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箱底翻出一本爬藤寶典!(ZT)

(2014-01-19 22:16:58) 下一個

By must750
高中版164頁發現“薑還是老的辣”發的好貼,激動的眼淚直飛,擦掉灰塵端出來給感興趣的家長共享。。。以下是原著。。。

[引用]
下麵ZT一些我上子女壇以來隨手抓到的爬藤文章。正值兒子報考大學,坐下來一一重新讀過,感受又大大地不同。如果您的孩子也在申請大學,您又有耐心把他們連續地讀完,一定能從中找到很多一致性的答案。很遺憾,沒有記下所有作者的網名,但他們的貢獻永遠留在了這裏。

1、下麵很多人都說得很中肯。
2、如果上藤校對您非常重要,就要把孩子培養成藤校想要的人
3、申請名校什麽最重要?
4、How to Write a Winning Ivy League Essay by Kathleen Kingsbury
5、也談上名校的經驗
6、申請大學麵試問答大全--針對耶魯,其它學校也可參考
7、也談名校錄取
8、哈佛 要什麽樣的學生
9、謝謝大家對我的關於申請材料組織和整理的4點建議的討論。我打字較慢,有些事沒說清楚。現在再補充說明一下。
10、高燕定:綜合素質的“標準公式”——大學申請秘密
11、隨便講幾句哈(兒子被 Harvard,MIT,Duke,Dartmouth 和 Chicago錄取)
12、上名校說難不難, 說不難也難
13、女兒靠兩點:品德優秀 + 全麵發展進了H 藤
14、最後的衝刺 – 申請大學的幾個關鍵 (1)



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1、下麵很多人都說得很中肯。
你的女兒的成績應該夠了,但申請材料要重新整理一下。我的建議如下:

1.你女兒的申請材料中重點不突出,她報了太多的SAT2,有些得分並不是太高。你最多隻能選3到4門與你女兒將來所學的專業有關且得分高的科目填到報名表中。750分以下的不要再提及。否則,無法看出她的passion and commitment.

2.Essay 在申請中是非常重要的,很多人都忽略了這一關。正像壇子裏人說的,Essay不是Show off,而是要讓審評官讀了你的文章後,馬上就能感覺和理解你是一個什麽樣的人,尤其你有沒有passion以及你的passion是什麽。當初我女兒寫 申請Essay時,我反複跟她強調,一定要清楚地告訴別人:我是什麽人(who am I)。她第一篇的Essay寫得很有文采,她非常得意。我毫不留情地把它槍斃掉,一定要她重寫。她後來的Esssay她的升學指導老師看了說,寫得很流暢 有趣並是一氣嗬成,讀完了還想再讀一遍。

文章要寫得有趣,能讓讀得人覺得輕鬆,並眼睛發亮留下深刻印象才是好文章。盡量避免寫大眾題材, 書店裏有很多這樣的書可參考。你可以用一個故事或場景起頭,然後強調自己的感受和想法,並可以不露痕跡地寫出自己與眾不同的亮點。你女兒寫作水平好,要讓 她好好思考她的與眾不同的特長或特殊的感受是什麽,然後好好發揮她的寫作能力就行。

3. 很多公立學校的學生得獎很多,但有些是小獎,無足輕重,所以此時的排列很重要。全國大小獎,州大小獎,地區大小獎,等等,這些獎中還要看哪些獎與申請人所選專業有關,有關的排前麵,無關的排後麵。如果得獎多,那些小獎特別是9年級時的小獎,就不必提了。

4. 俱樂部及各種學生組織,不要填得太多。如果參加了三年還沒當上主席之類的,就不要填上去。但體育活動可以年年填,最好能從一般隊員最後變成主力隊員。因為從這些活動中可以看出你的commitment和能力。這些都是我女兒的升學指導對學生的忠告。

總之,如果申請人各方麵都很強,就要把材料組織得條理清楚,重點突出,讓讀材料的人容易閱讀,並印象深刻,就不會在第一輪被淘汰。如果你再有與眾不同的亮點,那你的錄取可能性就大大地增加了。



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2、如果上藤校對您非常重要,就要把孩子培養成藤校想要的人
來源: tiger916
這一年來總是有相熟或不相熟的人來問大女兒是如何考上HPM的,需要做些什麽樣的事。很多人覺得我可以開個方子,他們照單抓藥如法炮製(學校排名,SAT, 鋼琴, 各種比賽…)。其實我連自己後麵兩個孩子能上什麽大學也拿不準,雖然他們的天資並不比姐姐差。

周圍的中國孩子裏有很多絕頂聰明的,父母也是全力地推和攀比。一句憋在心裏很久的話不敢說(怕挨罵):“最重要的是從小教孩子做個好人”。對人友好,與人為善,關心社會,奉獻集體。

我 的女兒有很多缺點,有些缺點還很嚴重,但她是一個好孩子,私心很少,能為別人著想,也能犧牲自己的利益幫助朋友和團隊。我們經常看到她在比賽時為了幫助團 隊,自己和比較差的隊員配組或參加沒人願幹的項目,也有好幾次退出了不同領導位置的競選讓給其他朋友。我們也擔心這樣會降低她自己的名次,影響她的大學申 請,可她很堅決地認為應該這樣做,我們就全力支持她的決定,心裏也很為她驕傲。

她在申請 H 的 EA 以前找 Conselor 谘詢,自己的 SAT 不到 2300, 也沒什麽全國性的競賽名次,是否要申請。Conselor 堅決要她申請,並說根據自己多年經驗,“你就是 H 要找的那類學生”。代表 H 給她麵試的教授在她被錄取後也對我說;“這幾年麵試的學生中,隻有她知道我們要的是什麽,也隻有她一個人進去了”。

各 個名校的錄取官員都說他們要反複地讀申請材料,集體審閱並討論,直至投票,他們是要從一大堆成績後麵,看出這些學生究竟具備什麽樣的 personal quality.這不光是為學校今後的捐款來源著想,更是因為名校要培養的是社會精英和領袖。另外,名校要收不同特點的人,大科學家要有,社會活動家也要 有。就算你隻在那兒當個普通的甚至低於平均的學生,今後也隻從事一般工作,他們也希望你是“happy bottom 25%”,積極樂觀向上,不嫉恨不苦澀,畢業後仍願意為學校做貢獻。

我們亞裔孩子要在 Personal quality 上多下功夫,這是為了一生的長遠目標,不要把名校當唯一目標,更不要光想上了藤就能多掙多少錢。



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3、申請名校什麽最重要?(一)

名校的申請材料通常包括下麵你的內容
- 高中所學課程的課程表和成績單 (Transcript)
- 申請作文 (Essay)
- 參加的課外活動 (Extracurricular Activities, Extracurriculars)
- 老師和學生顧問的推薦信 (Teacher/Student Counselor Recommendation Letters)
- 標準考試(SAT,ACT)的成績 (Standardized Test Scores)
- 麵試 (Interview)

當我們談到這些因素時可能會覺得樣樣都重要,缺一不可。但是所有這些中有沒有最重要的呢?它是什麽呢?從我們排列的順序上你也可以看出 – 你申請材料中的最重要部分就是你的高中所學課程的成績單。

耶魯大學在其網站上有關申請和錄取的問答中談到這點時說得非常明確。為了強調,我們將英文原文摘錄並翻譯如下:

耶 魯首先是一個學術機構,因此申請人的學術能力是我們的第一考慮。申請材料中最重要的單一文件就是高中成績單,因為它告訴我們申請人一個時期以來在學術動機 和學術成績的豐富信息。我們尋找那些在高中一貫選擇(課目)廣範、具有挑戰性的課程並且學得很好的學生。(Yale is above all an academic institution, and thus academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in the application is the high school transcript, which tells us a great deal about a student’s academic motivation and performance over time. We look for students who have consistently taken a broad range of challenging courses in high school and done well in them.)
可 見HYPSM這些名校是把學生的高中學習成績放在第一位的。這個因素對評價一個學生非常關鍵。首先從你所選的課程來看,如果你的學校開了很多AP課程,你 就應當多選一些AP,當然不是說需要門門都選,或者說越多越好。但是作為一個有能力而又願意挑戰自己的學生,選擇相當數量的AP課程幾乎是必須的。而且你 應當選擇你感興趣,能夠學好的最難的課程。你如果其他活動太多,負擔過重,也可以選學一點容易的課程,但那應當隻是少數。錄取官員不僅會從你的選課來看你 的學習能力,而且也會從中來評價你的學習動力。可以從中看你是否主動學習,是否願意挑戰你自己。

選擇AP課程還能夠在另外一個很重要的方 麵來證明你自己,那就是你是否能夠積極地利用學校為你提供的資源。我們知道,HYPSM等名校都以他們能夠為學生提供大量的學術、社會資源為驕傲。這些資 源包括內容廣泛、不同難度的課程、小的教授學生比例、圖書館內浩瀚的藏書、擁有先進設備的實驗室和在不同領域有影響力的人物經常來學校講學的機會等等。這 些名校期待未來的學生能夠積極選修這些課程和參加這些活動,以充分利用這些資源。如果一個學生進入了這些學校而又不去利用這些資源,在他們看來是一種浪 費,當然也就會把入學的機會提供給別人了。耶魯大學在其網站上專門談到這一點,即如何充分利用他們豐富的資源。而你在高中的學習(其中也包括選擇AP課 程)、社會活動將是錄取官員在這方麵對你進行評價的一個重要依據。如果你的學校沒有開授AP課,那你就可以“心安理得”的隻學普通課程了。當然,在這種情 況下,你可能就應當在其他領域來挑戰自己。比如可以在附近的社區學院去選一些你感興趣的課程等等。但決不是為選課而選課,而是由你的興趣和激情來決定。如 果僅僅是按部就班、隨大流就很難表現出你的不同了。

一個經常被問到的問題是:AP課得B和普通課得A,哪個更好呢?答案是AP課得A最 好。雖然這聽起來好象是“玩腦筋急轉彎”,但是實際情況就是這樣。選定了你所要學的課程,當然下一步就是要學好這些課程,爭取取得最好的成績。成績單成為 最重要的原因還因為它是你高中前三年半的成績的總的反映,而不象SAT、ACT等標準考試,考好了一次就解決問題,他們的不同有點象跑馬拉鬆和跑百米賽。 說實話,要把整個高中的GPA保持在很高的水平並非易事。它要求你的成績一直都要好。既不能一學期好,另一學期不好;也不能有幾門課好,另幾門課差。當然 這並不是說所有的課都必須得A,有一些B也是可以的,但不能太多。C則最好沒有。而且錄取官員也會把你與你的同學相比較,優中選優。因此,我們覺得為了使 HYPSM能鄭重考慮你的申請,你的GPA在你的年級中至少應該達到前5%吧。有一篇哈佛Crimson的文章中提到:69%的哈佛學生可能是他們學校的 第一名(http://www.thecrimson.com/myfirstyear09.aspx)。我們所在的高中雖然這幾年取消了直接排名而改以 百分比來排,但今年上哈佛的幾位學生的高中成績都是在前1%的水平。這些都直接反映了高中成績的重要性。

有人一定會問,不是大家都說美國 大學不太講究學習成績,而是更加看重領導能力、課外活動、社會服務等活動嗎?這話有些道理,這裏所提到的因素也都很重要。但這些因素都是在學生有優良的學 習成績的基礎上才來談論的。現在存在的一個誤區是,大家都去追求這些因素而反而忽略了高中成績這一最重要的因素,從而導致你的入學申請本末倒置。其實,這 其中的道理非常簡單:由於優秀的申請者眾多,而錄取的人數太少,在成績好的申請人中就能夠選出足夠的、同樣具有其它不同優秀品質的學生。因此,可能除了我 們在上一篇文章中提到的“不同尋常”的一類學生中的一部分,優異的高中成績也就成了名校選擇學生的第一條件。

哈佛等名校尋找什麽樣的學 生?這個問題可能隻有這些學校的錄取官員最有權威來回答。我們以哈佛為例,來看看哈佛主管招生錄取的院長William R. Fitzsimmons怎麽說的吧。Fitzsimmons今年一月在接受《On Harvard Time》的采訪,談到哈佛錄取的學生時說(大意):每年哈佛錄取的2100個學生中,有200-300 個是在某一個或幾個方麵,如音樂、社會服務等領域具有非同尋常的,全國或國際水平的傑出成就的學生。還有200-300個是在學術上具有非同尋常的,全國 或國際水平的傑出成就的學生。而剩下的學生則是各個方麵,學習上、課外活動、性格和個人品質都很好、全麵發展的普通學生。每個學生都有他/她不同的人生故 事。其實,HYPSM (Harvard , Yale, Princeton and Stanford Universities and MIT) 和其它排名前20的名校錄取條件也相差無幾,隻是側重點可能會有所不同罷了。

可以看到,除了少數在某一個或幾個方麵特別突出 的學生,HYPSM錄取的大部分都是比較全麵發展加上有自己獨特特點的普通學生。全麵發展在這裏就是有優秀的高中成績(GPA)、很好的標準考試 (SAT、ACT)成績、參加學校的各種課外活動、等等。我們覺得全麵發展使你具備申請名校的基本條件, 也使你能夠迅速進入錄取官員的視線。但是你對某些領域的激情(passion)加上你自己獨特的特點才會決定你是否能夠最終被錄取。你對你周圍的人和社會 產生正麵的影響(positive impact)的能力、你的個人品質、興趣、愛好的與眾不同等等,將對錄取與否起重要的作用。這次在哈佛見到了一些同學,真是覺得個個都不一樣,每一個人 都有他/她獨特的特點。有國際奧林匹克化學競賽的冠軍,也有讀完了音樂學院又來上大學的青年鋼琴家。這些就屬於那400-600個非同尋常的學生吧。而更 多的是很好奇、學習好且有多項才能(音樂,繪畫,體育,社會服務等)又很有趣的普通學生。

我們很多華裔學生都具有申請HYPSM的基本條 件,應當積極地申請這些名校。不要因為聽說必須要什麽特別的條件產生畏難情緒而主動放棄。當然,申請名校的競爭也很激烈,僅僅具有這些條件可能還不夠,還 需要發展和發掘一些與眾不同的亮點。你如果是今年就要申請大學的學生,可能會覺得有些事情無法去做了,有點太晚了。但這也沒有關係。現在要做的就是考慮如 何將自己的優勢、自己的passion和特點在你的申請材料、特別是你的作文中充分地表現出來。充分準備的申請材料和獨特的作文能使你在眾多的申請者中脫 穎而出。這些都屬於申請入學方麵的技巧,我們將在以後的文章中談到。如果你剛上高中,你則擁有充分的時間來規劃你的高中生活,在認真學習的基礎上發展自己 的興趣和愛好就是你的著重點,這使得你在各個方麵都能健康成長。進入名校不是目的,而是結果。隻要你對世界充滿了好奇心(curiosity),在你喜歡 的事情上傾注你的激情(passion),在學習、課外活動、社會服務、個人品質等方麵不斷地挑戰自己,超越自己。這就會使你自己成為一個更好的人(be a better person)。而你在不斷完善自我,在對你周圍的人、社區和社會做出貢獻的同時,被名校錄取也就成了自然而然,水到渠成的事情。

哈佛負責錄取招生的院長William Fitzsimmons接受采訪的鏈結:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSUcwGMwc2E

申請名校什麽最重要?(二)

前 麵我們已經談了成績單(Transcript)在申請入學的重要性。除了成績這種看得見、 摸得著的“硬指標”,在學生個人品質和性格方麵什麽最重要呢?我們覺得最重要的是你的好奇心或求知欲(Intellectual curiosity)。幾乎每個大學的招生網頁和我們聽過的所有招生官員都講到這個問題。包括最近奧巴馬總統在新學年開學時對所有學生的講話中也都強調這 點。眾所周知,正是人類對世界的好奇使得我們不斷探索新的世界,從而推動人類社會的發展。在這些名校看來,一個充滿好奇心的學生,首先就有了學習的動力, 加上學校為你提供的優良的學習環境和豐富的資源,就會使你如虎添翼, 你也就具備了在大學四年成功的基本條件。我們都聽說過:興趣是最好的老師。當一個人對某一件事充滿興趣和好奇的時候,他就會自己主動地去發現、學習其中的 東西,基本不用老師或家長去推動。可能家長要做的也就是幫助創造一些條件即可。

好奇心可以表現在很多方麵。在學習方麵,比如你怎麽去解決 學習中的問題,包括你與老師和同學在課堂內外所討論的問題和方式等等,你的好奇心都會表現出來。你的好奇心也可以表現在你平時愛好讀什麽書籍。比如去年哈 佛的申請中,你就可以選擇列出你過去一年內所讀書籍(課內和課外)的目錄,而不必去寫作文。可見哈佛認為他們能從你所讀的書目中就能判斷出你的一些重要特 質。而很多經驗豐富的老師會很注意去觀察,發掘學生這方麵的特點,最後也會在給你的推薦信中表示出來。Michelle的一個老師在給她的推薦信中就專門 寫到“…Michelle對數學的熱愛(我認為)是源於她對世界的好奇,而不僅僅是為了得到好的成績和申請大學…”這樣的評價寫在推薦信中就很有分量了。

在 課外活動的事情上其實也是如此,你應該放心地去做你喜歡做的事情。而且你所喜愛的不一定非要是什麽聽起來很了不起、很時髦的東西。甚至可以是在大家看來與 學習、申請大學關係不大的東西。也許這反而更能夠反映出你的好奇心。Michelle剛上初中就迷上了Photoshop,對其變化多端的功能充滿了好 奇。每天放學回家後都要在上麵花不少時間,慢慢成了Photoshop的“小專家”。並逐漸開始在網上為自己和他人設計和創造各式各樣的圖像。後來她在麵 試時也把她的一些作品給大學的麵試官員看,大家都對此產生了濃厚的興趣,也對她的好奇心讚賞有加。她的一篇作文就是寫的是她如何對Photoshop著迷 以及進一步論述改編和原創的關係,而耶魯的錄取官員看後對此非常欣賞。

而相反的例子是如果學生本人對有些事情不感興趣,甚至有抵觸情緒, 無論家長如何推動,恐怕結果都隻是事倍功半,還可能搞得家長和子女之間都不愉快。由於學生對此沒有興趣,當然也很難學得很好,最終的水平對申請大學可能也 幫助不大。這方麵我們不少華人家長在強推子女練習鋼琴、小提琴等樂器方麵恐怕都深有體會。

還有一個非常重要的東西就是你的激情 (Passion)。無論是在學校還是在課外,你的激情在什麽地方?你對什麽東西最感興趣而願意為之花費你的時間和精力?你的激情和你的好奇心也是相輔相 成的。如果說好奇心是名校要求學生應具有的、較為普遍的特質,那你對某一個或幾個領域的興趣和激情則可能是你區別於他人、而最終決定你是否(make or break)被錄取的關鍵因素。在申請人眾多而且都很優秀的情況下,錄取官員對你的最終印象也可能來自對你這方麵的了解。Michelle對不同的語言一 直都很感興趣,每當別人講話她聽不懂的時候,她就很想知道他們講的是什麽語言,並想知道其中的意思。Michelle在進入高中後,因為很喜歡看日本電視 劇,看字幕很麻煩而且有時覺得翻譯也不到位,所以就想去學日語。但是我們所在的高中並沒有開設日語課,她最後終於在我們這裏的一個社區學院找到了合適的日 語課程,並且即使在她自己課程已經很繁重的學期也在那裏學習,而沒有放棄。該學院對Michelle能去上課很歡迎,還為她免去了學費。而後來 Michelle的日語也有了不小的進步,參加SAT II專科考試還得了790分。我們(家長)今年四月去哈佛參加為錄取學生舉辦的介紹會時,沒想到負責我們地區的錄取官員在剛剛見麵、介紹後就對我們 說:“Michelle對語言的passion使我印象深刻,她還去社區學院學日語…”。在我們看來並不覺得有什麽了不起的事情,而錄取官員卻從中看到了 他們認為很重要的東西,即我們前麵講到的:你對事情的好奇、熱愛和專注以及如何善於去利用資源來幫助實現你的目標。

這裏我們想要強調的 是,當Michelle去做這些事情的時候,並沒有特別想到這是申請大學的什麽重要條件,其推動力其實就是她的好奇心和興趣所在。而這些品質恰好是名校所 尋求的,因而最後被錄取也就水到渠成了。所以我們在這個方麵對大家的建議很簡單:Follow your passion, live your passion! 你的興趣和熱情可能是自然科學、音樂、繪畫、 體育,也可以是政治、演講、辯論、曆史等等,不必去模仿別人。即使你的興趣好像不是什麽“主流”也不用擔心,也許正是你對某一特定領域的熱愛造成你與他人 的不同,而正是每個不同的學生組成了這些名校的班級。



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4、How to Write a Winning Ivy League Essay
by Kathleen Kingsbury

With early application deadlines upon us, guidance counselors, professors, and admissions consultants slipped Kathleen Kingsbury seven essays that helped get kids into top schools last year—and she examines exactly what they did right.

Scoring the winning touchdown. Volunteering for blood drives or building houses. What you learned about poverty on your $9,000 trip to Africa.

These are a few topics on independent consultant Arun Ponnusamy’s list of what not to write about in your college application essay. (A few more: Don't write about mom and dad's divorce, and no general philosophizing—you're 17, get over yourself.) Admissions season is under way, and with early applications deadlines starting November 1, you've only got a few more days to polish your make-or-break essay. Straight As and stellar SAT scores won't be enough. In a year where 10 brilliant kids are vying for every one slot at your average Ivy League school (yes, that statistic is accurate), the personal essay has become a tipping point that can turn a deferral into an acceptance letter.

So The Daily Beast tracked down seven college admissions essays that did work—seven essays that helped get the kids who wrote them into one of the country's top schools. The essays were slipped to us by college professors, high-school guidance counselors, independent admissions consultants, and even staffers at student newspapers. For confidentiality reasons, admissions officers can't talk about these essays expressly, so we chose essays that demonstrate the most salient principles to abide by when writing them. (Scroll down to read the essays, unedited and in full.)

You'll need the help: Competition at these schools is fiercer than ever. For every kid who’s hung prayer flags on a mountain summit in Tibet, there are a dozen others who’ve studied a Bantu language in Rwanda, worked with Guatemalan orphans, cooked with a celebrity chef, or been on reality TV. "To be honest," says Ponnusamy, "if you're thinking about the most selective of schools in the country and the most interesting thing in your life is your parents' divorce, you're not going to get in anyway.”

But even if your life hasn't been filled with experiences worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, you can salvage an essay about a ho-hum subject by having a novelist's eye for detail. For Greg Roberts, the admissions dean at University of Virginia, one of the most memorable essays he read was about a single at-bat in a high-school baseball game. The applicant wasn’t the star of the team, Roberts remembers, and didn’t even like playing baseball much. “But he talked about being nervous and excited at the same time, about how the freshly cut grass reminded him of his grandfather,” Roberts says. “I just felt like I knew him.”

Roberts worries that students tend to be too conservative with essays and are afraid to take risks. “There are no wrong answers here, and the last thing you want is a dry or boring essay,” he says. “We have 22,000 applications, so it’s easy to blend into the crowd.”

• Kathleen Kingsbury: The Best College Food

• Kathleen Kingsbury: How to Choose a College RoommateThis year that may mean students want to reconsider before giving their take on the recent financial meltdown or the national health-care debate. At California’s Pomona College, the admissions staff anticipates an influx of essays on the economy, similar to what they saw post-September 11, 2001, when nearly half the applications essays dealt with the terrorist attacks.

“But it’s a different story if you watched the towers collapse from science class at [New York City’s] Stuyvesant High School than if you live on a farm in Iowa,” Pomona’s admissions dean Bruce Poch says. “Families are going through hell right now, and it’s the very personal experiences that will resonate the most.” Then again, Poch adds, “Sympathy isn’t the only reason we let kids in.”

Despite what admissions guidebooks tell you, there's no surefire formula to the college essay. Poch confesses even a small error or two will not necessarily kill your chances of getting in—as long as it's not on purpose. "I once heard one [essay-writing] professional brag about slipping in mistakes to throw off admissions officers," he says. "That's just disgusting."

Rule #1: When Tackling a Global Issue, Make it Personal

Brown Freshman Nawal Traish could have chosen to write about U.S. relations with Libya or general unrest in the Muslim world. Instead, she speaks to her personal relationship with Libya, her father's homeland, and her own understanding of her Islamic faith. "It's a mistake for students to think that they have to come up with any deep or life-altering topic," says University of Virginia's Greg Roberts, who expects to read essays this year on Afghanistan, health care, and other hot political issues. Instead, Roberts advises, "It's OK to take on serious topics, but tell us how it relates directly back to you." (Click here to read Nawal's essay.)

Rule #2: Show That You Have Some Perspective

Hallie Jordan knew not to pretend she'd had a hard-knock life with no options. If you're a white, middle-class kid, it never hurts to show that you realize how lucky you are—and that you sought out diversity. "I remember in the days after [Hurricane] Katrina, I had an otherwise thoughtful and engaged kid sitting across from me bemoaning how the kids in New Orleans were 'going to have awesome essays,'" says Ponnusamy. "This sense amongst upper-middle-class kids that 'nothing bad has ever happened to me' is always amusing. I don't care who it is, they all have 750 words of something compelling to say to an admissions officer." He adds, "They need to relax, think about what means a lot to them or gets them fired up, and then write about it." (Click here to read Hallie's essay.)

Rule #3: Essays Succeed or Fail in the Details

The "hand-cranked" ice cream. The Richard Serra installation. The baby clothes she cut up and made into a quilt. The essay that got Isabel Polon into Yale swells with appealing and insightful details that show her meticulous nature. "If the essay mentions you going to dinner, I want to know what you were eating," says Ponnusamy. Adds UVA's Roberts: "A standout essay starts with good writing. Be as deive as possible about the moment you're writing—we want to see it, smell it, touch it." (Click here to read Isabel's essay.)

Rule #4: Make Sure You're the Hero of the Story

By emphasizing her own personal challenges and then showing how she wouldn't allow them to subsume her, Hannah Edwards was able to make herself look good without bragging. "It's fine to talk about your dad being a coke fiend or your stint in rehab with your favorite WB crush," Ponnusamy says, "but unless you end up as the 'hero' in the essay, you will have done nothing to help you and it's the one place you're guaranteed to have the opportunity to speak in the first-person." (Click here to read Hannah's essay.)

Rule #5: Make Your Intellectual Curiosity Clear

Rahul Kishore wanted Cornell to know how obsessively devoted he was to science, and his essay describes in great detail his fascination. "Talking about something meaningful can make you more likeable," says independent college consultant Stephen Friedfeld, "but it has to be executed to demonstrate your academic rigor." (Click here to read Rahul's essay.)

Rule #6: Know Your Audience

Morgan Doff wasn't applying to a Christian school or one in an area that might take offensive to her lack of interest in religion, so she put it right out there on the page. "Students regularly conjure up who admissions officers are, what they look like and what they're interested in," says Pomona's Bruce Poch. "We purposely have a diverse staff with a variety of interests and backgrounds." That said, had Morgan been applying to, say, a school in the Deep South, she might have chosen her words more carefully. (Click here to read Morgan's essay.)

Rule #7: Don't Be Afraid to Show You're Not Perfect

Abigail Hook was applying to Harvard—the one school you don't want to tilt your hand near. And yet she chose to write her essay about giving up on ballet, rather than persevering once she'd tired of it. "It's OK to let down your guard, not be safe and sanitized," says Poch. "It can allow us to relate to you as a real human being. (Click here to read Abigail's essay.)

Nawal Traish
Brown University
Class of 2013

One glance out the window, where palm trees swayed as cars sped by, and I could have been at LAX. But when my gaze shifted to meet that of Muammar al Gadhafi behind his signature aviator sunglasses, I knew I was more than a few smoggy miles from Tinseltown. The larger-than-life portrait of the Libyan dictator sent chills down my spine, and I almost didn’t hear my older sister telling me to follow her through the customs line in her broken Arabic. Fumbling for a safety pin, I quickly converted my neck scarf into a traditional headscarf, unaware that my views on diversity would soon undergo a similar transformation as I assimilated into Libyan culture for two weeks.

It was my first time entering the country my father fled thirty years before due to political upheaval involving the man staring at me from the wall, and while I had met my paternal relatives as a child, I was apprehensive about doing so in their own country now that I had matured into a very American teenage girl. My siblings and I were raised as Muslims, but we adhere selectively to the various practices—fasting during Ramadan but not praying five times a day, attending the mosque but not covering our heads in public, and I sometimes feel guilty about wanting to handpick from both worlds—an American lifestyle but Islamic beliefs—because they are often seen as irreconcilable.

From the moment we touched down on Libyan sand, I saw that others didn’t have the same luxury of separating lifestyle from beliefs if they so wished. The call to prayer every morning at 4:30 left me sleep-deprived but more in awe at the homogeneity of the country’s devotion; the haunting Arabic wail penetrated the pre-dawn sky from minarets at every corner the same way McDonald’s jingles infiltrate American living rooms. The Mediterranean heat was oppressive under long-sleeve shirts and pants in early August, when I’m used to wearing shorts and T-shirts, but the fact that everyone else was donning the same conservative dress made me feel like I was part of something larger than myself and more important than the latest Pac-Sun fashions. However, as I constantly adjusted my head cover, I seriously questioned the rationale behind some of the cultural and religious practices I witnessed. I deeply admired the connection to their religion that my relatives showed, stopping to prostrate in prayer even at the beach, but also wondered whether the internal belief of five million Libyans could possibly be as parallel as their outward expressions of it.

Being in Libya impressed upon me that it is often such circumstantial, unchosen factors as place of birth that largely determine the paradigms by which we live our lives. As much as I enjoyed the exotic experience of being in North Africa and the not-so-exotic experience of reconnecting with my family, my time in Libya paradoxically strengthened the latter half of my Arab-American identity. I had taken for granted the fact that we are free to practice Islam the way we want here in the U.S. next to neighbors lighting menorahs and friends who are atheists, and upon my return to Boston I found myself immediately appreciating this diversity at a new level, starting with the group of strangers with whom we waited at baggage claim. We all shared frustration and eyes peeled for our suitcases, but fortunately, not much else. As I pursue my passions of philosophy and theology as an undergraduate, I will approach with a more open mind the vast array of angles from which people view the world now that I have experienced life in a country so different from the one I call home, yet one that has inevitably shaped my own perspectives as I’ve grown up.

Hallie Jordan
Rice University
Class of 2012

Standing on the second floor hall of my high school, I watch my fellow students swarm into the campus as the bell rings for the passing period. Leaning against the railing, observing, I reflect on how my life might be different had I chosen to attend a different high school. The scene below me feels like a little slice of the real world. A couple walks by and my ear quickly notices that they speak in Korean. I spot my Ethiopian friend Ike, almost dancing, as he moves through the crowd on the floor below me; his real name is so long no one can pronounce it. Later, my best friend will present me with some homemade Mexican Christmas ponche full of sugarcane to chew on. I reluctantly stop people watching and proceed to class. It always nice to stop and imagine all the different cultures and backgrounds can be found at my small school of barely 2,000 people. Everyone, I have realized, has their own distinct way of life defined by various situations from trying to succeed as a first generation immigrant to working to help their family make ends meet each month. There is nothing sheltered about Spring Woods High School.

Unlike many of my friends, I am a “privileged child.” I was born an American citizen. My parents have steady jobs. I live in a neighborhood zoned, if only barely, to a school called Memorial High School—the shiny, rich abundant school of the district. From my early childhood my parents had planned on me attending this high school, as supposedly it provides one of the best public school educations in Houston. At the end of 8th grade, a pivotal moment presented itself: I had to decide between the touted Memorial High School with all its benefits and clout or the “ghetto” Spring Woods where most of my closest friends were going. After much debate I finally settled on Spring Woods. Coming from a very small charter middle school, high school was rather shocking. I did not like it, and I blamed my unhappiness on my school—I thought I had made the “wrong decision.” At the beginning of the second semester, I choose to switch to the school I was supposed to go to—feeling that I would receive a “better” education.

On my first day I was astounded by the other kids. They all looked and acted alike. Almost all had the same clothing, hair styles, necklaces, flip-flops and backpacks with their names monographed on them. Nearly all of them also had iPods, this was almost four years ago when it was not so common to see iPods everywhere. I was amazed at how they treated their iPods so carelessly, when I have a friend who carefully saved her lunch money for months just to be able to buy one. Needless to say, she is very protective of it. Sitting in the cafeteria, I felt like I was back in fifth grade. Everyone brought nice neat little lunches, packet perfectly in expensive lunch boxes. Mothers stood at the lunch line selling cookies to raise money for various organizations, as stay at home moms they had nothing else to do with their time. Buying a school lunch, I found, was something only the “reject” kids did. I lasted only a week at this place. Suddenly I missed everything from Spring Woods, even its “ghetto” identity. I missed the teachers who taught about ideas instead of forcing us to merely memorize. I missed the general accepting feeling that comes from such a heterogeneous mixture of people. There are no “reject” kids at Spring Woods. I could now see that though.

Isabel Polon
Yale
Class of 2011

In kindergarten, I was the only kid who knew milk didn’t originate in the supermarket. This I attribute to my time at Emandal, a family-run farm that has opened its gates each summer since 1908 to those seeking an alternative vacation.

For the past 13 years my family has made the pilgrimage to Willits, California, to spend the second week of August at Emandal. What inspires a family to spend their hard-earned cash picking vegetables or milking cows while residing in prehistoric cabins without indoor plumbing? Well, only at Emandal can I husk corn at 5 p.m. to find it steaming on the dinner table at 6:30. Nowhere else do 13-year-old boys agree to square dance with their mothers or take the time to realize the solitude in knitting. It’s the only place where the national college debate champion enjoys the company of his oldest friend, a videogame-dependent junior college student who subsists on red meat, Coca-Cola and Red Vines. It’s where Berkeley yuppies and working class Oaklanders bake Snickerdoddles while discussing who’s gotten pregnant or divorced since last summer. At Emandal there are no social boundaries, no class distinctions. Any cabin’s the same as the one next-door.

It’s the satisfaction I came to associate with Emandal’s hands-on reality that inspired me to mark “agriculture” as my freshman PSAT preferred major. Following months of bombardment with pamphlets from Iowa State, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t going to “live off the land.” Without a local bookstore, Pad-Thai or a Richard Serra installation, my life would definitely be lacking some favored flourishes. But even in LA, Emandal has developed into a sort of Jiminy Cricket I interplay with daily. At Emandal, if there’s extra milk we drink hot chocolate. If fried chicken remains from dinner last night, you can count on it mysteriously resurfacing as Chicken Curry at lunch.

My boyfriend refers to me as “the doggy-bag-date.” I print rough drafts on the reverse side of harp music from last year’s winter concert. When my mother threatened to give away my baby clothes, I cut them up and made my sister a quilt for her birthday. Emandal’s compost lifestyle has caused me to realize creative forms of recycling beyond cans and cereal boxes, and embrace resourcefulness in every pursuit.

But the best part of Emandal is the food. With fresh bread at every meal, heirloom tomatoes the size of my head, hand-cranked ice cream over pie made from Emandal’s wild blackberries, no one refrains from unbuttoning their pants after dinner. But it’s the ideology behind the menu that makes it all the more appealing: the tangible connection with the food you eat. Long before the farmer’s market fad, my family went religiously each Saturday. We exchange CDs with Joel the carrot guy and the Japanese greens lady saves us the last bag of cucumbers. It’s a unique satisfaction and an exceedingly rare connection to be able to shake the hand of the person who grows your food, and in effect, “grew you”.

In my 13th year, when I had reached the stage where crucifixion was preferable to being seen with my parents, they asked whether I still wanted to go to Emandal. Thank goodness something inside of me was still smart enough to say yes. For it is there I have deduced what’s essential to harmonious living with our earth and all kinds of folks, erudition I can attribute only to Emandal.

Hannah Edwards
UC-Berkeley
Class of 2013

“Beautiful. B to the back, b to the back. So b first. beautiful. Next, it’s that French thing. Gosh ... Uea, no e … a … u. Eau. So beau. Beautiful. Ti. That’s easy. Beauti. Beautiful. Full. No not full: ful. They chop that l off, so b-eau-ti-ful.”

I’ve just spent 30 seconds agonizing over how to spell one of the more basic words in the English language and a good part of that time trying to remember how to write the letter b. That sequence is partially a flash back to a fourth grade spelling test, but honestly, it’s a thought process I will have to go through about a hundred times this year with equally basic words because I am, and always will be, dyslexic.

I have never been able to spell, but it wasn’t until 4th grade that I found out the, ironically hard to spell, word for my condition. When everyone did realize what was going on and why it was that I got Cs in spelling, I was packed off to resource room (i.e. Special Ed) to learn how to write pretty.

At first I liked it. Resource room gave me an excuse not to do well in spelling, and it let me spend class time doing silly spelling exercises. It let me avoid my problem and at the same time pretend I was doing something to correct it, but in all honesty it was just a waste of time. I didn’t want to recognize its futility at first, but eventually I couldn’t ignore it and had to come to terms with the fact that resource room was aspirin for a broken arm: It made things seem a bit better, but it did nothing to fix the problem. When I came to terms with this I convinced my mother to take me out of resource room and that I could take responsibility for my own problem, and that is exactly what I did, and have done ever since.

I was freed from resource room on the condition that I get A's on every other spelling test that year, which I did. Since then I have realized that I can never allow myself to live life in a metaphorical resource room. I must take accountability and responsibility for myself, and not accept special treatment where there is anyway I can avoid it. This philosophy was tested last year when I was signing up for the SAT.

My mother was handing over her credit card when she asked me if I thought extra time would be useful on the SAT.

“Well, yeah,” I said smiling as I took her credit card, “that essay is insane, 25 minutes makes for some nasty results.”

“Why don’t you apply to get some extra time? If it will help you should,” she suggested, “you’re eligible.”

“No. It’s an artificial compensation that would only last as long as schools are forced to provide it; the real world can’t make those kind of concessions so I can’t take that crutch.”

My mother offered no resistance to my stance and I typed in her AmEx number while I reflected on the implications of my denial. I have spent a lot of time agonizing over how to spell the simplest words, and I doubt anyone has quite attained my level of red underlines in a word document, but that just means checking the dictionary and an age spent poring over SpellCheck. I have never taken extra time or other benefits on standardized tests and I never will, because that is not how I want to succeed. I want to sink or swim on my own and not use water wings to get through the world. I don’t want to do well for someone with dyslexia; I want to do well period. At this point my inability to spell is more of a punchline to my friends’ jokes than a disability and I am determined to keep it that way, because I have worked too hard to let something so trivial in the grand scheme define me.

Rahul Kishore
Cornell University
Class of 2012

Complexity. Life is complex all the way down to the atomic level. Organ systems comprised of bits of tissue, formed by cells, made up of organelles, formed by carbon compounds. Throughout high school, I have been fascinated by the complexity of life. The relationships between micro organism and macro organism, and how nature, by trial and error, has created structures that allow us to hear, feel, and see.

My freshman biology teacher inspired me to think of the human body not simply as a single structure, but rather the mesh of different systems, working together to produce life. The human body, I realized, is beautiful in its complexity and cohesiveness. An organism was no longer just an animal, it was a complex machine comprised of millions of parts. I saw vivid pictures of organ systems neatly packed into organisms to meet their function.

I pursued my passion for science outside of textbooks. I shadowed the chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, standing next to him as he performed a triple bypass. Most of the operating room was consumed by the heart and lung machine, a device designed to replace the body’s own heart and lungs during a surgery while both organs are temporarily shut down. The machine is infinitely larger than the actual organs, giving me a greater appreciation for how much each organ is expected to do. Since my experience in the operating room, I have volunteered at Stanford University Medical Center. During my first summer, a pathologist showed me a seemingly empty petri dish, swabbed it with a QTip and made a slide and put it under the microscope. The images I saw were amazing—thousands of microscopic organisms, moving together in large colonies. I realized that life could be as simple and small as a bacterium or as large and complex as a human being.

“Any Person, Any Study” is what I have been told by alumni from Cornell. The famous quote by Erza Cornell best describes the opportunities that Cornell provides. But for me, “Any Person, Any Study” means something very different. Cornell University has a long academic tradition of teaching the young and hopeful minds of a new generation the beauty of education. Cornell graduates question, they analyze, they comprehend.

Cornell for me is something more than just a university or an opportunity to further my understanding of Biology. Cornell is an opportunity to realize truths about the world, and about every field of learning. I see Cornell as a chance to expand the horizons of my thought, to think about the world as a bigger place, to think about its problems in a logical way, and see life as an opportunity to understand the world around us. A Cornell education provides a basis in many things, the ability to draw conclusions from Locke, Kant, or Smith, and use these ideas in conjunction with an in depth knowledge of one topic to excel in a field. Cornell will provide me the opportunity to understand Biology in an uncommon way. Cornell is a place to discover a new way of thinking, and also a place to find passion for a study. I want to learn about Biology beyond a textbook. I want to make those discoveries at Cornell.

Morgan Doff
Reed College
Class of 2010

“Morgan, say it slower and pronounce each word.”

I breathed deeply and began again. “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, / Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch, / If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you . . .”

When I was 6 years old, I had a slight speech impediment that made me far too shy to read aloud in front of my peers. My father immediately decided the only way for me to overcome my fear would be to practice reading out loud. Every day, my father and I sat together, and I read to him. After a few days of children’s books, my father—sick of listening to fairytales—gave me a book of poems. I read Kipling’s “If” over and over to him, and it become my favorite poem. I was incredibly grateful to him for not only helping me to overcome my fear of public reading but also for instilling in me a love of reading and words.

This love was consuming and when I was 12, I saw another child wearing a bracelet that read, “WWJD.” Excited, I asked if it referred in some way to JD Salinger, and if so, did the bracelet pertain to one character in particular? Maybe Holden? Franny? The other child just looked at me baffled and said, “It means, ‘What Would Jesus Do.’” I turned away sheepishly, as apparently my knowledge of literature had surpassed my awareness of religious catchphrases.

However, occurrences like these didn’t deter me from a zealous approach to reading. The more I learned to appreciate the beauty in a beginning, middle, and end of a story, the more I felt a desire to create my own. Now, I’m a storyteller—a far departure from my days of near silence. I like to play with words. I love knowing that everyone is listening to my story. In my writing, I’m honest; I don’t hide anything; I don’t want it to be guarded. I want my stories to demonstrate imperfection, because I believe it makes my writing more realistic. When I read words with a similarly imperfect tone, I feel comforted, knowing that someone else has felt the same way I have.

In my writing, I strive to infuse another kind of comfort as well—the reassuring feeling that comes when someone overhears what you are saying and agrees with you. I was once in a hotel elevator in France, complaining to my sister about how I had gotten lost earlier that day, and recounting wandering aimlessly in Paris and not speaking the native language. I was shocked when suddenly, a beautiful woman on the elevator said, “Pas le bien-aimé d’inquiétude, je me suis perdu une fois dans Amérique, je sais la sensation.”

I began to cry, because I knew she was trying to be helpful, and at the sight of my tears, the woman quickly said in perfect English, “Don’t worry sweetheart, I once got lost in America. I know the feeling.” To this day, I still clearly remember the feeling of relief that the stranger’s words gave me. I knew that I wasn’t the only person to ever feel overwhelmed in a foreign place or situation. I strive to capture that feeling—the soothing sense of comfort that the stranger gave me—in my writing.

I still sit and read aloud to my father. We sit on the same burgundy velvet sofa, my father on the left, and I as close to him as possible. The only differences are that now, he complains that I’m “too big to sit on his lap,” and that we no longer read fairytales or Kipling, but my stories instead.

Abigail Hook
Harvard University Class of 2013

This past summer I was poised to jump. I was sure. I had convinced not only myself, but everyone around me that I was done. Come end of summer, I would pack away hundreds of pointe shoes in dejected cardboard boxes and they would instantly transform into unwanted memorabilia, identified only by a careless scrawl of Sharpie. My sweat and dedication were to be laid aside. I was through with pain, through with foot surgeries and obsessions and disappointments, and saying goodbye to a lifelong pursuit of ballet would be no exception. After the usual last six weeks of intensive summer training, my adieus were to be quick and painless; I would make sure of it.

And then Serenade happened to me.

Having made up my mind, I loyally warded off anything that might jeopardize my decision. My usual passion and enthusiastic spark were gone, replaced by a deep longing to understand why exactly I had ever fallen in love with this painful profession and an intense need for stability when my world was moving out from beneath my sore feet. Serenade took the remains of me, a frustrated and tired dancer whose only instinct was to fight, and gently illuminated the silver lining in my painful disaster.

My first exposure to the piece came from the splintery wood cabinet in the corner of the studio. I never liked using the sound system. Growing up in an intensely musical family who preferred to sing the nightly prayer, recordings frustrated me. Tonight the ribbons on my pointe shoes were as frayed as my sanity, and I was trying desperately to get motivated. Ballet had taught me from an early age that pain is only in the mind, and motivation is only a matter of psychological tricks. This ideology was working well for me, until I heard it. My sense of stoicism was instantly shattered. Something was amiss. I had witnessed my fair share of beautiful music and never cried. Yet Serenade for Strings in C Major sounded nothing like the Nutcracker or Swan Lake. The music was weeping and soaring and tired and energetic and everything, everything I was feeling. And that made all the difference. Serenade reminded me that beauty existed in the “why” of my pursuit of perfection; why I had done this—this crazy-overworked dream of a thing—and why I knew I would treasure it for the rest of my life.

Then I started dancing. George Balanchine somehow has captured the ephemeral, tragic side of beauty that Serenade sang of and transformed it into living art, and for a few weeks, I was his medium. For the first time I could remember I was looking forward to rehearsal at the end of eight-hour days; to those first few measures of music in which 17 girls simply stood, each hand raised to heaven, eyes searching through divine stratosphere, their light blue tulle—angelic. As the curtain rose opening night, the audience let out a murmur—a subtle appreciation for beauty in the raw. For weeks afterward I would enthusiastically lend my iPod to friends, brightly anticipating that they too would experience a revelation. I was mildly disappointed. For the most part they would smile sympathetically and say, “Oh yes, isn’t it beautiful?” and move on.

But then I realized, amidst my confusion, that the reassurance, the hope that I hadn’t just wasted my childhood, was something I so uniquely needed. Yes the music and choreography were genius, but Serenade’s magic lay in the ability it had to nudge me from frustrated to appreciative, from grief to celebration.

Perhaps Balanchine had seen this doubt, this questioning in a student before. Or perhaps this is how art works: One will never understand the power it has for the individual but not his neighbor, for the dancer but not the audience member, for the mother but not the daughter. I do know the experience of becoming that music—what seemed my story this summer—was paramount in my understanding of the person ballet has made me, and even when it came time to hang up my pointe shoes in exchange for a college education, Serenade reminded me of the power of pursuing a dream and the gifts that come with saying goodbye.



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5、也談上名校的經驗


來源: dudaan 於 06-03-28 09:32:43 [檔案] [博客] [舊帖] [轉至博客] [給我悄悄話]

這兩天看了不少關於上名校的帖子。自從我兒子被哈佛和MIT同時錄取以後,幾年來不少周圍的朋友來問“經驗”。我指點過四個孩子及其家長,後來這四個孩子分別上了哈佛、MIT、達特茅斯、威廉姆斯,夠牛的吧?我覺得RespectYou的帖子說得很好,隻想做點兒補充。

第一,美國也有重點高中。
名 校的招生負責人員每個人負責一個地區,重點當然放在這個地區的好的高中上,不一定是私立的。加州的一個學校同一屆有八個學生進MIT,麻州的一個學校每年 有二十左右學生進哈佛。這兩個學校都是公校。這些學校實際上就相當於中國的重點學校。當然,為了照顧麵兒,也得從非重點錄取幾個。

第二,名校優先錄取什麽樣的學生?
這 是一位名校的招生負責人親口對我說的。第一優先:在國際獲全國重大比賽獲獎或者有類似優異成績的高中生。隻要符合這個條件,別的方麵根本就不用管了。第二 優先:在州一級的不同領域的比賽中名列前茅,在不同的方麵都顯示出特殊才能的學生。這類學生在錄取的時候要考慮平常的成績。完了以後才是學習成績好同時積 極參加各種文體活動的比較全麵的學生。

來源: dudaan 於 06-03-28 09:33:45 [檔案] [博客] [舊帖] [轉至博客] [給我悄悄話]

接 著說。我有個例子可以說明上麵那位女士說的的確有道理。2005年中國中央電視台邀請了美國十二位總統獎獲得者和中國優秀高中生對話,拍攝時我在場,有十 位在北京學中文的哈佛學生去看熱鬧。中央台節目製作人把得總統獎的美國高中生奉為神明,問哈佛學生你們有沒有得過總統獎的?結果,有三個人得過,另外有一 個人得過英王獎,是從著名的伊頓公校來的,一個人得過英特獎,兩個人得過一個我不太熟悉的全國性大獎,據說不比總統獎差,還有兩個人分別參加過鋼琴和小提 琴的國際大賽。可以這樣說,在哈佛隨便找幾個學生一定發現得過全國性大獎的。
(未完待續)


來源: dudaan 於 06-03-28 09:34:23 [檔案] [博客] [舊帖] [轉至博客] [給我悄悄話]

第三,千人一麵?
這是另一位在名校招生辦公室工作的人對我說的。他給華裔的申請人畫了一張像:
學習成績特別好,GPA非常高。
SAT滿分或者接近滿分。
數學呱呱叫。
英文也很好,但是常常缺乏自己的風格,創造力和幽默感。
特長:鋼琴或者小提琴
體育:有一些參與但很難拿到名次。
政治:比較冷漠。
這張畫像值得深思,如果能突破就不一樣了。
(未完待續,得上班了,晚上再接著說)



來源: dudaan 於 06-03-28 09:35:20 [檔案] [博客] [舊帖] [轉至博客] [給我悄悄話]

抓功夫再寫幾句。對不起剛才寫了些錯字。應該是國際或全國,結果寫成國際獲全國了。
第 四,不可忽視麵試。一些名校要請校友跟申請人麵談,這個環節非常重要。考你的口頭溝通能力,應變能力,幽默感等等。我聽過一個故事,某私立高中成績第一的 學生同時也是足球隊長和校報主編,非常突出(不是華裔)。西部一所一流大學為了搶人竟給她買了機票去加州麵試。一般來說這就等於是要你了。但是結果沒要 她,東部幾個大學也不要。肯定是麵談出問題了。我猜測(隻是猜)這個女孩太狂了。華裔學生正好相反,太害羞。得好好準備好好訓練。



第五,入校作文
中 國高考作文要當堂寫,美國卻可以長時間準備。聽說有弄虛作假的,找高手代筆,這是萬萬使不得的。這篇文章除了看英文的駕馭能力外,還要看出你的個性,你的 心態等等,一定要讓孩子自己寫,連找人修改都不行,隻能提出修改的意見,再讓孩子自己改,寫出真實的自我。文章必須有趣,因為看文章的人一天看好多篇,看 著看著就要睡著了,你的文章得讓他眼睛一亮,津津有味地看下去。千萬別寫什麽“我為什麽喜歡學習”之類的東西。有個被哈佛錄取的華裔學生寫的是小時候和一 隻公雞打架的故事,一些非華裔學生寫的就更離奇了。



來源: dudaan 於 06-03-28 09:36:57 [檔案] [博客] [舊帖] [轉至博客] [給我悄悄話]

感 謝大家的鼓勵,最後一個問題也是最重要的就是,家長再怎麽著急也沒用,得靠孩子自己。培養孩子的信心非常重要,告訴他們上名校並非高不可攀。不要逼孩子一 天到晚學習(聽說有些”成功“家長為了督促孩子學習家裏連電視都不能有,太荒唐了〕。相反要鼓勵他們參加能產生”亮點“的文體活動和社會活動。孩子想掙 錢,家長立刻製止,說你得好好學習。錯了,應當鼓勵,賺錢好啊,可是與其到麥當勞當服務員不如幹點兒更有意義,錢也掙得多的事情,比方說幫公司編個程,設 計個網頁什麽的。我孩子每個暑假都去掙錢,他也從來沒上過任何SAT補習班或者其他任何補習班,然而他做的所有事情都能讓招生的人眼睛一亮。



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6、申請大學麵試問答大全--針對耶魯,其它學校也可參考
又到申請大學季節,看到家長在問麵試問題,重登此帖,希望對高中畢業生有所幫助,祝大家心想事成!內容偏長,麵麵俱到,好處是E文,可直接轉給孩子看。

Q/A on Yale interview (compiled from College Confidential)


I am a longtime alumni interviewer for Yale. The only information interviewers should (and do in the vast majority of cases) receive is name, hs, address, phone, email, whether you applied EA or RD, whether you interviewed on campus and what you put for your intended major. People seemed to be confused and have questions and I wanted to show the Yale spirit and help out.
Let me try to answer all your question.

1. How important is the interview? Since I'm not on the admissions committee, I can't say for certain. My sense is that a really lousy interview report will cause the admissions officers to look more carefully at your application before accepting you or send you to the reject pile more quickly if you were already tending in that direction. I know of at least one applicant who got in even though his interviewer had a very poor impression of him. If your interviewer loves you, that might verify everything else that's great in your file and be the last nudge you need to be in the admit pile. That being said, lots of applicants with ecstatic reviews don't get in. The interview doesn't make or break you. It is by far the least important part of the application process, but it may be the thing that pushes an applicant over the edge into the reject or admit pile.

2. What does the admissions office get out of an interview report that they don't see on paper? A good interviewer can really read an applicant. There have been lots of applicants who have said in response to my "Why Yale?" question, "Because it's prestigious." When probed, they don't know squat about the school and don't even seem to have read basic literature provided by Yale. You can tell who has genuinely thought about the college and whether it's a good fit. You can also tell whether someone is intellectual. When I ask, "What is your favorite class?" and the student says they like class X because they get good grades in it easily and, upon further questioning, don't reveal any actual academic interest in the subject, that looks bad. Interviewers may also be able to tell what extracurriculars have been inflated or are largely parent-initiated. There are also people who have behave poorly at interviews. I've had a couple of extremely arrogant, entitled students and a couple of people who didn't appear to live on planet earth (don't want to reveal details, but you wouldn't believe them anyway). I don't judge people negatively because they are liberal or conservative, quiet or gregarious, etc. Although I'm sure some people are smart enough to snow me, I think I'm a pretty good judge of character and can add another dimension to the applicant's file.

3. Out of all the people you have interviewed, what is the usual score on the 1-9 scale? How many 8-9's or 1-2's have you had? Interviewers rank students on a scale of 1-9. On Yale's scale, A 5 is for a reasonable interview with neutral result and a 9 is given to a person who is 1 in 100 in the Yale pool. Because of the rankings distinguish between good, really good and exceptional, not all "good" interviews are created equal. Instructions to interviewers note that anything below a 5 automatically raises red flags for admissions officers. I give out mainly 5s and 6s with a scattering of 4s and 7s. I think a 9 is for a once-in-an-interviewing-lifetime candidate. I doubt I've ever given more than a couple of 8s. My bet is that less experienced interviewers give out higher scores. If you interview lots of kids every year over several years, you get a sense of how competitive the applicant pool really is. If you're doing your first couple of interviews, you compare the kids to what it took to get into Yale when you were there, not realistically assessing how much tougher things are today. Because you have to back up your score with a written report, I think the admissions officers can tell where people are being too stingy or too generous.

4. Do you suggest bringing a resume to the interview? I think it's nice to bring a resume so your interviewer can refer back to it when he/she writes your report. Your resume should include extracurricular activities, jobs, academic interests, etc. Interviewers are not supposed to have your GPA and SAT, but not all interviewers know this rule, so it's hard to know whether you should include those. Yale doesn't want interviewers to be swayed by high or low numbers.

5. How should we dress for the interview? I think khakis and a collared shirt are good for boys and a nice pair of pants or skirt with a conservative top for girls. Girls should not wear revealing clothes, especially if the interview takes place in an office. That means no exposed midriffs, no exposed bra straps, no cleavage. It sounds obvious, but it isn't. I think that regardless of where an interview is that you should not be more casual than the equivalent of khakis and a collared shirt. If your interviewer explicitly says, please be casual and feel free to wear jeans, then it's OK. If not, play it safe and dress up a little. Unless your interviewer says to be casual, I'd dress up. As you can see from my comments in this thread and others, dressing up doesn't mean anything really dressy. What you wear shouldn't matter, but you never know how it plays out on a subconscious level and you don't want to be thought of as not taking the interview seriously or, in the case of revealing or otherwise inappropriate clothes, lacking common sense.

6. I have an interview at starbucks. would a collared shirt and khakis be too much? A collared shirt and khakis would not be too much at a Starbucks. What if your interviewer is coming from a meeting and has a suit on? Wouldn't you feel weird in jeans and a t-shirt?

7. Could you give us a few examples of questions you've asked before? From your experience, do you prefer it when the interviewee guides the conversation or just sits back and answers the questions you've pre-selected? Tell me about your most important extracurricular activity. What is your favorite class and why? What are some of your favorite books? I ask really generic, predictable questions and follow up on whatever the student says, so each interview is really different.

I would NOT like it if the interviewee tried to control and direct the interview. It's fine to be confident and to have things that you want to discuss but it's not your place to guide the conversation. Your best bet would be to let the interviewer do his/her thing in the beginning. I ask applicants if there is anything they want to discuss mid-way through the interview, so they can take over and direct things at that point if they want to.

I do discuss pop culture and stuff that isn't traditional interview conversation if the conversation veers that way; I don't think the interview has to be serious.

8. I feel that i would mesh with the people at yale more than Harvard. the only drawback is it's not in Boston? New Haven is not a drawback. Not being in a major city means that the on-campus social life is exceptionally vibrant as opposed to bars and clubs in the city being the social focus.

9. What the interviewer writes in the report? Depends on the interviewer. I try to back up the adjectives I used to describe the applicant--intellectually curious, arrogant, etc--with examples of what they said during the interview. I usually include a sentence or two indicating why the person wants to attend Yale, but I'm sure not everyone does that.

10. I'm sort of uncomfortable with giving my list of schools (I'm applying to 9 others, and it's sort of awkward to just rattle off the whole list), so what should I do if my interviewer asks where else I'm applying? Yale interviewers are told not to ask what other schools you're applying to. I'm not saying some don't ask it anyway, but they're not supposed to. If you do get asked, no need to rattle off the whole list. Your "some other schools in the NE" is probably fine.

11. if someone you interviewed googled you and told you, how would you react and feel? During two interviews it was obvious the applicants had googled me. I thought it was weird. It's fine to google the person so you have a sense of who they are, but letting them know you did it can feel stalker-y.

12. Can you describe an interview write-up? My report all depends on the interview. I comment on the person's personality, their intellectual depth, their engagement in their extracurriculars (not whether they've given me a laundry list but whether they seemed genuinely interested and committed to their ECs), whether they seem to have valid reasons for their interest in Yale, and whatever random stuff came up.

13. What were the most common questions? academic interests, extracurriculars interests, why Yale, then bounce off those answers. Every interviewer is different.

14. What can the interviewee do to bump it up, and what have you seen that bumps it down to 4? First, an interviewers don't have any info from Yale about GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. This means that it's not like the person looks like an 8 on paper and the interview brings him or her down. You may understand this, but I wanted to clarify to make sure.

I can't think of nonobvious ways people hurt themselves. The people who have really killed themselves have been unabashedly arrogant or had bizarre social skills. People who have done zero research (like not knowing about the
residential college system) may not get marked down, but I will note it in my report. Flagrantly inappropriate attire (mainly girls who dress VERY provocatively) may earn a mark down for lacking common sense. One sentence or one word answers to every question are a problem. But that's all obvious stuff, right?You can't be anyone other than who you are in an interview and it's either going to strike a high, low, or middling chord with the interviewer. Here's another one, albeit rare: interviewees who don't even feign interest. Two years ago, I interviewed an accomplished young woman who had gotten likely letters from both Yale and Harvard. It was eminently clear that H was her goal -- I almost asked her why she bothered to take up my time.

15. If asked why Yale, I have a number of reasons, but should I still bother mentioning the common ones? Ex: I LOVE the residential college system, as I like the idea of being an individual and having a larger, communal identity. But, they probably get a million people saying that, so should I still bring it up? Common answers to "Why Yale" are fine. The residential colleges are a huge draw and it makes sense to include them if they excite you.

16. Is it okay to ask for a minute to think? Or would that look poorly upon me that I can't just spit out answers to questions? The interviewer shouldn't ask you very tough questions. It's fine to take a second to collect your thoughts, but I would find it odd if I asked, "Tell me about your favorite extracurricular activity" and the applicant really took a whole minute to formulate a response. The interviewer will lead the interview, probably asking you a series of questions, then asking you if you have questions for him/her. You are not responsible for setting the tone or the pace of the interview. The best thing you can do is to think up one or two questions to ask the interviewer so there isn't the awkward moment when the interviewee has no questions and feels stupid.

17. If my interview lasted only 20 minutes, is this a sign that it didn't go well? It all depends on the interviewer's style. 20 minutes would be a sign of a bad interview with me, but other interviewers may have a shorter list of questions and a more direct style than I do. What's done is done and the interview is by far the least important part of your application. I've had applicants with terrible interviews get in, so it won't kill you if the rest of your package is strong.
___________

Yale Interviewer’s Observations (from CC)
Here is another Yale interviewer's comments from College Confidential.

I interviewed high school seniors for four years on behalf of the Yale Alumni Schools Committee. No applicant need lose a moment's sleep over these interviews. They play a minor part in the Admissions Committee's decisions. If Admissions has its eye on a great soccer player or a talented violinist, a lackluster interview makes no difference. It works both ways: If the interviewer finds that a candidate with lopsided test scores (some very high, some not very) turns out in person to have exceptional charm, insight, imagination and perseverance -- way beyond the average Yale applicant -- it doesn't make much difference to Admissions.

Some factors that do affect your chances, all other things (grades, test scores) being equal:

1. How many kids from your school or your geographic region applied to Yale this year? (The fewer the better for you. Yale makes room for a certain number of Andover grads, for example, but will save room for the corn-fed debating genius from Kansas, the politics and theater geek from Portland and the peripatetic U.S. diplomat's daughter who never attended school on American soil.)

2. How many students with your particular scholarly and/or extra-curricular strengths applied? (Again, the fewer the better for you.).

3. How many kids with your ethnic background applied? (The more under-represented your ethnic group, the better for you.)

4. Are you a recruitment-quality athlete or musician? (If so, your chances skyrocket.)

5. Are your parents eminent in their field? (Also a big boost to your chances.)

As best I could discern, the candidates I interviewed who were eventually accepted had two or more of these factors going for them.




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7、也談名校錄取

Respectyou and Dudaan 的文都提供了很多很有用的information. 同意Dudaan關於公校的觀點,很多公校也是ivy feeder school. 當然總體上公校爭不過私校。曾看到過一篇文章,以 98 到01 四年中學校送到HPY的學生的百分比為準,給高中排了名,印象中前100名中,隻有6所公校,而這六所公校分別排在26,59, 71,以及更後麵 。這篇文章有點老了,且隻給了HPY的數據,若加上SM,恐怕排名會有所變化。有人感興趣,我可把這個排名貼上來 很欣賞Respectyou陪養女兒的方法。Respectyou的女兒上了哈佛,除了她各方麵優異的成就之外,她自身的素質和性格起很大的作用。

每 年報考哈佛的學生中,各方麵出類拔萃的人太多了,為什麽有人上了,有人沒上,我覺得不僅僅是個做沒做義工的問題。名校非常看中學生的素質,品格和性格,他 們所考慮的是,這個學生上了我這個學校是否能成功,他將來走上社會是否能成功。所以他們很在意那些高分阿,獎杯啊後麵的東西,想知道是什麽使這個學生取得 了這麽優異的成績。從學生的essay, interview, recommendation 中,他們能很容易地看到你是什麽樣的人,是聰明的,還是勤奮的,是幽默的,還是boring的。yale管
我們這地區招生的人在給我兒子的信(是 錄取後的另一封信)中寫到:“Your confidence and determination shined through your entire applications!”不知她是否對別人也說了同樣的話,對我兒子而言,她說得太對了,想一想,這兩點正是兒子身上最顯著的特點。每個孩子都有特 點,做父母的就是要觀察孩子的特點,幫助孩子把特點變成成就,在大學申請中把特點自然地真實地表現出來。

Dunaan提到了千麵人的問 題,要想不做千麵人,很難。孩子就是數學好,可又沒好到能參加USMO的程度,怎麽辦?(參加了,又怎樣,照樣會被哈佛,MIT reject)孩子就是愛彈琴,沒有運動才華,怎麽辦?能夠另劈蹊徑很好。就是做千麵人,也不是上不了名校。大家都彈琴,都拿獎,但拿獎跟拿獎是不一樣 的,拿獎後麵的付出是不一樣的,拿獎後的感覺是不一樣的。我想錄取不錄取有時就在這細微的差別。



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8、哈佛 要什麽樣的學生
在 美國,申請大學有一套繁雜的程序,和以標準考試成績定案的亞洲國家有很大不同。美國學生不僅也要考標準考試,還需同時顧好高中在校平均成績、積極參與校內 外活動,與準備無數申請文件等。即使如此,學校的錄取標準對一般人來說仍是個謎。每年許多優秀的學生被理想學校拒於門外,卻不得而知被拒的理由,更多的家 長為孩子的努力感到惋惜,有些則對申請大學的準備方向越來越無所適從。他們想知道,到底名校的錄取標準為何?哪些是他們認為最重要的條件?而什麽樣的申請 者才是他們的理想候選人?

紐約時報日前與哈佛大學合作,開放紐時讀者提出有關申請(哈佛)大學的疑問,由長期擔任哈佛大學招生與財務補助辦公室主任的費茲西蒙斯(William R. Fitzsimmons)負責解答。以下為問答摘要。

入學標準

費 茲西蒙斯開門見山表示,哈佛大學的招生目標就是網羅最優秀的學生。很多人認為「優秀」取決於標準考試成績、在校平均成績與班級排名等,他認為這是合情理的 聯想,實際應用起來也可替學校省去很多麻煩。但他說,哈佛在這些客觀衡量標準之外,同時應用了更為複雜的係統來判斷申請者是否適合哈佛。

費 茲西蒙斯說∶「學生智能上的創作力、人格風範與執行良好判斷的能力,在錄取過程中扮演關鍵角色,這些特質無法從標準測驗的分數看出來,隻能透過學生的課外 活動、老師與輔導老師的推薦信,與他們和校友或職員的麵談中才能得知。」同時,費茲西蒙斯也指出,招生辦公室的成員很明白手上持有的資訊並不完全,因此他 們評量申請者的時候總是非常小心謹慎。他認為,「錄取的決策過程與其說是一種科學,反而更像是一門藝術」。

光是審核申請者條件的過程,就 曆經層層關卡。費茲西蒙斯解釋,審核申請文件的哈佛招生官員通常以地區劃分,負責審核特定地區送交的申請文件。他們會記錄所有資料,聯絡申請者與學校以補 齊不足的部分,並針對申請者的優缺點標注評語。有些申請者最多被四位不同官員審核,每位官員都會查核資料內容是否正確,並提出額外的注解。

此外,由教師組成的招生與財務補助單位中又有一個常務委員會,負責製定與執行招生與財務輔助的相關政策。常務委員會的成員也會審核較具代表性的申請者,例如在學術上有特別突出表現的、藝術方麵展現特別創造力的,或針對招生政策提出疑問。

在 常務委員會製定的大綱下,另一組招生委員會負責作出每位申請者的錄取決策。招生委員會的成員包括常務委員會再加上另外35名左右的招生與財務補助辦公室職 員。作決策時,招生委員會成員依地區分為20個小組,每個小組通常包括四至五名成員,外加一位資深招生官員與一位教師。每個小組也負責約同等數量的申請 者。

當所有申請者的文件都被仔細讀過,而招生委員會小組也開始進行正式審核,地區性的招生官員負責跟小組成員概述每位申請者的優缺點。接 著小組成員便依此討論申請者條件,並采多數表決方式決定是否向上推薦給招生委員會全員。但表決沒過也並不表示申請者全無希望,如果獲得某些成員的大力支 持,仍可能被提出讓其他小組來作比較。

接下來,小組成員便把它們的審核結果提交至全體委員會,任何成員在閱讀或聆聽簡報時,都可提出問 題,或要求重新審查申請者資料。許多申請者都曾在全體委員會中重新被提出審核,而不論是全體委員會或是小組討論,最多花一小時時間討論單獨申請者。小組提 交的所有申請者都會在全體會員會議中提出討論,因此相互之間的比較不受地區限製。

費茲西蒙斯說,哈佛采取這麽嚴謹的比較過程,是希望能深思熟慮並公平的作出決定。雖然整個過程耗費大量人力,但他們因此對最後的決策有很多彈性,甚至到了要寄出通知信函的當天,招生委員會都還有可能臨時改變決定。

在 哈佛看重的申請者條件中,有一項可能會令父母出乎意料。費茲西蒙斯表示,許多哈佛的校友認為,大學裏的同儕在他們的求學經驗中扮演非常重要的角色。哈佛的 學生不隻在課堂上學習,透過與寢室室友的互動、在飯廳、教室、研究小組、課外活動與宿舍中特別活躍的負責人的互動,都是豐富哈佛經驗的要素。換句話說, 「人」可能是哈佛經驗裏最難能可貴的部分。因此當哈佛在找尋理想的候選人時,特別留意那些有潛力成為「教育者」的學生,意即那些能激發同儕或教師新想法的 學生。

費茲西蒙斯表示,許多被哈佛錄取的學生可能在學術或課外活動中擁有不凡的成就,但大多數被錄取的學生傾向多才多藝,他認為在各方麵都投注相當精力,並獲得不等成就的學生,在大學甚至往後人生都更有機會以同樣態度持續取得榮耀。

測驗成績

標準測驗如SAT與ACT的成績,在招生官員的決策中到底占有多少分量?這不隻是華人家長關心的議題,許多美國家長也在這次紐約時報舉辦的問答中提出相同疑問。

費 茲西蒙斯表示,標準測驗成績的確有助哈佛找到理想候選人,但申請者的其他條件,包括高中平均分數、老師的推薦信與學生的個人特質等,也都扮演相當重要的角 色。全國大學入學諮詢協會(NACAC)的委員會曾根據研究資料指出,具有經濟優勢或上嚴格學校的學生,通常會在標準測驗取得比較好的成績。費茲西蒙斯 說,各大學的招生辦公室官員都很清楚這個趨勢,他們也都盡力去衡量出那些沒有先天優勢的學生的學術表現潛力。

若真要排出客觀條件的先後次 序,費茲西蒙斯認為AP tests與International Baccalaureate Exams的成績最具指標性,緊接著是大學理事會的學科測驗,再來是高中的平均成績,最後才看SAT與ACT成績。不過他提醒,SAT與ACT中的寫作測 驗,與大學理事會的學科測驗具有約莫同等的重要性。單SAT成績來說,費茲西蒙斯認為除非分數特別高或特別低,否則50-100分的差異幾乎對決策過程沒 有影響。即使有影響,也會同時與其他好幾種條件放在一起綜合考量。

課外活動

費茲西蒙斯說,哈佛每年錄取約2100名新生,校方期望他們全都具備突出的個人特質,能在大學四年與同學互相影響與學習,並於畢業後在各地發揮正向的影響力。換句話說,哈佛尋求的是「全才」,他們在學業、課外活動與個人特質上都有傑出表現。

不 過費茲西蒙斯提醒,多數學生是全才,但每年錄取的學生當中也有數百名是在學業上取得超乎水準的成就,被哈佛校方視為同輩中最有潛力的學術新星。這些學生都 有非凡的學習精神與求知欲望,並提供學術上實際的成果證明自己勝出同輩的條件。費茲西蒙斯不諱言∶「這些學生通常也有傑出的課外表現,但招生委員會更看重 的可能是他們不凡的學術成就。」

錄取的學生當中,也有另外數百名是在課外活動取得特出表現。費茲西蒙斯表示,這些學生與學術表現特出的學 生一樣,都是因為他們的人格特質促成他們的成就。他們自律學習,對自己感興趣的事物全心投入。這些學生進入大學,可能選擇繼續發展該活動,或選擇別種全新 的愛好,但他們具備的人格特質將持續幫助他們獲得成就,即使出社會也不例外。

有些人可能想知道,課外活動涵蓋範圍很廣,到底哪些「課外活 動」才算數?費茲西蒙斯說,事實上,哈佛對學生從事的任何活動都會感興趣。除了一般學校的課外活動或運動項目外,也可以是學生全心投入社區、工作或是家庭 的任何經驗。他舉例,像許多學生花很多時間幫忙照顧家庭成員,或需要靠打工方式幫父母維持家計;也有很多學生負擔不起昂貴的才藝費用,因此無法學習任何樂 器,或參加運動社團等。當招生委員會審核申請文件時,都會把這些因素考量在內,他們更關心的,是學生如何有效運用他們既有的資源。

「課外活動不需要是很異國情調的項目,大部分也都不是那樣的,活動的實質內容才是我們看重的東西。」費茲西蒙斯相信,每天都充分利用機會的學生,到了大學也還是一樣會這麽做,不論從事學術或課外活動,同樣道理都完全適用。
財務補助

哈佛大學與其他私立名校是許多人的理想目標,但昂貴的學費也讓不少家長憂心,尤其是中產家庭收入水準不容易得到足夠補助金,支付學雜費讓他們感到特別吃力。

對 此問題,費茲西蒙斯強調∶「前途無量的學生絕不應讓財務困難阻礙他們選擇就讀理想學校。」他表示,哈佛的財務補助(Financial Aid)政策在這幾年來作了很多改變,不斷致力讓各個經濟階層的家庭都能負擔得起哈佛教育。單就今年而言,大學部的財務補助計畫就高達1億4500萬元, 是哈佛有史以來最寬裕的補助計畫額度。跟去年相比,該額度增加7%;跟十年前相比,更整整增加了1.67倍。

費茲西蒙斯說,哈佛僅依學生 的家庭收入提撥財務補助,他們申請財務補助並不會影響被錄取的機會。依哈佛大學目前的補助金計算方式,收入介於12萬與18萬元的家庭,隻需拿出10%的 收入支付學費;收入12萬元以下的家庭,學費支出則從收入10%開始遞減,收入越低,應付的學費就越少。費茲西蒙斯舉例,收入15萬左右的家庭,每年隻需 花1萬5000元左右支付一個孩子讀哈佛的學費。收入6萬元或以下的家庭則學費全免。

除此之外,哈佛也提供學生貸款,但通常校方在計算學生的財務補助方案時,都盡量避免讓學生負擔債務,如真有需要,透過要求校方仍會提供。同時依照哈佛最新的政策,房屋的淨值已不被計入家庭的付款能力,這項改變平均一年為家庭省下約4000元學費。

老師推薦信

費 茲西蒙斯說,推薦信對於哈佛或其他高度競爭的學校來說,絕對在審核過程中具有相當重要的分量。透過推薦信函,委員會成員才能逐漸拚湊出學生在客觀條件之外 如人格、領導力、求知欲、創造力與對學習的熱忱等個人特質。再加上申請論文、麵談與其他申請程序,推薦信能讓委員會成員看到申請者在大學或未來發揮個人影 響力的潛力。

不過費茲西蒙斯也指出,美國高中內的升學輔導老師比例分配極度不均,許多資源較少的地區,老師也往往需應付數目龐大的學生,使他們很難有時間真正去熟悉每位學生,自然影響到推薦信的說服力。

當 學生缺乏輔導老師的推薦信,或推薦信函提供的資訊不足,委員會便轉而依賴其他的客觀資訊作衡量。如果校方需要更多資訊來協助決策判斷,他們會聯係輔導老 師,或請學生要求老師提供更多說明。在最糟的情況下,輔導老師與老師皆對學生不夠了解,無法提供有力的說明,費茲西蒙斯建議,學生依然應該取得他們的推薦 信,但同時可尋求其他足夠了解自己的人協助,例如課外活動的指導者、打工的雇主、社區組織的領導人,或教會牧師等。如果學校的推薦信已足夠提供有力資訊, 他不建議學生再送交太多額外的推薦信函。「額外的推薦信是否發揮作用,跟撰寫者的職業或地位無關,而是取決於他對你的了解程度。」

費茲西 蒙斯說,他們近年來讀過最棒的推薦信,是由一所學校的管理員寫的。該校的老師與輔導老師工作量超過負荷,而管理員的這封推薦信恰好彌補了他們沒有照顧到的 內容。這名學生參加學校的工作計劃,必須在大夥兒都疲憊的課後時間,處於相當艱難的環境下完成工作事項。管理員於信中說明學生的作為讓他周遭的人都變得更 好,跟學生的其他申請文件內容吻合。日後學生進了哈佛,也的確在校內發揮很多正麵的影響力,畢業至今,費茲西蒙斯說他的作為始終與當初推薦信函裏描述的人 格特質相互吻合。

申請論文

論文寫作在申請決策中的重要性,多數人都不置可否。但不少人提出質疑,在學生撰寫論文的過程中,家長應提供多少幫助?

費 茲西蒙斯說,很顯然的,現在許多學生可能早從中學就開始準備申請大學的論文寫作,他們與長輩一同草擬有助提升自我條件的各種經曆,然後花上一年或更多的時 間依靠他人的協助修飾論文。有些人則透過網路或專門整理知名論文的刊物,剽竊他人著作的論文;另一些人則乾脆花錢請槍手幫忙從頭撰寫申請論文。

費 茲西蒙斯表示,他們每年都讀到許多寫的很棒的論文,也經常將論文投影到大螢幕上好讓全體委員會成員都能看個仔細。如果某篇論文寫的特別突出,他們會請委員 會中的一位教師成員評估該篇文章,或其他寫作文本例如短篇故事與詩篇等。判斷論文的原創性時,他們會將之與學生的成績單、推薦信裏的內容、學術上的特殊成 就,或甚至與學生SAT或ACT考試裏的寫作部分互相比較。

簡而言之,費茲西蒙斯說,他們找尋的是學生的「一致性」。「如果學生的論文寫的很精采,其他申請條件則遠遠不及,不可能因此被錄取。」

他 表示,學生在高中時每天辛苦得來的成果,才是更吸引學校的地方。不過論文寫作給學生一個好機會,讓他們闡述自己所重視的事物,這可能他們無法藉由其他申請 文件表達的東西。費茲西蒙斯說,常會有人建議學生在申請文章中「找到自己的聲音」,或是「做自己」,他認為這的確是一個中肯的建議。

不少 刊物或網站專門搜集申請大學的論文範本,宣稱這些範本可讓學生被校方錄取。但大學的錄取過程本身有太多變數,因果關係很難搞清楚。這些範本來源通常鼓勵學 生寫一些比較容易被注意到的題目,使他們在撰寫文章時反而忽略對自己來說真正重要的事物。有時學生寫的「太超過」,或者搔不到癢處,也因此失去讓招生委員 會更深入認識他們的好機會。

費茲西蒙斯說,撰寫申請論文時,是沒有任何「正確答案」的,而且論文本身也隻是申請程序的其中一項文件而已。他建議學生應充分利用每個能增進自我與學術上成長的機會,麵對大學的申請程序不需太刻意迎合。

公校還是私校?

為了幫孩子擠進私立名校的窄門,許多家長考量是否送孩子就讀私立高中,會在申請過程中具有較多優勢,他們因此在財務或是其他方麵作出很多犧牲;有些則為了讓孩子上名聲響亮的公立學校,不惜忍受辛苦的通勤;更有些則乾脆支出大筆家用預算好與明星公立學校比鄰而居。

費 茲西蒙斯說,每年都有許多家長問他∶是否有哪種類型的高中特別受哈佛青睞?哪種學校能提供孩子申請名校最好的基礎?麵對第一個問題,費茲西蒙斯很直接的否 決。他說,哈佛要招收的是學生,不是學校,因此不論哪種學校出身,都不會在申請過程中具有特殊優勢。哈佛更關切的事情,是學生能否充分利用周遭的教育資 源。因為不論身處什麽樣的求學環境,唯有會這麽做的學生,才有可能在大學中也持續將哈佛資源作最有效的利用。

費茲西蒙斯表示,在前幾個世 代中,哈佛與其他同類型大學的學生的確多半出身私校;今年9月份,哈佛新鮮人中則約有七成來自公立高中。他說,其實私立高中與私立大學的運作方法雷同,他 們籌措可觀的經費作為財務補助,並積極的招募來自各個經濟階層的優秀學生。基於房地產價格的波動,當今私立高中的學生背景分布已跟從前大不相同,許多社區 裏的私立學校比起當地公立高中,可能在學生的經濟背景分布上還更多元。

費茲西蒙斯認為,不論公立或私立,都有許多好學校。父母想幫孩子找 到最適合他們的教育環境,關鍵跟選擇大學很相似,即視孩子跟哪所學校最相配而定。他表示,每個孩子的成長步調都非常不同,一體適用是最糟糕的解決方式。即 使是同一個孩子,也可能在不同年齡適合不同學校的教學步調。

不過費茲西蒙斯也指出,基於各種原因,許多不同年齡層的傑出學生經常聚集在某 所學校。而當該所學校的許多學生進了頂尖大學,到底是因為這些學校的教育品質很高,還是因為他們的學生素質本來就特別突出?同樣的問題其實也適用在哈佛身 上。他說,家長仍應了解,哈佛與其他高等教育機構並不特別偏好這些學校的學生,他們要的是來自各地的傑出學生。

不論父母最終選擇為何,他 們為孩子的教育作出諸多犧牲,值不值得總是很難定論。有些父母對成果感到滿意,有些則不那麽確定。最終,費茲西蒙斯認為還是看學生自己在人生每個階段如何 追求自我發展,才是最重要的事情。畢竟,條條大路都能完成美國夢,而任何種類的學校教育也都有機會達到相同目的。



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9、謝謝大家對我的關於申請材料組織和整理的4點建議的討論。我打字較慢,有些事沒說清楚。現在再補充說明一下。

1.Coufused2010 並沒有說她女兒那些SAT2的分數是幾門或者考了幾次,我是假設她考了很多門給的建議。SAT1是一定要填考了幾次,而SAT2就隻要填最好的成績那次。 而且,考了四五門SAT2,但最少要報3門,那就把考分低的那兩門不要報,也省了你的費用。如果你已經在考試時填送了三個學校,那這3個學校就沒辦法了, 一定填報了。所以,我女兒當年一共考了四門SAT2, 我沒讓她填送任何學校,就怕萬一考不好,那些學校會有記錄。她填報名表時SAT2就寫了三門,把西班牙語扔掉了(分數也低才740),同時也跟她報的專業 關係不大。

2.Essay的重要性很多人都不知道,或知道了也不肯說。正像上麵分享孩子進耶魯的經驗的mikewu網友說的:『我還想強 調一下上麵的一個要點:一定要清楚地show:我是什麽人(who am I),我為什麽要become this kind of person, and the process of the change (no one believes that your D was born to be a super girl). That's why, a good essay is very personal. Usually, children do not like to share it with others, even parents.After my S being accepted by several top schools, the high school asked him to provide some advices to next year students, he summarized: do your best, be yourself.每個學校隻要 the most fitted, not "the best".』

正是因為很少有人特 別是中國家長知道或願意分享這點,所以凡是好朋友問我孩子應如何申請學校時,我都反複強調Essay的重要性和如何寫好Essay。舉一個前些年的例子, 有個朋友的孩子在學校的成績排名在30多名,SAT I是2230分,大多數SAT2都在750左右。她得獎很多,但都是地區小獎,隻有寫作很好,曾得過地區大獎。看了她的材料,我不認為寫作是她的亮點,寫 作隻是她的強項。她的亮點應該是在法院做義工很長時間,還當了義工組長。我建議她Essay時就寫這個經曆和感受,當然我還給了關於如何準備申請材料的一 些其他建議。後來,她和她父母都花了很多時間在申請材料的準備上,結果她被MIT錄取了,是當年學校畢業生中的一匹黑馬,在錄取名單排列上一躍進入前5 名。

3. 我不知道Coufused2010的女兒有沒有這個問題,但據我了解很多人在填表時,都分不清主次和輕重,以為填得越多越好。尤其是文科好的孩子有這個問 題,所以,我就給出了此建議。我當初看上麵提到的孩子的材料時,真搞不清什麽是她的強項,讀了好幾遍才找出來。而且是9號小字,看得我真有點累。將人心比 自心,人家評審官一天要讀多少材料,該多累啊,哪有那個耐心去想法找出你的強項和亮點來?為了讓自己不要在第一輪評審官讀材料時就被淘汰掉,我們是不是應 該把自己的材料弄得好一點,讓人家讀起來頭腦清楚,輕鬆有趣些啊!所以我建議她用12號字填寫,填不下的用附表形式,所有的得獎根據輕重主次和時間重新排 列,不必要的小獎全刪掉。

4. Top Schools不僅要看申請人課外活動(包括義工)的多少,而且一定要看領導才能的。我不了解Coufused2010的女兒的具體情況,但這是我女兒填表時,她的升學指導給她的建議。我想,這也許是孩子申請時普遍的問題,我也建議給她了。

在這些建議中,我沒有強調成績的重要性,因為這是孩子們平時和前幾年就應該做的準備,現在再說已沒用了。現在Coufused2010的女兒唯一能做的就是要好好重新整理申請材料,把亮點和強項突出,讓評審官印象深刻,增加錄取的把握性。

還 有,好大學招生辦認為SAT750分與800分區別不大,他們還會看其他很多方麵,然後給出綜合得分和推薦意見。如果小組中(好像兩人一組先讀材料)都推 薦了,這孩子就肯定被錄取了。如果隻有一人推薦,那還會再討論或拿到大組討論,等等。所以,成績分數不是最重要的,在錄取中大約隻占20%左右。這些都是 我們當初參觀了好幾所學校,和招生辦人開會時,許多家長提問,他們回答後我們自己總結出來的經驗。我在這裏給的這些建議特別是Essay的建議,也是當初 我讀了很多美國書店裏的升學參考書後總結出來的經驗。這些經驗在提高我女兒被錄取的把握性中顯示了他們的價值。這次女兒能被哈佛商學院和斯坦福商學院同時 錄取,更是與她重視Essay的寫作有關。當她把申請寄出後,我們就是很有信心地等待這個結果了。所以我曾經多次將這些經驗告訴過很多人,至於各人的理 解,那就不是我能知道的了。



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10、高燕定:綜合素質的“標準公式”——大學申請秘密

素質教育是近幾年的熱門話題,具備非凡的綜合素質意味著被美國名校錄取,甚至伴隨著巨額獎學金。這是很多家長對孩子的期望乃至奢望。

什麽是素質?是唱歌跳舞、彈琴武術,還是考級證書?
成績不好的孩子不必悲觀,他們也可能是綜合素質很高的孩子。能打工,能說會道會寫的具有高素質;會“應試”,無疑也是高素質的表現。發揮各自的特長、優點,都可以達到“優秀素質”的目標。某方麵不足、不擅長的,可以在其他方麵,以其他形式來彌補、平衡。
大學在人生中扮演了很重要的角色,獲得理想大學的錄取是人生規劃中的重要一步。人們一般相信,隻有綜合素質優秀的學生才可能被美國名校錄取。

但是,到底什麽樣的學生會被看作具有優秀的綜合素質?綜合素質由哪些“成分”組成?它們的比例又如何?有沒有一個定性甚至定量的標準?
在美國,都說報考名牌大學不但學習成績要好,經常參加社會活動,做義工,還要有領導才能,會寫論文,有好的推薦信。

會打球、唱歌跳舞?會彈鋼琴、吉他,會拉小提琴?會武術、書法?……要考多少級?參加多少比賽?得多少證書?獲什麽獎?參加什麽活動?領導什麽社團?
令許多家長和學生困惑的是,很多孩子竭盡所能,投入所有的精力和時間,最後沒有得到滿意的結果,沒有進入理想的學校。很多人認為,這是由於美國大學錄取學生具有很大的隨機性,美國著名大學錄取學生是沒有標準的。也有人認為,所謂優秀素質和綜合能力是無法具體表述的。
美國是一個很製度化的國家,凡事都講規範,都有遊戲規則,盡管個中難免有漏洞、偏差。但是,總體而言,還是有規律可循的。

1996年開始,我注意到《普林斯頓評論》與《時代周刊》合編的年刊——《適合你的最佳大學》,此後一直到2002年,我每年都收藏一冊。書中最有意思的 部分是指導讀者怎樣以升學顧問的眼光給自己評估,計算出自己的“錄取競爭指數”。我認為,所謂“錄取競爭指數”也就是個人的“綜合素質”。
《普林斯頓評論》把美國1500多所大學以錄取難易程度從60分到99分進行排列。哈佛、耶魯、普林斯頓等一流名校為99分,最低的學校60分。學生可以 根據計算結果,比照該書列出的各大學的“錄取競爭指數”,看看自己與哪些大學匹配,也就是可能被哪些大學錄取。《適合你的最佳大學》聲稱,這個評估法可以 較準確地估算出自己與哪些預想的學校相符。

該刊2002年出了最後一期就不再出版,《普林斯頓評論》現在把這個評估方法放在網站上, 為上網者免費進行“評估”,在輸入自己的各項指標後,網絡會顯示“匹配”的大學清單。不過,網上看不到各項指標的評分方法和標準,也不知道自己的各項指標 能夠得到多少分,哪項“素質”高,哪項“素質”不夠高,難以對自己各方麵進行有效的調整,也無法知道自己的“綜合素質”到底是多少。
我將這個評估方法歸納成一個雖然較長但很容易看懂的公式,括號中的數字是每個學生可能得到的分數範圍。這個評估學生“整體素質”的總得分也叫作錄取競爭指數(以下簡稱為錄取指數)。計算公式如下:

綜 合素質總分=就讀的高中(0~4分)+課程難度(0~21分)+年級排名(-1~3分)+平均成績(0~16分)+SAT成績(6~25分)+全國榮譽學 者(0~3分)+申請論文(-3~5分)+推薦信(-2~4分)+課外活動(-5~30分)+種族多元化(-3~5分)+體育活動(8~40分)+超級錄 取(40分)+[體育教練點名(5~10分)+家住遠處(3分)+父母因素(5~8分)+多元化(3~5分)]

從公式中可以看出,參 與“綜合素質”評分的項目主要有12項。顯然,前麵6項主要體現“學業素質”,後麵6項體現與學業關係不直接的“其他素質”,在中括號裏的其他4項是大多 數人所不會有的附加項目。從表麵上看,這個評估法“不公平”的地方實在太多。不過,我認為不妨先遵循美國大學申請的遊戲規則,然後再去思考、議論過程以及 結果的公平合理性。
就學業素質而言,就讀全美知名的高中和一般的高中的最大差別隻有4分。選修課程的難度相差最高達21分,美國高中通常有普通課程、榮譽課程和AP課 程,AP是在高中開設的大學課程,每年5月有一次全國AP統考,成績達到一定的標準,上大學時可以將學分轉到大學。如果在知名度高的高中上學,隻選修容易 的基本課程的學生,這一項隻能得0分,而上了最多AP課的學生可能得到21分。
此外,全年級成績排名前25%的學生可得1分。平均成績80分以上的可得12分,90~95分的可得15分。舊製SAT考試的最高分
是1600(對於新SAT,可以將成績除以3後再乘以2),SAT考試成績除以63得到SAT這一項得分,最高的為25分。如獲選全國榮譽學者(類似於中國的三好學生)還可以加3分。

從以上可以看出,影響學業素質的最重要的因素,是在校選修難度高的課程和SAT獲高分。

就“其他素質”而言,大學申請論文優劣的範圍從-3分到5分,相差8分。論文是闡述思想,也是書麵表達能力的象征,占有很大的比例是不難理解的。推薦信好壞有6分之差,起的作用很大,有較高的綜合素質,才會獲得較好的推薦信。

課外活動在“其他素質”裏起了很大的作用,算上正負分數,這一項的差別竟有35分之多。值得注意的是,有報酬的工作也算在社會活動這一項裏,每周工作20~30小時的學生可以得到22分。
種族多元化這一項,外國學生(比如中國學生)可以加5分,但是,在美的亞裔學生較吃虧,反要倒扣3分。也許是因為亞裔學生學業成績普遍甚佳,為了體現“多元化”而受到集體“懲罰”。不過,女生報考工學院可以加3分,因為工科缺少女生。

在學校參加不同的體育活動可以大量加分,其範圍為8~40分,如果是校主力隊員並且投入很多精力的,可以得到13分,全美高中最優秀的運動員,如奧林匹克運動員,可以加40分。
最後是“超常”項,一拿就是40分,不過必須確實很“超常”,比如,獲得英特爾科學比賽大獎、擔任一部電影大片或係列電視劇的主角。此外,父母是大名人,給大學捐贈巨款也屬這一項。

除 了以上“綜合素質”外,在公式的中括號裏,被體育教練點名的學生可以被認為是個人“素質”好,“家住遠處”如800公裏以外的學生,也會被認為必須具備較 高的“素質”而加分。其他兩項,“父母因素”和學校為了學生成分的“多元化”而加的分,都不是依靠學生個人的努力可以達到的。

從以上可以看出來,前麵6項“學業素質”的最高總分為72分,後麵5項最高分的總和為84分。由此可見,無論是“學業素質”如何優秀,也無論“其他素質”如何了得,都不能得到很高的分數,最高的“綜合素質”必須是“學業素質”和多項“其他素質”的相結合才可以獲得。

以 上指數體現了美國大學招生中對學生個體的特別考慮,雖然無法為所有人理解和接受,但是,它們目前廣泛存在於美國大學招生實踐中,華人移民家庭中習慣了以成 績論高低的學生必須改變觀念,對以上的評估方法即使不表讚同,也不得不接受。因為它畢竟是美國大學招生現行的“遊戲規則”。

我當初看 到每周有薪工作20~30小時者,可以得到22分,與滿分99分相比,占非常大的比重時,亦曾感到震驚,因為全年級第一名和年級排名中間的學生隻差4分。 初看起來實在沒有道理,難道學生的主要任務不是念書?要全這樣的話,大家都去打工不就得了,還念什麽書?但是,認真想一想,要是每天放學以後,還要去打 工,晚上10點才能坐下來念書、寫作業,不正說明其有較大的潛力與優良的綜合素質嗎?打工是讓孩子提前走進社會、感受人生的重要一課,能夠考驗學生承受現 實社會壓力的能力和承受超負荷的耐力。一邊長期堅持工作,一邊還能把書讀好,說明學生在體力、精力、智力等方麵有很大的潛力,這不是整體素質是什麽?

所以,不妨用這個公式算一算,你可以發現,“提高”素質可能也有很簡單的辦法。你甚至還會發現,自己的命運掌握在自己的手中。
以往大家對什麽是素質,什麽是素質教育有爭議。從這裏我們也許可以得到一定的啟發。不僅在“重點”高中學習的學生具有高素質,不在“重點”高中,但是選修 很多最難課程的學生也具有很高的素質;善於“應試”,學習成績名列前茅,考試能夠獲高分,也具備高素質,因為“應試”也是一種素質。此外,善於準確地用書 麵形式表達思想,能夠獲得老師的大力推薦,是優秀素質的表現;花大量時間和精力參加社會活動、課外活動,甚至打工,也是優秀素質的表現;少數族裔學生,因 為文化背景和家庭的原因,需要較高的素質,才能完成其他學生同樣的學習、工作;花大量時間參加體育活動,成為優秀的運動員,理所當然地也應當被認為具備極 其優秀的素質。

成績不好的孩子不必悲觀,學習成績不好,也可能具有很高的綜合素質。體育運動優秀,能打工,能說會道、能寫會畫的,都具備相當高的素質。

這個公式表達了利於公平競爭的理念,人才和素質不是單一類型的,大家可以發揮各自的特長,都可以被認為達到了非凡的“優秀素質”。某方麵不足、不擅長的,可以用其他形式和內容來補償、平衡。

從 這個評估法分析中,我們可以了解到,美國教育看中的是什麽,具備怎樣的綜合素質的人才可能被認為“優秀”、“高素質”。無論生活在國內還是國外的華人,無 論是家長還是學生,尤其是有心出國留學的孩子和家長,都可以在孩子成長過程中,不斷地進行評估,對各方麵進行必要的調整,使具備各種各樣特長和特點的孩子 都能成為綜合素質較高的人才。

不過,應該提醒注意的是,具備較高“綜合素質”的學生盡管可以進入好大學,但是,卻並不一定都能夠實現 特定的人生理想和職業目標。比如,“學業素質”不高,但是由於“其他素質”較高,使得整體“綜合素質”提高的學生,如果在大學期間依然無法提高“學業素 質”,大學畢業後就難以進入對“學業素質”要求更高的醫學院、法學院,也難以進入理工和商學院讀研究生,盡管他們優秀的“綜合素質”能夠使他們進入理想的 大學,但是可能無法實現更高一層的既定的人生目標。



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11、隨便講幾句哈(兒子被 Harvard,MIT,Duke,Dartmouth 和 Chicago錄取)
ibelieu

首先呢,這裏有朋友可能覺得藤爸藤媽們對介紹經驗熱心不夠,其實我猜他們很願意出力公益的,不過大概有些怕擔上“吹噓”的名聲吧。 咱考慮再三,覺得自己在園子裏從諸位網友那裏獲益良多,如果能寫幾句,隻要對大家能有絲毫半點的參考意義,也算是對大家的感謝。

特別聲明,每個人都是不一樣的,每個孩子都是不一樣的,以下所說絕對隻能算就事論事,不一定有任何的普遍性,至多算給大家參考而已。

登在下麵的迷糊豬(mihuzhu)的帖子看了,對比咱家小子,覺得他寫得很是到位,就順著他的條目說說。

迷 糊豬說“還是學習最重要,學習成績好,SAT分高,AP課修的多且分高是必要條件。”可不,申請哈佛的人有近三萬,最終招生不到兩千,(僅僅是)猜想她怎 麽也得用最容易對比衡量的各項分數先設它個最低門檻吧,不然把招生辦的都累拐了。 拿咱家小子來說,高中四年隻在第一年得過一個B+,其他都是A,SAT 2360,7門AP滿分。 這裏最重要的大概是要有強烈的不甘人後的精神。 我曾提醒小子,今後大學的人各個都是人中龍鳳,本意是要他不要被挫折嚇倒,小子就一句話:“Bring them on.” 初生牛犢啊!

迷糊豬說“課外活動也要,不過不是非要national或state級的得獎。”這也大概符合咱家小子的情況,他沒有得過什麽national一級的大獎,無非是為學校在“Harvard/MIT Invitational”等等活動裏出些力而已。

但不管選擇做什麽,要注意顯示commitment,做事要能“持之以恒”。 咱家小子高中四年,不管功課多忙,一直堅持在校交響樂隊和室內樂項目裏拉琴。 去老人院義工的事一直堅持,參加校報,yearbook等的編輯工作也是堅持不懈。

迷 糊豬說“leadership也不是非要學生會主席或去非洲救災,能為大家做事就行。” 這咱也同意。 另外也許可以注意選擇有特點的事做,譬如咱家小子上個暑假就是自己到山東的窮山溝裏一所抗大中學義務教英文,回來又去了紐約一家金融服務公司打工,於是義 務的和掙錢的事情一個暑假都做全了。 咱家小子還愛攝影,靠了這就成了校報的攝影記者和編輯,去學校總拉著一堆器材,把學校各種活動(比賽,集會,演出......)的情況記錄下來,好的片子 不僅登報,用在yearbook裏,還送給老師、同學、家長,大家嘴都樂得合不上。 小子並且在工作中學了很多東西。

迷糊豬的最後一 條,“孩子要陽光健康長相好討人喜歡。” 咱家小子長相如何要別人評價,咱不好置評,但他自從進了高中就一直穿戴齊整,品牌是要的,麵試時更要留意發式服飾舉止等等,這些都在父母鼓勵支持範圍內。 “陽光”真的很重要,陽光才討人喜歡,去年末學校發獎儀式上,老師對小子的評價之一就是“人如其名,陽光燦爛”。這學年的英文老師說他是“a scholar and a gentleman”。 這位老師曾是海軍蛙人,大約他想起了“an officer and a gentleman”。 孩子看不到老師們的大學申請推薦信,但他的升學輔導員(康色樂)是看得到的,他們告訴他,諸位老師們給他寫得推薦信好得不能再好了。

陽 光的孩子同學中朋友也多,像Dartmouth等學校是要求 peer review 的呢。 咱家小子朋友不要太多啊,不分年級,不分種族(他居然是學校猶太同學會的會員),不分性別(如今的女朋友是他一個最要好的韓國女同學介紹認識的)。 去年已經畢業到波士頓幾所大學的老朋友們聽到他也要去那邊上學,反應那個熱烈,做父母的聽了都跟著樂。 我想這些都和他尊敬老師,熱心助人有關。 有段時間真的不得了,小子不住校,每天早上六點到校,開始是個別同學問他一些數學問題,後來人多了,到最後簡直成了他開的早飯前數學輔導課了。 有播種才會有收獲,到學校發獎時就看出來了。

兒子可不是天才,真正的天才咱見過,國內來的,那叫一個厲害,兒子不是,但他朝著自己的目標不懈的努力,於是有了自己的今天。



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12、上名校說難不難, 說不難也難

有 人對我女兒為什麽能上哈佛很感興趣,要我談一談。要想申請好大學,成績好是基本條件。但成績好,並不能保證就被名校錄取。那些成績特別好,如穎的兒子,或 西西媽的兒子,我們就免談了,一般家長和孩子都學不來的。大家都知道申請大學的還有幾個關鍵點,學習成績隻占其中的四到五分之一。各種特長,老師的推薦 信,課外活動,領導才能,以及申請文章是否讓讀的人印象深刻等等, 都占很大的比重。當申請人的成績都差不多時,那比的就是其他幾項了。

許 多華人孩子是高中的第一名,但未能被哈佛等名校錄取的不在少數。家長們大都從學習上著眼找原因的多,而不是從其他四五個關鍵點去找問題。我有一個朋友的兒 子比我女兒大四歲,學習好的不得了,比我女兒強多了,高中就到布朗去上數學課,一心想上哈佛。結果沒被錄取。究其原因,該孩子沒有做過義工。和我女兒同時 (不同校)申請大學的一個SAT I和II門門考滿分學校排名第二的華裔女孩(後升為學校第一)也沒被哈佛錄取。家長分析原因,認為她主課沒得過州裏比賽的獎。我認為她申請時沒有把自己的 亮點強調出來,以至於被埋沒在一大堆申請材料中了。成績並不是主要的。我女兒雖然SAT考試成績隻有1560分,但在名校招生辦公室的人的眼裏,SAT的 1400和1600分沒多大區別,隻是臨場發揮的好壞。因為能申請哈佛的華裔成績都相當好,關鍵看你有沒有什麽特長和亮點。大多數華裔孩子的特長都是學術 方麵的,如數學競賽,科學等等,還有的就是鋼琴小提琴等方麵。如果這些孩子不能拿到州裏第一或全國的獎,他們在與所有亞裔的競爭中就不占有優勢。

我 女兒是私立學校的,學生不排名次,不過從女兒每年得獎的情況看,她肯定是第一。如果成績不差,各項基本要求也具備了,這時申請材料準備的好壞就相當重要 了。我女兒申請文章寫得非常好,學校的升學顧問說一氣嗬成,像個小電影一樣,讀完了還想再讀一遍。當然題材和結構是我幫她選定的,這就保證她至少在招生人 員讀文章這一輪時不會被甩掉。我們要她強調的特長就是她的數學好,因她數學能力和成績一直是學校最好的,遠遠高於其他學生,盡管她沒有參加過什麽重大比賽 (私立學校很少帶學生參加學術比賽),但老師的推薦信裏就可看出。在美國,女孩數學好的不多,這點值得強調。我女兒老師推薦信肯定寫得都很好,這從每學期 的學校報告單中就可看出,其中物理老師的評語幾乎把她寫成了天才。另外,她一直參加各種體育活動,是三個校球隊的隊員,還喜歡滑雪衝浪,愛好廣泛等等,就 與許多亞裔孩子不一樣。麵試的人也對她活潑好動很感興趣,甚至奇怪她身為亞裔竟不會彈鋼琴拉小提琴。我女兒也參加了許多課外活動,作了一些小俱樂部的頭 頭,但那是幾乎每個想申請哈佛的人都具備的。我女兒在敘述課外活動對她的影響時,就強調輔導小學生的經驗讓身為獨生子女的她得到的快樂和成長。這大概也和 別人不一樣吧。當女兒的提早申請材料一寄出,我就相信女兒會被哈佛錄取。

我曾經給兩個朋友的孩子在申請大學時提了一些建議,後來兩個孩子 都進入了名校。一個在高中11年級排名35名,SAT才考1400多分的女孩,被Chicago和MIT等大學錄取,更是該校的一大新聞,也是該校當年唯 一一個被MIT錄取的學生。該校每年的前十名都是亞裔,很多人SAT都考滿分,是個相當好的學校。當時剛開學,我看了她的申請材料,沒有什麽興奮處,唯一 的亮點就是她在法院做義工,並作了組長之類的職務。但是這女孩寫作能力很好,曾得過地區寫作比賽獎。這就有戲。我建議她立即去找要好的老師,定下寫推薦信 一事,一定要找那些跟她關係好並肯說人好話寫作文采好的老師寫。 我還讓她將申請材料重新整理排序編輯,有些俱樂部參加多年卻沒做到領導職務的都刪掉,以強調重點。申請文章我建議她寫法院工作的感受,一定要寫出自己閃光 的特點。她媽媽也為她花了不少精力,幫她研究各種學校並做了大量的後備工作,最後皆大歡喜。

另外,一個朋友的兒子被MIT錄取,申請時隨 材料寄了一張拉小提琴的錄音盤。因為一些比她兒子成績好的孩子都沒被錄取,家長好奇,就去問什麽原因被錄取。招生辦公室的人告之的第一個理由就是,其小提 琴錄音盤讓音樂係的教授聽了評價說她兒子已具備了報考音樂學院小提琴專業的水平,第二點是他曾在州裏的電腦比賽中拿過第三名。招生的人說,成績好的人太多 了,就隻能看其他方麵的特長了。

再談點小秘笈。成績好並不是名校的錄取主要考慮的因素。名校招生多元化,是為了保證學校的發展後繼有人, 特別是後繼有錢。一個學校招幾十個或百多個書呆子式的天才就夠了,這些人足以在將來為學校爭得學術榮譽。學校更要綜合考慮其他方麵的生源。女兒高中每年 70多個畢業生中,常有十多個被名校錄取。那年哈佛錄取了他們四個學生,女兒算是學術型的,一個學生成績相當好但是典型的遺產型的(其爺爺爸爸哥哥都是哈 佛畢業的),另外一個學生成績也不錯還是學生會主席是基金型的(哈佛有以其家庭命名的基金),還有一個學生體育特好,在全國高中比賽中拿過名次,成績不是 太好但達到哈佛的標準是特招型的。當年幾個被耶魯錄取的女兒同學成績都不出色,但家裏都有來頭,其中一個是裏根時代財政部長的孫子。女兒高中每年被名校錄 取的學生大概都是這幾個類型的。各名校在每個高中每年最多招一到二個成績最好的就行了,排名在後的學生想要進名校,就一定要有其他亮點才行。

當 初我讓女兒去私立學校,就是因為女兒貪玩粗心的性格使得她的學習成績實在很難在亞裔孩子中拔尖。如果她不能在好的公立學校中做前五名的話,要想進HYPS 就要有其它特長才行。我們曾想過讓她在足球方麵發展,一來擔心她踢球太累沒有足夠的時間鑽研功課,二來這裏的足球隊不是特別好,她踢得再好,名校的教練也 不一定看得上眼。所以,曲線救國,讓她去了私立學校,稍推一推她,就做了第一名。不要以為我們很有錢,那私立學校給了女兒資助金,兩萬多一年的學費我們每 年隻交5千元不到。著名私立學校的另一個好處是,他們的升學顧問和體育教練都與這些名校有聯係,知道名校如何錄取學生,所以在指導學生申請時會給學生很多 很好的建議。我給朋友孩子的有些建議就是從我女兒的升學顧問那裏學來的。



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13、女兒靠兩點:品德優秀 + 全麵發展進了H 藤
先謝謝大家的祝賀,並同賀cafe2,99store, x爸,weston, tiger916, 老媽也網戀, Huqi和所有early 錄取的家庭,defer的不要氣餒,4月份是個大機會,去年許多defer 的在4月份都成功了。

隨便寫了一些女兒的情況,共大家分享,她專業未定,但理工科是肯定了。

成績: SAT : 2340
ACT: 36
SAT II: 數:800, 理:800, 化:800
GPA: 4.0
taking 7 門IB

sport方麵:4年的遊泳隊(varsity )

volunteer: 已有3年,而且現還在做。

leadership:
有些president ,具體的俺也搞不清了,反正看她每天都 很忙活。

awards:
大部分的獎是寫作和繪畫,寫作和繪畫是她的業餘愛好,(她自認為數理化已夠格,就不多折騰了), 在申請學校時她把她的業餘作品一同寄給了哈佛。

Essay:
寫得比較unique, 說是成功了再給俺讀,嗬嗬,昨天讀了她哈佛essay,主題是她的名字,她5歲離開中國,12 年中,走過3個國家,讀過6個學校一直用她唯一的中文名字,文章中有幽默的小段,也有抒發了她對自己中國名字的熱愛,文章的結尾這樣寫道:

I love my name because it stands out against the hordes of Jennifers, Johns, Daniels, and Lindas that dominate the Chinese American naming system. I love my name because I have watched it evolve from a (她名字的含意)of traditional Chinese values to one with fused American qualities. I love my name because it has been misunderstood, misspelled, and mispronounced in all the places I’ve lived in, making it truly unique.

老師的推薦信:

她的推薦信是老師主動要求為她寫的,可以想象寫得肯定很不錯,一文 科,一理科,因為成績是硬件,無需多說,推薦信主要是寫孩子的品行,3周前遇見這兩位老師,文科老師說,她是我最得意的學生,我很欣賞她的創新意識,我是 極力推薦,任何學校看了我的信都會錄取她的,理科老師對她的leadership作了很大肯定,說大多數孩子做leader,都是為了自己出風頭,而她不 是,她是站在整個team的最後,推著team往前走,為打進national 做了很多很多工作,很讓人欽佩的品德。

她成績是很好, 但近幾年成績好的孩子很多,也不算強項,特別是申名校,成績都很棒,這已成為最基本的條件,不過有一點她做得很對,就是雖然藤校隻要求SAT或ACT, 可她倆項都考了,是為了加固一下,因為ACT裏除了數和英,還有science, 這樣就顯出她的academic 各方麵都很強。

除 此之外,是她的品行贏得了哈佛,她是個積極進取,敢想敢做,踏踏實實,禮貌待人,助人為樂,朋友一大堆的happy girl.,同學的essay 都願意拿給她讀,每當節日,我們家就是free night Holiday Inn 了,都來sleepover 。

她自學能力很強,不喜歡上補習班,從未參加過補習,這也省了我一筆銀子,她的team 需要資金,今年她挑頭和幾個同學一起辦了個PSAT 補習班,自己當老師,成效很大,為學校進了不少銀子。

昨晚她和我說,她準備withdraw Yale 的application, 她的同學被Yale defer 了,她希望自己的withdraw 能給同學多個機會(盡管自己不一定會被錄取),萬一自己被錄取了,又不去,對別人,對她的中學都不利。



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14、最後的衝刺 – 申請大學的幾個關鍵 (1) (南揮北禿)
我 在爬藤係列中指出,藤校看的是綜合指標。 除了PSAT, SAT, SAT專科以外,還有領導才能,奉獻精神(義工),年級排名,老師推薦,個人小傳,暑期研究,專業傾向,興趣愛好, 等等。我曾承諾要將每個要點逐個細數,而承諾的當然一定要兌現。對孩子尚且如此,對家長更不能忽悠。

今天略談領導才能,兼帶奉獻精神(義工)。
作 為一個有責任性的家長,應該對孩子的優缺點了如指掌。所以為孩子量體裁衣,揚長避短,尋找捷徑是家長在孩子的成長中應當時常考慮的。申請大學更是如此。譬 如,有些學校是比較傾向於純學術的,幾乎不考慮領導才能和奉獻精神。 最典型的有,加州理工,卡內基-美倫。但是加州理工平均每年才招生200,這就有一定難度了。對於那些學術上拔尖,又不願去沃爾馬門口搖鈴的孩子來說,卡 內基-美倫是最佳選擇。

位於匹茲堡的卡內基-美倫,雖非藤校,但是有著悠久的曆史。眾所周知,加州理工 和麻州技校是競爭的一對。我的最愛是加州理工的汗衫前麵印著三個大字 MIT, 後麵印著“因為你進不了加州理工”。那麽,加州理工為什麽不叫 CIT 呢?因為CIT早已被卡內基-美倫采用了。卡內基-美倫的電腦和財經專業絕對是一流的。

下麵言歸正傳,先談領導才能。對於HYPS 來說,領導才能是很重要的。因為這幾個學校不僅學術拔尖,更重要的還是培養各個領域和政府部門的領軍人物的搖籃。如何才能體現強有力的領導才能呢?有些自 作聰敏的孩子在11年級成立一個俱樂部,自封老大。其實這是自欺欺人,弄巧成拙。領導才能不光表現在職稱,更重要的是業績。所以,若孩子能在10年級成立 俱樂部,並展示一年多來的成績,那就能更充分地證實領導才能。

反映孩子領導才能比較普遍的有,校內各種團隊(未必是學術上的)頭,所在社 區的某個非營利機構的領導之一,等等。最為理想的,是在全國性的非營利機構中占一席位子。知名度較高的有United Way, March of Dimes, 等等。如果能在這些機構中擔當一名地區主席,那就不光反映了領導才能,還體現了奉獻精神。

這也是我在此兼帶奉獻精神(義 工)的道理。因為在很多情況下,領導才能是除了學習成績以外的另一個舉足輕重的要求。既然和學習無關,與之緊密相連的當屬奉獻精神(義工)無疑。而衡量義 工的一個主要指標,是義工的小時累計。用一個非常確切但不太高雅的詞“潛規則”來說,義工的小時累計至少100小時(高中的最後兩年)。當然,若能在12 年級的第一學期,亦即申請大學時已做完100小時,更為理想。 

就揚長避短而言,對某些並不優秀但十分良好的學生來說,奉獻精神是補償學 術上不夠拔尖的最佳途徑。譬如,一個排名二十幾但從9年級起就幾乎在養老院中度過每個周末的學生(從義演到義工),進哈佛的機會要比排名第一的高得多。因 為堅持數年在養老院做義工不僅反映了奉獻精神,更難能可貴的是堅持。如果說一個孩子堅持數年練琴,那可能是出於興趣愛好,但是堅持數年在養老院?這應該很 能說明問題了吧?
最後的衝刺 – 申請大學的幾個關鍵 (2)  
在我開談以前,我還要向家長們表示感謝。因為對於子女已上大學的家長來說,這並無任何新意。我的原意是為那些尚在育苗的家長們拋磚引玉,處乎意料的是仍有很多過來人跟貼,這給了我很大鼓舞。真可謂一石激起千層浪,有這麽多家長群策群力,孩子們真的有福了。

接 著談談年級排名。第一次排名通常在9年級的第二學期開始以後公布。一般來說,前10 名的區別常常在小數點後5~6 位,可見競爭的激烈。也就是說,如果孩子的排名在三十幾名的話,那是很難再趕上前10名的。唯一的辦法是每學期比別人多選1-2 門課,這種現象通常反映在浪子回頭–男孩子開竅晚,但是一旦開竅,有很強的爆發力。如果按部就班,要想取得年級排名的優先,最關鍵的是提前計劃,8年級就 要重視,因為年級排名是環環緊扣的。

對排名影響最大的是選課。絕大多數的中學都設有普通班(Regular Class,最高4 分 ) 和PreAP / AP 班(最高5 分)。顯而易見,在普通班學得再好,隻有4分。而在PreAP / AP 班就是得了B , 還有4分。如果同是兩個全優生,選4門同樣的課,但是程度不同。這樣在期終就是16 比20,比分一下就拉開4分。這就是蘋果和橘子,不能比了。

更 值得一提的是不少AP課要預修PreAP。譬如10年級的世界曆史要求9年級選世界地理。所以,如果可能的話,盡量鼓勵孩子上PreAP。雖然競爭激烈 些,但是課堂氣氛要比普通班好很多。因為普通班上不泛以高中為人生正規教育的終點之學生,再加上正在反抗期的年齡,這教室內的景象,可想而知了吧?

選PreAP/ AP的另一個優點,是給人以積極向上的印象。同時表明這個學生是願意接受挑戰的,有能力承受壓力的,不輕易放棄的。這些都是正麵的心態,你說那招生的見了能不歡喜嗎?

如 果孩子的排名在第一,第二,那就不光是排名了,這裏麵還有領導才能的含義。學校會給名列前茅的學生很多曝光的機會,如畢業典禮上的發言,代表學校出任社交 使節,等等。同時,這也是一個教育孩子的最佳時機。在肯定成績的前提下,小邊鼓稍敲。山外有山,戒驕戒躁。這樣,孩子在心理上會有所準備,做到勝不驕,敗 不餒。否則,當孩子進入好大學後會情緒低落–曾是雞頭,怎麽成鳳尾了呢?
最後的衝刺 – 申請大學的幾個關鍵 (3)
老師推薦,是申請 大學過程中又一個至關重要的步驟。推薦信一般2-3 封。可由文,理科老師,輔導員(校長當然更佳,對那些拔尖的模範學生而言)撰寫。因為推薦信的好壞直接影響到學生的前途,所以千萬要慎重。通常要給推薦人 2-3 星期的時間,並附上學生的簡曆以供參考。現在有許多大學都采用標準申請表,因此推薦信可以從網上直接送。如果有的大學是采用傳統申請方法,那麽,要先寫好 推薦信的信封,貼上郵票,然後交給推薦人。

在入學申請截止前一星期,一定要確證所申請的學校已收到推薦信。否則,立即讓推薦人重寫,封入一個小信封,然後用快件寄走。接著要和大學保持聯係,直到招生辦確證收到推薦信為止。因推薦信延誤入學的例子幾乎每年都有。而這是一個致命的打擊,眼巴巴地看著女兒紅變成了花雕。

由 於家長們大多數是第一代移民,真正對推薦人知根知底的不多,所以一定要多打聽。在選擇推薦人時,以德高望重的老教師為首選。猶如買東西,老字號出假貨的機 會相對小一些。有些老師對學生比較嚴格,平時得高分較難。如果這個老師除了教書以外,為人也刁占,那當然是排除在推薦人之外。否則,肯定是推薦人的首選。 嚴師出高徒。嚴師是對內,對外是傾力推薦高徒。

有些教師很隨和,教的課也容易對付,這就要了解一下以前幾屆的學生的推薦效果。我認為推薦 人的人品是最重要的,而學生與推薦人的關係是次要的。好友之間下藥的設套的都時常有之,豈能擔保推薦時不使壞?再說,正因為太熟,有時會比較隨便。假如在 一篇充滿讚揚的推薦信中,這字裏行間隱示出那麽一丁點兒自負,完了。

我個人的體會是不指望推薦人誇獎,但求推薦信真實。因為說實在的,其他條件都已明擺在那兒了。推薦信隻要真實就足夠了。而客觀真實的推薦信也是最有力的。

最後,當推薦信收到後,千萬別忘了給推薦人送一點小禮物,以示謝意。一般來講,可送從中國帶來的小工藝品之類的。如果在當地現買,千萬不要送貴重禮品。送或不送,寫信前送與寫信後送有著原則區別。不送,是不禮貌。寫信前送大禮,有賄賂之嫌。嗬嗬。
最後的衝刺 – 申請大學的幾個關鍵 (4)
個 人小傳,是顯示學生亮點的最好機會。由於藤校的大門是衝著正麵的,陽光的,充滿自信的,勇挑重擔的,刻苦耐勞的,富於愛心的,敢於犧牲的學生開的,所以, 萬一孩子是在一個不完美的家庭中成長的,那就更不要失去了一個比平常孩子更有利的機會。藤校更歡迎的是荷花 - 出汙泥而不染。千萬不要怨聲載道。要逆境正寫,體現出走出陰影的勇氣。這樣不僅能夠引起招生的同情,更重要的是給人以金子到哪兒都會發光的形象。

小 傳可以用任何形式寫。我看過一個哈佛的畢業生當年寫的小傳,從全家旅遊在黃石公園看日出(美好的家庭),有感於大自然的景色(秀文學底子),聯想到自己的 成長(低調地顯示亮點),將要進入自己想去的學校(自信),學成後回報於人類(正麵)。她從哈佛畢業後真的去非洲做了一年義工。

我還看過一篇有感於打遊戲機的小傳。從如何入迷(秀文學底子),如何刺激(以遊戲機的術語秀專業知識),如何醒悟,從中悟出了人生也如遊戲的道理。如何在現實中擺正自己的位子,應付不同的環境,即使輸了也未必是壞事,(自信,正麵)。 
當然,不少大學還要1-2篇量體裁衣的文章,譬如,UPenn 就要求寫一篇退休後回顧人生的自傳,在某頁上寫道,,,

我 的看法是寫完後盡量多找人看, 不求完美,但求真實。有些詞一定要去掉,像嫉妒,歧視,恨(避免反複出現多次),等等。我想家長們也一定明白其中的原因吧? 與公立學校相比,私校的一個明顯優點就在這裏。不少私校的老師是個人小傳的專業戶,對所有的小傳都會拋光處理,以充分顯示每一個學生的特征 (Unique).
最後的衝刺 – 申請大學的幾個關鍵 (5)
在談暑期研究時,順便兼談專業傾向。
對於上人文學科的學生,我還沒有關於暑期研究的資料,期望有經驗的藤媽藤爸能補充。對於理工,醫預科而言,暑期研究可謂舉足輕重。暑期研究通常在11年級開始(考完PSAT)就要準備了。穀哥一下可以找到不少暑期研究的校所。

summer research programs for high school students 或者
national science foundation

如 果有親戚朋友在大學實驗室工作,那更好。當暑期研究落實後,選擇導師(Mentor)很重要。因為這對下一步的申請獎學金有直接影響。如果導師自己有網 站,或在大學,研究所的網站上有醒目的位置,包括學曆,職稱,發表的文章,曆年申請到基金的數額,等等。如果導師沒有知名度,可請室主任掛名。通常來說, 室主任一定滿口答應。何樂而不為呢?唯一要注意的是要和實際上的導師搞好關係,一般來說也是沒問題的。因為那導師知道軟肋在那,自己翅膀還沒長硬。這是我 的一點經驗教訓,在此提一下,希望別人少走彎路。

接下來就是8-10 星期的埋頭苦幹,同時要準備論文(其實也就是10頁左右的關於實驗的總結介紹)。然後,在此基礎上量體裁衣,以滿足不同獎學金的標準論文格式。知名度較高的獎學金有下列4 個 (篇幅有限,有勞家長們自己上網搜索詳情)。

1. INTEL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION S I ( ) - 英特爾
2. http://www.siemens-foundation.org/en/competition.htm 西門子
3. http://www.livepositively.com/cocacola_scholars 可口可樂
4. http://www.act.org/goldwater/ 別累-金水

這 第4 項是最難的,因為要有存諾。就是在讀完大學本科之前,要繼續做同一個實驗。過來人都知道,這實驗是看導師的本事。學生隻要不中途而廢,堅持把實驗論文改到 合適為止,就算大功告成了 – 有不少學生就是因為受不了壓力,最終放棄了(整個申請過程就像打乒乓球,來回好多次。而且,為了保險起見,一般會同時申請2-3個獎學金,這就要2-3個 月的全部業餘時間)。然而,要看到實驗的成果,通常再要花幾年時間。這就是金水獎的遠見。一旦拿到這個獎,進加州理工是沒問題了(說來很輕巧,每年才招生 200 :)。我女兒的兩個同班同學得到了金水獎,都同時被麻州和加州理工錄取,結果一東一西走了。

西門子相對容易一些。說穿了,獎學 金的數額其實無關緊要,主要是這榮譽,那幾乎又是一個潛規則中的硬指標。這塊敲門磚絕對過得硬。隻要把暑期研究和你想去的學校專業對上口就行。譬如,暑期 研究是在生化實驗室度過的,那麽,在滿足其它要求的情況下,進入Johns Hopkins讀醫預科的機會要比條件接近的其他學生高得多。

接 著談暑期研究與專業傾向的聯係。有許多學校在申請入學時是不用選專業的,如哈佛,普林斯頓,麻州理工,等等。這種學校自有他們一定的道理。在我們老大升 11 年級之前,我們以參觀大學作為暑期旅行。在孩子有可能去的幾個學校都聽了介紹。以普林斯頓為例,80% 的學生會在2 年後才定專業。其餘20% 主要是學電腦或工程的(死腦筋:)。所以,沒必要在入學前選專業。

當然,也不否認特殊包裝。我女兒的同班同 學,暑期研究入圍西門子獎學金。她在個人小傳中流露出對暑期研究實驗的濃厚興趣,大有在這領域內幹它一輩子的決心,結果去了普林斯頓。這就說明專業傾向也 是很重要的,即便有些學校不用選專業,作為校方,殷切地期望了解學生的品質,學生想學什麽,將來想幹什麽,,,
最後的衝刺 – 申請大學的幾個關鍵 (6)
今年暑假玩得很高興,先是孩子媽出城,接著兒子去下令營。下星期兒子要回來了,我想趕緊把這一係列結束。有時反省一下,對孩子是否苛求?我們自己都貪玩著那。

最後要談的,也是最重要的, 就是如何選擇大學。所謂的大學排名,隻能作為參考。我認為供求關係是很重要的。 詳情可見http://www.collegeboard.com/

一般來說,每年供求比懸殊的有8 個大學,也就是通常說的尖子學校。 HYPSC +2工1商。亦即
Harvard , Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, CalTech, UPenn (Wharton School).
這上麵已有5個藤校了。其餘的藤校和下例幾個雖非藤校但是仍有拔尖的專業,我認為也是很好的選擇。
U Chicago, (Economics)
Duke, Georgetown, (Politics, Government)
Connell (Hotel Management, Architecture)
Johns Hopkins (PreMed)
Carnegie Mellon (Finance, Computer Science)
Dartmouth College, Northwestern, etc.
此外,州立的好學校還有如下的,
UC Berkeley, U Michigan, UNC (Chapel Hills), etc.

當 然,好學校還有很多,我不一一細例了。一般來說,孩子所在的高中不會主張學生申請10 個以上的大學,但我認為申請大學是孩子一生中唯一的一次,6-10 個還是需要的。即使這孩子樣樣拔尖,也未必能保證可以進自己想去的大學。每年都有被Stanford 拒絕而進了Harvard或反之亦然的例子。所以,萬一落空了,失去了進其他好大學的機會豈不可惜?

下麵先把大學分成3 類,然後根據具體情況對號入座。
1) 頂尖,
2) 一流
3) 保底
然後看一下自己的孩子在那一檔。譬如,我女兒屬於第二檔。那麽,就是2-6, 1-2, 3-2, 重點在2。 如果孩子是在第一檔,那就是重點在1。我想這麽簡單的道理在此就不細述了。
接下來談談申請大學的早期決定 (Early Decision / Early Action) 下麵的表格有詳細介紹。
https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/ED_Agreement.pdf

對於申請早期決定的學生而言,11年級是最關鍵的一年。因為在12 年級剛開始就要有以下幾點。
1) PSAT (如果入圍,成績可免費送2個大學,這是送秋波的佳機)
2) SAT (最好在2250以上)
3) SAT 專科 2 – 4 門, 至少高於700
4) 排名拔尖
5) 個人小傳
6) 暑期研究

申請早期決定要先搞清是否綁住的(Binding)。有關早期決定(ED vs EA)下麵網址供參考。
http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/college/earlydecision.asp

我 認為要想湊熱鬧去頂尖的學校,那隻是失去了早期決定的機會。因為那類學校有足夠的生源選擇餘地。要是孩子在第二檔偏低,早期決定選擇U Chicago 或者西北最理想。西北的早期決定的錄取機會幾乎是1/2,而U Chicago 每年報到的學生和錄取的比率是1/3。這才是充分利用了早期決定的機會。僅供參考。
(完)
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