前普林斯顿招生官解锁美本申请密码，热点问题解，答想必每一个想赴美留学的同学心中，都会有一个去常春藤的梦！但你是否想过，你与常春藤的距离有多远呢？
纵观近年来八所藤校几乎触底的录取率，爬藤之路越来越艰辛。对于绝大多数申请者来说——即使是那些优秀的人才，都是可遇不可求的事情。虽然如此，每年仍有大量来自世界各地的学生义无反顾的踏进残酷的竞技场，想要通过自己的努力，拿到进入常春藤的入场券。
面对之后的申请，你一定有很多问题希望得到最权威的解答，在招生官眼里，他们如何看待中国学生？究竟希望看到什么样的申请者？
今天，我们就来听听普林斯顿前招生官Don Betterton对这些问题的回答。
Don曾在普林斯顿大学担任招生官一职30余年，熟悉大学招生政策与学生评估，曾荣获校友理事会服务奖、布雷斯勒奖等奖项，并被任命为 1960 届和 2005 届名誉成员。他开发的 BCP Evaluator 系统，可以真实地预测学生的录取机会，也为择校这一大难题提供了建设性意见，帮助数百名中国学生完成大学申请。
过去三年间，Don指导中国学生成功录取到：
- 耶鲁大学
- 芝加哥大学
- 约翰霍普金斯大学 (2)
- 康奈尔大学
- 西北大学
- 卡耐基梅隆大学 (3)
- 加州大学伯克利分校
- 华盛顿圣路易斯大学 (2)
- 埃默里大学
- 圣母大学 (2)
- 密歇根大学 (3)
- 巴纳德学院
- 威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校
- 萨凡纳艺术与设计学院
- 纽约时装学院
Q1：招生官对于中国学生有什么刻板印象吗？
Are there any stereotypes towards
Chinese applicants in the admission office?
Don
刻板影响是存在的。中国学生通常聪明、努力、且多数是理工STEM方向。
Yes, the usual. Smart, Hardworking, STEM-oriented
Q2：中国申请者具有什么样的共性？
What are the most common traits of Chinese applicants that you observe in the past years, either in a good way or in a bad way?
Don
上面提到的这些刻板影响也是中国学生共性的一部分。如果学生目前比较擅长且在大学期间想要学习STEM方向，他们需要知道现在STEM专业的竞争是非常激烈的，对于美国学生也是如此。STEM申请者（特别是计算机科学和工程类）是人数最多的，而且他们拥有最高的GPA和SAT分数。这样的学生可能不太会转去其他专业，因为STEM是他们喜欢且擅长的，也是以后的专业方向。
正因如此，我建议STEM方向申请者的选校列表中多加几所符合学校（Match School）和安全学校（Safety School）。
The above stereo type holds up rather well. If STEM is what the student is good at, and interested in studying in college, they should realize that STEM applicants face the toughest competition, both from US students and other internationals. STEM applicants (especially CS and Engineering) are large in number and tend to have the highest GPAs and SAT scores. These students probably can’t switch to another academic area where the admission standards aren’t as high because STEM is where they do well and what they want to major in. Because of this, STEM applicants need to having a college list with more Match and Safety schools than other applicants.
Q3：当审核一个学生的大学申请时，招生官最看重什么特质？
What are the qualities that are valued the
most when reviewing an application?
Don
也许是由于高考的影响，多数中国学生中会把SAT看的过重。但其实，课程难度和校内成绩是非常重要的，而SAT更多是作为一个统一的成绩指标。对于竞争激烈的大学，非学术成就和个人素质可能高达录取权重的 40%。所以建议申请者们需要明白非学术因素（例如课外活动）的重要性。
Common among Chinese students (possibly because of the importance of Goakao in Chinese admissions) is to put considerable emphasis on the SAT. Course level and grades have always been #1 in evaluating an app with SAT serving as a uniform evaluator of the transcript. For highly competitive colleges, non-academic accomplishments and personal qualities can be as much as 40% of the admission weight. Applicants need to understand the importance of non-academic factors.
How to develop a unique perspective for my college application essay? How can an essay stand out, especially for Chinese students?
Don
很难说，因为这个问题没有统一的答案。幽默风趣、与众不同、且易于阅读是非常重要的。大多数学生倾向于把文书写的很难读懂。但其实读者并没有那么多时间来分析一篇文章——他们只会仔细浏览一遍文章内容留下一个初步的印象，来了解对申请者而言，最重要的是什么。好的文章多是非正式的——就像是作者在与读者说话那样。
Hard to say as there is no formula. Interesting, different, and easy to read are important. Students tend to “overwrite” their essays making them hard to read and understand. Readers don’t have time to analyze an essay – they do a careful scan of the content to get an impression of what is important to the student. The better essays are more informal -- as if the writer is speaking to the reader.
Q5：中国申请者对美国大学录取有什么常见误区？过往申请者的常见错误操作是什么？
What are the common misconceptions/
misunderstandings that Chinese students typically have towards the U.S. college application from your observation? Or what are the common mistakes that Chinese applicants made in the past years?
Don
常见误区是花了太多时间在SAT备考上而忽略了其他重要的录取因素。
Spending so much time on SAT prep that other important admission elements lag behind.
Q6：我需要从九年级（初三）就开始参加一系列的课外活动，并且长期坚持下去吗？
Do I need to participate in extracurricular activities since Grade 9 and keep holding onto it for a rather long period of time?
Don
可以从九年级开始，最晚也要从十年级开始。这样学生就会有2-3年的时间来脱颖而出，无论是活动本身的重要性还是学生在活动中所扮演角色的重要性。发起一个项目远比仅仅加入一项活动更令招生官印象深刻。
Maybe start in 9th, at least by 10th, so there are 2 to 3 years to stand out, both in the importance of the activity itself as well as the importance of the student’s role in the activity. Starting an activity is more impressive than merely joining one.
Q7：大学招生官会如何考量中国高中的排名或学校质量？非知名高中学生如何在申请过程中出奇制胜？
How would a college admission officer consider the rank/quality of Chinese high schools? And how can a graduate from a high school that is not so famous or highly ranked get admitted to the top universities?
Don
我并不太能判断出中国最好的高中是哪几所，也不清楚他们之间所谓的好坏差异。根据我的经验，与公立学校相比，入读国际学校可能更可取，因为学生的成绩单和课外活动都和美国高中的非常相似。这使得招生官更容易评估学生的申请。如果现在家长们正忙于选择“更好”的高中，那么学校往届毕业生的毕业去向及美国名校录取纪录则是一个重要指标。
I’m not an expert on the names of the “best” Chinese high schools or even how the quality can vary from one school to another. From my experience, enrollment in aninternational school compared to a public school is preferable because the student’s transcipt and extra-curricular activities look very much like students from a US high school. This makes it easier for an admission reader to evaluate the application. If the family is shopping for a “better” high school, the school’s track record for having students accepted to the top US colleges and universities is an important indicator.
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