例文和翻译在最后，想先读原文的可以直接跳过。
相信很多同学都曾经考虑，或者正在考虑，把对自己来讲一件很重要且很有意义的课外活动用作主文书素材。但是，在咨询老师或阅读各种经验分享的后不得不放弃这个想法。
“申请表活动栏已经填写此活动，应该利用主文书机会讲点更special的。““活动经历不好写，一不小心就记成流水账。““像模拟联合国、山区支教等很多活动经历，招生官读完第一段直接跳到结尾。““建议在小文书中写课外活动。“
以上都是经验之谈，并非别有用心或者危言耸听。回想起来，我也不记得从哪年开始，课外活动经历就不被推荐作为申请主文书的写作素材了。只是，文书不就是要告诉招生官申请者是怎样一个人吗？文书不就是要写申请者认为对自己来讲最重要最有意义的事情吗？
如果有申请者的课外活动经历具备这些特点，为什么又不能用作主文书素材呢？
招生官不是说美本申请没有固定公式么？确实，从美本文书写作的底层逻辑出发，主文书不写课外活动经历的说法是站不住脚的。总的说来，之所以经验主义能够有市场，甚至大行其道，还是因为我们功利心较重，花了太多心思去研究行之有效的方法。
一会要避“坑”，一会想取“巧”，于是为了满足大家这样的心理，市场便硬生生造出“坑”和“巧”来。
接下来分享的这篇康奈尔大学录取文书，就是以课外活动经历为写作素材的成功范例。它明确告诉我们：活动素材没问题，关键看你怎么写。
我个人认为以下几点值得我们学习借鉴：
1.首段的画面感和悬念制造，以及首尾两段的呼应；
2.有梦想、有行动，更要有迎难而上的魄力（不断遇到问题，不断解决问题）；
3.真实
不夸张。比如，第五段中，“我觉得自己像一个没有希望的人”，“我在这儿干什么“，”我没必要这么做”等描写，也许有同学会担心这样会不会让自己显得不够“坚定“，但我认为恰恰是这几笔勾勒的真实，让作者取得了读者的信任。
4.成长。
比如，倒数第三段中：“获得一个‘想法’是最简单的一步”，“说服有冲突的人为一个共同的目标而努力是无法想象的挑战”，真的让我想到了乔布斯的话：“There's a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product.”
5.让人惊喜的延展——鼓励员工、激励团队。
倒数第二段的作用非常重要，它标志着作者已经从“被动面对问题”转变到“主动解决问题”，成为了一个合格的领导者。
以下是原文和翻译：
It was already 6 PM, and I walked across the classroom, wary of the many fingers tapping away at their keyboards, their mouse clicks, their resizing and editing articles, photos, and captions. It was the day before the newspaper production deadline, and my team of middle schoolers had worked tirelessly on their articles and layouts. Just before we hit send, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of pride.
已经是下午6点了，我穿过教室，小心翼翼地看着他们用手指敲击键盘、点击鼠标、调整大小和编辑文章、照片和标题。那是报纸制作截止日期的前一天，我的中学生团队正在不知疲倦地为他们的文章和版面工作。就在我们点击发送之前，我被一种自豪感淹没了。
Student Newspaper in Every Middle School project began as an impossible dream. The ubiquity of fake news is undermining our democracy and our First Amendment right. I believe that my project can undermine the spread of fake news by educating young students to become better consumers of news. Determined, I began my journey to achieve my dream.
每所中学的学生报纸项目最初是一个不可能实现的梦想。无所不在的假新闻正在破坏我们的民主和第一修正案赋予我们的权利。我相信我的项目可以通过教育年轻学生成为更好的新闻消费者来破坏假新闻的传播。下定决心，我开始了实现梦想的旅程。
I was naive to think that merely sending “email presentation” to local middle school principals will be sufficient to convince them to start a newspaper with me. I was dead wrong. Out of 43 emails sent, I received exactly “0” interest. Out of desperation, I started calling schools one by one.
我天真地认为，仅仅给当地中学校长发一封“电子邮件介绍”就足以说服他们和我一起创办一份报纸。我大错特错了。在收到的43封邮件中，我完全没有收到任何兴趣。出于绝望，我开始一个接一个地给学校打电话。
Another valuable lesson learned – principals don’t answer phone calls. Six schools picked up my call, but only Principal Lauer of Young Oak Kim Academy (YOKA), a Los Angeles Unified School District middle school, called me back. I implored the reluctant Principal for a chance to explain my plan, and was elated when he agreed to meet me. It was my only shot.
另一个宝贵的教训——校长不接电话。6所学校接了我的电话，但只有洛杉矶联合学区的杨橡树金中学(YOKA)的校长劳尔给我回了电话。我恳求不情愿的校长给我一个机会解释我的计划，当他同意和我见面时，我很高兴。这是我唯一的机会。
I felt like a person on a hopeless mission when I first walked the halls of YOKA. “What am I doing here? I don’t have to do this,” I kept mumbling to myself. A receptionist told me to wait as he had a meeting. Some twenty agonizing minutes passed before smiling Principal Lauer walked out to greet me. Remarkably, he read my presentation and told me that he had been trying to the same thing. Just like that, I became an advisor to YOKA’s student newspaper.
当我第一次走进YOKA的大厅时，我觉得自己像一个没有希望的人。“我在这儿干什么?我没必要这么做。”我不停地自言自语。接待员让我等一下，因为他要开会。痛苦的20分钟过去了，劳尔校长微笑着走出来迎接我。值得注意的是，他读了我的报告后告诉我，他也一直在做同样的事情。就这样，我成为了YOKA学生报纸的顾问。
School bureaucracy quickly dampened my short-lived elation. As a minor, I couldn’t advise students on my own. So, the school had to assign a teacher. But, no one wanted the extra work, so I had to go around and convince teachers of the project’s merits one by one. I was overjoyed in tears when Ms. Ramos agreed to co-advise.
学校的官僚作风很快浇灭了我短暂的喜悦。作为一名辅修学生，我不能自己给学生提建议。所以，学校不得不指派一名老师。但是，没有人想要额外的工作，所以我不得不一个接一个的去说服老师们项目的优点。当拉莫斯女士同意共同担任顾问时，我喜出望外，泪流满面。
Problems never ended. I envisioned 30+ Energizer Bunnies to welcome me to first class. Instead, I got two bored students, wondering aloud “why they had to be there?” I was demoralized. But, I had expended too much effort and convinced too many people to quit. All dreams start small and humble, and I had to accept the fact that my dream was no exception.
问题从未结束。我想象着有30多个劲量兔女郎来欢迎我坐头等舱。相反，我看到的是两个无聊的学生，他们大声地问:“他们为什么要来这里?”我士气低落。但是，我付出了太多的努力，说服了太多人不能退出。所有的梦想都始于渺小和卑微，我不得不接受这样一个事实:我的梦想也不例外。
I learned another undeniable truth – that getting an “idea” turned out to be the easiest step. In comparison, executing that “idea” was excruciatingly more difficult. Convincing conflicted individuals to work for a common goal was impossibly challenging. I needed to be resilient, but I was always prepared to fail as well.
我学到了另一个不可否认的事实——获得一个“想法”是最简单的一步。相比之下，执行这个“想法”要困难得多。说服有冲突的人为一个共同的目标而努力是无法想象的挑战。我需要有韧性，但我也时刻准备着失败。
I stumbled on to a “tipping point.” I told my staff that the feature article’s “star” will be them. The new “celebrity” status was enticing enough to get them enthusiastic. I took the cue from their metamorphosis and started promising “stardom” to other students. Encouraging narcissism through flattery worked as seven more students enthusiastically joined. Our goal was simple, “tell accurate stories about students, the ‘stars’ of our paper.” The “YOKA Times” was successfully launched last year and I am proud to be working with two more schools this year.
我无意中发现了一个“临界点”。我告诉我的员工，这篇专题文章的“明星”将是他们。新的“名人”身份足以吸引他们的热情。我从他们的蜕变中得到了启示，开始向其他学生许诺“成为明星”。通过奉承鼓励自我陶醉，又有7名学生热情地加入进来。我们的目标很简单，“准确地讲述学生的故事，他们是我们论文的‘明星’。”“YOKA时代”去年成功推出，今年我很自豪能与另外两所学校合作。
It was 6:30 PM, and we finally finished our first issue. “High five, we did it,” my students and I were overjoyed. I held the “YOKA Times” in my hands, smiling at the team who worked so hard to make this happen.
下午6点半，我们终于完成了第一期。“击掌，我们成功了。”我和我的学生们欣喜若狂。我手里拿着《YOKA时报》，微笑着看着努力工作的团队。
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