精選答案留學(xué)個(gè)人陳述PS是Personal
Statement的簡(jiǎn)稱，是我們申請(qǐng)美國(guó)研究生院的重要材料之一。一份完美的PS有可能使你申請(qǐng)成功的機(jī)會(huì)大大增加，同時(shí)PS也是很好的認(rèn)識(shí)你自己的過(guò)程。通過(guò)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(guó)，以后將要成為什么樣的人。

這對(duì)申請(qǐng)者來(lái)說(shuō)至關(guān)重要，對(duì)admission
officer來(lái)說(shuō)，PS是你唯一有機(jī)會(huì)向他們展示一個(gè)鮮活的你的材料。成績(jī)單是死的，GRE和TOEFL分?jǐn)?shù)是死的，而他們要找的是一個(gè)活生生的人，是一個(gè)有血有肉有思想的人，他們?cè)诒姸嗟纳暾?qǐng)者中尋找最適合他們的那一位，你如何認(rèn)識(shí)你自己?你的motivation來(lái)自哪里?你將來(lái)如何打算?這些東西都可以幫助他們走進(jìn)你，了解你，認(rèn)識(shí)你，然后決定是不是接受你。

U of Washington的admission officer指出，他們會(huì)把申請(qǐng)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(xué)個(gè)人陳述?從PS教程中，我將總結(jié)出寫PS的各項(xiàng)注意點(diǎn)，一步步教你怎么寫PS，希望對(duì)大家有所幫助。

Preparation

PS的精髓在于將自己的motivation和Objective充分展現(xiàn)出來(lái)，它應(yīng)該是personaland analytical,
任何generalization都需要避免，PS的關(guān)鍵在于用specific, personal
details來(lái)展現(xiàn)你的個(gè)人魅力和強(qiáng)烈的motivation。

寫PS時(shí)，要盡量完全的真誠(chéng)。這是訴說(shuō)一個(gè)你自己的故事，你不是在設(shè)法創(chuàng)造一個(gè)理想的申請(qǐng)者，而是just be

yourself。任何的偽造都是很容易被識(shí)破的，只有完全敞開(kāi)的真誠(chéng)，才能真正打動(dòng)admission
officer，也才能真正的認(rèn)識(shí)你自己，才能真正讓你選擇最適合你的graduate program。

用specific details來(lái)展現(xiàn)你的motivation很重要。這些specific
details可以包括研究和工作經(jīng)歷、課程、你跟你所感興趣的領(lǐng)域的人的交流、你讀的書、你參加的學(xué)術(shù)報(bào)告會(huì)，以及任何可以展現(xiàn)你為何選擇并適合這個(gè)研究領(lǐng)域的原因。

你需要明確你未來(lái)的方向，至少為自己未來(lái)5~10年的事業(yè)做一個(gè)規(guī)劃，而這個(gè)規(guī)劃應(yīng)該很適合你所申請(qǐng)的這個(gè)graduate
program，那也正是你選擇這個(gè)領(lǐng)域的原因。

描述為什么這個(gè)graduate program適合你，不要用一些空洞的贊美性的語(yǔ)言，一定要be specific, be
analytical。

一定不要出現(xiàn)一些粗心的錯(cuò)誤，那只能證明你不夠認(rèn)真對(duì)待。

避免說(shuō)一些空洞無(wú)意義的套話，避免陳詞濫調(diào)。這里可以舉個(gè)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(méi)有任何details;修改后的話就展開(kāi)講了我是怎么展現(xiàn)teamwork的。在寫PS的時(shí)候一定要注意展開(kāi)這些細(xì)節(jié)。最好的方法就是以自己的親身經(jīng)歷開(kāi)始，讓那些展現(xiàn)你的quality和personality的東西自然流露出來(lái)，你的那些品質(zhì)不需要總結(jié)性的generalities,
人們會(huì)從你對(duì)自己經(jīng)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(jīng)歷都寫進(jìn)PS里，PS追求的不是廣度，而是深度。好的PS是深入挖掘一個(gè)或兩個(gè)主題、時(shí)間或觀點(diǎn)的細(xì)節(jié)。

注意避免敏感話題，因?yàn)槟悴恢繿dmission officer的個(gè)人偏見(jiàn)。

不要用冗余的長(zhǎng)句。短句更加有力，因?yàn)樗麄兏觗irect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(xué)校為什么吸引你

2. 你對(duì)哪個(gè)faculty的研究最感興趣?你最想跟誰(shuí)一起工作?

3. 你具體想從你所申請(qǐng)的program中獲得什么?

4. 你的事業(yè)抱負(fù)是什么?這個(gè)graduate program對(duì)你實(shí)現(xiàn)事業(yè)理想有什么幫助?

5. 你理想的工作的是什么?未來(lái)的5~10年甚至20、30年，你想成為一個(gè)什么樣的人?

Skills and Characteristics

6. 你有哪些品質(zhì)有助于你在該領(lǐng)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(rèn)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(lái)展示你的這些skills

8. 你比其他申請(qǐng)者的優(yōu)勢(shì)在哪里?

9. 你可以貢獻(xiàn)給你所申請(qǐng)的學(xué)校哪些東西?(給你的fellow students，你的faculty,你的broader community)

10. 你認(rèn)為你為什么會(huì)在這個(gè)program的申請(qǐng)中勝出?

11.讓admission officers對(duì)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(diǎn)對(duì)獨(dú)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(guó)如何適應(yīng)的問(wèn)題，看來(lái)美國(guó)交流經(jīng)歷還在這個(gè)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(duì)這個(gè)領(lǐng)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(gè)具體的事例來(lái)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(méi)有注意到的地方，所以向別人請(qǐng)教可以幫助你更好地了解自己。不妨來(lái)做一個(gè)調(diào)查問(wèn)卷，向了解你的請(qǐng)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?