看教授对PS写作的建议.

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　　PERSONAL STATEMENT(以下简称PS)是申请美国，加拿大，英国等西方国家的大学/研究生录取时由申请人写的关于自我的一篇漫谈体文章。由于在中国的升学体制中，基本上是唯分数论的，因此中国的申请人对这类文件的写作和思维方式不熟悉。中西方教育体制的差异使许多申请人的PS写作理念非常混乱，下面我们就来看一下教授对PS写作的建议。 I&apos&aposve read many applications to our graduate program, and I&apos&aposve seen a lot of statements of purpose that, frankly, aren&apos&apost very good. Here are some thoughts and comments that will hopully help you write a better statement of purpose. These are merely my own thoughts and should not be construed as official guidelines of any sort. What the statement of purpose is not Many students (particularly foreign students) think that the statement of purpose is about character. While honesty, sincerety, conscientiousness, etc. are important attributes, I assume students with good academic records applying to graduate school have these traits. Many students think that the statement of purpose should be an autobiographical sketch. Believe me, the story of your first computer when you were 10 years old and how it inspired you to devote your life to Computer Science does not make particularly interesting reading, nor does it tell me the things I want to know. Questions that your statement of purpose should answer When I read a statement of purpose (which I think is one of the most important parts of a graduate application), I have the following questions in mind. Don&apos&apost structure your statement with these questions! (I can just see the applications pouring in now with my questions used as section headings.) Your statement of purpose should be a cohesive piece of prose. (Some use of section headings is OK, but not with my questions.) It should present yourself to the reader. One way you can think of your statement is as an extended (and somewhat more formal) answer to the interview question, “Tell me about yourself...” While some of my questions below can (and should) be answered directly, the rest should be addressed by relating relevant experiences and accomplishments. Why do you want to get a PhD (or MS)? What are your research interests? Be as specific as possible, but keep in mind who will be reading your application. In the Rensselaer CS department, research groups read applications — the one(s) you specify on your application. At other schools, a department committee may read all applications and decide upon admissions on behalf of the whole department. For the Rensselaer CS department, unless you are an exceptional student with a broad range of experience/accomplishments, you should target your application to just one research group — a student who specifies interest in robotics and networking, for example, may not be taken seriously by either group. Multiple faculty within a research group will read your application. Why are you interested in these research topics? Don&apos&apost write an autobiography! Do you have the motivation/perseverence to complete a PhD? If you have an undergraduate degree in something other than Computer Science or Computer Engineering, then another question is: do you have the background to pass the PhD qualifiers? The statement of purpose is also an opportunity to describe some of your accomplishments and their significance. The reader will not be familiar with the programs, competitions, examinations, etc. for all parts of the United States, not to mention other countries. Other things to keep in mind Format: Single spaced (or maybe even "one and a half" spacing, but dinitely not double spaced) with at least a 10 point font and reasonable margins (at least 1 inch on all sides, prerrably more on the lt and right with a 10 point font). Length: Dinitely not more than 2 pages! (Who has time to read more than that?) When I was applying to graduate schools, I was advised to keep my statement of purpose to a single page. I now think that this was not good advice — one page tends to be too short if you&apos&aposre covering everything you should. Don&apos&apost try to "cram" more into your two pages using typographical tricks (line spacing, font size, margins, etc.) You&apos&aposre not fooling anyone. Inability to write a concise statement of purpose indicates a lack of critical thinking skills. I should duly note that most undergraduate Computer Science students confuse "concise" with "short". "Concise" means that you have given thought to the composition of your statement to make it a clear and cohesive piece of prose (with a natural/logical flow) that covers all the necessary points and doesn&apos&apost cover unnecessary points. "Short" pieces of writing are usually too short because they omit important points, aren&apos&apost cohesive, etc. Spell check it! Get someone else to proofread it! Special note to Chinese (and some Indian) faculty... Fer cryin&apos&apos out loud, stop saying that every student is your favorite student! I never really believe it anyway... 　　希望教授的建议对于大家在PS的写作上可以有所启发，留学文书在西方的文化背景下是申请入学(奖学金)的极为重要的组成部分。其中PS往往对您的申请是否成功起到很大的作用，所以大家一定要高度重视。

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