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1、personal statement 留学文书写作培训教材by Dr. Marilyn Winkleby, Founder, SMYSP原文地址：http:/med.stanford.edu/school/smysp/nojava/prepare/writing.html 本文为斯坦福大学SMYSP项目对如何写作Essay的建议，具体详细阐述了应该注意的方方面面的咨询题 What is the purpose of your college essay? 目的：突出特色 Colleges may ask for a general essay or give you specific ques
2、tions to answer. The suggestions below apply to either. Each college has a team of trained readers, several of whom will usually read and score your essay independently. Readers are often professional staff from the college, but may also include faculty members, high school teachers, and counselors.
3、 These readers are not testing you on writing ability or English skills. They simply want to learn more about you on a personal level. However, a well-written essay will impress the reader so invest time in editing, and checking your grammar and spelling. What makes a good essay? 好文章什么样？体现你的生活经历，爱好，
4、个性等。 Your essay should show the depth of your interests and accomplishments, and quality of your character. No matter what experiences you choose to write about, you should elaborate on the insights that you gained from the experiences and on the ways the experiences influenced your life. Readers wa
5、nt to learn how experiences changed your attitudes or beliefs, influenced your academics or extracurricular activities, or clarified your educational goals. Below are some general suggestions as well as specific suggestions that may help you write an essay that makes you stand out as a great applica
6、nt. General suggestions: 1. Check the rules. 阅读写作要求，最常见的错误是忽略了要求和格式。 Read the instructions for the essay in the college application packet. One of the most common mistakes is to miss requirements about the length or formatting of the essay. Remember, almost all colleges want you to send your essay w
7、ith your completed application form. 2. Start early and revise often. 早动手，多修改。 You may want to begin by writing down many thoughts and then selecting the most important. Or, you may prefer to make an outline and expand it according to the length requirements. Be prepared to write at least 10 drafts
8、and to have several people read drafts at different stages in your writing. These people should know you on a personal level. Once you have read and revised your essay several times, put it away for a week or so. (If you started early, you shouldnt be too close to the deadline yet!) After the rest p
9、eriod, think again about what you want the admissions committee to know about you. Write this down, then take out your essay and read it again. Does it convey what you want to say? If not, you may have to start all over again or cut out large parts of your first draft. This is okay-writing requires
10、flexibility, and sometimes you will have to eliminate things that you liked because they dont relate to your overall message. 3. Be clear and focused. 清晰，集中。应该是一个连贯的故事。 4. Be distinctive. 有特色的东西 Write an essay that distinguishes you from other applicants. Avoid writing sentences that another applica
11、nt could write. Any applicant could write, I have always wanted to go to college to further my education, or I have always wanted to be a doctor. The following sentence is more personal and gives insight into an applicant抯 background: I first became interested in becoming a doctor when Daniel, my li
12、ttle brother, was hospitalized for an infected foot after he got caught on a barbed wire fence while being chased by a bull. 5. Be specific. 具体 This will help the reader remember you. Suppose you are writing about a patient you met during your volunteer work at an inner city hospital. Rather than wr
13、iting, One patient made a lasting impression on me, provide more details and write, A young Latina woman who had been burned in a car accident made a lasting impression on me and influenced my future career goals. Or, if you are writing about a teacher who was instrumental in encouraging you to appl
14、y to college, you might write, Mr. Wright, my high school biology teacher, was the first to suggest that I might attend college. Avoid details that are superficial to your point, such as, Mr. Wright, my high school biology teacher, noticed my intense interest in science during my sophomore year and
15、took me aside one afternoon to talk with me. He was the first to suggest that I might attend college and encouraged me to take classes in biology, chemistry, physics, and other sciences. 6. Include powerful experiences. 专门的个人经历 Include personal experiences that will leave the reader with strong imag
16、es, especially ones that have influenced your education or career goals. The experience can be told in several sentences, but it should paint a lasting image. These experiences may be related to a hardship you have overcome or an experience that influenced your life. Students have written about how living in foster care, caring for a parent with a serious illness, or living in a refugee camp contributed to their initiati
