首先我们先对申请所需的文书种类做个了解:主文书(Common& CAAS)、加州文书 ( 领导力,创造力,个人才能,教育机会,人生挑战,喜欢的学科,社会责任,其他)、附表文书、推荐信。我们提到的special topic 就属于附表文书的一种。
那么问题来了,什么specialtopic 呢?它的目的是什么?
Special topic 是我们遇到的一些“quirky”的文书题目,也就是看完题目后,有点摸不着头脑。需要我们做的是揭开quirky的字面,了解它背后的的含义。
它存在意义是:Givestudents a lot freedom to creative and share something different aboutthemselves!所以同学们一定要把握住这个special的机会,展示出你不为人知的一面。当然了并不能太过于无厘头的发挥,还是需要把握住精髓:Match+ Personality. 在于展出你个人特色的同时,要体现你和学校之间的匹配度。
如果要体现你和学校的匹配度,第一步一定是school research。去学校官网查看,学校的办学宗旨、教育理念、专业设置、课程设置、社团设置、等等。把这些信息和你自己本身的经历、特点相融合,就能体现出你和学校之间是相互match的。下面为了加深大家的理解,我们来一起看一个例子:
Wake Forest University 是美国一所极富盛名的综合性研究大学,其小班制精英教学体制更是受学生们的青睐。不过这所学校的文书题目可是十分有挑战性的,也劝退不少有意愿尝试的学生。
As part of our “Voices of Our Time” series – whichallows students, faculty, and staff to hear from some of the world’s leadingthinkers – Wake Forest has hosted Ta-Nehisi Coates, Michelle Alexander, EbooPatel, and Thomas Friedman. If you could choose the next series speaker, whowould you pick, and why? (150 words)
作为我们的“时代之声”系列节目的一部分——让学生、教师和工作人员能够听到世界上一些著名的思想家的声音——维克森林已经招待了塔内希西·科茨、米歇尔·亚历山大、埃博帕特尔和托马斯·弗里德曼。如果你可以选择下一个系列的演讲者,你会选谁,为什么?(150字)
当看到学校的school vision之后,我们也就能明白学校出此题的原因了。在school vision,提到了
Emphasize exceptional teaching, discovery,and student engagement within a dynamic academic community.
Become a crossroads of discussion on the importantnational and international issues of our time.
Attract a diverse community of the brightesteducators and students from throughout the country and the world.
Link intellectual curiosity, moral reflectionand a commitment to service, shaping ethically informed leaders to servehumanity
学校问此题正是想寻找一个学生,cultured,pay attention to current affair, and have a pulse on how leading voice areimpacting society.
文书范文(摘自外文网站)
Thenext speaker in the ‘Voices of our Time’ series should be presidentialcandidate Marianne Williamson. With a background as an author and long timespiritual adviser, Marianne has developed a fascinating political philosophythat imbues leadership with spirituality and introspection. Her policy platformis unconventional, but it sheds light on some interesting issues such asreparations and the creation of a Department of Peace, in turn bringing topicsinto the political canon that otherwise never would have seen the light of day.
这篇范文的成功之处在于,选取了一位less known figure, 更有深度的点出她的政治理念。同时也看出学生对于政治的关注和喜爱。
希望今天的讲解,可以对同学们的申请有帮助,提前在自己感兴趣的领域多做功课为之后的附表文书积累素材!