我待梦校如初恋，梦校问我“why school”？这个申请高频问题，这样回答就对了…
文书实在是太难写了！
尤其是「为什么选择我们」这个许多学校都会问到，但让申请党们犯难的问题——“难道我要直说因为你们学校录取率高吗？”
Reddit上就有同学吐槽，要写文书了，才发现原来他一点都不喜欢西北大学。
而有着相似情况的不止他一个，评论区的大家甚至因为回答不了这个问题，干脆放弃梦校，投向其它学校的怀抱：
“我就是！我把塔夫茨大学从名单中删掉了，转而申请了一所不要补充文书的保底校。”
一篇好的why school论文究竟该怎么写，才能充分展示你对梦校的爱又不卑不亢？哪些“过于真实”的择校理由更是万万不能写？
今天，主页菌就带大家一起来看看对梦校表白的正确方式。
01“你为什么选择我们？”
许多大学都会要求申请者提交“你为什么选择我们”的论文。因为他们希望，学生们在本校度过的大学时光，不仅仅是为了完成学业，更是为了长远发展。
之所以提出这个问题，就是为了看看申请者是否真的对这个学校感兴趣，以及这所学校是否适合申请者。
以塔夫茨大学和西北大学为例，二者都要求申请者阐述学校的哪一点吸引了你，西北大学则需要更近一步说明，你将如何利用他们的资源来实现目标。
Tufts: Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short, ‘Why Tufts?’ (150 words)
Northwestern: Other parts of your application give us a sense for how you might contribute to Northwestern. But we also want to consider how Northwestern will contribute to your interests and goals. Help us understand what aspects of Northwestern appeal most to you, and how you’ll make use of specific resources and opportunities here. (300 words)
而通常来说，“why school”论文是一个非常直截了当的问题，写作时可以直接解释你喜欢这个学校的哪一点以及为什么。
但是注意，有些“你我心知肚明”的理由，并不适合写进论文里。这里和大家分享一个反面教材：
I’m applying to Tufts because of its low student to faculty ratio, the strong math department, and its prime location in Medford, just a hop away from Boston. When I visited campus, the school already felt like home.
我之所以申请塔夫茨大学，是因为它的师生比很低，数学系很强，而且它的地理位置在Medford，离波士顿只有一步之遥。当我参观校园时，就已经有了回家的感觉。
在这个例子中，满足“师生比低、数学系强、且在波士顿周围”的学校有很多，比如哈佛大学、波士顿学院、东北大学等，这些理由被看作是没有针对性的，放之诸校皆可的一般性特征。
此外，“它让我有回家的感觉”这句话听起来不错，但其实没有任何实质内容，也是“发给哪个妹妹都可以的”海王语录。更重要的是，全文没有提到学生的目标或者兴趣。
这三个buff叠加，可能会向学校传递出一个信息：你没有认真研究过这所学校，而且对学校并不是真的感兴趣。感觉到“被备胎”的学校很有可能把你列入候补名单或者直接拒掉。
因此，划重点，我们应该避雷的是：
引用学校的一般数据，如位置、天气、规模、排名等。
列举空洞的情感表达。
没有描述你的兴趣或目标。
02好的“why school”怎么写？
还是以塔夫茨大学为例，经过修改的“why school”可以这样写：
As a potential Applied Mathematics major, I hope to gain the tools to model political behavior. I’m especially interested in elections, and am looking forward to taking the course “Mathematics of Social Choice,” as the centerpiece of Social Choice Theory is voting. I would also love to take “Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos,” because it will teach me to use differential equations to predict chaotic behavior.
作为一名未来的应用数学专业的学生，我希望学会建立政治行为模型的工具。我对选举特别感兴趣，并且期待着上“Mathematics of Social Choice”这门课程，因为这门课程是社会选择理论的核心内容。我还想选修“Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos”，因为它将教会我如何使用微分方程来预测混沌行为。
这个例子中，学生不仅展示了自己的兴趣和发展方向，还提到了塔夫茨大学独有的课程，并将二者很好地结合起来。
受此启发，我们可以按照这三个步骤，来进行头脑风暴。
Step 1:
寻找你的学术目标和职业发展规划
文书写作时请牢记，你才是文书的主题。任何人都可以围绕这所大学写一些东西，但只有你自己才能解释那些让你心动的理由。可以从以下几个方面考虑：
你想学什么专业？或者，你对哪些科目感兴趣？
你想从事什么职业？有哪些潜在的选择？
你想从大学里学到什么技能？
当你对这些问题有了一个清晰的想法时，再回答“why us”将变得容易得多。
Step 2:
检索与你的学术目标、职业规划相关的介绍
你可以浏览一下目标学校的网站，挖掘一下与课程、实习、奖学金等资源有关的信息。也可以访问教授的个人主页，来查看课程大纲、阅读材料等更详细的信息。
也可以联系学长学姐、招生办、浏览社交媒体等，沉浸式体验“在校生活”。
Step 3:
选择最主要的学术理由以及其他理由
当你完成了以上信息的搜集时，脑子里可能会冒出来各种各样目标院校打动你的理由。这时，你可以根据字数，选择1-3个最重要的学术理由，以及1-3个其他理由。
在论述学术理由时，可以自由地列出吸引你的独特项目、独特专业、独特课程等。当然，大学不仅只有学习，招生委员会也希望他们录取的学生可以为大学发展做出贡献，所以课堂外的理由也是非常有必要的。
不过，切记，在论述理由时，不仅要描述学校特有的资源，还要描述它们对你的目标有什么帮助。
当头脑风暴完成后，一篇论文的大纲也基本形成。这里主页菌给大家推荐一个最简洁明了的「总-分-总」结构：
介绍你的主要目标，以及背后的原因。（可以用一个小故事、一次特殊的经历来开头。）
你的第一个目标，以及学校可以如何支持它。
你的第二个目标，以及学校可以如何支持它。
展望未来，并重申大学可以如何帮助你实现目标。
最后，主页菌再放上一篇宾夕法尼亚大学的范文，希望可以给大家一些启发～
Sister Simone Roach, a theorist of nursing ethics, said, “caring is the human mode of being.” I have long been inspired by Sister Roach’s Five C’s of Caring: commitment, conscience, competence, compassion, and confidence. Penn both embraces and fosters these values through a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum and unmatched access to service and volunteer opportunities.
COMMITMENT. Reading through the activities that Penn Quakers devote their time to (in addition to academics!) felt like drinking from a firehose in the best possible way. As a prospective nursing student with interests outside of my major, I value this level of flexibility. I plan to leverage Penn’s liberal arts curriculum to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges LGBT people face, especially regarding healthcare access. Through courses like “Interactional Processes with LGBT Individuals” and volunteering at the Mazzoni Center for outreach, I hope to learn how to better support the Penn LGBT community as well as my family and friends, including my cousin, who came out as trans last year.
CONSCIENCE. As one of the first people in my family to attend a four-year university, I wanted a school that promoted a sense of moral responsibility among its students. At Penn, professors challenge their students to question and recreate their own set of morals by sparking thought- provoking, open-minded discussions. I can imagine myself advocating for universal healthcare in courses such as “Health Care Reform & Future of American Health System” and debating its merits with my peers. Studying in an environment where students confidently voice their opinions – conservative or liberal – will push me to question and strengthen my value system.
COMPETENCE. Two aspects that drew my attention to Penn’s BSN program were its high-quality research opportunities and hands-on nursing projects. Through its Office of Nursing Research, Penn connects students to faculty members who share similar research interests. As I volunteered at a nursing home in high school, I hope to work with Dr. Carthon to improve the quality of care for senior citizens. Seniors, especially minorities, face serious barriers to healthcare that I want to resolve. Additionally, Penn’s unique use of simulations to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application impressed me. Using computerized manikins that mimic human responses, classes in Penn’s nursing program allow students to apply their emergency medical skills in a mass casualty simulation and monitor their actions afterward through a video system. Participating in this activity will help me identify my strengths and areas for improvement regarding crisis management and medical care in a controlled yet realistic setting. Research opportunities and simulations will develop my skills even before I interact with patients.
COMPASSION. I value giving back through community service, and I have a particular interest in Penn’s Community Champions and Nursing Students For Sexual & Reproductive Health (NSRH). As a four-year volunteer health educator, I hope to continue this work as a Community Champions member. I am excited to collaborate with medical students to teach fourth and fifth graders in the city about cardiology or lead a chair dance class for the elders at the LIFE Center. Furthermore, as a feminist who firmly believes in women’s abortion rights, I’d like to join NSRH in order to advocate for women’s health on campus. At Penn, I can work with like-minded people to make a meaningful difference.
CONFIDENCE. All of the Quakers that I have met possess one defining trait: confidence. Each student summarized their experiences at Penn as challenging but fulfilling. Although I expect my coursework to push me, from my conversations with current Quakers I know it will help me to be far more effective in my career.
The Five C’s of Caring are important heuristics for nursing, but they also provide insight into how I want to approach my time in college. I am eager to engage with these principles both as a nurse and as a Penn Quaker, and I can’t wait to start.