Common App官網(wǎng)最近公布了2018-2019年美國(guó)大學(xué)本科申請(qǐng)essay題目,和2017-2018年的相同。
2018-2019年CA文書題目:
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.
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?
3. Reflect on a time when you?questioned?or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your?thinking? What?was the outcome?
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.
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or?realization?that?sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
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?
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.
文書寫作為何這么難?
1、文書塑造特點(diǎn)不清,造成招生官選擇困難
我們需要知道,當(dāng)高校招生官在招生的時(shí)候,想的是:We are creating a class.翻譯成中文就是“選拔一支隊(duì)伍”,西方團(tuán)隊(duì)里的每個(gè)成員一般要滿足兩個(gè)特點(diǎn):
有個(gè)性、有素材、有思考,接下來(lái)的問(wèn)題就是:你挖出來(lái)的這些東西都是過(guò)去的東西,但招生官要看未來(lái)的潛力。所以好文書就是美國(guó)人經(jīng)常講的:Connecting the dots.把過(guò)去、現(xiàn)在、未來(lái)的線串聯(lián)起來(lái),這根線是最重要的。
這是許多學(xué)生經(jīng)常會(huì)寫的一種文書形式,我把它稱為“resume in paragraph form”。這種文章中的句子堆砌著這樣的內(nèi)容:“我做了這個(gè)活動(dòng),我是這個(gè)活動(dòng)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者,我做了哪些事,我又參加了這個(gè)活動(dòng),我做了什么,我學(xué)到了什么……”
正確:
不要只告訴我你做了什么,告訴我你為什么做這個(gè)事,為什么你認(rèn)為這件事鼓舞人心,考慮一些更深刻的問(wèn)題:why+how,并且get into your emotions。
同樣的情況,也發(fā)生在學(xué)生描寫自己參加比賽時(shí)的情況,我們努力拼搏,最后我們獲得了比賽的勝利,這些故事只告訴我們“hard work pays off”。這很無(wú)聊,你要想到:你的每個(gè)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手也都很努力,所以告訴老師你很努力是無(wú)用的。
“真實(shí)與厚”講的是學(xué)生的過(guò)去,而招生官也想要看到學(xué)生的未來(lái)。好的文書可以不動(dòng)聲色地把學(xué)生過(guò)去、現(xiàn)在和未來(lái)的散落的珠子,串聯(lián)成漂亮的項(xiàng)鏈,也就是英文里常說(shuō)的“Connecting the dots”。