一字千金！怎么能不超过250字写好一篇Essay？

申请美国留学的同学都知道，除了学术成绩、课外活动、竞赛等，还有一个重要元素——文书。在 CA 网申系统上，有一篇650字左右的主文书，但许多大学还有自己专属 Essay，一般1-3篇，也就是补充性文书。

主 Essay 的范文、解析、技巧和注意事项，我们已经看过许多，但是补充性文书看起来简单，字数比主文书短，还要展示出自己特质，可谓“字字千金”，要怎么才能写好呢？

补充文书的重要性不容小觑，既要具有学校特色的存在，也最能反映出申请人的个人特质和与学校的匹配度，什么样的文书才能加强而不是削弱你的申请呢？先以成功申请到塔夫茨大学的 Ryan Sheehan 补充文书为例，他申请的计算机科学。

补充文书题目：

“Let your life speak.”

Describe the environment in which you were raised – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – and how it influenced the person you are today.

As the son of two journalists, I have grown up under a lifelong inquisition: How is your room such a mess? Can you please stop chasing the cat? Will you come down from the tree already? Granted, those are all from this past year, but the point still stands.

Like any good journalists, my parents have also always had a propensity for uncovering the truth. On the third night that I had my license, I decided to go to the library to study.

Before 15 minutes had passed, I noticed the librarian peering at me through the shelves before quickly averting her eyes and whispering, "He's here," into her phone. Even so, regardless of how many spies they've hired over the years, I have always looked up to my parents immensely.

However, I have found my inherited inquisitiveness to be a trait most useful in a place far from the realm of reporting: the robotics lab. After four years of spending almost more time in the lab than at home, I have learned that nothing is more important than asking the right questions.

As a programmer, I need to be able to communicate with my builders. Come press time, if I don't interview them properly, our robot will invariably end up as a hunk of unresponsive aluminum. To make a machine, the team must work as one. So although I may be writing source code instead of a breaking story, I am glad I had such nosy parents after all.