優(yōu)選答案
留學個人陳述PS是Personal
Statement的簡稱，是我們申請美國研究生院的重要材料之一。一份完美的PS有可能使你申請成功的機會大大增加，同時PS也是很好的認識你自己的過程。通過寫PS，你將更了解你自己，清楚自己想要什么樣的生活，理清自己為什么要去美國，以后將要成為什么樣的人。
這對申請者來說至關重要，對admission
officer來說，PS是你唯一有機會向他們展示一個鮮活的你的材料。成績單是死的，GRE和TOEFL分數是死的，而他們要找的是一個活生生的人，是一個有血有肉有思想的人，他們在眾多的申請者中尋找最適合他們的那一位，你如何認識你自己?你的motivation來自哪里?你將來如何打算?這些東西都可以幫助他們走進你，了解你，認識你，然后決定是不是接受你。
U of Washington的admission officer指出，他們會把申請者分成四等："Admit with guaranteed
funding, Admit with potential funding, Tabled (a sort of admissions purgatory),
and Reject." It is in the case of "Tabled" and "Admit with potential funding"
applications, the admissions officer reports, that the personal statement can
make a real difference: "If there is a good match between the applicant's
research interests and the particular strengths of the school, this can bump
them up a level or two in the hierarchy of admission."
如何寫留學個人陳述?從PS教程中，我將總結出寫PS的各項注意點，一步步教你怎么寫PS，希望對大家有所幫助。
Preparation
PS的精髓在于將自己的motivation和Objective充分展現出來，它應該是personaland analytical,
任何generalization都需要避免，PS的關鍵在于用specific, personal
details來展現你的個人魅力和強烈的motivation。
寫PS時，要盡量完全的真誠。這是訴說一個你自己的故事，你不是在設法創(chuàng)造一個理想的申請者，而是just be
yourself。任何的偽造都是很容易被識破的，只有完全敞開的真誠，才能真正打動admission
officer，也才能真正的認識你自己，才能真正讓你選擇最適合你的graduate program。
用specific details來展現你的motivation很重要。這些specific
details可以包括研究和工作經歷、課程、你跟你所感興趣的領域的人的交流、你讀的書、你參加的學術報告會，以及任何可以展現你為何選擇并適合這個研究領域的原因。
你需要明確你未來的方向，至少為自己未來5~10年的事業(yè)做一個規(guī)劃，而這個規(guī)劃應該很適合你所申請的這個graduate
program，那也正是你選擇這個領域的原因。
描述為什么這個graduate program適合你，不要用一些空洞的贊美性的語言，一定要be specific, be analytical。
一定不要出現一些粗心的錯誤，那只能證明你不夠認真對待。
避免說一些空洞無意義的套話，避免陳詞濫調。這里可以舉個例子。
修改前：In the first project Imanaged, I learned many valuable lessons about the
importance of teamwork.
修改后：In the first project Imanaged, I made an effort to incorporate all my
colleagues as equal members ofa team, soliciting their feedback and deferring to
their expertise as needed.
修改前的這句話很空洞的講team
work，沒有任何details;修改后的話就展開講了我是怎么展現teamwork的。在寫PS的時候一定要注意展開這些細節(jié)。最好的方法就是以自己的親身經歷開始，讓那些展現你的quality和personality的東西自然流露出來，你的那些品質不需要總結性的generalities,
人們會從你對自己經歷的specific details的描述判斷出你有哪些quality。
不要企圖把你所有的經歷都寫進PS里，PS追求的不是廣度，而是深度。好的PS是深入挖掘一個或兩個主題、時間或觀點的細節(jié)。
注意避免敏感話題，因為你不知道admission officer的個人偏見。
不要用冗余的長句。短句更加有力，因為他們更加direct和to the point。舉例：
修改前："My recognitionof the fact that the project was finally over was a deeply
satisfying momentthat will forever linger in my memory."
修改后："Completing theproject at last gave me an enduring sense of
fulfillment."
像the fact that這種詞就是完全冗余的。
Brainstorming
1. Performa self-inventory of Your Unique Experiences, Major Influences, and
Abilities.
Long and short term goals
1. 這所學校為什么吸引你
2. 你對哪個faculty的研究最感興趣?你最想跟誰一起工作?
3. 你具體想從你所申請的program中獲得什么?
4. 你的事業(yè)抱負是什么?這個graduate program對你實現事業(yè)理想有什么幫助?
5. 你理想的工作的是什么?未來的5~10年甚至20、30年，你想成為一個什么樣的人?
Skills and Characteristics
6. 你有哪些品質有助于你在該領域獲得成功?You need to make strong connections between your
experiences and the qualities you wish to convey.
這里列舉一些admission officer認為很重要的qualities：
? Seriousness of Purpose (to pursue graduate education)
? Intellectual Ability (to handle graduate study)
? Intellectual Curiosity (about the field you wish to enter)
? Creativity (as reflected in the way your mind addresses issues in the field
of your choice)
? Open-Mindedness (to ideas, people, and circumstances different from your
own)
? Maturity (as demonstrated by being responsible and trustworthy)
? Concern for Others (either by devoting time to social service activities
such as tutoring or by being considerate and empathetic to others' feelings; the
latter is more difficult to pull off in an application essay)
? Initiative (as in the ability to start a project or take on a
responsibility on your own)
? Enthusiasm (as demonstrated by your eagerness to engage in activities)
? Confidence (in your ability to handle difficult situations and novel
challenges)
? Being Organized (as in the ability to stay on top of multiple tasks)
? Sense of Humor (as in your ability to find humor in difficult situations;
in many ways this is an index of maturity)
? Diligence/Persistence (as demonstrated by your ability to stay with a task
until you complete it; this is particularly relevant for programs requiring a
dissertation)
? Leadership (as shown in your ability to inspire others to work together to
reach a mutual goal)
? Risk Taking (as shown in your ability to deal with uncertainty in order to
reach your goal)
? Insight (as reflected in your ability to use introspection to understand
aspects of yourself, such as your preferences and your motivations)
? Optimism (as reflected in your ability to find positive aspects in
seemingly negative situations)
? Compromise (as in your ability to be flexible in negotiating with others;
at a more abstract level this can mean the ability to reconcile ideological
opposites or dialectical pairs among others or within yourself)
? Overcoming Adversity (as demonstrated by your resourcefulness in dealing
with serious problems such as divorce, death, illness, etc.)
7. 你所擁有的skills(比如communication,leadership, analytical)，注意用specific
details來展示你的這些skills
8. 你比其他申請者的優(yōu)勢在哪里?
9. 你可以貢獻給你所申請的學校哪些東西?(給你的fellow students，你的faculty,你的broader community)
10. 你認為你為什么會在這個program的申請中勝出?
11.讓admission officers對你感興趣的最compelling的原因是什么?
Background/Accomplishments: Personal
12. What's special, unique, distinctive, or impressive about you or your life
story? What details of your life (personal or family problems/history, any
genuinely notable accomplishments, people or events that have shaped you or
influenced your goals) might help the committee better understand you or help
set you apart from other applicants? 哪些人影響了你的選擇?
13. Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (e.g.,
economic, familial, physical) in your life? 你所必須克服的困難?
14. Have you borne significant care-giving responsibilities for family
members? For an ailing parent, a sibling, a disabled or aging relative, a child?
How has this impacted your academics? Your professional life? Your goals and
values? 你從小就需要照顧什么人嗎?囧，這點對獨生子女不利哎。。。
15. (If you live in U.S. but are not a native-born American) How did you deal
with the challenges of moving to the U.S. from your home? Did you experience
culture shock? How did you adapt? What was most difficult for you? What aspects
of your new home did you enjoy the most?
在美國如何適應的問題，看來美國交流經歷還在這個personal方面可以起到一些作用~
16. If work experiences have consumed significant periods of time during your
college years, what have you learned (leadership or managerial skills, for
example), and how has the work contributed to your personal growth?
Background/Accomplishments: Academic
17. When did you originally become interested in this field? What have you
since learned about it-and about yourself-that has further stimulated your
interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field?
What insights have you gained? 你如何對這個領域感興趣的?
18. How have you learned about this field-through classes, readings,
seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the
field?
19. Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you
should explain?
20. Can you recall a specific incident that convinced you that you had chosen
the right career path?用一個具體的事例來證明你為何選擇了正確的道路
2. Consult Friends, Relatives, Colleagues, or Professors for Ideas
別人往往可以看到你性格特征中你自己沒有注意到的地方，所以向別人請教可以幫助你更好地了解自己。不妨來做一個調查問卷，向了解你的請教~
I am applying to _________ and must prepare a personal statement as a part of
that process. I want to be sure to include all relevant data about myself and my
background, so I am soliciting information from various individuals who know me
and whose judgment I value. Thank you for your help.
1. What do you think is most important for the admissions committee to know
about me?
2. What do you regard as most unusual, distinctive, unique, and/or impressive
about me (based on our association)?
3. Are you aware of any events or experiences in my background that might be
of particular interest to those considering my application to graduate
school?
4. Are there any special qualities or skills that I possess that tend to make
you think I would be successful in graduate school and in the field to which I
aspire to become a part?