申请书写作的技巧.docVIP

申请书写作的技巧 　　By Sarah Myers McGinty 　　 　　一份生动而令人信服的申请书将使入学审查者更全面地了解你，帮助你从众多申请者中脱颖而出。下面这篇文章节选于哈佛大学研究生院教师教育项目主管萨拉?迈尔斯?麦金蒂(Sarah Myers McGinty)所著 The College Application Essay一书，希望对有意出国留学的高中生们有所帮助。 　　 　　The essay is one of the only parts of your application over which you have complete control, so take the time to do a good job on it. Check out these tips before you begin. 　　 　　Dos 　　 　　Keep Your Focus Narrow and Personal 　　Your essay must prove a single point or thesis. The reader must be able to find your main idea and follow it from beginning to end. Try having someone read just your introduction to see what he or she thinks your essay is about. 　　Essays that try to be too comprehensive end up sounding watered-down1. Remember, its not about telling the committee what youve done ― they can pick that up from your list of activities ― instead, its about showing them who you are. 　　Prove It 　　Develop your main idea with vivid and specific facts, events, quotations, examples, and reasons. Theres a big difference between simply stating a point of view and letting an idea unfold in the details: 　　Okay: I like to be surrounded by people with a variety of backgrounds and interests. 　　Better: During that night, I sang the theme song from Casablanca with a baseball coach, discussed Marxism with a little old lady. 　　Be Specific 　　Avoid cliche2, generic3, and predictable4 writing by using vivid and specific details. 　　Okay: I want to help people. I have gotten so much out of life through the love and guidance of my family. 　　Better: My Mom and Dad stood on plenty of sidelines5 until their shoes filled with water. I think that kind of commitment is what Id like to learn. 　　 　　Donts 　　 　　Dont Tell Them What You Think They Want to Hear 　　Bring something new to the table, not just what you think they want to hear. 　　Dont Write a Resume6 　　Dont include information that is found elsewhere in the application. Your essay will end up sounding like an autobiograph