麻省理工学院
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
麻省理工学院（简称，MIT）以科学、工程、经济与社会科学、人文与艺术等学科的世界影响力著称。MIT致力于培养兼具批判性思维与实践能力的人才，强调求真务实的精神和全球视野。学校重视通过科研、工程设计与社会应用的结合，鼓励学生在解决现实问题中不断创新，推动科技与社会的共同进步。
MIT的申请文书题目体现了学校对学生独立思考与真实表达的重视。题目设计不仅引导申请者回顾个人成长的动力、兴趣与经历，也强调展现课堂之外的探索与实践。从学术挑战到兴趣追求，从团队协作到自我反思，这些问题帮助学生呈现出独特的学习方式与人生故事。这样的文书要求正契合了 MIT 的教育理念：在好奇心、创造力与社会责任感的交汇处，培养能够改变世界的青年。
Rather than asking you to write one long essay, the MIT application consists of several short response questions and essays designed to help MIT get to know you. Remember that this is not a writing test. Be honest, be open, be authentic—this is your opportunity to connect with MIT.
You should certainly be thoughtful about your essays, but if you’re thinking too much—spending a lot of time stressing or strategizing about what makes you “look best,” as opposed to the answers that are honest and easy—you’re doing it wrong.
Required: MIT Questions
For the 2025–2026 application, MIT is asking these short answer essay questions:
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What field of study appeals to you the most right now? (Note: Applicants select from a drop-down list.) Tell us more about why this field of study at MIT appeals to you.
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We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.
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While some reach their goals following well-trodden paths, others blaze their own trails achieving the unexpected. In what ways have you done something different than what was expected in your educational journey?
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MIT brings people with diverse backgrounds together to collaborate, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to lending a helping hand. Describe one way you have collaborated with others to learn from them, with them, or contribute to your community together
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How did you manage a situation or challenge that you didn’t expect? What did you learn from it?
Depending on the question, MIT is looking for responses of approximately 100–200 words each. There is also one final, open-ended, additional-information text box where you can tell us anything else you think MIT really ought to know.
约翰斯·霍普金斯大学
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
约翰斯·霍普金斯大学（简称，JHU）位于美国马里兰州巴尔的摩，是世界TOP的私立研究型大学，以医学、公共卫生、国际关系、工程与人文学科的卓越成就享誉全球。JHU 以“知识为人类服务”为核心使命，鼓励学生在跨学科的学习与研究中，将理论与实践紧密结合，推动社会进步与全球福祉。
在招生过程中，JHU 注重全面评估申请者的学术能力、个人影响力和探索精神。申请文书与短答题不仅要求学生展现学术成就，还引导他们分享课堂之外的经历与成长故事。无论是学术研究的热情、社区中的领导力，还是个人的独特视角，这些内容都帮助招生团队了解申请者的真实个性与潜力。这样的要求体现了 JHU 的教育理念：通过批判性思维、全球视野与服务社会的担当，培养能够在世界舞台上发挥影响力的未来leader。
Required:
The Common Application Personal Essay
The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application won't accept a response shorter than 250 words.)
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Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
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The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
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Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
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Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
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Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
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Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
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Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
One Required Question
It is important to note that the following questions are optional. Applicants are encouraged to answer one of the four if they believe doing so will add something meaningful that is not already addressed elsewhere in the application. (250 word limitOver the past 150 years, every monumental discovery at Hopkins has started with a first step: The first draft by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. A prototype that led to a life-changing medical invention. The first pitch that launched a new startup venture. As we commemorate the university's sesquicentennial—150 years since its founding—we continue to celebrate first steps just as much as final achievements. Tell us about an important first in your life—big or small—that has shaped you. (350 word limit)
