从三大牛校窥探美国学校的PS要求

　　虽然各个学校对PS的要求各有表述，但整体来说，PS一般会提到(1) 在某校读某专业本科或研究生的动机理由 (2)之前的研究/课业及相关背景 (3)学业及职业规划。以下是3个学校的PS要求说明，比较有代表性，可供参考。加州的学校基本都要求写一个PHS，意在表现学生在专业课，研究以外，尤其是种族，文化，社会等方面的经历，重在diversity的体现。

　　1 Stanford University

　　Statement of Purpose (from department)

　　Your statement of purpose should identify personal and professional goals. It should also discuss your development to date and your intentions relative to graduate study and life beyond Stanford. The ME Graduate Admissions Committee reads your statement of purpose with interest because, along with the letters of recommendation, it offers insight into who you are as an individual. Your statement of purpose should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced).

　　总结：Stanford对PS的要求属于普通型，重申请者相关学习以及研究经历，突出个性。因此研究经历一块需要重点写，然后个性方面比如最后选择Stanford理由这方面可以写的更加具体一些。可以点出学校或者学院甚至系里的某些特别的项目或者特色如何吸引你。

　　2. UC-Berkeley

　　Writing the Statement of Purpose(学术)

　　The statement of purpose should convince readers–the faculty on the selection committee– that you have solid achievements behind you that show promise for your success in graduate study. Think of the statement of purpose as a composition with four different parts.

　　Part 1: Introduce yourself, your interests and motivations

　　Tell them what you’re interested in, and perhaps, what sparked your desire for graduate study. This should be short and to the point; don’t spend a great deal of time on autobiography.

　　Part 2: Summarize your undergraduate and previous graduate career

　　a) Research you conducted. Indicate with whom, the title of the project, what your responsibilities were, and the outcome. Write technically, or in the style of your discipline. Professors are the people who read these statements.

　　b) Important paper or thesis project you completed, as well as anything scholarly beyond your curricular requirements.

　　c) Work experience, especially if you had any kind of responsibility for testing, designing, researching or interning in an area similar to what you wish to study in graduate school.

　　Part 3: Discuss the relevance of your recent and current activities

　　If you graduated and worked prior to returning to grad school, indicate what you’ve been doing: company or non-profit, your work/design team, responsibilities, what you learned. You can also indicate here how this helped you focus your graduate studies.

　　Part 4: Elaborate on your academic interests

　　Here you indicate what you would like to study in graduate school in enough detail to convince the faculty that you understand the scope of research in their discipline, and are engaged with current research themes.

　　a) Indicate the area of your interests. Ideally, pose a question, dine a problem, or indicate a theme that you would like to address, and questions that arise from contemporary research. This should be an ample paragraph!

　　b) Look on the web for information about departments you’re interested in, including professors and their research. Are there professors whose research interests parallel yours? If so, indicate this. Check the specific program; many may require you to name a professor or professors with whom you might work.

　　c) End your statement in a positive manner, indicating your excitement and readiness for the challenges ahead of you.

　　Essential Tips

　　1. What the admissions committee will read between the lines: self-motivation, competence, potential as a graduate student.

　　2. Emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active, not a passive voice.

　　3. Demonstrate everything by example; don’t say directly that you’re a persistent person, show it.

　　4. If there is something important that happened to you that affected your grades, such as poverty, illness, or excessive work, state it. Write it affirmatively, showing your perseverance despite obstacles. You can elaborate more in your personal statement.

　　5. Make sure everything is linked with continuity and focus.

　　6. Unless the specific program says otherwise, be concise; an ideal essay should say everything it needs to with brevity. Approximately 500 to 1000 well-selected words (1-2 single space pages in 12 point font) is better than more words with less clarity and poor organization.

　　Writing the Personal Statement(diversity)

　　Helpful tips and advice for drafting a compelling personal statement when applying for graduate admission

　　What does this statement need to accomplish?

　　The personal statement should give concrete evidence of your promise as a member of the academic community, giving the committee an image of you as a person.

　　This is also where you represent your potential to bring to your academic career a critical perspective rooted in a non-traditional educational background, or your understanding of the experiences of groups historically under-represented in higher education and your commitment to increase participation by a diverse population in higher education.

　　What kinds of content belongs here?

　　Anything that can give reviewers a sense of you as a person belongs here; you can repeat information about your experiences in your research statement, but any experiences that show your promise, initiative, and ability to persevere despite obstacles belongs here. This is also a good place to display your communication skills and discuss your ability to maximize fective collaboration with a diverse cross-section of the academic community. If you have faced any obstacles or barriers in your education, sharing those experiences serves both for the selection process, and for your nomination for fellowships. If one part of your academic record is not ideal, due to challenges you faced in that particular area, this is where you can explain that, and direct reviewers’ attention to the evidence of your promise for higher education.

　　The basic message: your academic achievement despite challenges

　　It is especially helpful for admissions committees considering nominating you for fellowships for diversity if you discuss any or all of the following:

　　Demonstrated significant academic achievement by overcoming barriers such as economic, social, or educational disadvantage;

　　Potential to contribute to higher education through understanding the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and other members of groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. For example,,

　　attendance at a minority serving institution;

　　ability to articulate the barriers facing women and minorities in science and engineering fields;

　　participation in higher education pipeline programs such as, UC Leads, Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), or McNair Scholars;

　　Academic service advancing equitable access to higher education for women and racial minorities in fields where they are underrepresented;

　　Leadership experience among students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education;

　　Research interests focusing on underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example,

　　research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion;

　　research that addresses health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups;

　　artistic expression and cultural production that rlects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

　　参考：

　　In an essay, discuss how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how you might contribute to social or cultural diversity within your chosen field; and/or how you might serve educationally under represented segments of society with your degree.

　　总结：UC-Berkeley对SOP和PS的指导非常详细，SOP里面不一样的要求是要写出工作经历(如果有)。除了写明自己选择该校的理由，本科研究经历，还要看你的研究经历和学校的匹配程度。要明确写出对学校哪个方向感兴趣，有些系甚至要求写出对哪个教授感兴趣，因为ME是遵循研究生院的指导，没有这个要求，所以在此可以不用在PS里强调某个教授，避免太具体，可以在网申填写的时候遇到这个问题再回答;

　　PS如指导所述，要是有种族，文化，社会活动方面特别突出的经历(很多都写成了一个少数族裔的求学血泪史。。)，会比较感人，不过一般来说，如实的反映自己在这些方面的经历和挑战，以小见大效果应该也是不错的。你可以从你的家庭环境、转专业经历的心理挣扎、曾经得过白血病这几个角度去切入我觉得都是很特别的。

　　3. University of Texas-Austin

　　No Guide for Writing a Personal Statement

　　Austin没有相关的PS说明，在网申填写里PS的部分会有说明，一般跟正常PS差不多，按照要求上传就可以。

　　以上是几个学校关于PS的具体要求，其他学校的PS基本上都差不多，之后其他有PHS要求的可以参考Berkeley的指导进行套用或针对性修改。

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