John
前哈佛本科招办面试官
Summertime is perhaps the best time to start your college application essay work. Frequently, students spend days and even weeks sifting through different topics to respond to one of the seven prompts in the Common Application.
夏季或许是开始大学申请文书的最佳时间。通常情况下，学生们会花几天甚至几周的时间，根据Common Application中七个提示之一，来筛选不同的主题。
Common Application
To stay on track with their essay writing, students should focus on the following principles:
· Focus on events from Day 1 of 9th grade – nothing before high school is relevant.
·Think through your most significant obstacles and challenges in high school – colleges don’t want to read about your accomplishments in your main essay (hint: you can brag about your accomplishments elsewhere).
·What were your most memorable experiences in high school? (hint: such experiences are typically ones where you’ve spent the most time, so feel free to look at the Activities section of your Common Application for ideas).
· What experiences and interests do you feel compelled to share with colleges but aren’t sure where you can? Sometimes, sharing a hobby or an interest that isn’t reflected elsewhere on the application can.
为了保持文书写作的进展，学生应该关注以下原则:
- 从九年级第一天开始 —— 高中之前的事情都无关紧要。
- 想清楚你在高中时遇到的最大困难和挑战——大学招办没兴趣在你的文章中读到你的成就 (提示：你可以在其他材料展示你的成就)。
- 你在高中最难忘的经历是什么? (提示：这样的经历通常是你花时间最多的，所以可以查看 Common Application 的活动部分来寻找想法)。
- 你觉得有哪些经历和兴趣想和学校分享，但又不确定在哪可以分享?有时候，分享一个没有在 Common Application上体现出来的爱好或兴趣也可以。
After going through all your answers to the questions above, pick the two or three ideas that you feel best reflect you as a person beyond your accomplishments and achievements. Many students write essays focused on achievements or accomplishments, which is NOT what colleges want to read!
Recently, one of our students who was accepted by every Ivy League school he applied to wanted to write about his success with science fairs. Even though his accomplishments were noteworthy, his choice of topic was inappropriate because the depth and breadth of his science fair work were captured in the Activities section and the feedback his math and science teachers provided.
The Common App man essay is your chance to differentiate yourself from your peers in a unique and compelling way. We eventually landed on a topic that was both personal and creative – his passion for cooking and how preparing different foods with friends helped him express his creative nature while building bridges with others. Ultimately, the more vulnerable and authentic you can be, the more compelling your overall narrative will be.
浏览完以上所有问题的答案后，选出两三个除了你的个人成就以外最能反映你的想法。许多学生写的论文都是关于奖励或成就的，这不是大学想要读的！最近，我们的一个学生被他申请的每一所常春藤盟校录取，他之前想写他在科学博览会上的成功之处。尽管他的成就值得一提，但他选择的主题是不太合适的，因为他在科学博览会上取得的成绩的深度和广度都在活动部分以及他的数学和科学老师提供的反馈中得到了体现。Common Application的文章需要你以独特的和引人注目的方式脱颖而出。我们最终讨论并选定了一个既个性化又富有创造性的话题——他对烹饪的热情以及如何与朋友们一起准备不同的食物，帮助他在与他人建立联系的同时表达他的创造力。最终，越真实，你的整体叙事就越有说服力。
Of course, you also want to avoid the trap of the 4 Ds (disease, death, depression, and divorce). These topics, while they have the potential to show unique aspects of your life experience, are trite and inappropriate from the perspective of most admissions officers.
If there are any hardships you’ve encountered in high school, feel free to provide a summary of what happened and the associated impact in the Additional Information section. Should you choose to use that space for a sensitive topic, we encourage you to be as matter-of-fact about the challenge or obstacle you faced and outline the precise steps you took to mitigate any negative effects.
当然，你也需要避免4D的陷阱(疾病、死亡、抑郁和离婚)。这些话题，虽然它们有可能展示你生活经历的独特方面，但从大多数招生官的角度来看，是陈词滥调和不合适的。如果你在高中遇到了任何困难，请自行在附加信息部分栏提供有关事件及其影响的摘要。如果你选择利用这个空间谈论敏感话题，我们建议你实事求是地讲述你所面临的挑战或障碍，并概述你为减轻任何负面影响而采取的具体步骤。
Remember, your Common App personal statement will not read like an expository or analytical writing piece. Many students fall into the trap of telling and not showing the reader the message they want to convey. As part of your initial brainstorming activity, try to come up with three to four anecdotes that capture the most powerful moments related to your topic.
A few years ago, one of our students wanted to write about his experience struggling in art class but couldn’t come up with examples he felt were compelling. During the brainstorming process, we asked him to think about the most significant challenges he had throughout the year and how he overcame them. Within a couple of sessions, he was off to a great start!
记住，你在Common Application的个人陈述读起来不应是说明性或分析性文章。许多学生陷入了一个陷阱，仅仅是叙事而不是向招生官传递内涵。作为你最初头脑风暴活动的一部分，试着想出三到四个与主题相关的奇妙时刻的轶事。几年前，我们的一个学生想写他在艺术课上挣扎的经历，但找不到他觉得有说服力的例子。在头脑风暴的过程中，我们让他想想他在这一年中遇到的最重大的挑战，以及他是如何克服这些挑战的。几个阶段之后，他就有了一个很好的开始！
Before you start writing your first draft, spend some time outlining the structure.You typically want a hook that’s a stream-of-consciousness style introduction followed by a paragraph that provides some context. Subsequent body paragraphs should highlight unique lessons or stories associated with your chosen topic. In the concluding paragraph, you can talk about how the topic of your essay has shaped who you are today and/or your hopes for the future.
在你开始写初稿之前，花点时间整理结构。你通常需要一个意识流风格的引言，然后是一个提供一些上下文的段落。接下来的主体段落应该突出与主题相关的独特经历或故事。在结束语段，你可以谈谈你的文章主题如何塑造了今天的你或你对未来的期望。
Of course, you’ll need to make time to revise your essay. One of the most powerful guiding questions a student can ask is the “so what?” question.Years ago, I worked as a business consultant for Fortune 500 companies, and my managers and clients would frequently request that every page of a presentation should answer the most basic of questions. Each of your body paragraphs should have a key takeaway. One of the best ways to strengthen the main idea of each body paragraph is to insert topic sentences that anchor the point(s) you want to make in the paragraph.
当然，你还需要花时间修改你的文章。一个学生所能提出来的一个最有效的引导问题之一是： “那又如何？”的问题。几年前，我在《财富》500强公司担任商业顾问，我的经理和客户经常要求我PPT的每一页都应该基本回答了所提出的问题。你的每一个主体段落都应该有一个关键的要点。加强每个主体段落主旨的最好方法之一就是插入主旨句，以此来巩固你在这段话中想要表达的观点。
Sometimes students worry about issues related to length, grammar, and style. I frequently encourage students to not worry about the 650-word limit for the Common App Main Essay in the first two to three drafts because you’re working on strengthening your ideas, not making them “sound” better. Students usually find it easier to cut down words to be more concise than fill up space to meet the word limit. Additionally, you can rectify most issues related to grammar and style by using a software package like Grammarly and/or having an editor do a final review of the essay to correct any of these issues.
有时学生担心与篇幅、语法和文体相关的问题。我经常鼓励学生们，在前两到三稿中，不要担心Common Application主文章的650字限制，因为你在加强你的想法，而不是让它们“听起”来更好。学生们通常会发现，删减单词比填满空间来满足字数限制更容易做到简明扼要。此外，你可以通过使用像Grammarly这样的软件来纠正大多数与语法和文体相关的问题，以及/或者找编辑对文章进行最后的检查来改正这些问题。
Finally, keep in mind that good essays take time. You’ll typically need at least four to five sets of revisions, and feedback from an experienced counselor also helps. Occasionally, students find themselves changing topics after several weeks. Doing so is completely okay!
Moreover, you should feel free to solicit feedback from teachers, other adults, and peers who are strong writers so you can benefit from their perspectives. With the right amount of external input and personal effort, you’ll be well on your way to crafting an excellent personal statement.
最后，请记住，写好的文章需要时间。你通常需要至少四到五次的修改，经验丰富的顾问的反馈也会有帮助。有些时候，学生们在几周后会改变选题。这样的做法完全没问题！此外，你也可以自主地征求老师、其他成年人和擅长写作的同龄人的反馈，这样你就可以从他们的反馈中获益。有了适当的外部反馈和个人努力，你就能很好地撰写一份优秀的个人文书。
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