哈佛前招生官手把手教你写2023大学申请文书

教育

2022-10-06 00:10

众所周知，在美本申请的所有网申材料当中，文书是唯一一个讲故事的机会。

GPA、活动列表等材料是快速向招生官展示学生的背景，而文书却能通过故事里独特的声音，向招生官娓娓道来申请者最独特的品质、个性和经历。

尤其在当前，许多大学将标化成绩定成了选择性提交(optional)，好的文书更能增加学生申请时的竞争力。

文书写作也可以说是申请材料准备中最复杂的过程之一了。

应该如何挑选出适合我的题目？

选择一个什么样的故事？

怎么写才能更出彩？

惠宜教育（波士顿 Jing 博士团队）资深美本文书顾问，哈佛大学前招生官Stevenson女士，在当地时间10月1日，为大家深度分享了如何写出让名校招生官眼前一亮的文书。

Stevenson女士本科毕业于哈佛大学，本科读书期间开始在哈佛大学本科招生办工作，曾担任为期两年的哈佛大学面试官经验，直接接触全球最优秀申请者，熟知名校招生视角和喜好。Stevenson女士拥有10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哈佛、普林斯顿、斯坦福、麻省理工、耶鲁乃至宾大沃顿商学院等顶尖学府。惠宜教育这几年几十位哈耶普斯麻的录取文书均出自Stevenson老师之手。

讲座内容抢先看：

Common App7个文书题目解析

Common App文书选题策略

讲好文书的故事的重要性/解析成功的文书作品

答疑环节：文书什么该写，什么不该写？普娃高GPA怎么写文书？等等...

下文是讲座的中英文录音整理全文。点击文末阅读原文，可收听讲座音频。

Common App最新

7大文书题目全解析

Today I'd like to give you an overview of tackling the Common App essay. The first place to start developing your Common App essay is the list of the Common App Prompts from the website. Let’s begin by going through each prompt for the current application year.

今天我想给大家介绍一下如何应对Common App里面的大学文书，那么要准备写Common App文书，首先咱们逐一来看Common App网站上本申请年度的题目。

第一题：

The very first prompt is some students have a background identity, interest or talent that is so meaningful. They believe their application would be incomplete without it. If it sounds like you, then please share your story.

第一题：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。

This prompt is open ended，but it is actually one of the most popular. However, you should still choose one topic in detail that is still highly important understanding you, not just share your whole life story or your resume. Do not choose a topic that is adequately covered in other parts of your application either.

解析：这个题目是开放式的，颇受学生欢迎。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。

第二题：

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?

第二题：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？

This is also very common，but this prompt can actually be tricky because you must be careful to not paint yourself in a negative light. Instead, tell a story of a unique challenge that will ultimately show your positive traits. That means avoiding very common challenges such as dealing with classes that are difficult or learning English or something along those lines. Find something unique，and then make sure this essay end on a triumphant positive note。

解析：这个是Common App文书里面的第二题，这个题目也非常多，学生喜欢去选择这个题目，但是这题目有一点小陷阱，就是要小心尽量别用负面的方式来描绘自己，你应该要去讲述一个会展示你的积极正面特质的故事，形容你是如何去克服困难，而且重点不要去写一些陈词滥调，不要说曾经上过特别难的课程，或者学英文好难，因为很多学生都会这么去写。这个故事一定要为最终揭示学生的积极特质服务，要以获得某种程度的成功或者战胜困难结尾。

第三题：

Number three is：Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

第三题：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？

Now this essay is actually one of my favorite prompts. This essay is best used to demonstrate your personal or intellectual growth or curiosity over time. You need to describe a specific belief and then share the story of how you questioned that belief，whether it's your own belief or others'.

解析：第三题是我最喜欢的题目之一，这篇文章最适合用来展示你在知识方面的成长或者是你的好奇心，前提是你在写这个题目的时候，你一定要找出写出你当时有一个什么样特定的信念，同时也要去描述你是如何去质疑这种信念。

第四题：

Number four is another one of my favorites: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happier or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you？

第四题：也是我很喜欢的题目，回想某人为你所做的某件事，这件事情让你出乎意料的感到高兴或是感激，这种感激之情如何影响或是激励了你。

Now this is a newer prompt，which means that they are less likely to have read many essays like this. And really everyone should be able to think of something that might work for this prompt and it's especially strong if it can be tied into some type of motivation that pushed you to accomplish something really positive. And overall，it will always have a positive ending.

解析：这一题是个比较新的题目，所以比较少的招生官会看过这个题目，可能他们觉得比较耳目一新。这一题每个人应该都能够想到一些例子，可以去切合题目，特别是如果你能够把这一题跟你完成某件事情的动机结合的话是最理想的，而且就像上一题一样，一定要以正面的口吻收尾。

第五题：

Number five：Discuss an accomplishment，event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

第五题：请说明你经历过的一个成就、事件或是感悟，是怎样激发你的个人成长，而且让你对自己或他人有了新的理解。

Now，this is so broad. It can almost cover every topic you can imagine， but you should choose this prompt if you have an event or accomplishment that is that truly sparked meaningful growth. Meaningful means you have to give tangible examples of that new understanding. Avoid cliches like growing up，going to high school，learning a new language，things like that. Your topic and that spark should still be unique and personal to you。

解析：这一题其实非常的广泛，什么样的故事都可以套用在这一题上面。如果说你参与的活动或者是你取得的成就是真正的激发了有意义的成长，这一题就相当适合你。有意义的成长是什么意思？就是你应该给出具体的例子，形容你是如何对自己有更新的认识，同时要避免一些陈词滥调，像是成长、上高中、学习外语等老生常谈。文书选择的内容需要具有独特性，并且有高度的个人色彩。

第六题：

Number six: 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?

第六题：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？

Really for this one，keep in mind those follow up questions: why/ what/ who/ when. Answer as many of those as possible throughout your essay， while it's tempting to talk about a potential major or something like that here，this must still be an essay about YOU.

解析：这个题目大家仔细看的话，就会发现它其实是一系列的小问题，就是英文的4个W，why what who when，什么，做了什么，谁做了，和什么时候。尽可能地多回答这些问题。当然有些学生可能会很想要写跟未来大学想念的专业有关的东西，不过你要确保你除了写跟专业有关的东西之外，这仍然是一篇必须要跟你自身相关的文章。

第七题：

Finally number seven: 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.

第七题：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。

This can be really tempting when a student feels like they know exactly what they want to write or maybe they have a shortcut they can use an essay they already used for school. However，if you choose this route，you should still actually write your own prompt and type it up at the top of your document to keep yourself on course and help to fully 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 a cohesive story.

解析：通常我们看到如果学生很有想法，他们就会很想要写这一题，有一些学生甚至会觉得选这一题比较省事，因为他可以把以前写过的文章拿出来重新利用。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，确保文书不会跑题。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文书题目的策略

After those seven prompts，there are countless essays each student could write. But choose carefully. Picking a topic and promt is an important part of this process. This is because what you choose to say matters just as much as how you say it.

在这7个题目当中，每个学生其实都可以完成无数篇文章，有无数个不同的方式可以去书写，但是同学一定要谨慎的去选择文书的主题。因为你要选择说什么，和你怎么样去说是一样重要的。

This essay is the only part of the application where you get to speak solely in your own voice. You get to choose exactly what you share with the admissions committee in 650 words that shows what your priorities are，what you really want to make sure they know about you.

这篇文章其实是的大学文书就是在申请的过程中，唯一让你能够从自己的角度，用自己的声音去表达你的想法，表达你的个性的机会。所以在短短的650个字当中，你就可以有机会让招生委员更加的了解你自己，了解你未来的志向。

So say you choose a topic，there are still many ways you can write on that topic，even multiple prompts from the list of common app prompts that will suit your topic.

假设你选择了前6个题目之一，仍然还有很多不同的方式可以去发挥你的大学文书。那也有可能你遇到一个情形就是，你觉得有不止一个题目都适合你想要写的主题。

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? The greatest Challenge？The way that it shapes your thinking, showcases your leadership as a captain? Or maybe even how you solve the problem related to your time on that team？

举例来说，你可能想要写一篇关于橄榄球的文书，因为这是你最喜欢的活动，但是你该从哪里下手，要怎么样下笔才好，该写什么？要形容你的橄榄球生涯，还是你一生当中踢的最好的一场比赛，还是你当时面临了什么样最大的挑战，或者是说要不要写橄榄球是怎么样去塑造你的思维还是要展示你作为队长的领导能力，或者是去讨论你如何解决橄榄球队里的问题？

I had this exact scenario a few years ago. We then had a Chinese client whose passion was football and we combed through his experiences and decided on a particularly dramatic game which showcased his leadership and talent as an athlete. But we had to play up the challenge aspect and ended up changing the essay to make it more exciting and give him more opportunities to share his uniqueness。He ended up getting accepted to Cornell.

几年前我有一位热爱橄榄球的学生，我们梳理了他的经历，最后决定以一场特别难忘的比赛为主题，我们在书写的过程中就着重在展示他作为运动员的领导能力和天赋，但我们特别去强调这场比赛中他遇到的挑战有多困难，最后我们甚至换了个文书题目，让他更好去展现这个故事的精彩之处以及这位学生的个人特色。他后来被康奈尔录取。

Many times I find that students actually have two topics in mind and they try to decide between the two topics，one that is more personal and one that is maybe more activity based.

很多学生有两个题目都想要写。该怎么办？我其实也蛮常遇到有学生会有这样的想法，因为可能有一个题目比较个人化，跟个人活动有关。

I had a student with two essays actually completely written out a couple of years ago， because we just could not decide. She felt very torn between them. And sometimes a personal story is actually best told by weaving it in with a more concrete activity. This is exactly what I suggested，blending the two essays together，back and forth to provide a montage type structure which ultimately strengthened both stories. She ended up going on to attend Harvard。

几年前我有一位学生，她选择困难症很严重，所以她最后其实写了完整的两篇文书。有时候，最好要将个人故事跟具体的活动结合起来，其实这也是我的建议，就是可以将两篇文章互相调和，最后把它融合成一篇更引人入胜的文书。这位学生最后申请上了哈佛大学。

Along the lines of deciding between various topics，many times my students actually have a variety of different topics and can't choose between them and have a very hard time selecting exactly what is the best way to portray themselves. But what matters the most is not necessarily which is truly the most important to you or feels the most true version of you. Sometimes what actually the best is which of those can provide the best context for admissions，which is actually the best essay for the Common App essay.

如果说有好多题目你都想写很难做决定该怎么办，如果遇到这种情形要切记不应该去思考说哪一个题目对你自身来说最重要，或者是你觉得哪一题最能表达自我，而是要去剖析哪一题最能够让招生官看到你的个人特色，找到最好的那个题目，最能够去强调你的亮点的题目。

For example，I worked with a Chinese client who attended high school in America. He wrote many versions of his essay，at least ten completely different drafts. He had a lot of different ideas，but he could not decide which was the most important to him. We evaluated each one and compared the benefits of each. Eventually we chose a story that highlighted his most impressive experience while also demonstrating positive traits like humility，maturity and nuanced view of the world。He went on to attend Vanderbilt。

举例来说，我以前有位在美国上高中的中国学生，他写了好多个版本的文书，至少有10份完全不一样的初稿，他迟迟无法决定说哪一份初稿对他来说最重要，所以我们评估了他写的每一篇文书，比较了每一篇的优缺点，最后我们选择的文书展现了他令人印象最深刻的经历，同时也展示了他的谦逊、成熟，还有对世界很细微很细致入微的看法，等于就是表达了它的正面特质，他最后成功被范德堡大学录取。

讲好文书的故事的重要性

Next I want to talk about the importance of telling a story，common app essays work best to capture their attention when you focus on some type of story or anecdote from your personal experience. Now many people will recommend that you try to show a reader what you mean rather than tell. This cliche advice is indeed true in this case.

接下来我想谈谈讲故事的重要性。文书要写的好，需要聚焦在一个跟自身经验贴切相关的故事，很多人会说你应该要尝试向读者展示你想要表达的意思，而不是告诉读者你想要表达的意思。当然这个建议我们可能看似觉得非常的老套，但其实是非常中肯的建议，所以实际上要怎么操作呢？这个建议又是什么样的意思？

But what it means for the essay is that you give an example of your most positive traits through telling the story of a challenge you faced or a lesson you learned or something important about yourself through action or event，things actually happening. That's what makes up a story rather than a general description. And that's what captures showing a reader versus telling. Then the reader believes it more thoroughly than if you were to just kind of list things or provide a summary.

在文书里面你得形容你面临的一个挑战或是教训，从中强调你的优点以及你从这个挑战当中学到了什么，一定要有具体的例子，要有可能表现出你采取了什么行动，你做了什么样的事情，要有具体的例子，而不是只是罗列的列举你的优点而已，这样才能写出令人信服的文章。

For example，you can write an essay about how much you love helping others, how important it is to you，how beneficial. But it's more convincing and makes a greater impact if you demonstrate that you love helping others through a story about a time that you actually did help others. The more details，the greater the impact that example has on the reader，the more convincing it is。

举例来说，你可以写一篇关于你多么喜欢帮助别人的文章，你可以去强调说参与帮助别人的活动有多么重要。但如果你写一个你如何具体帮助他人的故事，来证明你的热心公益，你的文章就会更有说服力，因为你有举出一个确切具体的例子，那么也会产生更大的影响，而且你的例子越仔细越详细，对读者产生的印象就越大。

For example，I had a student who had a passion for both writing and math. And in his first draft，he explained that passion explain the different types of thinking， talked about how important both of those subjects were to him. But that was not very exciting. It was not very engaging. So instead we showcased detail stories from his experiences. In those stories, he demonstrated the growth of his passion over time and incorporated other people and actions. These are important story elements to make it more interesting to read. He went on to attend Yale.

我有一个学生他对写作跟数学都特别感兴趣，他在写大学文书的时候，一开始他在初稿里面就写，写作跟数学这两门课对他来说很重要，但是我们就发现说其实这样的文书读起来并不精彩，因此我们就去开始着手修改他的文书，讲述了一些比较具体的故事，从这些故事中展示了他的兴趣和思维，陈述他的兴趣如何随着时间的推移而成长。在这个故事中我们也讨论到说他是怎么样去跟别人合作，具体做了哪些事情，其实这些元素都会让故事更加的有趣。我这位学生后来去了耶鲁大学。

Besides convincing the reader，the other reason it's important to tell a story is because it keeps the reader engaged. It's hard to imagine how tedious as the reading becomes for these admissions officers. 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 from the beginning middle and end. This also makes the reader more likely to enjoy and remember your writing, which is very important making sure you get accepted.

除了要说服读者之外，讲故事的重要性还在于让读者想要继续读下去。其实大家可以想象，招生官每年需要看好几百好几千篇文章，读久了自然容易觉得枯燥乏味，而且还有很多学生写的文书主题都挺类似挺重复的，因此如果你可以写一个包含多种动词、行动的故事，搭配清楚的起承转合，就可以让所有的读者都更加的投入，让他们对你的写作印象深刻，那这样自然而然就会对于你的申请过程有很大的帮助。

For example，I had one student who had been very active in a certain sport over her entire life for well over 10 years. She didn't even know where to start to tell that story without it seeming flat and almost like a resume description. Instead，I encouraged her to frame it around a particular story with her father，teaching her that sport so that it would feel personal and could focus on vivid memories and events to show her change and growth of time. She went on to attend Princeton。

我有一位学生一直都是个运动健将，她从事一项体育活动10多年的时间了，从小就在做体育活动，所以她在写大学文书的时候不太知道要从哪里切入。她总觉得不管怎么样写这个文书都很像是在写简历。我在跟她沟通讨论后，我们决定把这个文书的重点放在她父亲如何去教她这项体育活动，所以我们就把这个文书围绕在这个故事上面，让文书跟她的自身经验相关，同时也在文书的过程中表达她自己的成长。这一位学生后来成功被普林斯顿大学录取。

The final point I want to emphasize is that your essay must be clean and clear before submission，and they should be clean and clear of the following: Distracting grammar errors，informal references，unnecessary filler words，and negative Information about yourself. Now the first few are easy if you know your English. But sometimes students don't know what might be perceived negatively by admissions. It's important to examine your messaging carefully.

最后要强调，你的文书在提交之前必须是清楚的。文章里面不能出现语法错误，非正式用语，不必要的填充词或者是关于你自己的负面信息。一般来说如果学生的英语水平还不错的话，前几个问题是很好避免的。但有时候学生不太清楚有些东西会让招生官对你有负面的看法。

For example，I worked with a very talented student with excellent scores and grades who was very strong had a very strong profile in economics and wanted to be a businessman. He was clearly qualified for a Top school，but his first essay draft had subtle elements that painted him as materialistic and overly confident. I recommended that he eliminate these elements because to admissions officers this can come off as negtive. Instead，we want to find ways to turn each of those negative characteristics into a positive. Once we reframed the essay，he was a leader，he was driven to achieve. He was humble, but he still got to explain all of those positive accomplishments. Herecognized instead how lucky he was to have so many gifts，always painting himself in a positive light. He went on to attend MIT.

举例来说，我有个学生他非常的有才华，成绩非常好，他又有经济专长，他未来希望可以从商。其实各个面上来说，他绝对有资格进入顶尖大学，但是他的文书初稿中有一些微妙的元素，让他显得有一些高傲自大。我当时就建议他删掉这些元素，因为招生官会认为这是负面的特质。而且我们还设法的去把它这些负面的特质转化成正面的特质。把文书修改完之后，强调的是他的领导能力，形容他多么的渴望成就，而且文书里他还提到说自己非常的很幸运，因为身边的资源充足才能够让他有现在的成就。他这样子去形容其实就展现他非常的谦逊。总之我们最后用了非常正面的方式来描绘他的个性，而他最后也成功地被MIT录取。

College essay can be daunting，but also there are an incredible opportunity to set yourself apart. You are more than just a number of score, a grade. Use this common app essay to show colleges the many other positive qualities you possess and will bring to their campus.

大学文书其实会让很多学生都感觉到害怕而且不知所措，但是其实我们可以把大学文书看作是一个机会，一个去展现自己特色的机会。同学要记得不要让成绩去定义自己，你不是单纯去靠一些数字定义的，要多利用这个大学文书来向大学还有招生官去展现你的正面特质，以及你对他们的学校可以有什么样的贡献。

问答环节

Q: Now the first question is mentioning my academic interest and strength in the common APP essay a must？

提问：第一题主文书里是不是一定要提到自己的学术上的兴趣和优势？

A: Definitely not. In fact，you don't need to talk about your academic interests in the common episode at all. Though sometimes it can be a good place to tell a personal motivation story related to your intended major. Most typically，students have plenty of room to talk about academics in their supplemental essays.

回答：完全不是的，你甚至可以选择不要去不要在主文书里面去讨论你在学术上面的表现。如果你想要谈论激励你选择未来专业方向的个人故事是可以提的。不过一般来说学术相关的内容可以留到附加文书里面去写。

For example，I had a student who wrote her comment essay about her ballroom dancing competition. She did not mention academics or other activities，anything like that whatsoever. It was all about dancing and she actually went on to attend U Penn Wharton School of Business。So the only place she talked about her academics was in the supplemental essays and she was still very successful.

举例来说，我有一位学生，主文书写的都是交际舞比赛经历，完全没有提到任何跟学术有关的东西或者其他活动。她后来也成功地被宾大的沃顿商学院录取。而且她唯一有提到跟学术有关的内容就是在她的附加文书里面，但她还是非常的成功。

Another great example is an Asian male student who ended up studying biomedical sciences at Stanford. He wrote his common app essay on football because he served as the assistant Coach for his football team， absolutely no mention of his research or awards or academic strengths in the common app essay。Instead it was an opportunity to show a very unique and fun layer of his personality.

我有另外一个例子，就是我有一个亚裔男孩的学生，他后来是被斯坦福大学录取，攻读生物医疗领域，他的主文书写的都与橄榄球相关，因为他在学校的橄榄球队里担任助教，他完全没有提及任何他的学术表现、竞赛奖项。他用主文书这个机会来表现他非常独特的专长兴趣，也展现了他的个性的优点。

Q: The next question is，what sorts of things should I avoid writing about in the Common App essay？

提问：文书中最忌讳写些什么？

A: A good question. I already covered most of this in my previous discussion， but first of all，would be painting yourself in a negative light， restating the same academics that you will cover in the supplements and also avoid a big general summary of yourself and your resume. Don't make it an overall big pot of biographies or a general story. Also avoid cliche topics like I mentioned before，studying abroad，learning English，growing older, general sports game. Those are too common.

回答：这是个很好的问题。其实我之前举例中也提到不要用负面的方式去表述自己，不要在主文书当中去写一些你可能在申请文件里面其他部分已经写过的内容，像是你的学术上面的表现，也不要用非常笼统流水账的方式去综述或写成个人简历。不要去写一些老生常谈的话题，比如国外留学、学英语、成长，或者是一般性体育活动。

Q: The next question is what key points should I include in my Common App essay？

提问：文书中什么是该写的重点和要点？

A: And the answer is there really is no single one key point. The versatility of the common app essay means you should instead use it to fill in gap or weaknesses. that you might have other places of your application. Or infuse your application with a new personality to mention that would be the more unique paired alongside of your academic interest.

回答：大学文书它其实没有固定答案，没有一定要表述哪些方面。主文书的弹性在于可以让你去表达一些你可能在其它申请文件当中没有机会去表达的东西。或者通过主文书融合进你全新的个性，展现自己除了学术兴趣之外更独有的特质。

Q: The next question，if the student isn't super exceptional，meaning they don't have awards，they are not particularly good at sports，but they have a good GPA. How should they craft their college essay so that it will stand out for admissions officers？

提问：是不是牛娃，没什么奖项，体育也不突出，但GPA还不错，这样的情况下文书要怎么写才能够吸引招生官？

A: Now in this case，being memorable and passionate are crucial. I don't have as many examples for students like this，but I did have one who had a similar profile. She had a volunteer experience over the summer that we were able to dig deeper into and align that with her academic interest which happened to the psychology. Thus we built that story to make it really memorable with lots of emotion and action and characters to bring her to life。She ended up attending NYU.

回答：在这种情形下，一定要想办法给招生官留下一个记忆点，而且要让招生官感受到你的热忱。这种学生我倒没有太多的例子，但是我的确曾经带过一个学生有类似的情况。这个女生暑期做了义工，经过深入挖掘，我们在文书当中把她暑期志愿者的经历和她在心理学方面的学术兴趣结合，最后文书内容让人印象深刻，充满了丰富的情感和多样的行动、以及多样的人物，她在文书中的形象顿然栩栩如生。最后这个学生被纽约大学录取。

Q: This next question is should parents advise their kids on their colleges or is it better for parents to stay out of it？

提问：孩子写的文书，家长应该给予意见吗？还是全程不要参与比较好？

A: And I really can't say 100% yes or no. Because I have seen it work both ways. I worked with at this point over 200 students who are applying to Top 30 Top 40 universities in the United States. I see it work both ways. On occasion, a parent remembers the story that the students didn't. But other times it's more personal and easier and more efficient to work without the parents there. But both ways can be a effective. It's just important to be flexible and realize what is working and sometimes try different things.

回答：根据我的经验，家长参与文书其实可好可坏，我总共带过200多位学生，他们几乎都是申请排名前30到前40的美本。有时候家长会想到一些可能学生自己都不记得的故事。也有时候学生更倾向于不与家长分享比较个人的故事，如果没有家长参与文书反而方便有效。所以家长参与有好有坏。重点就是对于家长的参与要有灵活性，知道什么方式是更有效的，要愿意尝试不同的方式。

Q: Next question，if a student gets a certificate through an online course like a 12 week online course，how helpful is that for college applications？

提问：下一题是学生自学12周或更长的网上课程，并取得证书，对名校录取有多大帮助呢？

A：So it can be helpful in terms of building your academic narrative as it complements the other aspects of your application，maybe it feeds into your research or another class or an internship. But it's really not about the certificate itself。It's more so about the content of the actual course and what we're able to learn whether or not that would be a significant contribution to your application.

回答：我觉得取得证书或者去上在线课程，对于去强化你的学术背景当然是很有帮助的，对于你的申请大学的其他的环节也是有帮助的。但其实重点并不是在取得这一个证书本身。重点应该说是这个证书可以为你带来什么样更多的内涵，而且你在这个课程当中去学习到了什么。

Q: Next question is for the college essay，can I only write about what happened while I was in high school？

提问：文书只能写高中时发生的事吗？

A：And so while you can write about things from earlier. And many students do have plenty of stories and things they want to talk about from earlier in life. It's best to make sure that your final take away is still grounded in the high school years because who you are today is the person that they are evaluating. I did have a student who had several stories from middle school that he really wanted to be able to incorporate. What we ended up doing is having another montage of multiple stories so we could show growth overtime and the final story was in high school and he ended up going on to Stanford.

回答：虽然说你在文书当中可以写一些高中以前发生的事情，但是通常我建议文书的结尾还是要会到你的高中阶段。因为大学他们要评估的是现在身为高中生的你。我之前有一个学生，他在文书当中他有提及他以前在中学的经历，融合了各种不同的故事，最后落脚到高中，在这个过程当中去展现他的个人成长。这位学生后来被斯坦福大学录取。

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