What --- 什么是Essays？

本科申請需要提交的全套申請材料里，Essays是個關鍵點，直接決定申請結果，同時也是學生最難把控的難點。不同高校要求的Essays各不相同。所以，在準備申請材料之前，就應該事先做好選校工作，確定目標學校，然后熟悉目標學校的全套申請表格和具體申請要求。為方便起見，美國越來越多的高?，F在采用the Common Application（通用申請表，見附件1），同時各個學校會要求再提交一份Common Application Supplement（補充申請表，例如：附件2中的Yale Common Application Supplement）；對于國際生，還要填寫一份IS，即International Supplement（國際生補充申請表，見附件3）。IS也屬于the Common Application的一部分。

The Common Application (通用申請表)里，有兩個寫作項：

1  Short Answer （一篇不超過150詞的短文）

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below or on an attached sheet (150 words or fewer).（簡述一項課外活動或工作經歷）

2  Personal Essay （一篇不少于250詞的作文）

Please write an essay (250 words minimum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate box. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself. （除了課程、分數等客觀數據以外，作文可以幫助我們更好地了解你作為一個學生和一個人的各個方面。它也能展示你組織思想和表達自己的能力。從以下題目中任選一題。）

① Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. （評述一次重要的經歷、成就、冒險或面臨的道德困境，及其對你的影響。）

② Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

（討論一個你個人、地區、國家或國際事件及其對你的重要性。）

③ Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

（說明一個曾經對你有重要影響的人，并描述他/她對你產生了怎樣的影響。）

④ Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

（描述一個曾經對你產生過重要影響的小說人物、歷史人物、或者藝術、音樂、科學等創作性作品。同時描述他/她對你產生了怎樣的影響。）

⑤ A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

（學術興趣、個人觀點、生活經驗都能有效增加教育群體多樣性。說明你的個人背景，描述一個個人經驗，由此說明你能增添大學的多樣性，或者說明一個文化多樣性的校園對你的重要性。）