点击上方蓝字关注我们
Common Application 
文书写作全解析讲座音频
讲座介绍
主讲老师：Stevenson女士
老师介绍：
  • 哈佛大学本科校友
  • 4年哈佛大学本科招生办工作经验，熟知名校招生视角和喜好
  • 3年哈佛大学面试官经验，直接接触全球最优秀申请者
  • 6年美国TOP名校申请辅导工作经验，深入挖掘和打造申请者的特点和特色，成功帮助多名申请者录取麻省理工、斯坦福等顶尖学府
讲座大纲：
  • 文书在大学申请Holistic Review（整体评估）中的重要性？
  • Common Application文书选题有什么策略？题目和内容如何紧密切合？
  • 一篇出色的Common App主文书具有哪些特质？
  • 文书主题—什么不能写？你在写作中需要避免的错误
  • 特殊形势下的文书写作：Common App中疫情相关的文书题目解析
  • Q&A
文书在申请整体评估中的地位
The common app essay is more important than ever to develop dimension and add individuality to your application profile. Much of the application is objective measures like numbers. The common app essay on the other hand is subjective; it’s an opportunity to deliver depth, creativity, emotion, intrigue, and personality. Admissions officers pay close attention to essays that reveal positive characteristics to help differentiate applicants with similar grades and scores. This year，since standardized testing is optional and most juniors saw major changes in the course structure and grading system for their spring semester, admissions officers will be relying on the essays more than ever before to help them identify which students belong on their campus.
文书在common app中的最主要作用是为申请材料增加更多的维度和添加关于申请人的更多的个性化要素。申请材料的很大部分都是客观性判断标准，如各种数字、成绩等，但文书恰恰是是很主观的一个部分，能够展示申请者的思维深度，创造力，情感和个性。因此为了区分学业分数及背景类似的申请人，招生官更关注文书。特别是今年，因为test-optional （标准化考试可选）政策，加上11年级的学生春季学期课程结构和评分系统都有所变化，可以预见这个申请季招生官会更依赖于文书这一项来评价和衡量申请人。
Common Application 7个文书题目解析
题目1
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
如果你认为自己的某些特征，比如背景、身份、兴趣或天赋，是你不可缺少的一部分，它们会帮助你全面地展现自己，那么请分享属于你的故事。
解析：
This prompt is open-ended but is one of the more popular among successful students. You should choose one topic in detail that is highly important to understanding you, not share your whole life story or list your resume. Do not choose a topic that is covered in other parts of your application.
这个题目是开放式的，一些个人成就突出的学生很喜欢这个题目。学生应该选择一个能很好的帮助招生官理解你的文书主题，而不是列出一系列的生活故事，或者写成展开的简历形式。尽量不要写其他部分的申请材料中已经讲到过的内容。
题目2
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
我们从苦难阻碍中学习到的经验教训对之后的成功至关重要。回忆你一次你面对挑战、阻碍或者失败的经历。它是如何影响你的，以及你从中学到了什么？
解析：
While this prompt involves sharing a challenging story, ultimately it will need to have a positive outcome. Do not paint yourself in a negative light. Instead, tell a story about a difficult experience that will ultimately reveal your positive traits. Make sure this essay ends on a triumphant note.

此题需要分享具有挑战性的故事，但最终要取得积极的成果。不要在文书里展现出负面色彩。可以讲一个有关艰难经历的故事，但这个故事一定要为最终揭示学生的积极特质服务。故事一定要以获得某种程度的成功或者战胜困难结尾。
题目3
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
回忆一次你质疑或挑战某种观念和想法的经历。是什么启发了你的思考呢？结果如何？
解析：
This essay is best used to demonstrate your personal or intellectual growth or curiosity. You need to describe a specific belief and share the story of how you questioned that belief. This topic is worth choosing only if the story is good enough to be convincing and memorable. Do not share an endless list of your personal introspections without having a compelling story.

这个题目是展现个人成长，知识增长或好奇心的很好的选择。需要描述一个特定的想法，并分享有关你是如何对这个想法做出合理的质疑和探究的。如果确定故事很能令人信服并难忘，才值得选择该主题。在没有引人入胜的故事的情况下，避免写成分享个人内省的清单。
题目4
Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
描述一个你解决过或者打算解决的问题。这个问题可以是学术方面的，研究调查或者是道德伦理方面的——任何你认为对你个人而言很重要的问题，不论大小。说明它对你的意义和你解决问题的方法。
解析：
This is a fantastic prompt to demonstrate ingenuity as well as personal effectiveness. This can also be a good catch all prompt if your topic will revolve around a sport, academic, or extracurricular activity. Similar to the “challenge” prompt 2, be sure to end on a triumphant positive note.

这个题目最适合展示学生的独创性，个人执行力和效率。如果文书内容将围绕体育，学术或课外活动的话，选择这个题目是比较容易抓住招生官眼睛的。与题目2 “挑战”相似的地方是，请确保以获得成功来结束文章。
题目5
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
描述让你成长或者让你重新认识自己或他人的一个成就、事件、或者感悟。
解析：
Choose this prompt if you have an event/accomplishment that truly sparked MEANINGFUL growth. Give tangible examples of your new understanding. Avoid cliches like growing up, going to high school etc. Your topic should still be unique and personal to you.

如果你的活动/成就确实激发了令人深思的个人成长经历，可以选择这个题目。一定要举出具体例子来引出新的理解。避免长大，上高中等老生常谈。文书选择的内容需要具有独特性，并且有高度的个人色彩。
题目6
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
描述一个让你沉迷其中，甚至忘记时间的话题、想法、理念。它哪里吸引你? 当你试图去了解更多的时候，你会求助于什么样的帮助？
解析：
Keep in mind the follow up questions included in this prompt: why, what, who, when. Answer as many of them as possible. This must still be an essay about YOU not just about the topic you choose.
这个题目一定要写到：什么，做了什么，谁做了，和什么时候，并且一定要写的详细清楚。注意：内容一定要围绕学生本人，而不是你选择去写的那个主题。
题目7
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

题目自拟，可以是你之前写好的文章或者任何你自创的选题。
解析：
If you choose this route, I highly suggest you actually compose your own prompt and type it at the top of your page to keep yourself on course and help to develop a unified theme for your essay. Do not use this prompt as an opportunity to write an open-ended stream of consciousness that’s not cohesive.
如果选择此题目，强烈建议学生实际拟出自己要写的题目，并在写的时候放在文档最上方；一定要保持一个统一的内容主题。不要写开放性的，没有凝聚力和一惯性的意识流类的写作。
选择Common App题目的策略
如果你在考虑选哪个故事？
1. What matters most is not necessarily which topic you like the best, but rather which essay paints you in the most positive, interesting light.
我们的建议是，最重要的方面并不一定是你最喜欢哪一个主题，而是哪个主题文章能最大程度积极、正面、并有趣地展现自己。
  • 学生案例：
    I worked with a studet this past year who wrote at least 10 totally different drafts. He could not decide which was most important to him so we evaluated each one and compared the benefits of each. Eventually we chose a story that highlighted his most impressive experience while also demonstrating important personal qualities like humility, maturity, and nuanced view of the world. He went on to be accepted at Vanderbilt.
    上个申请季的学生故事：至少有10个完全不一样的初稿。学生无法决定选择哪个故事，所以我们帮他进行了评估，比较了每个故事能够给申请带来的正面影响。最终我们选择了一个描写了学生最令人印象深刻经历的故事，展示了重要的个人品质，例如谦虚，成熟和细致的世界观。学生最后成功的被范德堡大学录取了。
2. Now since most stories can actually be told in various ways to fit multiple prompts, definitely choose your story first and then choose the prompt for this reason. Unless you have a very clear idea in mind, this usually involves a process known as brainstorming.
其实大多数故事都可以有不止一种讲述方式，因此其实也是可以和多个不同的文书题目相连接的。我们建议大家一定要先选故事，再选择common app的文书题目。一般学生都会需要有一个一起头脑风暴的过程。
We usually try to get to know students well on a personal level and understand what makes them think, where their motivation comes from, what their priorities are, and what have been their major life events as well as their background. We recommend students try to approach this from an introspective standpoint to dig deeper into themselves.
我们会先在个人层面上与学生交流，了解是什么激发学生的思考，学生的动力来自何处，他们的优先级是什么，以及主要生活经历和个人背景。如果学生独自完成这个过程，可以尝试从内省的角度去开始，也就是自我反思刚才我们提到的这些方面，这样可以更深入地了解自己。
如果你已经选定了故事？
There are still many ways you can write on one topic. For example, you want to write about football since it’s your favorite activity, but what do you write? A general description of your entire football career? The single best game of your life? Showcase your leadership as captain? Or maybe even how you solved a problem related to your time on the team?
如果已经选定了内容主题，还是有很多写作方式。比如学生想写橄榄球，那么可以写哪些方面呢？整个足球生涯的总体回顾？踢得最出色的一场比赛？展现作为队长的领导能力？或者是如何解决与团队工作时间相关的问题的？这些都是可以去写成文书的点。

  • 学生案例：
    There was this student whose passion was football. We combed through his experiences and decided on a particular game which showcased his leadership and talent as an athlete, but we had to play up the challenge aspect and ended up changing the prompt to make it more exciting and give him more opportunities to share his uniqueness. Although he was not recruited for football, he went on to study at Cornell.
    我们曾经有一个很喜欢橄榄球的学生。我们总结了他的经历，决定去写一场对他来说特别的比赛，展示他作为运动员的领导才能和才华。为了更好地写出这篇文书，我们增加了挑战自我的元素，最终改成了一篇适合挑战题目的文书。修改后，这篇文书中展现他独特性的余地就大大增加了。尽管他未被招募为特长生，但他成功录取了康奈尔大学。
Essays are extremely personal, which is also the goal for us when assisting with the brainstorming and writing process, but there are definitely effective approaches and tools to identify how to showcase each students’ positive qualities. In my Essay Writing Workshop, I will be covering how to assess and critique your essay from the perspective of the admissions committee which should empower students to produce an essay that promotes the best version of themselves as well as one that will stand out and intrigue admissions officers.
文书是高度个性化的，这也是我们在帮助学生进行头脑风暴和写作过程中希望达到的目标。但是如果学生展示自己正面的特质的话，是可以总结出有效的方法的。之后在惠宜教育的Common App文书写作课程中，Stevenson老师会从招生委员会的角度去评估和反思文书写作，帮助学生写出最符合招生官喜欢的文书并且展现出自己最好的一面。
好的文书有什么特质
In this part, I really want to talk about the Importance of telling a story, which is the most important thing when you are trying to write a good essay for Common App. Common app essays work best when you focus on story or anecdote from your personal experience. Try to “show” a reader what you mean rather than “tell”. What it means for this essay is that you give an example of your most positive traits through a challenge you faced or a lesson you learned or something important about yourself through a story and then the reader believes it more than if you just listed your positive traits.
我们希望大家能够意识到讲故事的重要性。如果想要文书发挥最大效果，最好集中在个人经历中的一段特定故事。一定要向读者“展现”,而不是简单的“告诉”他们。对于文书写作来说，不管你是要写面对的挑战还是所学到的教训，都要通过一个具体的故事，让这个故事成为你想要展示出的优秀品质最直观的例子。比起一篇文书中列举或者泛谈多个点，一个完整的故事对招生官来说，要可信和直观的多。
The other reason it’s important to tell a story is that it keeps readers engaged. It’s hard to imagine how tedious essay reading becomes for these AO’s. They read literally thousands of essays per year and the repetition of topics and themes is frequent. A story with action verbs, a clear story arc meaning a beginning middle and end, keeps any reader more engaged, and makes them more likely to enjoy and remember your writing.
另一个推荐大家去讲故事的重要原因是，这样读者会很专注，有代入感。招生官读文书的工作可以说是想象以上的乏味，他们每年阅读数以千计的故事，主题的重复经常会有。生动的动态描写，一个清晰的故事线，起承转合，能够激起招生官的兴趣，并使他们更喜欢并记住你的文章。
  • 学生案例：
    I worked with a student on his essay about learning classical language, initially the focus was on the language itself including lots of classical words and phrases, but it was so dense. It eventually turned into an epic-style story mixing prose and verse, and became the epitome of good storytelling. That student went on to attend Stanford.
    曾经有一个学生，文书主题选定的是关于学习文言文的。本来是很特别的主题，但是文章最初的重点偏向了语言本身，以至于要解释很多单词和短语，而且很密集。最后我们帮助学生结合了散文和诗歌的形式来讲述这个故事，达到了很好的效果。学生最终录取了斯坦福大学。
文书写作中需要避免的问题
Essays should be clean and clear of the following: distracting grammar errors, informal references, unnecessary filler words, and starkly negative personal characteristics.
文章一定要简洁明了，并且避免以下这些问题：分散的语法错误，没有正式格式的文献参考，不必要的填充词以及明显的负面个人特征。
Any one of these items will leave a bad impression by interrupting the flow of the essay and making you stand out in a negative way. Don’t leave them with any question in their mind that you are capable and have many positive assets.
以上几个问题你涉及了任何一个，都会打断文章的节奏，并且能用很不好的方式让你脱颖而出，留下不好的印象。不论如何，千万不要让招生官对你的能力和你的积极性产生任何疑问。
  • 学生案例：
    For example, I had a very talented student who had excellent scores and grades, and he was clearly qualified for a top school; but his essay was lacking. He had not only quite a few grammar mistakes but also subtle elements that unintentionally painted himself in a way that admissions officers could perceive as negative: could seem egotistical, materialistic, and cocky. I recommended he eliminate these portions and instead find ways to instead turn each negative characteristic into a positive: he was instead a leader, driven to achieve, and humble because he recognized how lucky he was to have so many gifts, etc. He went to MIT.
    我们曾辅导过一位非常有才华的学生，成绩非常好。他显然是有录取名校的实力的，但他的文书水平还需要提升。文书初稿里不仅有很多语法错误，而且还有一些比较细微的地方，也许会给招生人员留下比较负面印象，显得他自我意识太强，物质主义和自大。我建议他把这些部分去掉，转而用表现他是一个领导者，有很强的自我驱动力，而且很谦虚，并且能对自己生活中拥有的感到感恩，等等。他最终录取了麻省理工学院。
疫情相关的文书写作
The global coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone and it will certainly change the landscape of admissions this year, making the essays all the more important. I don’t recommend students write about their pandemic experience on their applications unless you have an extremely striking story to tell. For example, suffering from a serious case of COVID yourself, being personally involved with a very impressive service-related effort, having a parent on the front lines, etc. Most likely anything important like this should be written about in the optional section regarding Covid-19 experiences. Instead, the common app essay should focus on you as an individual rather than this collective pandemic experience. It’s a fantastic idea to do something positive with yourself and your time during these months of relative isolation because if it comes up in an interview you want to show that you met this current challenge with optimism and adaptability.
今年的录取来讲，文书会成为更加重要的一个部分。我们不建议学生在申请中写下他们和疫情相关经历，除非你有一个非常惊人的故事，像是自己感染了新冠，亲自参与了非常令人印象深刻的疫情相关服务，或者父母在一线工作。Common app今年添加了一个可选的疫情相关的信息部分，如果有疫情相关的经历，可以写在这个部分，而不是主文书里。主文书最好着重于学生本人，而不是这种集体性的疫情经历，我们强烈建议大家充分利用隔离时间，积极的参与一些活动。因为如果要在面试中提出来，学生一定要表明自己乐观和适应性，可以应对当前的挑战。
Q&A 环节回顾
1. 问：由于疫情，今年的SAT考试受到了很大的影响，很多学生尚未取得理想的SAT成绩，请问这对2021大学申请影响多大？目前大学招生办怎么看待和处理这个问题？
答：Universities hope to promote equality in the application process, so most have decided to make standardized tests optional this year, including all of the Ivy League schools, and over 1000 other schools in the States. “Test-optional” is the current trend, but top universities will be using it as countermeasure for this year. Those who are applying next year or even later need to keep updated on policies.
Test scores might seem to matter less this year, but students are still encouraged to send in their scores if they are high enough to deliver a positive contribution to the students application. Especially for international students; they generally score higher in SAT/ACT and would need to make that extra effort to get into top universities. It’s also important if the student has a lower GPA to try to use the standardized test scores to make up for that weakness. Good standardized test scores will still serve as proof of academic achievement. And so we recommend you take the test if you can.
大学希望在申请过程中促进平等，因此大多数大学决定在今年不强制要求提交标准化考试成绩，包括所有常春藤盟校和美国其他1000余所学校。“test-optional”是当前的趋势，但顶尖高校可能只是将其用于今年一个申请季。明年或以后申请的同学需要关注最新政策。
尽管今年的考试成绩比重可能较小，但是如果学生的成绩优秀，学校还是仍然鼓励他们提交成绩的。特别是对于国际学生；我们通常在SAT / ACT考试中得分较高，并且比起美国本地学生，也确实需要付出额外的努力才能进入顶尖大学。另外很重要的一点是，如果学生的GPA较低，则可以尝试使用标准化考试成绩来弥补这一弱点。良好的标准化考试成绩仍可作为学习成绩的证明。因此，我们还是建议学生尽量参加SAT/ACT等标准化考试。
2. 问：
今年申请中，面试会不会更加重要？

答：It would be more beneficial than ever if you can do the interview this year, since test scores and spring semester grades will not be considered as much for this cycle. Schools have different interview policies. Harvard has often attempted to conduct in-person interviews whenever possible, but this year, there is talk of potentially moving interviews online, and it’s very possible for some schools/some students, interviews won’t always be possible. It is an ever-changing situation we will be keeping a close eye on. For certain schools, interviews will probably be optional, but if you are invited, make sure you attend the interview! If you do not attend, it would have a negative impact. Especially for this year, we suggest students take any interview opportunity and prepare well for it.
如果今年能够参加面试，那将比以往任何时候都更加有益，因为在这个申请季中标化考试分数和春季学期成绩都会被考虑得比较少。当然，每个学校都有不同的面试政策。一般哈佛会尝试在可能的情况下进行面对面面试，但今年有可能把面试转移到网上在线的形式；对于某些学校/某些学生来说，可能不一定能够有面试机会。在不断变化的形势下，我们将密切关注面试相关的信息。有一些学校，面试可能不是必要的，但是如果收到邀请，请一定参加面试！如果不参加，肯定会产生一定负面影响。特别是今年，我们建议学生抓住任何面试机会，并做好准备。
3. 问：如果不考虑标化考试，大学主要看重那些表现和成绩？
答：Essays, maintaining a good GPA, performing well in challenging courses, extracurricular accomplishments, interviews, and maximizing your free time over the summer to accomplish something, including online courses, summer school or science projects. Show off your adaptability and dedication by demonstrating that although the pandemic has altered most students’ initial plans for summer, you can still make the best of a challenging situation.
会被考虑的因素：文书，良好的GPA，在具有挑战性的课程，课外活动，面试中表现出色，并最大限度地利用夏季的空闲时间来达成一些成就，比如参与在线课程，暑校或科研项目。疫情影响了大多数学生的本来的夏季计划，但是通过充分利用暑假时间，学生应该尽量展现自己的适应能力和所做的努力，证明自己在面对挑战的情况下也可以努力向上。




欢迎扫描二维码添加惠宜杜老师微信咨询美本申请：
惠宜2020录取榜单汇总
伴随着2020新学期钟声的敲响，惠宜教育2020年申请季的申请工作也完美落下帷幕。2020年申请季，惠宜教育总共收获了159枚录取！其中28枚寄宿美初录取、74枚寄宿美高录取、以及59枚本科录取，请点击查看详情。
公司简介
惠宜教育 （PrepEdu Consulting LLC）2015年成立于美国教育之都波士顿，是美国本土高端专业教育咨询机构。惠宜教育是美国独立教育顾问协会(IECA)高级资深会员，美国大学招生咨询委员会（NACAC）会员，美国招生管理协会（EMA）会员及EMA 2019年度华盛顿年会铂金赞助机构。创立至今，惠宜教育帮助四百多名来自中国内地许多城市、美国、加拿大、新加坡、香港、澳洲、西班牙等地的学生们成功申请到优质的美国初中、高中及大学。惠宜教育始终把学生和家长的利益放在首位，秉承“高端、专业、诚信、尽责”的服务理念，从真正提高孩子的全面素质入手，为其提供专业的学术背景提升和课外活动规划, 其认真、细致、人性化留学咨询服务获得了家长们极高的口碑。
团队介绍
惠宜教育由留美化学博士波士顿Jing博士创办。Jing博士在美国工作、生活 15 年，从事全职教育顾问多年。身为顶级私立精英寄宿学校学生的妈妈，Jing博士是美国私立精英教育的受惠者、实践者与传播者，亲自实地、多次走访了美国 300 多所初中、高中和大学，与许多私立初中、高中都建立起了密切的信任关系。
美初、美高申请团队
团队顾问老师均毕业于哈佛大学、达特茅斯学院、埃姆赫斯特学院、纽约大学等名校，汇集了顶级美高迪尔菲尔德学院（Deerfield Academy ）和西城中学 (Westtown School) 的前招生官，顶级美高圣保罗中学 (St. Paul’s School) 的人文学科老师，在加拿大、美国出生长大同时精通中英文的华裔文书老师等教育界精英，为学生提供高端到位的留学咨询和规划服务。
我们的学生也都纷纷被顶级美初、顶级美高学校录取， 例如：菲尔中学（Fay School）、鹰溪中学（Eaglebrook School）、菲斯登中学（The Fessenden School）等和菲利普斯埃克塞特中学（Phillips Exeter Academy）、菲利普斯学校安多佛（Phillips Academy Andover）、劳伦斯威尔高中（The Lawrenceville School）、米尔顿高中（Milton Academy）、迪尔菲尔德学院（Deerfield Academy）等。每年惠宜学子很多获得梦想学校第一志愿的录取，极大部分学生都获得自己最心仪的前三志愿学校的录取！ 
美本申请团队
美本申请团队顾问老师均有着丰富的美本申请经验，汇集了普林斯顿大学（Princeton University）前招生官、斯坦福大学（Stanford University）前招生官，哈佛大学（Harvard University）前面试官等名校申请顾问。同时，惠宜教育聘请了哈佛大学（Harvard University）、麻省理工大学（Massachusetts Institute of Technology）等常春藤名校的教授团队，指导美本申请学生进行暑假科研项目、积极参加各科竞赛，以帮助学生们提升背景、获取科研经验， 充实学生履历。惠宜学子纷纷被麻省理工大学（Massachusetts Institute of Technology）、芝加哥大学（University of Chicago）、达特茅斯学院（Dartmouth College）、范德堡大学（Vanderbilt University）、康奈尔大学( Cornell University) 等包括常春藤名校在内的顶级美本录取。
提供服务
申请服务：美初、美高、美本、美国夏校
规划服务：美初申请规划、美高申请规划、美本申请规划
单项服务：面试辅导、文书写作、面试陪同 、美国精品文学课程、创意写作课程
PrepEdu Consulting LLC
395 Totten Pond Road Suite 404

Waltham,MA 02451, USA

http://www.prepedu.org
推 荐 阅 读
THE END
来都来了，点个在看再走吧~~~
继续阅读
阅读原文