如何写好美国大学申请中的personal statement?

　　Personal Statement(简称PS)顾名思义，是指个人陈述。需要注意的是，PS只是文书中的一种，还有一种叫SOP(Statement of Purpose)或SOI(Statement of Intent)。通俗来讲，只是叫法不一样，本质上都是学校进一步了解你个性化特点的方式。

　　个人陈述应当提供具体事例来说明自己有潜力成为学校学术社群的一员，向招生委员会描述你是什么样的一个人。你可以展现你有什么样的学术潜力，或者你来自小众群体，学术背景与他人不同，你所代表的群体或许之前在高等教育中处于劣势地位，你是如何立志要增强学术人群的多样性，为同学带去不同的视角。

　　个人陈述(PS)更多关注的是个人成长，关于你是什么样的一个人，来自什么样的背景，如何能为学校的学生群体带来多样性(diversity)。实际上，美国大学招生委员会特别重视那些克服了生活中的艰难困苦，经过自己的顽强拼搏取得令人称赞的成绩的青年。另外在你所处的人文、经济和自然环境中，你是否发现和抓住了机遇并战胜了挑战，你到底为什么选择该校的该研究生项目也是要写出的。招生委员会想通过对你的背景、性格、特质、想法和经历等评判你是否适合读该研究生项目，是否更有竞争力和取得事业上的成功。

　　以加州大学伯克利分校为例，从学校官网的要求中，可以获取相关信息。

　　Writing the Personal StatementHelpful 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 criticalperspective 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 havefaced 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.

　　——来自加州大学伯克利分校官网

　　任何能帮助招生官进一步了解你的内容都可以出现在个人陈述里。在研究陈述中已出现过的信息也可再次提及。一般建议可以出现的内容有： 能体现你学术潜力、个人主动性、克服困难的经历。展现你沟通能力的经历，例如如何通过与其他专业学者沟通实现合作最大化的事例。在学习中曾面临过的挑战和困难，分享这样的经历既有助于让你在选拔中脱颖而出，也能增加你获得奖学金的概率。如果由于客观原因你有部分成绩不是很理想，你可以在个人陈述中进行解释，但不要把重心放在困难上，否则会让招生官觉得你在找借口，应该把关注点放在你是如何发挥主观能动性尝试解决问题的。这样能让招生官相信未来学习中你也具备同样的韧性来克服挑战。