【老孙说留学第199天】老外眼里中国留学申请的五大误区

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大家好，不少同学在申请过程中可能有意无意会犯一些错误，对留学申请存在误区而不自知。在此分享一位曾在中国做过教育咨询的外国人分析的中国学生申请过程中经常出现的误区。

如果你在申请美国的大学，恭喜你，中国还有10万多名学生也在申请。想知道如何从众多人之中脱颖而出么?

You're applying to an American university. Unfortunately for you, so are over 100,000 other Chinese students. Want to know how to stand out from the crowd?

我在上海曾经做了一年的教育咨询，根据我的经验，以下五个方面是每个中国学生在申请学校的时候都会犯的错误。

Here's what I learned from a year working as an educational consultant in Shanghai: when it comes to university applications every Chinese student is doing the same things (wrong).

个人陈述千篇一律

You're writing about basketball.

个人陈述的主题没有特别完美的，但是糟糕的例子却是不少。写个人陈述要避免谈论打篮球、学英语、做作业、你爸爸或是乔布斯这类的主题。为什么要避开这些好主题呢?因为每个人都会这么写，所以为了成为与众不同的那一个，你需要展示出自己的独特之处。比如谈谈你在收容所做志愿者的时候，有个小孩子吐在了你的鞋子上。放弃千篇一律的主题，令人难忘的趣闻轶事才是你真正应该写的。

There is no perfect topic for a personal statement, but there are plenty of bad ones. Good topics to steer clear of? Basketball, learning English, homework, your dad, and Steve Jobs. Why? Everyone else wrote about these. In order to be irreplaceable, you need to show originality. Talk about the time a kid threw up on your shoes while you were volunteering at a homeless shelter. A memorable anecdote is the way to go.

过于追求学校排名

You're obsessing over hierarchy.

在中国，学校排名是大家选学校第一考虑的因素，而在美国，评价学校质量的方式很多。比如说，在未来招聘的老板看来，毕业于高水平理科项目的学生比名校毕业生更有优势。另外，跟别的国家不同，每个美国学校的特点都大不相同。当你盲目地选了一所“名牌大学”，这所学校的价值观念和课程也不一定适合你。所以你应该考虑的是：你希望学校能带给你什么?高科技的天文台?超赞的小提琴课程?还是它靠近多元文化的城市?选择一所符合你的要求和目标的大学，你的特点和学校的特色相吻合，申请的时候你就会脱颖而出，而且在这里学习，你会更快乐，也会取得更大的成绩。

Obviously, school rank is a major priority in China. In America, however, school caliber is assessed across multiple categories. To a future employer, it may matter more that you graduated from, say, a strong science program than from a famous school. What's more, unlike in many other countries, each American school is drastically different from the next. When you blindly select a “name-brand” school, there's no guarantee that its values and programs will be right for you. So consider this: What is it that you want from your university? A high tech observatory? A kick-ass violin program? Proximity to a multicultural city? If you choose a university that fits your specific preferences and goals, your suitability will shine through in your application, and you'll end up a happier and more successful student.

教科书式的英语

Your English sounds like a textbook.

我明白托福非常重要，真的。但是如果你是为了通过考试而学英语，那你就大错特错了！尽管你托福考到了110分，但是理解美语的交流对话也是很重要的——这不仅是为了申请学校有优势，而且能帮助你到美国校园后能更好地理解教授的课程讲授，更容易交朋友。想要提高英语口语，我建议大家多多练习用英语谈论你喜欢的事情。

I understand the importance of the TOEFL. Trust me. But if you're studying just the English you need to pass the test, then you're way off base! Even if you scrape a 110, an understanding of conversational American English is crucial—not only for a strong application, but also for understanding professors and making friends when you finally get to campus. Here's my advice for improving your speaking skills: Focus on learning to talk about the things you love.

研究地铁地图

You're studying a metro map.

除非你申请的全部都是纽约的学校，否则你的校园可能离地铁站比较远——你会发现美国大部分一流大学都建在小城市或者郊区。很可能你每天都要步行去上课，所以不要太担心交通问题。

Unless you're applying exclusively to schools in NYC, chances are, your campus is nowhere near a metro—you'll find most of America's top universities in small towns and suburbs. Chances are high that you'll be walking to class everyday, so don't stress about transportation.

心情太过恐慌

You're panicking.

我知道，你似乎把未来都寄托在那一封录取通知书或是邮件上。但实际上，在你理想的一流学校之外还有很多很多美好的可能性。在那些你从未想去的学校，你甚至会取得更多的成就和获得更大的成功。大多数美国学生，不管读的是自己的首选学校还是保底学校，他们都能在那里找到自己合适的位置，他们会告诉你他们无法想象在别的学校读书会是怎样。被学校拒绝是令人伤心难过，但是随着时间的流逝，最后你都会找到自己合适的学校，学到很多很多事情。记住，你的未来由你创造!

I know it seems as though your entire future has been condensed to an acceptance letter (okay, email). But in reality, there are endless wonderful possibilities beyond your top school. You may even find more fulfillment and success at a school you never wanted to attend. Most students at an American university, be it their reach school or last choice, find their niche. They will tell you they couldn't imagine studying anywhere else. It's difficult to see it through the tears of rejection, but over time, you will make a home for yourself and learn a ton no matter where you end up. Your future is what you make it!

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