教授教你如何写美国研究生个人陈述.

　　申请美国研究生项目的时候，美国研究生个人陈述的重要性占到20%-25%，洋洋洒洒1000字不到，有时真的能起到四两拨千斤的作用。

　　本文为普渡大学前研究生录取委员会主管在2007年的一次采访记录，详尽详实的阐述了美国研究生录取委员会希望申请人的个人陈述中应该出现什么。

　　The first paragraph of your personal statement, one or two sentences, should make clear the purpose of your writing: to present an interpretive summary of your background, academic interests, and future goals as justification for your admission to a program of graduate study.

　　美国研究生个人陈述的第一段，应该在一两句话中，明确概括出以下的要点：你的背景，你的学术兴趣，你的未来目标，还有你想被录取的专业。

　　The second paragraph interprets your background for the graduate admissions committee. This paragraph should establish your academic preparation for the program to which you have applied. If you have been a strong student throughout your undergraduate years, you may call attention to what you believe have been strong combinations of courses which seem to fit your prospective graduate program well. If you have had ups and downs as an undergraduate, you may call attention to progressive improvement in your studies: i.e., the difference between your junior/senior GPA and your freshman/sophomore GPA or your record in selected course work that is directly related to the kinds of course work that you will undertake as a graduate student. If you scored well on whatever graduate examination that you took, you may want to cite that fact as well. Keep in mind that graduate admissions committees want assurance that you will be a successful student. If you have had relevant experiences, you may mention them here, too. Some graduate programs such as applied sociology or social work or resource development, etc. look for evidence that you have already sought out ways to translate your academic background into practical, professionally oriented applications. In short, this paragraph should assure the graduate admissions committee that you have matured during your undergraduate years, that your intellectual and professional interests have taken shape, and that you have begun a conscientious progress toward professional development.

　　个人陈述的第二段，应该详细的说明你的背景。其中很关键的一段是要说明你为了申请研究生，已经做出了什么样的准备。如果你本科成绩很好，那么你可以将你本科学习中成绩不错的科目结合你未来欲申请的专业来谈。如果你本科成绩起伏很大，你可以用从低到高的形式来表现你在本科学习中的进步与提高。举例说明，你可以将那些对你未来研究生学习有直接影响的科目类别，用低年级/高年级比较的方式来体现你的提升。如果你在研究生入学考试中，如GMAT或者GRE这样的考试中，有比较优异的表现，那么你也应该在这一段中提出来。要记住，录取委员会要审查的是申请者是否是一名真正优秀的学生。如果你有一些相关的学术研究经验，这一段中你也可以提出来。有一些专业，如应用科学类，社会工作类或者资源开发类，都需要学生将学术上的成就与未来实际操作和事业发展上的计划较好的结合。因此如果你申请类似的专业，有一些实际的操作经验则会对你的申请有帮助。总之，这一段中你要说服录取委员会，你四年的大学本科学习已经让你足够成熟。而随着你对未来专业的再细化和对未来职业计划的再布置，你的心智与职业兴趣也逐渐的在向更深一步的领域前进。

　　In this example format, the third paragraph will be a description of your professional goals. (This paragraph and the next, however, could be reversed.) Though your letter takes the general shape of a summary of your interests and background, it also builds an argument for your admission to a particular graduate program. The logic of this argument runs this way: I know what interests me; I know that I would like to engage in this work as my profession; and I believe that the necessary, most logical way to assure me of success in this profession is to earn this graduate degree. This paragraph describes what you know about the professional careers to which this course of graduate study may lead. Generally, people who pursue graduate degrees tend toward any of four professional occupations: academic, public service, private industry, or self-employment (i.e., writers, lawyers, physicians, etc.). Though you do not have to commit yourself to one career only, you are best served by presenting to the admissions committee as specific as ideas as possible about what you intend to do with their degree. If you know that you would eventually like to be a business consultant specializing in labor market analysis, say so. Such a statement indicates to the committee that you are goal oriented, that you are capable of identifying what you want and of developing a systematic means to attain it. This paragraph, in conjunction with the previous one, assures the admissions committee that you are an applicant with a purpose.

　　从第三段开始，作为申请人的你就需要去描述一下你未来的职业目标了。(本段和下一段的主题可以互换)。也许你的文字已经建立了你的职业目标和你的相关背景，但是这些文字同样也建立了一个论点，那就是为什么你要上这个研究生。一个有逻辑的去阐述这个论点的方法如下：确定自己的兴趣，确定自己的职业，同时确定最直接，且必须，而且真的有用的能让你实现你这职业目标的方式，就是去贵校念一个研究生学位。整体上看，读过硕士的人在未来发展上主要有四个方向，包括学术方向，公共服务方向，私营企业方向和自我创业方向(如作家，律师，私人医生等)。虽然你不用确认你将必然走那条路，必然随着哪个方向发展，尽量清晰清楚细致的和录取委员会说明你未来的发展路线将势必对你的申请有所帮助。比如说，你已经确定了你未来就是要搞商业，具体方向为就业市场分析方向的话，那么就请写出来。这样的写法可以让录取委员会确定你是一个有上进心的以目标为导向的人，同时也能清晰的表明你有能力分辨最终目标和你现在状态之间的距离，并且知晓如何穿越这一距离。这一段，外加上一段，可以保证让录取委员会清晰地看到你是一个有目的的申请者，而不是那种完全不知道为什么要申请的人。

　　The fourth paragraph, which describes what you intend to study in graduate school, should tighten your argument. Now that you have made clear your interests, background, and professional goals, you must make the case that the best way for you to bridge your undergraduate years and your successful performance as a professional is to study what this particular graduate program offers. Be as specific as you can. Learn what courses this graduate program offers. Identify its faculty members and what research they are conducting. Know the program&aposs reputation, its strengths and its weaknesses. Your undergraduate professors can be of very great assistance in this regard. If, say, you are interested in pursuing advanced work in cognitive psychology, your application will not be most appropriately sent to a department that is trying to make its name in industrial/organizational behavior. As you describe your reasons for applying to this particular program try to link your interest with what you know is available through that program and its parent college or university. If you know that it encourages practicum experience, something you want, say so. If some of your undergraduate texts or assignments have utilized materials produced by that program, say so. Offer suggestions about combinations of courses or faculty advisors that you think might be especially imaginative or productive. This paragraph, thus, accomplishes two ends: you place this graduate program in the continuum of your own professional development and you demonstrate that you have applied to it as the result of an informed, rlective selection process of your own.

　　第四段主要描述你未来要在研究生院学习一些什么。这段也可以用来加强你的论点。到这个地方，你已经用文字描述乐你的兴趣，背景还有职业目标，因此在这一段你就应该去阐述去研究生院学习什么科目可以让你顺利的实现从本科到研究生的转变，并且能帮助你达到你的目标。这一段的书写上，越细节越好。比如说，你可以去查找一下你欲申请的研究生项目都教授哪些科目。或者你也可以说出几个这个项目的教授名字，然后具体谈谈对他们所作的项目或研究的看法。也可以多研究一下这个研究生项目的具体课程大纲，分析一下其劣势和优势。在这方面，你的本科老师或教授其实可以帮到你很多。假设你想学认知心理学，那么如果你把申请材料邮递给工业/组织行为相关的研究生项目，那你就做对了。你的本科教授可以很好的帮助你去分析你本科所修课程与未来研究生专业之间的内部关系。如果你发现你欲申请的研究生项目注重实践或者实习，而你又正好希望参与到实践与实习中，那么就应该在这段描述出来你的想法。而如果你本科的一些课本正好是由你欲申请的这个研究生院撰写出版的，那么也请务必提出来。当然，你也可以提出一些建议给你想申请的研究生项目的相关教授或者负责人，用你觉得最充满想象力和最充满建设性的意见来帮助他们把项目搞的更好。因此在这一段中，总体而言你需要做到这么一件事：你应该表明你已经把你欲申请的研究生项目放到了你未来的职业规划中，同时你应该标明这种安置是在你对欲申请的研究生项目做过详细分析后而得出的结论。

　　Your personal statement should close with a bri summary of your background and goals, again just a sentence or two. This last statement reaffirms both your preparation and your confidence that your choice of this graduate program is right.

　　美国研究生个人陈述结尾部分，正如你的开篇，应该在一两句话中，明确概括出以下的要点：你的背景，你的学术兴趣，你的未来目标，还有你想被录取的专业。同时表明，你的选择是正确的。