美国研究生申请需要知道的五件事情

昆明美联英语编者按：整个申请过程前前后后几个月，漫长而艰辛。尽管期间教授、朋友和家人都曾给我建议，但如果重新来过，我会希望有些事我在申请季前就了然于心。

美国研究生申请：五件事情早知道

Earlier in June, I graduated from the University of Toronto. When I walked up to the stage at the convocation ceremony, I knew that the chancellor of the university would shake my hand when I arrived in front of him and ask me what I’m planning on doing next. After spending months trying to figure out my next step, I was thrilled to tell him that in September I will be starting my master’s degree in philosophy at Columbia University.

今年六月份，我从多伦多大学毕业。毕业典礼上，走上台，站在校长面前时，我就知道他会跟我握手，询问我的毕业去向。历时数月终于确定了下一步计划的我，兴奋地告诉校长今年九月份我将在哥伦比亚大学哲学系开始我的研究生生涯。

Coming to this decision was a lengthy and strenuous application process that spanned over months. While I did receive advice from professors, friends, and family, there are a number of things that I wish I had known before going into application season.

整个申请过程前前后后几个月，漫长而艰辛。尽管期间教授、朋友和家人都曾给我建议，但如果重新来过，我会希望有些事我在申请季前就了然于心。

CONSIDER THE COST OF APPLICATIONS / 考虑申请的成本

Every application that I submitted hovered around $100, but this price tag doesn’t include the price supplementary materials that nearly every school required, specifically official transcripts and official GRE scores. (Additionally, the conversion rate from the Canadian to American dollar left me paying 20% more per application than I had hoped!) I would suggest cutting down on the number of schools to apply to in order to save money.

我提交的每份申请都花费了100美元左右，这还不包括几乎每所学校都要求提交的补充材料，尤其是提供的成绩单与GRE成绩所需的花费。（此外，由于加元兑美元存在汇率问题，我平均每份申请比预想多花了20%！）我建议适当减少申请学校的数量，节省些开销。

GRANT AND SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS / 申请补助金和奖学金

Schools will often ask their applicants to list grants and scholarships that they applied to. This section can become awkward when you’re expressing how much you need financial assistance and how little you’ve thought about finding external funds. It would also be wise to research these sources well in advance of the due dates of your applications; many are due months before you have to apply.

学校经常会让申请者列出他们申请过的助学金和奖学金。如果你一方面说自己有多需要经济帮助，而另一方面却没想过要寻求外界资助，你在这个环节就会变得相当尴尬。而且，在你的申请截止前事先对这些资源做好功课会很明智；因为很多在你想申请前就截止了。

DO NOT STRESS ABOUT WEAKNESSES IN YOUR APPLICATIONS / 别为申请中的劣势焦虑

Because of my lack of a 4.0 and atrocious GRE math scores, I managed to convince myself that my application would be the first to be tossed out from the pile by every school to which I applied. After receiving acceptances from eight of the ten schools that I applied to, I realized that admissions committees can overlook this faceless data and focus their attention towards other aspects of your application that boast your academic skill, life experience, school and community involvement, and unique personality.

由于绩点不满4.0，GRE数学成绩也惨不忍睹，我曾深信我申请的每所学校都会个淘汰我。而较后我申请的10所学校中有8所都给了我offer，我才意识到，招生委员会可能忽略了我的这些劣势，而把注意力放在我申请材料中其他能证明我优势的方面，比如我的学术技能，生活经历，学校与社团活动，以及独特的个性等。

NEVER ASSUME/ALWAYS ASK / 忌主观臆断/不懂就问呀！

If you’re unclear about a part of an application, make a mistake that you think is irreversible, or, as I did, miss an application deadline, don’t assume that it means something in particular or that the answer is no. Schools’ websites will often have the answers to your inquiries, and, more usefully, they have people who you can call or email to help you through the process. If you assume that you know the answer, you could make a mistake in your application that leads to false information; and if you don’t ask a question, you could miss out on an opportunity.

如果你对申请的某个环节不清楚，犯了你觉得无法挽回的错误，或者，像我一样，错过了申请期限，别以为这就是个不可逾越的坎儿或者申请就没戏了。学校的网站通常都有你想要的答案，而且，更实用的是，他们会有专人接听问询电话，也可以通过邮件回答你申请过程中遇到的问题。如果你凭主观臆断觉得自己知道问题的答案，你就可能在申请中犯错，信息接受错误；如果你有疑问但不问，你可能就错过一次机会了。

BE YOURSELF IN YOUR APPLICATION / 申请时做你自己

Once you’ve begun the application process, some aspects of your file are out of your hands – your transcript, test scores, and reference letters. However, you can control what you write in your personal statement, statement of intent, and writing sample. Through the first two pieces specifically, you’re able to let the school know who you are behind the numerical grades and others’ opinions of you. Do not write in an overly formal way and do not write what you think that the admissions committees want to hear. By doing that, you will inevitably sound like dozens of other applicants who will all bore the admissions committee. These pieces of writing show what your writing capabilities are in non-academic work, your qualities that you believe should be highlighted, and the difficulties that you’ve overcome. These elements are what make you an interesting, strong, and promising candidate for the program.

一旦进入申请季，很多材料你就无法控制了——比如你的成绩单，考试分数，推荐信等。但是，你可以自己决定在你的个人陈述，申请动机陈述及专业写作样本中写什么。在前两个陈述中，你能够让学校了解分数背后的你是什么样的人，以及别人对你的看法。写作时不要过度正式，也不要专写你觉得录取委员会想听的话。如果那样，你就不可避免地落入俗套，跟其他申请者一样，让录取委员会感到乏味。这些写作可以展示你在非学术领域的写作能力，你自认为应该突出的品质，以及你已经的困难。正是这些元素才让你成为一个有趣的活生生的人，成为你申请项目有潜力的候选对象。