從三大牛校窺探美國學(xué)校的PS要求

雖然各個學(xué)校對PS的要求各有表述，但整體來說，PS一般會提到(1) 在某校讀某專業(yè)本科或研究生的動機理由 (2)之前的研究/課業(yè)及相關(guān)背景 (3)學(xué)業(yè)及職業(yè)規(guī)劃。以下是3個學(xué)校的PS要求說明，比較有代表性，可供參考。加州的學(xué)校基本都要求寫一個PHS，意在表現(xiàn)學(xué)生在專業(yè)課，研究以外，尤其是種族，文化，社會等方面的經(jīng)歷，重在diversity的體現(xiàn)。

1 Stanford University

http://me.stanford.edu/admissions/masters-admissions-including-design-program

Statement of Purpose (from department)

Your statement of purpose should identify personal and professional goals. It should also discuss your development to date and your intentions relative to graduate study and life beyond Stanford. The ME Graduate Admissions Committee reads your statement of purpose with interest because, along with the letters of recommendation, it offers insight into who you are as an individual. Your statement of purpose should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced).

總結(jié)：Stanford對PS的要求屬于普通型，重申請者相關(guān)學(xué)習(xí)以及研究經(jīng)歷，突出個性。因此研究經(jīng)歷一塊需要重點寫，然后個性方面比如最后選擇Stanford理由這方面可以寫的更加具體一些?？梢渣c出學(xué)校或者學(xué)院甚至系里的某些特別的項目或者特色如何吸引你。

2. UC-Berkeley

http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/state_purpose.shtml

Writing the Statement of Purpose(學(xué)術(shù))

The statement of purpose should convince readers–the faculty on the selection committee– that you have solid achievements behind you that show promise for your success in graduate study. Think of the statement of purpose as a composition with four different parts.

Part 1: Introduce yourself, your interests and motivations

Tell them what you’re interested in, and perhaps, what sparked your desire for graduate study. This should be short and to the point; don’t spend a great deal of time on autobiography.

Part 2: Summarize your undergraduate and previous graduate career

a) Research you conducted. Indicate with whom, the title of the project, what your responsibilities were, and the outcome. Write technically, or in the style of your discipline. Professors are the people who read these statements.

b) Important paper or thesis project you completed, as well as anything scholarly beyond your curricular requirements.

c) Work experience, especially if you had any kind of responsibility for testing, designing, researching or interning in an area similar to what you wish to study in graduate school.

Part 3: Discuss the relevance of your recent and current activities

If you graduated and worked prior to returning to grad school, indicate what you’ve been doing: company or non-profit, your work/design team, responsibilities, what you learned. You can also indicate here how this helped you focus your graduate studies.

Part 4: Elaborate on your academic interests

Here you indicate what you would like to study in graduate school in enough detail to convince the faculty that you understand the scope of research in their discipline, and are engaged with current research themes.

a) Indicate the area of your interests. Ideally, pose a question, define a problem, or indicate a theme that you would like to address, and questions that arise from contemporary research. This should be an ample paragraph!

b) Look on the web for information about departments you’re interested in, including professors and their research. Are there professors whose research interests parallel yours? If so, indicate this. Check the specific program; many may require you to name a professor or professors with whom you might work.

c) End your statement in a positive manner, indicating your excitement and readiness for the challenges ahead of you.

Essential Tips

1. What the admissions committee will read between the lines: self-motivation, competence, potential as a graduate student.

2. Emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active, not a passive voice.

3. Demonstrate everything by example; don’t say directly that you’re a persistent person, show it.

4. If there is something important that happened to you that affected your grades, such as poverty, illness, or excessive work, state it. Write it affirmatively, showing your perseverance despite obstacles. You can elaborate more in your personal statement.

5. Make sure everything is linked with continuity and focus.

6. Unless the specific program says otherwise, be concise; an ideal essay should say everything it needs to with brevity. Approximately 500 to 1000 well-selected words (1-2 single space pages in 12 point font) is better than more words with less clarity and poor organization.

http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/personal-statement/

Writing the Personal Statement(diversity)

Helpful tips and advice for drafting a compelling personal statement when applying for graduate admission

What does this statement need to accomplish?

The personal statement should give concrete evidence of your promise as a member of the academic community, giving the committee an image of you as a person.

This is also where you represent your potential to bring to your academic career a critical perspective rooted in a non-traditional educational background, or your understanding of the experiences of groups historically under-represented in higher education and your commitment to increase participation by a diverse population in higher education.

What kinds of content belongs here?

Anything that can give reviewers a sense of you as a person belongs here; you can repeat information about your experiences in your research statement, but any experiences that show your promise, initiative, and ability to persevere despite obstacles belongs here. This is also a good place to display your communication skills and discuss your ability to maximize effective collaboration with a diverse cross-section of the academic community. If you have faced any obstacles or barriers in your education, sharing those experiences serves both for the selection process, and for your nomination for fellowships. If one part of your academic record is not ideal, due to challenges you faced in that particular area, this is where you can explain that, and direct reviewers’ attention to the evidence of your promise for higher education.

The basic message: your academic achievement despite challenges

It is especially helpful for admissions committees considering nominating you for fellowships for diversity if you discuss any or all of the following:

Demonstrated significant academic achievement by overcoming barriers such as economic, social, or educational disadvantage;

Potential to contribute to higher education through understanding the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, students with disabilities, and other members of groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. For example,,

attendance at a minority serving institution;

ability to articulate the barriers facing women and minorities in science and engineering fields;

participation in higher education pipeline programs such as, UC Leads, Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), or McNair Scholars;

Academic service advancing equitable access to higher education for women and racial minorities in fields where they are underrepresented;

Leadership experience among students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education;

Research interests focusing on underserved populations and understanding issues of racial or gender inequalities. For example,

research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion;

research that addresses health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups;

artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

參考：

In an essay, discuss how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how you might contribute to social or cultural diversity within your chosen field; and/or how you might serve educationally under represented segments of society with your degree.

總結(jié)：UC-Berkeley對SOP和PS的指導(dǎo)非常詳細，SOP里面不一樣的要求是要寫出工作經(jīng)歷(如果有)。除了寫明自己選擇該校的理由，本科研究經(jīng)歷，還要看你的研究經(jīng)歷和學(xué)校的匹配程度。要明確寫出對學(xué)校哪個方向感興趣，有些系甚至要求寫出對哪個教授感興趣，因為ME是遵循研究生院的指導(dǎo)，沒有這個要求，所以在此可以不用在PS里強調(diào)某個教授，避免太具體，可以在網(wǎng)申填寫的時候遇到這個問題再回答;

PS如指導(dǎo)所述，要是有種族，文化，社會活動方面特別突出的經(jīng)歷(很多都寫成了一個少數(shù)族裔的求學(xué)血淚史。。)，會比較感人，不過一般來說，如實的反映自己在這些方面的經(jīng)歷和挑戰(zhàn)，以小見大效果應(yīng)該也是不錯的。你可以從你的家庭環(huán)境、轉(zhuǎn)專業(yè)經(jīng)歷的心理掙扎、曾經(jīng)得過白血病這幾個角度去切入我覺得都是很特別的。

3. University of Texas-Austin

No Guide for Writing a Personal Statement

http://www.engr.utexas.edu/graduate/admissions/apply

Austin沒有相關(guān)的PS說明，在網(wǎng)申填寫里PS的部分會有說明，一般跟正常PS差不多，按照要求上傳就可以。

以上是幾個學(xué)校關(guān)于PS的具體要求，其他學(xué)校的PS基本上都差不多，之后其他有PHS要求的可以參考Berkeley的指導(dǎo)進行套用或針對性修改。

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