今年的申请季中,我们许多学员都在文书的写作上投入了大量的时间创作内容、构思框架、深入的思考,确认达到自己最满意的内容和要表现的特点;
同时,我们的申请导师们也一遍一遍的帮助学生反复审阅,引领学生们通过一些问题的思考,更深入的重新认识和了解自己,挖掘自己的非常好的思考方式,结合自己的活动的实践,呈现出语言精炼,有创造力,有思想深度的申请文书。
并且,我们也大大缩减了每个导师每一年带的学生的数量,从而对每一个学生的申请方方面面的细节能保证有足够高的关注度和熟悉程度。
而这些,也是我们为什么能够帮助学生们冲刺美国顶尖名校,在上万的申请者中力争成为了万分之几十的申请成功者;有时候即使是学生标化考试,语言,GPA相对学校里其他同学不是最优的情况下,仍然凭借有着长时间沟通和引导的申请规划,以及申请季个性化的文书构思写作方法论,帮助咱们的申请者拿到理想院校的录取!
所以,继上一期美国顶尖名校的申请文书题目之后,我们继续整理了其它名校的个性化文书,在介绍之前,还是先总结一下文书的五大类:
活动文书(Extracurricular Essay)
社区贡献文书(Community Essay)
个人价值观文书(Perosnal Value Essay)
为什么选择学校或专业文书(Why Major Essay)
个性化短答文书(Short Response)
下面我们来看一看芝加哥大学,约翰斯霍普金斯大学,宾夕法尼亚大学,加州理工学院,杜克大学这5个学校的个性化文书问题:
芝加哥大学 University of Chicago
1、Personal Value Essay
(choose 1 from the 6 essay prompts) 1-2 pages
1.Was it a cat I saw?
Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”).
Moze jutro ta dama da tortu jezom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”).
Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory.
—Inspired by Leah Beach, Class of 2026, Lib Gray SB ’12, and Agnes Mazur AB ’09
英语:Was it a cat I saw?我看见的是一只猫吗?
日语:Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo 这个世界是一个温暖的地方
波兰语:Moze jutro ta dama da tortu jezom 可能明天那位女士会给一个蛋糕给那只刺猬
请分享任何一种语言里面的一段回文(即正序读和倒序读都一模一样),然后说一下它的背景故事。
2. What advice would a wisdom tooth have?
—Inspired by Melody Dias, Class of 2025
智齿会有什么样的建议?
3. You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they’re the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time?
—Inspired by Alexander Hastings, Class of 2023, and Olivia Okun-Dubitsky, Class of 2026
你正在执行一次去发现火星上的殖民者的远征任务中,一群火星人突然出现在了附近的一个火山口。他们看起来很想要和你交流,但是他们性格急躁要求你用一首歌,一幅画,或者一段记忆,证据,或者其他的东西代表全人类。你准备跟它们分享什么用来证明人类值得与他们花更多的时间来了解。
4. UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment.
—Inspired by Isabel Alvarez, Class of 2026
芝加哥大学有超过90名诺贝尔奖获得者。但是,为什么都在经济学,物理,和平这三个领域?你的任务是给诺贝尔奖创造一个新的学科种类。请解释它应该是哪一类,你选择这个特定种类的理由,以及什么样的标准能够拿到这门学科的诺贝尔奖。
5. Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together?
—Inspired by Braden Hajer, Class of 2025
成吉思汗和一个F1赛车。乔治华盛顿和一把超级水枪。尼禄皇帝和一个烤箱。列奥纳多·达·芬奇和一个菲比娃娃。如果你能够给任何一个历史人物任何一种科学技术,你会给谁什么技术,为什么你会认为他们匹配在一起会非常好?
6. In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, pose your own question or choose one of our past prompts. Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun.*
在冒险求知的精神引领下,列出你自己创造的文书问题或者选择一个我们以前的文书题目。内容要原创,有创造力,发人深省。用这篇文书把你作为一个作家,思考者,语言家,社会批判家,圣人,世界公民,未来芝加哥大学的成员的特质表现出来。可以尝试冒险一些的表现,或者自己有趣的灵魂。
2、Why College Essay
(Usually upload 1 page PDF)
How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.
芝加哥大学如你所知如何能够满足你在学术,社群,未来等方向上的愿望?请列出你的一些具体的愿望以及他们怎样能够在芝加哥大学里互相成就。
在此也附上UChicago的文书视频:
约翰斯霍普金斯大学
Johns Hopkins University
1、Personal Value Essay 300-400 words
Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.
Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins.
本着探索和发现的精神而创立的约翰斯霍普金斯大学鼓励学生们分享他们的观点,拓展他们的兴趣,并追求新的经历。请分享一些关于你自己的经历,比如你的兴趣,背景,身份,或者你的社群。他们怎样塑造了你自己的大学目标和愿景,在霍普金斯大学的学习生活里面想要获得什么。
宾夕法尼亚大学
University of Pennsylvania
1、Personal Value Essay 150-200 words
Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!)
写一个简短的感谢信给你身边你想要去感谢却还没有机会去感谢的人。(我们鼓励你把你的感谢信在现实生活中分享给这个人,并且对这个经历做一些反思)
2、Why School Essay 150-200 words
How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape Penn.
你会怎样去探索宾大的大学社群?宾大会如何的帮助你塑造你的观点和身份,你的个人身份或观点又会怎样的影响宾大。
3、Why Major Essay 150-200 words
Considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected, describe how you intend to explore your academic and intellectual interests at the University of Pennsylvania.
根据你选择的本科学院,描述你在宾大会怎样去探索你的学科领域和学术兴趣。
除了正常的本科学生的4个学院,文理学院,工程与应用科学学院,护理学院,沃顿商学院之外,如申请以下特殊项目有额外文书要求:
- Bio-Dental Program
- The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research(VIPER)
- The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management (LSM)
- Nursing and Health Care Management(NHCM)
- The Rajendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering (NETS)
- The Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T)
- The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business(HUNTSMAN)
- Digital Media Design Program(DMD)
加州理工学院
California Institute of Technology
1、Why Major Essay 200 words
Because of the rigorous core course curriculum, Caltech students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore.
If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? Why did you choose that area of interest?
因为高难度的核心课程设置,加州理工的学生直到第一年结束才要求去选择自己的专业。但是,一些学生已经很明确他们感兴趣而且非常好奇愿意继续去探索的一些学科领域。如果你现在去选择1-2个你感兴趣的方向,你会选择什么?为什么你选择这些学科领域?
2、Extracurricular Essay
200 words each
At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Identify and describe two STEM-related experiences from your high school years, either in or out of the classroom, and tell us how and why they activated your curiosity. What about them made you want to learn more and explore further?
在加州理工,我们致力于调研在科学,科技,工程,以及数学领域最具挑战最根本性的问题。请定义并描述你在高中阶段2个STEM相关的活动经历,可以是校内或校外的,告诉我们他们怎样激发你的学术好奇心,为什么?他们具体有哪些地方让你想要更深入的学习和探索更多?
3、Creativity Essay 250 words
The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars, but Techers also imagine smaller scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to 3D printing dorm decor. How have you been an innovator in your own life?
加州理工的学生,教授,研究者们的创造力,发明,创新改革的精神让他们获得了诺贝尔奖并且把火星车放到了火星上,同时这些科技工作者们也每天在思考想象着小的一些创新和发明,从设计太阳能电池的新方法到3D打印宿舍装饰品。你在你自己的生活中是怎样的一个创造者呢?
4、Personal Value Essay 250 words
The process of discovery is best advanced when people from diverse backgrounds come together to solve the greatest challenges in their fields. How do your past experiences and present-day perspectives inform who you have become and how you navigate the world?
当一群不同背景的人聚集到一起去解决一些领域的最重大的挑战的时候是最能够促进新发现的过程。你过去的一些经历和你当下的经历如何让你成为今天的自己,你今后想要如何去引领世界?
5、Extracurricular Essay
Optional 100 words
When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through marathons of coding, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speedcubing to participating in varsity athletics to reading romance novels. What is a favorite interest or hobby and why does it bring you joy?
当没有在研究星球奥秘时,通过显微镜观察时,或者在编程的马拉松里赛跑时,加州理工学院的学生一直追求着各个学科方向的兴趣,从快速魔方到参加各种田径运动,或者读浪漫小说。你最喜欢的兴趣或爱好是什么?为什么它带给你快乐?
6、Short Response Optional 50 words
Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too – tell us about another hobby or interest!
如果你要缩减你的兴趣或爱好到只有一个,你会觉得很困难吗?我们理解。加州理工的学生一直乐于一直处在忙碌中,请告诉我你的除了上篇文书中提到的兴趣之外的另一个爱好或兴趣。
杜克大学 Duke University
1、Why School Essay 250 words
What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there's something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well.
你对杜克大学或杜克的学生社群是怎样一种感觉?为什么你觉得和你很匹配?如果这里有一些你特别感兴趣的一些资源吸引了你,请尽情的分享出来。
2、Personal Value Essay
250 words each
We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. Feel free to answer them if you believe that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already shared elsewhere in your application. Four optional questions are available - a maximum of 2 can be selected.
在此我们强调以下这些问题是可选择性回答的。如果你认为回答这些问题的内容很有意义而且能够让招生官更了解你,请从下面4篇文书题目中任意挑选2个作答。
1. We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself.
我们寻找一个多元的学生群体并且体现着人类广泛的生活经历。在这样的情境下,我们非常想要了解你的个人生活经历,以及这样的经历如何影响你对自己的思考。
2. We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?
我们相信分享是非常有好处的,有时候会让我们再次反思质疑我们的信仰和价值观。在一些重大事情上你会更同意谁的观点?或者你与谁有着最有趣的关于不一致观点的讨论?你赞同什么或不赞同什么?
3. What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?
在过去2年里,你最好的学习体验是什么?是什么让你感觉非常好?
4. Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you’d like to share with us more about your identity in this context, feel free to do so here.
杜克致力于鼓励多元和包容的群体,包括性取向,性别定义,性别表达。如果你愿意分享一些关于这些方面你自己的独特背景,请在这分享。
可以看出,美国名校的文书问题非常看重学生对于自己感兴趣的学科领域是如何去积极探索,对于自己热衷的课外活动又是怎样去积极带动周边的朋友们共同参与。
然后在这样的经历中,如何形成自己独特的价值观以及自己对于这些事情的深入反思;美国名校培养的是会积极思考,用批判性思维来看待身边的一些社会问题的学生。文书中的经历也是自己对人生的反思,更多的基于高中4年的校内外经历。所以我鼓励我们的学生们去积极利用身边的资源,丰富自己的生活和学科探索,有一个明确而长远的目标去努力拼搏。