Graduate School Statements 101 连载。中文版正在制作中。 [b][b]Lesson One: Preparation [b][b]How would you feel if getting into the graduate school of your choice had [b]nothing to do with your work experience, grades and test scores? Imagine [b]for a moment that the only thing an admissions committee would ever see is [b]your essay. The committee would have to make a decision that will change [b]the rest of your life based on only a few pages of essays. [b]Since applicants with similar research experiences, undergraduate GPAs, and [b]test scores are often compared to each other, the essay is often the [b]crucial factor in graduate school admissions decisions. Simply put, you [b]must have an excellent essay. Without the essay, a selection committee [b]would have to arbitrarily choose between two (or even two hundred) [b]candidates with almost identical profiles. [b]Understanding the importance of the essays is a necessary first step toward [b]perfecting your graduate school application. We are here to help you get [b]through the rest of the process. Please choose a link in the lt hand menu. [b]1. The Audience [b]Have you ever tried to imagine what happens to your essay after you submit [b]your application? For many applicants, this part of the process is a [b]mystery, but it does not have to be. [b]First, your file (application, transcripts, test scores, recommendations, [b]and essays) will be read in its entirety by at least one, and usually by [b]two or three, members of the admissions committee. This means that your [b]application will never be summarily dismissed based on any one factor such [b]as your GPA. or GRE. scores. It also means that no matter how you scored
-- [b]no matter how well or how badly -- your essays will still receive some [b]attention. [b]Admissions officers spend anywhere from ten to forty minutes looking at a [b]given set of essays. One officer explained, [b]Essays are a huge part of the business school application. They are VERY [b]important, so most counselors spend a lot of time reading and evaluating [b]them. We might read twenty sets in a day, including what we take home at [b]night. [b]Twenty sets translates into over 100 individual essays per day. This is [b]why, when asked for their number one pet peeve, admissions officers [b]answer, "Boring essays!" and "Essays that all sound the same!" When asked [b]what their number one piece of advice for applicants is, they answer, "Put [b]yourself into your essays, and make them interesting!" [b]Once an application has been given a first, quick read, it will go into one [b]of three basic piles: accept, reject, and unsure. A committee member stated, [b]Usually, two kinds of files go through easily and aren't read by more than [b]two people: the truly outstanding because the file is so brilliant and the [b]truly outstanding because the file is so poor. [b]If your application is in either the accept or reject categories, it will [b]generally be read by one additional person for confirmation. If the [b]application is rated acceptable, the second reader is usually the dean. If [b]the second reader agrees with the first, the process is complete. All other [b]applications-and this is usually upwards of 75 percent-fall into the unsure [b]pile. That pile then gets subdivided into probably accept, probably reject, [b]and unsure-and so on and so forth. [b]The longer your application remains in the unsure pile, the more similar [b]your numbers and background will be to the others in the pile. When [b]competition gets tough, your essays become virtually the only tool you have [b]to make your background and experience come alive, distinguishing you from [b]the rest of the homogenous crowd. [b]2. What "They" Look For [b]Admissions officers comments in italics. [b]When members of an admissions committee look at your file as a whole [b](transcripts, GRE scores, application, recommendations, and personal [b]statement), what they seek is essentially the same. Can this person succeed [b]academically at this school and will this person contribute to his field [b]upon graduating? [b]But when the committee members hone in on your essay, the focus shifts from [b]the quantifiable and objective to the nebulous and subjective. The [b]admissions officers we spoke with, for example, said that they looked to [b]the essays to feel that they have gotten to know the personality and [b]character of a real, live human being. As one officer put it: "I'm going to [b]spend the next three years with this person. I'm going to choose someone I [b]feel I know, and someone I feel I could like." [b]A. Motivation [b]The admissions committee will expect your essay to have answered the [b]obvious, but not so simple, question "why?" They look to your essay to [b]understand your motivation and assess your commitment to studying your [b]field. [b]Every essay should focus on answering the question, Why? In other words: [b]Why law? Why now? Why here? Why us? And, of course, Why you? [b]While you will be offered a lot of advice in this help course, do not lose [b]sight of the ultimate goal of the essay: You must convince the admissions [b]committee members that you belong at their school. Everything we tell you [b]should be used as a means to this end, so step back from the details of [b]this process regularly and remind yourself of the big picture. [b]B. Writing/Communication Skills [b]Another obvious function of the essay is to showcase your language [b]abilities and writing skills. [b]The ability to communicate ideas and to present them skillfully is [b]essential to success in academic fields, and good writing stems from these [b]good communication skills. [b]At this level, good writing skills are not sought, they are expected. So, [b]while a beautifully written essay isn't going to get you into graduate [b]school, a poorly written one could keep you out. [b]Does the candidate have a strong command of the English language? A solid [b]writing style and an ability to organize his or her thoughts? These are [b]factors that are important to your success as a student, so why wouldn't [b]they be important in an essay? [b]C. A Real Person [b]As we mentioned earlier, what our admissions panel said it seeks more than [b]anything else in the personal statement is a real, live human being: [b]Please, show us your face! Don't do it for us-do it for yourselves. After [b]all, a person is a lot easier to accept than a bunch of impersonal numbers [b]and a list of accomplishments. [b]In light of this, then, it might not surprise you that when we asked [b]admissions officers and graduate students for their number one piece of [b]advice regarding the essay, we received the same response almost every [b]time. Although it was expressed in many different ways (be honest, be [b]sincere, be unique, be personal, and so on), it always came down to the [b]same point: Be Yourself! [b]Admissions officers have to read tons of essays, and like anyone would, we [b]get bored. The essays that interest us and that do the job right are the [b]ones that show us who this person is. [b]Unfortunately, achieving this level of communication in writing does not [b]come naturally to everyone. But that does not mean it cannot be learned. [b]Four tips for achieving the kind of sincerity that the committees seek are [b]listed below. [b][b]Remember, though, that even with the help of the tips and advice, the [b]impression that your composition makes can be very hard to gauge in your [b]own writing. It is a good idea to have objective people- prerably people [b]who do not already know you well-read it over when you have finished. Ask [b]them to describe the kind of person they pictured as they were reading. How [b]accurate is their description relative to the one you were trying to [b]present? If their description sounds ambiguous or if they are struggling [b]for words, take it as a tip that you may not be presenting a clear and [b]focused portrait. [b][b]D. Get Personal [b][b]The best way to write yourself into your statement is to make it personal. [b]When you do this, your essay will automatically be more interesting and [b]engaging, helping it stand out from the hundreds of others the committee [b]will be reviewing that week. [b]Personalize your essay as much as possible; generic essays are not only [b]boring to read, they're a waste of time because they don't tell you [b]anything about the applicant that helps you get to know them better. [b]What does it mean to make your essay personal? It means that you drop the [b]formalities and write about something that is truly meaningful to you. It [b]means that you include a story or anecdote taken from your life, using [b]ample detail and colorful imagery to give it life. [b]Express thoughts and emotions, not just facts and ideas. Communicate real [b]experiences. We want to know what has touched you in your life. [b]Do keep in mind, however, that a story does not need to be poignant or [b]emotional to be personal. [b]A personal epiphany, tragedy, life change, or earth-shattering event is not [b]essential to a strong essay. [b]It is a small minority of students who will truly have had a life-changing [b]event to write about. In fact, students who rely too heavily on these [b]weighty experiences often do themselves an injustice. They often don't [b]think about what has really touched them or interests them because they are [b]preoccupied with the topic that they think will impress the committee. They [b]write overemotionally about death or another life drama because they think [b]this is all that is significant enough to make them seem introspective and [b]mature. What often happens, however, is that they rely on the experience [b]itself to speak for them and never specifically explain how it changed them [b]or give a solid example of how the emotional response makes meaningful [b]their desire to attend law school. In other words, they don't make it [b]personal. [b]E. Details, Details, Details [b]To make your essay personal, use details. [b]Generality is the death of good writing. Focus on the little things, the [b]details that make your story special and unique. [b]Using detail means getting specific. Show, don't tell, who you are by [b]backing up each and every claim you make with real experiences. It is these [b]details that make your story unique and interesting. [b]Look at the detail used by *this applicant, for example. He opens his essay [b]with: [b]One evening, during Christmas vacation of my freshman year in college, when [b]a formidable storm outside called for an evening of hot tea and heavy [b]reading, I picked up a book that had been sitting on my desk for several [b]weeks. [b]Notice that he didn't just sit down and pick up a book. He sat down during [b]Christmas vacation, and not just any year, but his freshman year in [b]college, and it wasn't just any night, it was a stormy night that called [b]for an evening of hot tea and heavy reading and the book wasn't just [b]anywhere, it was on his desk and it had been there for several weeks. [b]Notice too in the rest of his essay that he backs up each point he makes [b]with specific examples. For example, he learned to value work and education [b]from his father-a common claim-but he goes on to tell us exactly how his [b]father taught him this by naming specific jobs and promotions he had. [b]Details bring the experience to life. [b]F. Tell a Story [b]Incorporating a story into your essay can be a great way to make it [b]interesting and enjoyable. The safest and most common method of integrating [b]a story into an essay is to tell the story first, then step back into the [b]role of narrator and explain why it was presented and what lessons were [b]learned. The reason this method works is that it forces you to begin with [b]the action, which is a sure way to get the readers' attention and keep them [b]reading. [b]Give your essay momentum-make sure the parts work together and move to a [b]point, carrying the reader along. [b]Many of the essay examples in this course make fective use of [b]storytelling. They integrate the story into the essay to varying degrees. [b]*This applicant takes one extreme by actually separating the narrative from [b]the rest of her essay. She begins with two different stories told one after [b]the other in one paragraph each, then skips a few lines on the paper and [b]begins the "real" essay. We strongly caution against this type of structure [b]which could be perceived as gimmicky. In contrast, *this applicant [b]integrates the story of his forts to ban the Confederate flag from the [b]Boy Scouts, but steps out of the narrative at various points to discuss his [b]more recent activities and his motivation to attend law school. [b]*this applicant’s sample essay (This essay appears unedited for [b]instructional purposes. Essays edited by 51edit.com are substantially [b]improved.) [b]At the age of eighteen, I never expected to receive so much attention. [b]After two years of trying to persuade the local Scout council to abandon [b]its widespread use of the Confederate battle flag, my letter to the [b]National Office paid off. Newspapers nationwide reported that my letter [b]spurred the Boy Scouts of America to issue a policy restricting use of the [b]flag. As a conservative white Southerner whose family moved here in 1635, I [b]had to explain that this policy was not just politically correct, but that [b]it made sense. [b]Nine years ago, I was inducted into the Order of the Arrow (OA), a [b]selective Scout organization designed to encourage leadership and community [b]service. My seventy-member induction class included twenty black Scouts, [b]but I never saw more than one or two of them at OA events. I became [b]concerned that the OA was not developing leaders from one-third of our [b]state's population, and wondered why blacks returned so rarely. I [b]remembered the pervasiveness of the Confederate flag on induction weekend- [b]decorating mugs and T-shirts, hanging from flagpoles and in the dining [b]hall. While I knew the flag was not the root cause of the problem, I [b]decided that its removal would help keep black Scouts in the OA. [b]Therore, as editor of the regional OA newsletter, I published an article [b]critical of the flag. Several black Scouts quietly confirmed my suspicions. [b]One Scout recalled that his mother, seeing the flags in the camp dining [b]hall, pulled him aside and whispered, "I don't think we're welcome here." [b]More typical was the response of a prominent Scout leader, who angrily [b]demanded to know why any debate was even necessary since "we only have two [b]blacks in the lodge anyway." I could not believe how thoroughly he had [b]missed my point. [b]Though my local forts were thwarted, I still believed that Scouting [b]should abandon the flag. One year later, my letter to the National Office [b]prompted the new policy and ignited a storm of public debate. Critics [b]blasted my disrespect for Southern tradition, misinterpreting my desire to [b]help the South as an apology for the Civil War. I am proud of my relatives [b]who fought and died for the Confederacy, but it is not their image that the [b]flag represents when it is used at twentieth century Scout meetings, [b]football games, and NASCAR races. Scouts began using the flag in the 1950s, [b]about the time Georgia and South Carolina raised it over their State [b]Houses. The flag is a response to unpopular Supreme Court justices, not [b]invading armies. [b]Ironically, [school's] student newspaper has charged that I lack compassion [b]and only represent white male fraternity members on a fraternity-dominated [b]campus. The newspaper did not endorse me for student body president because [b]I rused to give unconditional support to every cause, including de- [b]emphasis of Western curricula and mandatory hiring quotas for black [b]faculty. The editors downplayed my leading role in establishing the first [b]main campus housing for a black fraternity, a woman's selective group, and [b]a multicultural organization, because they believed that the fraternities [b]should have been kicked off campus instead. Nonetheless, I was the first [b]person to be elected without their endorsement in twenty years because [b]students recognized my commitment to the entire community. [b]The battle flag has slowly disappeared from Scouting, and [school's] campus [b]better rlects the school's diversity. While integration is still a [b]distant goal, these changes are small steps in the right direction. I [b]sought practical improvements through independent thinking, perseverance, [b]and tenacity in the face of fierce criticism. A legal education would give [b]me tools to better use these abilities. I am not headed to law school on a [b]mission, but I see law as an opportunity to contribute as we build our [b]future. *
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