孔子拜师教学实录:申请美国大学本科留学文书写作指导(一):CommonApp中的Essay

What --- 什么是Essays？

本科申请需要提交的全套申请材料里，Essays是个关键点，直接决定申请结果，同时也是学生最难把控的难点。不同高校要求的Essays各不相同。所以，在准备申请材料之前，就应该事先做好选校工作，确定目标学校，然后熟悉目标学校的全套申请表格和具体申请要求。为方便起见，美国越来越多的高校现在采用the Common Application（通用申请表，见附件1），同时各个学校会要求再提交一份Common Application Supplement（补充申请表，例如：附件2中的Yale Common Application Supplement）；对于国际生，还要填写一份IS，即International Supplement（国际生补充申请表，见附件3）。IS也属于the Common Application的一部分。

The Common Application (通用申请表)里，有两个写作项：

1 Short Answer （一篇不超过150词的短文）

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below or on an attached sheet (150 words or fewer).（简述一项课外活动或工作经历）

2 Personal Essay （一篇不少于250词的作文）

Please write an essay (250 words minimum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate box. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself. （除了课程、分数等客观数据以外，作文可以帮助我们更好地了解你作为一个学生和一个人的各个方面。它也能展示你组织思想和表达自己的能力。从以下题目中任选一题。）

① Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. （评述一次重要的经历、成就、冒险或面临的道德困境，及其对你的影响。）

② Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

（讨论一个你个人、地区、国家或国际事件及其对你的重要性。）

③ Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

（说明一个曾经对你有重要影响的人，并描述他/她对你产生了怎样的影响。）

④ Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

（描述一个曾经对你产生过重要影响的小说人物、历史人物、或者艺术、音乐、科学等创作性作品。同时描述他/她对你产生了怎样的影响。）

⑤ A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

（学术兴趣、个人观点、生活经验都能有效增加教育群体多样性。说明你的个人背景，描述一个个人经验，由此说明你能增添大学的多样性，或者说明一个文化多样性的校园对你的重要性。）