近日，全美排名第6的约翰霍普金斯大学（JHU）公布了6篇2029届录取新生文书，并附上了招生官的详细评价。
根据最新数据显示，JHU 2029届RD轮一共1,732名学生拿到录取，早申阶段（ED1+ED2）总共录取793名，总计录取2,525人，少于去年的2,558人。
由于没有公布详细的申请数据，所以2029届新生录取率无法确定。不过参考前几年的录取数据，2029届的录取难度估计也在5%上下，不会浮动太多。
整体来看，JHU的录取难度可不低。那么申请这样一所顶尖大学，我们就需要格外注意它在各个位置给出的提示！
在JHU的文书申请建议中，我们能看到，官方对文书作用的定义是“The essays are a place to show us who you are and who you’ll be in our community”，即文书是一个向我们展示你是谁以及你将在我们的社区中成为什么样的人的地方。
所以申请者一定要在文书中体现个人的独特优势，以及补充一些在其它申请环节无法体现的东西，要让招生官看到你最真实的性格、价值观和生活。
那么JHU喜欢什么样的文书？快来一起看看2029届录取新生的优秀文书范文！
Balancing Life; A Life of Balance
by jade c. 2029届
The concept of balance guides me through life. At heart I am a figure skater. Since early childhood I’ve learned how to balance on and off the ice rink; to glide though skating routines and busy schedules. While I’m skating, time moves differently. I put my soul into each moment. I morph into the embodiment of my emotion and determination. I practice until it is perfect. I pass into a different state of mind, where I’m able to focus fully. I devote hours, and yet it feels as if no time is passing. I bring this pattern of dedication to all of the commitments in my life, and use my sense of balance to handle it all.I keep moving, on and off the ice, from one thing to the next, because balanced doesn’t mean stagnant. In figure skating, and in life, movement helps keep me balanced. I’ve been raised entirely alone by my single mom, no custody time with my father. We live in an 1860’s log cabin with a lawn to mow, and feral rescue cats. We spend every July in a cottage in Canada helping my grandmother, and I help clean the AirBnB in our basement before every stay. It is important I keep gliding through everything in a timely manner, since it’s just the two of us, with lots of responsibilities, and no one else to pick up slack. From my mom I’ve learned early how to be resourceful, self-reliant, and to manage time effectively, including downtime. Sometimes that’s a challenge. Sometimes I start to feel off balance. Like when I’m in Boston for the Eastern regional synchronized skating competition, having to learn lines for my lead in the school play, and studying for AP classes. But my mom is always there if I need help strategizing. So when life accelerates, I take a deep breath. Even if the speed feels ominous, just like in skating, immersing myself feels liberating. It is all the more rewarding when my work is completed and I get to reflect on everything I’ve accomplished.When I’m interested in something new to balance I look to my community. I am always the first to offer assistance at my school’s numerous volunteer opportunities. I regularly enlist in trips to a Rescue Mission, and have over 3 times the community service hours required to graduate. I also find activities through connections outside school. Like the Endangered Species Theater Project teen led production I was in last spring. On my own initiative, one of my passions is filmmaking. I plan to major in film studies. I enjoy the medium because it is the closest an audience can get to a story. I thrive in long editing sessions, writing marathons and as my own actor in solo projects. Every film project I create is another flex of my balancing skills.Yes I’m a regionally qualifying synchronized figure skater, but I’m also a fourth degree black belt in Taekwondo; I’m three term president of my school’s student government association; I’ve been lead in the school play two years in a row; I’m an AP Scholar, a guitarist, and a pianist. I’m a leader, a fighter, a vegetarian, an actor, an athlete, a friend, a musician, a cinematographer, and a straight A student. For my endeavors to go smoothly I’ve honed my sense of balance, and dedicated myself: to the arts, knowledge, and community.I’ve sculpted myself into a balance beam holding multiple high level skills at once. I love learning, improving, and making an impact in every section of my life. I feel proud of the work I am completing in such diverse ventures. I am always happy as a fulcrum, the balance point of a lever system, I am the “Renaissance man.” I love to succeed in each pursuit, to accomplish many things in a variety of areas, and I am always searching for more.
招生官点评：
Jade通过这篇文书向我们展现了其生活中不可或缺的平衡之道。从花样滑冰到志愿服务，再到戏剧舞台，他们将看似迥异的兴趣点巧妙串联，诠释了如何通过多元探索构建独特的技能体系与认知视角。这种平衡之道不仅塑造了Jade的世界观，更与JHU的教育理念不谋而合。在这里，学生将面临海量的经历、机遇与视角的碰撞。
这篇文书也让我们招生委员会确信，Jade一旦入读，必能延续其游刃有余的探索力，在JHU如鱼得水。
Be the Salt of the Earthby maria g.2029届
“No le pongas demasiada sal!” My mom, anticipating a bitter taste from the soup, alarmed me. Yet curious like a five-year-old, I felt it was my mission to discover the secrets behind the little white container in front of me. Standing still, making noise at a shake, laid the salt. Deciding to empty half the recipient, my mom and I laughed the second I tasted our alphabet soup.Composed of primarily sodium chloride, salt is a staple for food and culture. At the same time, the element is an equal symbol for health, preservation, and connection. Seen time again in history, salt was a compensation for Roman Empire’s soldiers, a source of currency for ancient China, and an exchange in the Gulf Coast from the Olmec people. Globally, a little of it goes the long way.Ironically, for the entirety of my early adolescence, I underestimated the value of salt in the human body. How could such a small grain be worth immense value? It appeared like an exaggeration. Despite my assumption, fainting in the presence of heat conversely transformed this mindset. Then, I was not surprised to know I battled with low blood pressure. To prevent injuries, I was advised to intake balanced meals. Most importantly, moving from one state to another forced me to keep track of possible imbalance in my body at the end of my junior year.With an opposing view of the country, I was intrigued at smoky undertones of sea salt in brown rice, at a piece of boiled egg with table salt, or at a pinch of pink salt in a fresh avocado. Unable to eat foods with high sodium, I grew appreciation at the appearance of soul meals in new places. Mere glimpses at dishes fueled my taste examinations. While exchanging interactions with a diverse school population throughout lunch time, I met teenagers and teachers with a history of resilience, migration, and adaptation. Fascinated by the mural of cultures, each little grain of salt in my vision embodied human connection, presenting roots and traditions with pride. My new communities were an open door to discover distinct salt flavor profiles.Throughout my personal progress of adaptation with moving, I discovered my love for the range of policies, economies, and customs bounded in the world. Enamored by the study of international relations, my pursuit for educating on the states of societies, financial positions, dearth of rights, and extent of access to resources arrived naturally. In a similar way that I enhance my knowledge of salt’s contributions, I am committed for my expatiating my passion towards diplomacy. Exhibiting my devotion for the protection of interests and sustaining peace, the epiphany of helping not just my home countries in the US and Mexico but vulnerable groups at developing countries became my mission.At the gaze of a welcoming sun, I practice addressing and collaborating changes particularly towards the rights of children and teenagers in my community. Implementing the first UNICEF Club at my school and district, I advocate for young children that are underrepresented, mistreated, yet are equally deserving of education and a bright tomorrow. By promoting the organization’s mission, I aspire to transform beyond fixed generational chains of knowledge. Similarly, my engagement with my state’s Civic Education Coalition, enlarges my infatuation of governance, civic education, and establishing a democratic future. Through my continuous experience with domestic relationships, I prepare for connections and transformations at a larger global scale.As a person with a close connection to salt, its presence revolutionized my life purpose. Now, every grain of salt is an insight of diversity in our world and human interactions. Appreciating the intricate connection between individuals and nations, salt awakened my passion for revealing paths with solutions. In fact, I consider salt’s impact on Earth as an embodiment of motivation for building systematic change. Salt is truly a symbol of our globe’s shared essence.
招生官点评：
Maria的文书以“盐”为线索，巧妙地串联起她对不同社群与多元视角的认知觉醒。这份日益开阔的视野，成为她迈向服务、外交与协作领域的起点。在JHU，跨视角的协作与对话，是学生学习并成长为全球化社会积极成员的重要方式。Maria通过文书成功地证明，她已经准备好参与JHU提供的这种以讨论和行动为导向的大学生活。
Where Math Collides With Artby Anthony m.2029届
Pop quiz: A bird shoots through the crisp morning air of New York City, dodging skyscrapers at a speed of thirty kilometers per hour. The sun breaks through the horizon, blinding the bird in both eyes. The bird manages to catch its reflection in the shining glass of the Empire State Building—but by that time, it’s too late. How do we use velocity, angles, distance, and force to find the point at which the glass shatters? For me, math is more than just numbers. It’s a mode of visualizing movement in action, the synthesis of my imagination and the physical world. When I’m problem-solving, I’m not just generating a string of numbers on paper. I’m picturing the spiral of a rollercoaster, the friction of a waterslide, and the curvature of an asteroid’s impending collision with Earth.In high school, when precalculus was taught as a series of step-by-step instructions, it felt like the vivid and colorful world I had come to love was being broadcast in black and white. I saw this reflected in the growing disinterest of my classmates, who saw math as a monotonous chore rather than a universal language with boundless explanatory and creative power. I had to step in. I had to show people what I saw.This inspired me to begin writing creative math questions for my peers. My parametric equations are not simple problems with one-step calculations– they are cinematic universes that jolt audiences with excitement. They invite others to embrace mathematics as a practice of external—and even internal—discovery that was missing in my school.When I present my famous “bird crashing into the window” problem students enthusiastically gather around the whiteboard to uncover its mysteries. I watch their impassioned discussions unfold with a sense of satisfaction as each drawing and scribble brings them closer to the truth. Witnessing their pride as they finally arrive at the answer reminds me of why I teach.I’ve since honed question-design into an art, creating math tests and exercises for Teachers Pay Teachers so that teachers around the world can give my imaginative questions to their students. I hope that students not only learn the concepts I’m teaching– but also critical thinking and reasoning that provides new ways to solve challenges in their lives.I have also used the medium of math beyond problem sets and assessments. As captain of the Math Olympiad, I use it to transform confused faces into laughter and excitement, to test my teammates’ courage and strengthen team bonds. When I tutor Mu Alpha Theta or teach in Wall Street Lions, it is a language of empathy and connection to connect with students with interests outside of STEM. And in CivicSpark—the non-profit I co-founded to help students gain agency through civic engagement—I deploy the logic and reasoning of math without the numbers. Through a curriculum of imaginative puzzles, I empowered students in schools across Southern California to reach out to their representatives to ignite real change.In this way, I have used math as a brush to paint a canvas that extends beyond the visual to what matters most—infusing life with greater meaning and heart. It is this creativity that compels me to pursue Applied Mathematics. There is no greater or more fulfilling challenge than the application of mathematics to real-life problems. However I hope to take this application a step further: If every calculation is a story, what does it mean for us to become storytellers? And how can this intellectual artistry transform the world?As for the bird that caught its reflection in the office window–perhaps it isn’t about the force of the collision, but what happens after. The way the shards of glass multiply a single reflection into thousands of new perspectives. The way a barrier opens to reveal spaces that were previously hidden. And the infinite possibilities of what happens next.
招生官点评：
追求知识并将其发现与更广阔的世界相连，是JHU的核心使命之一。在文书中，Anthony深入探讨了自己数学兴趣的起源，回顾了课堂内外的诸多经历如何激发并巩固了这份热爱，并进一步通过文书展示了如何将这份兴趣转化为实实在在的影响力：无论是通过教学、非营利组织还是学校社团，Anthony都成功地将对数学的热情投入实践。
这种将知识与热忱通过多元途径传递给他人的能力，正是他与JHU整体理念高度契合的证明，也预示着他能充分把握这里的一切机遇。
A Splash of ColorBy Emily O.2029届
I stare into my bathroom mirror as I remove the mask. For the first time, I will attend high school showing my full face. I need to be beautiful, just like the girls on my TikTok feed. I examine each video, searching for the common thread. A hot pink blush gleams on each girl’s cheek. Despite the stark contrast between my pale Irish skin spattered with freckles and that of the sun-kissed influencers, I race to Target to search for the infamous Revlon Insta-Blush which comes in stick form, making it foolproof. Or, so I thought.On the first day of school, I optimistically swipe the stick across my face, waiting for instant beautification. But, my embarrassingly pink cheeks redden as they attract a different type of attention. I quickly banish the blush stick to the back of my makeup drawer. In need of a confidence boost, I vow to add color into my life instead of my face.An opportunity presents itself near the end of freshman year as I sit in World History class with my friends Hannah and Julia. Suddenly, they thrust their iPads in my face. They smirk, informing me that “Glenbard West is looking for its next weather reporter.” I join them in laughter but steal a second look at the email. My eyes betray me. Both catch my second glance.“Oh my gosh, Emily, I dare you!” Hannah screeches. I shrug, click the sign-up link and hastily complete the form. Later, I am invited to submit an audition video. I scoff and close the email, certain I’d quickly become a social pariah. Yet, this could be my chance to add a splash of color, to take a risk and attempt something new. I grab my umbrella as a prop, hit record and recite the script. A week later, an email entitled, CONGRATULATIONS WEATHERWOMAN!, arrives. What have I gotten myself into?!Suddenly, it’s time to compose my first report . . . to enter the eye of the storm. Conscious that every word will be broadcast to all of my peers, I keep it straightforward, simply presenting the forecast. Boring. I know something is missing. So, I create a catchy sign-off, “Keep it Cool in the Castle West” which references our school’s castle-like logo.On recording day, I stare into my bathroom mirror once again. My eyes drift toward a single tube of coral blush I had been given two years prior. Its soft, sunset orange hue in stark contrast to that TikTok trending hot pink. I slowly dab the Glossier Cloud Paint blush onto my cheeks. It gives my pale skin a natural glow, one that emulates my happiness. My confidence shines as I record my first segment.Later, when the broadcast projects into my classroom, my nerves take over. I bury myself into my iPad, trying to disappear. After class, I venture into the hallway, eyes glued to the floor.“Great job with the weather!” someone yells. Another waves. I shoot upright, scanning from one smiling face to another. As I record more and more broadcasts, even people I hadn’t known before begin to say “hi” to me across campus. I’d always been one with a small, tight circle of good friends, but unexpectedly, my social network broadens as my campus “celebrity” grows. As I forge connections with new peers, my confidence builds. I expand my role within the broadcast and my school. I no longer recite the bare minimum but rather, report on sporting events and dare to write my own jokes. Contributing to our school spirit in this small way makes me proud. By trying new things and breaking the cage of conformity, I’ve also learned to love myself and my differences from the girls on social media. I wear my coral blush with pride for the freshman girl in Target. She finally learned how to be herself.
招生官点评：
在文书中，Emily以生动的个人故事展现了她的冒险精神与探索欲。无论是挑战新奇妆容还是投身气象观测，她都乐于尝试，并在过程中洞察自我的真正热情。这种勇于尝试、主动求索的品格，与JHU所倡导的“发现之旅”高度契合。她的文章让我们相信，Emily一定能迅速融入JHU这个充满活力的校园社区中，并以她独特的方式，为校园注入属于自己的活力。
Building a UniverseBy Shotaro O.2029届
Just outlining the coastlines took a month. On the solid, 22-inch by 30-inch sheet of white paper I was working on, I couldn’t just press the “undo” button if my highlighter happened to slip. I had spent two months creating a rough draft, and an additional month transferring that onto the final copy with a pencil. I then outlined that with a pen, which I was now going over with a highlighter. Messing up at this point meant losing four months of hard work. The stakes were high, but I was enjoying the process. I was already thinking about other details I could expand upon next. A steampunk society experiencing rapid technological advancements, I’d decided, would be the setting of this fantasy world. I imagined the technologies I could introduce in this setting. I thought about the economic and cultural indications these technologies would have on civilizations in this world. Meanwhile I continued to carefully move my highlighter.“Worldbuilding” is a process of creating a fictional universe of your own; developing anything from the geography and climate of a continent to the annual holidays of a specific culture. The easiest way to visualize the process is to think about works by some fantasy authors, like J.R.R. Tolkien, or game developers. Though I am neither, this hobby is an important part of who I am; it reflects my interests, my curiosity, and my growth.One reason I love worldbuilding is because of the sheer amount of questions I can ask. Research is critical to the process. The questions I’ve recently asked involved history (I looked at how historical nomadic empires rose to power), geology (I studied plate tectonics for a more realistic map), primatology (I researched about Great ape language to explore possibilities of interspecies communication), and computer science (I wanted to know whether computers could be invented by civilizations without electricity). The questions that worldbuilding forces me to ask open my eyes to new subjects I didn’t even know existed, and this in turn enables me to work with more sophisticated worldbuilding ideas.Worldbuilding also allows me to show my own personality within my fantasy world. The amount of detail into the world’s history is reflective of my love for the subject. My passion for abstract strategy board games (like chess and checkers) has motivated me to develop a similar board game for my world. The extensive government systems of my republics and empires reflect my strong understanding of the legal system, gained through my participation in the school Mock Trial.Two months later, standing over my finished map, I immediately noticed some flaws. I’d drawn the continents a bit too small, leaving an awkward blob of blank space on the top left of the map. On the bottom, the map legend’s design was noticeably underwhelming. Overall, things could definitely be better.And yet, gazing over my creation what I most prominently felt was pride. This moment was perhaps my favorite part about worldbuilding—taking a step back and seeing what I managed to create from scratch. In 6 months, my map came to contain three continents, 100+ islands, 50+ countries, and 60+ major cities, along with road networks, major rivers, and mountain ranges. I’d also developed various sophisticated histories, cultures, and technologies accompanying the individual societies. Worldbuilding shows you what’s in your mind: stuff that amazes even yourself.Even when the map is finished, the worldbuilding journey continues on. I’m still researching. I’m still reflecting my other passions onto my creations. My next map may identify earthquake hotspots, and it definitely will have a better organized legend. My next civilization may be built by apes, and it will surely have developed mechanical computers. Fusing knowledge, experience and imagination, the possibilities of worldbuilding are truly endless. As long as I continue to grow and learn, my world continues growing with me. I find that very exciting.
招生官点评：
JHU推崇跨学科探索。Shotaro对“世界构建”的热忱，正体现了他无缝融入这种学习模式的能力。在创建世界的过程中，他主动涉猎历史、地质等多学科知识，以确保其创造世界的统一性与真实感。这让我们可以想见，在JHU，他必将以同样高效的方式，将不同学科融会贯通。
ConqueringBy Faith W.2029届
I remember being surprised at how weak my arm felt, as if I was holding a dumbbell instead of a microphone. Standing in front of all of my high school classmates at our weekly Monday Meeting, I could feel my heartbeat in my ears as I studied the small silver holes in the head of the microphone and momentarily wished I was small enough to fit into one of them and disappear. I looked down at the short Women’s History month fact I had prepared and began to read. It wasn’t until I felt someone come up next to me and gently push the microphone closer to my face that I realized that no one could hear me. I finished a few seconds later and fought tears as I returned to my seat amid a smattering of polite applause.I mostly felt embarrassed; I had failed at such a simple task and allowed my nerves to hijack my voice. For the rest of the meeting, I watched our Student Body President, a brilliant, charismatic senior make announcements and crack jokes with an apparent ease that I couldn’t fathom. I had so much respect and admiration for his public speaking skills– I wished I had the courage to be up there, self-assured and composed. As my embarrassment ebbed I felt another feeling boiling up in me; a sudden resolve. I wanted to get up there one day and try again.Naturally a reserved person, adjusting to a new school freshman year had been difficult. I found a weird solace in hiding behind the masks we were still wearing at the time– covering most of my face made it easier to remain in my own little bubble, quietly observing others. Given my shyness, I was a bit surprised when a teacher encouraged me to run for Student Council. I surprised myself even more when I decided to run. The idea of being one of the student leaders who I so admired, up there leading the meetings, scared me, and yet it simultaneously drew me in like a magnet for reasons that I couldn’t have fully articulated at the time. It was precisely the fear that made me want to try– I wanted to prove to myself that I could conquer it.This inescapable pull towards things that scare me has extended into every aspect of my life, from public speaking to basketball to academics. Aside from the responsibility I feel to myself, I often think about people less fortunate than I am; my cousins in Florida, family members in Jamaica, and girls just like me around the world who will never have access to an education. Many of them will never have the chance to take an AP science class, give a TEDx talk, or run for Student Council. I feel that I owe it to them, too, to take advantage of every opportunity, even the daunting ones. Getting out of my comfort zone is not just a personal obligation; it’s a privilege and a blessing.Now, in front of my classmates as Student Body President, holding the microphone doesn’t trigger the waves of panic it once did. I no longer study the holes in the microphone; thanks to experience, I have gradually felt empowerment take the place of horror when I have the microphone in my hand. Recently, an underclassman told me that even though she loves being in Student Council, she would never run for President, because she could never get up there and speak like I do. She said it flippantly, like it was just a fact, but I saw so much of myself in her and immediately pushed back. She can. Because I did. Ultimately, that’s the best part of holding the microphone- being an example and encouraging those who I’ll eventually pass it on to, like so many others did for me.
招生官点评：
Faith的文书从常见的“公开演讲恐惧”切入，但她的独特之处在于，生动描绘了如何将初始的畏惧转化为决意破局的勇气。她的成长故事，让我们见证了一个人如何逐步发现自身塑造改变、善用机遇、激励他人的潜能。我们相信，拥有这种将挑战内化为成长能力的Faith，在JHU不仅能够坚持不懈，更将成为社区中能够带来积极改变的成员。
看完以上这6位同学的文书故事和点评，其实不难发现，Ta们都拥有着十分鲜明的个性，文书通过真实的个人经历去体现了自己的成长和发展。
我们也总能在最后的招生官点评里面看到，学校需要这样的人，到底需要什么样的人？学校并不是在一味地筛选“学霸”，而是符合学校文化和价值观的人。
毫无疑问，那些积极向上，面对挑战充满韧性，不断探索自我并最终影响他人的人，深受JHU的偏爱~
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