文書,以及你的全套申請文件都不必特意迎合某種狹隘的所謂標準。

那麼今天小編爲大家梳理下,對於大學申請文書PS,有哪些意見和建議值得我們深思和採用。大家可以在閒暇之餘,對照文章中的建議,並結合自己的親身經歷,開始探索在接下來的申請季中該如何開始準備自己的文書,學會分享故事~~

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF ADVICE ABOUT WRITING A COLLEGE ESSAY?

COLLEGE ESSAY TIPS FROM UNIVERSITY ADMISSION ADMINISTRATORS

1. Know that the best ideas for your essay—the perfect opener, a great twist, a brilliant insight—often come when you least expect them.

(你要明白,你文章中出現的最好的想法—完美的開場白、一次巨大的轉折以及一個絕妙的見解,往往會在你最意想不到的時候出現。)

That’s why it’s a good practice to keep a reliable collection system with you at all times as you’re preparing to write your essay. It could be your phone. It could be index cards. It could be a Moleskine notebook (if you really want to do it with panache). Just don’t store it in your own brain thinking that you’ll remember it later. Your mind may be a magnificently wonderful idea-making machine, but it’s a lousy filing cabinet. Store those ideas in one place outside your brain so that when inspiration hits you in the bathroom, in the car, on a hike—wherever—you’ll have a place to capture it and come back to it later when you need it.

This college essay tip is by Ken Anselment, Marquette University graduate and Vice President for Enrollment & Communication at Lawrence University.

人的大腦就好比是一個龐大的“思維儲存庫”,但它並不是一個毫無疏漏的儲存空間。因此,我們在構思文書的時候,需要一個更加可靠和完善的信息收集系統,比如你可以把自己的想法記錄到手機、筆記本或者建立索引。這樣更加便於我們把隨時隨地有可能產生的靈感記錄下來,並且轉化成文書的素材。

2. Do not feel pressure to share every detail of challenging experiences, but also do not feel that you need to have a happy ending or solution.

(儘可能多的去描述每個富有挑戰性的細節和經歷,不用刻意爲每個故事設置一個美好的結局或解決一切難題。

Your writing should provide a context within which the reader learns about who you are and what has brought you to this stage in your life. Try to tie your account into how this has made you develop as a person, friend, family member or leader (or any role in your life that is important to you). You may also want to make a connection to how this has inspired some part of your educational journey or your future aspirations.

This college essay tip is by Jaclyn Robins, Assistant Director of admissions at the University of Southern California. The tip below is paraphrased from a post on the USC admissions blog.high quality essay writing service on www.lxws.net

我們的文書中需要提供一個場景,讓招生官瞭解到你是誰?是什麼因素塑造了現在的你。嘗試從你自己、你朋友眼中的你、家人眼中的你以及作爲leader的你,這些不同的角色,如何影響你的性格、個性以及未來的發展規劃。

3. We want to learn about growth.

我們想要了解你的成長)

Some students spend a lot of time summarizing plot or describing their work and the "in what way" part of the essay winds up being one sentence. The part that is about you is the most important part. If you feel you need to include a deion, make it one or two lines. Remember that admission offices have Google, too, so if we feel we need to hear the song or see the work of art, we'll look it up. The majority of the essay should be about your response and reaction to the work. How did it affect or change you?

This college essay tip is by Dean J, admissions officer and blogger from University of Virginia. The tip below is paraphrased from a post on the University of Virginia Admission blog.

很多學生花大量的時間來描述情節和作品,但“你以何種形式”獲得現在的成果,卻是寥寥幾筆結束。這裏劃重點啦,你需要始終牢記文章中關於“你”的部分纔是最最重要的,招生官希望看到你在這個活動、或者完成某項任務中經歷了哪些,是否有所啓發?是否遇到難題?你是如何解決的?如果作品或者成果需要描述,簡單幾句就好。但關於這個自我成長的過程,我們不能完全不涉及。

4. Be specific.

(再詳細,也不爲過。)

我們來看下面兩個例子:

Consider these two hypothetical introductory paragraphs for a master's program in library science.

“I am honored to apply for the Master of Library Science program at the University of Okoboji because as long as I can remember I have had a love affair with books. Since I was eleven I have known I wanted to be a librarian.”

VS.

When I was eleven, my great-aunt Gretchen passed away and left me something that changed my life: a library of about five thousand books. Some of my best days were spent arranging and reading her books. Since then, I have wanted to be a librarian.”

This college essay tip is by Chris Peterson, Assistant Director at MIT Admissions. The tip below is paraphrased from the post “How To Write A College Essay” on the MIT blog.

我們來看下,上面兩段文字,每一個段落包含45個詞,內容基本相同(一個小姑娘想成爲一名圖書管理員的夢想)但閱讀後發現這兩段文字,給讀者帶來的吸引力,截然不同。很明顯,第一段的描述比較一般,而第二段更加具體。我們在PS的寫作中,同樣需要這些specific 的描述來豐富我們的topic,儘量使我們的文書看起來有血有肉,更加豐滿。

5. Tell a good story.

(要把故事講得精彩~

Most people prefer reading a good story over anything else. So... tell a great story in your essay. Worry less about providing as many details about you as possible and more about captivating the reader's attention inside of a great narrative. I read a great essay this year where an applicant walked me through the steps of meditation and how your body responds to it. Loved it. (Yes, I'll admit I'm a predisposed meditation fan.)

This college essay tip is by Jeff Schiffman, Director of Admissions at Tulane University and health and fitness nut.

大多數人喜歡精彩的故事。所以,儘量讓你的故事引人入勝,不要吝嗇提供各種關於你的細節來吸引讀者的注意力。要讓讀者有代入感,讓她or他主動走進你的故事。

溫馨小貼士:

Eager to write your essay but not sure how to begin? Start with my brainstorming exercise: "Everything I Want Colleges to Know About Me"

不知道如何開始寫essay,讓我們從練習頭腦風暴開始吧,我想讓大學瞭解我什麼呢?

6. Imagine how the person reading your essay will feel.

(想象一下讀者的感受。)

No one's idea of a good time is writing a college essay, I know. But if sitting down to write your essay feels like a chore, and you're bored by what you're saying, you can imagine how the person reading your essay will feel. On the other hand, if you're writing about something you love, something that excites you, something that you've thought deeply about, chances are I'm going to set down your application feeling excited, too—and feeling like I've gotten to know you.

This college essay tip is by Abigail McFee, Admissions Counselor for Tufts University and Tufts ‘17 graduate.

寫的是文字,讀的是心情。我們在寫作的時候,往往會將某種情感寄託於文字。此時,文字不再是簡簡單單的幾行字、幾段話,而是肩負着傳達作者情感的使命。沒有人會將寫大學essay的過程作爲人生中美好的一段時光。但是,如果你坐下來寫你的文書,感覺像是一件苦差事,你對自己的文字感覺到厭煩。你可以想象讀到你文章的人,會是什麼感受。相反,如果你的文書,描述的是你喜歡的東西,讓你充滿熱情的事情,或者你深入思考和關注的問題,那麼閱讀到你文章的人,也同樣會被這份真摯的情感所吸引,甚至感動。

我們在寫文書的同時,不妨換位思考。把自己當成是讀者,給自己的文書評分。

COLLEGE ESSAY TIPS FROM COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EXPERTS

1. Just make sure that the story you’re telling is uniquely YOURS.

(故事講述的是那個獨一無二的你)

I believe everyone has a story worth telling. Don’t feel like you have to have had a huge, life-changing, drama-filled experience. Sometimes the seemingly smallest moments lead us to the biggest breakthroughs.

This college essay tip is by Maggie Schuh, a member of the Testive Parent Success team and a high school English teacher in St. Louis.

相信每個人都有屬於自己的故事。這個故事,不一定必須是巨大的,改變你一生的,充滿戲劇色彩的經歷。有時候,那些看似微不足道的瞬間,卻能讓我們實現最大的突破。而這種突破,就是屬於你的,獨一無二的經歷。

2. Keep it simple!

(簡單即可!

No one is expecting you to solve the issue of world peace with your essay. Often times, we find students getting hung up with “big ideas”. Remember, this essay is about YOU. What makes you different from the thousands of other applicants and their essays? Be specific. Use vivid imagery. If you’re having trouble, start small and go from there. P. S. make sure the first sentence of your essay is the most interesting one.

This college essay tip is by Myles Hunter, CEO of TutorMe, an online education platform that provides on-demand tutoring and online courses for thousands of students.

很多學生在構思essay的時候,會眉頭緊鎖的望着我說:老師,我就是一個普普通通的高中生,我覺得我的人生非常平凡,沒有什麼“大事”發生,這樣會不會顯得我特別平庸呢。

其實,沒有人指望你通過一篇文書就變成超級英雄,就有能力去改變世界了。很多學生是被“偉大的思想”這個觀點束縛。請記住,這篇文書是圍繞你來展開的。你需要知道你和其他人不同的地方在哪裏,你的閃光點是什麼就好。從小處着手,然後從那個點開始,構思你整個文章的框架,以及你想表達的主題和思想。

3. Honor your inspiration.

尊重你的靈感)

My parents would have much preferred that I write about sports or youth group, and I probably could have said something interesting about those, but I insisted on writing about a particular fish in the pet store I worked at—one that took much longer than the others to succumb when the whole tank system in the store became diseased. It was a macabre little composition, but it was about exactly what was on my mind at the time I was writing it. I think it gave whoever read it a pretty good view of my 17 year-old self. I'll never know if I got in because of that weird essay or in spite of it, but it remains a point of pride that I did it my way.

This college essay tip is by Mike McClenathan, founder of PwnTestPrep, which has a funny name but serious resources for helping high school students excel on the standardized tests.

靈感源自經歷,或許在父母眼中有些看似“幼稚”的事情,對於一個高中生來說,恰恰是一次最難忘的經歷。文章的主體,始終是你自己。在文書的選材上面,可以適當聽從他人的意見。但自己也需要有主見。

4. Write about things you care about.

(選擇你關心的事情)

The most obvious things make great topics. What do I mean? Colleges want to learn about who you are, what you value and how you will contribute to their community. I had two students write about their vehicles—one wrote about the experience of purchasing their used truck and one wrote about how her car is an extension of who she is. We learned about their responsibility, creative thinking, teamwork and resilience in a fun and entertaining way.

This college essay tip is by Mira “Coach Mira” Simon, Independent Educational Consultant and professionally trained coach from the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), who combines her expertise to help high school students find their pathway to college.

大學想要了解的是,你是誰?你看重什麼?你如何對社區做出貢獻。即使參加同樣一個活動,由於每個人擔負的職責不同,對於活動的感悟也不盡相同。

5. Be yourself.

(做自己)

A sneaky thing can happen as you set about writing your essay: you may find yourself guessing what a college admissions committee is looking for and writing to meet that made up criteria rather than standing firm in who you are and sharing your truest self. While you want to share your thoughts in the best possible light (edit please!), avoid the temptation minimize the things that make you who you are. Show your depth. Be honest about what matters to you. Be thoughtful about the experiences you've had that have shaped who you've become. Be your brilliant self. And trust that your perfect-fit college will see you for who truly you are and say "Yes! This is exactly who we've been looking for.”

This college essay tip is by Lauren Gaggioli, NYU graduate, host of The College Checklist podcast, and founder of Higher Scores Test Prep provides affordable test prep help to college applicants.

我就是我,是顏色不一樣的煙火。”此處,小編不禁聯想到一句略有年代感的歌詞。我們在寫大學文書的時候,也需要堅持自我。這是什麼意思呢?就是我們不要刻意猜測或者迎合大學喜歡的學生模樣,強行改變自己的初衷,去搭建一個完全不一樣的人設。而需要體現最真實的自己以及自己思想的深度。總會有學校在茫茫人海中,對你念念不忘。並認爲你就是他們一直尋找的那個人。

6. Find a way to showcase yourself without bragging.

(展示自己的同時避免吹捧)

Being confident is key, but you don't want to come across as boasting. Next, let them know how college will help you achieve your long-term goals. Help them connect the dots and let them know you are there for a reason. Finally (here’s an extra pro tip), learn how to answer common college interview questions within your essay. This will not only help you stand out from other applicants, but it will also prepare you for the college interview ahead of time as well.

自信當然是需要的。但不能給招生官留下吹牛的印象。要讓大學知道如何幫助你實現長期目標,讓他們認爲招收你是有原因的。此外,學習如何在文章中回答大學面試常見的一些問題。這不僅能讓你從衆多申請者中脫穎而出,還能爲大學面試做準備。

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