美國的許多大學(xué)一般會在你填寫報(bào)名表的時(shí)候，要求學(xué)生提交兩到三篇作文。校方有了你的四年高中英語成績，你的SAT寫作成績或者ACT寫作成績，有的學(xué)校還有你的面試結(jié)果，那么為什么還要你提供幾篇開卷作文呢？不難理解，他們不是想進(jìn)一步了解你的寫作水平，而是想通過你的文章來進(jìn)一步地了解真正的你。
一、寫作文的原則
這種作文對大部分中國學(xué)生來說不是件容易的事，這主要是因?yàn)橹袊鴮W(xué)生的行文和內(nèi)容多半嚴(yán)肅有余，活潑不足，易給人一種枯燥刻板、不茍言笑、沒有個(gè)性的印象。大學(xué)招生官員每天要看大量的作文，千篇一律的作文太多，讀來讀去都乏味了，如果你的作文沒有明顯的亮點(diǎn)，那就流于平庸了。
作文題目各種各樣，且無論在形式上還是內(nèi)容上都較活潑、自由，同時(shí)又不失莊重。從題目上基本看不出出題者的傾向和喜好，基本沒有對錯(cuò)之分，這就給作者留下了巨大的想像和發(fā)揮的空間。讓人讀了題目之后，有一種寫作的沖動。關(guān)于如何寫好作文。作者想把一位招生官員對考生寫作文出的忠告推薦給大家，請好好讀它并體會其中深刻含義。
1.作文不是寫給具有豐富想像力的招生官員看的，也不是寫給具有高度文學(xué)修養(yǎng)的老師看的。閱讀作文的對象應(yīng)被想像為你的朋友、室友或者你的親屬。
2.不要為了作文而作文。作文應(yīng)是在講述一個(gè)故事，講述一個(gè)在一頁紙上能完成的故事。
3.在作文里的你應(yīng)該是一個(gè)真實(shí)的你，而不是一個(gè)想像中的、理想中的，甚至是一個(gè)完全虛構(gòu)的你。有人說，應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)你最美的那一面。但我認(rèn)為應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)你的兩面。無論你想表現(xiàn)的是哪一面，都應(yīng)該符合你的實(shí)際情況。
4.作文可以讓別人看一看，提一提意見，但你的作文應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)出你自己的風(fēng)格、特點(diǎn)，表現(xiàn)出你自己的思想、情趣和喜好。關(guān)鍵是要寫出一個(gè)活生生的、獨(dú)一無二的你自己。
二、作文的題目和例文
下面是加州理工學(xué)院2007年考生必須提交的作文題目，同學(xué)可以看一看，想一想。
Please answer questions 1 and 2 on separate pages. Attach them to this form and include your full legal name and date of birth on each page。
Please limit each essay to 500 words. Remember, these essays are just one of many factors considered in your application. Use this form to respond to number 3.
1. Please share with the Admissions Committee how you discovered Caltech and the reasons you decided to apply. What do you believe you would contribute to Caltech both academically and personally?
2. In addition to your interest in studying math, science, and/or engineering, we are interested in knowing about you as a person。
To this end, write an essay on one of the following:
a. What event or events have shaped your life?
b. Select one activity outside of math and science in which you have been involved, and describe why it has been meaningful to you。
3. Please fill the rectangle below with something you think is interesting. (Refer to the guidelines on page 4 of the application instructions。)
作為一個(gè)例子，下面給出一個(gè)2007年被斯坦福大學(xué)錄取的中國考生的報(bào)考作文。
題目：haring intellectual interests is an important aspect of university life. Describe an idea or experience that you find intellectually exciting, and explain why. (250)
作文：I enjoy thinking differently and originally. When my chemistry teacher assigned a planning lab that involves “create a buffer solution using chemical compounds of appropriate concentration and explain why H2O cannot resist changes in pH?！?Instead of rushing into finding a suitable acid and salt to create the buffer as our teacher expected, I immersed myself into uating the question itself. I asked myself that if a water molecule, when dissolved in a liquid with lower pKa, donates H+ just like CH3COOH does in aqueous solution, why can’t water be used as a part of a buffer? I asked myself that if NaCH3COO can be used as the conjugate salt of in buffer solution, with the same logic why couldn’t NaOH be used as the conjugate salt for H2O? From here I was able to think further, and although I was faced with more problems as I continued, by solving them one by one through referring to the most basic definitions and principles of chemistry and the information on my AP chemistry books, I find myself closer and closer to my destiny。
A few days later, I wrote my planning lab with the research question “using H2O and NaOH of equal concentration dissolved in liquid NH3 to create a buffer solution”. After my teacher praised me for the originality and feasibility of my idea, I once again felt the thrill of achieving something I desired. (235)
一、寫作文的原則
這種作文對大部分中國學(xué)生來說不是件容易的事，這主要是因?yàn)橹袊鴮W(xué)生的行文和內(nèi)容多半嚴(yán)肅有余，活潑不足，易給人一種枯燥刻板、不茍言笑、沒有個(gè)性的印象。大學(xué)招生官員每天要看大量的作文，千篇一律的作文太多，讀來讀去都乏味了，如果你的作文沒有明顯的亮點(diǎn)，那就流于平庸了。
作文題目各種各樣，且無論在形式上還是內(nèi)容上都較活潑、自由，同時(shí)又不失莊重。從題目上基本看不出出題者的傾向和喜好，基本沒有對錯(cuò)之分，這就給作者留下了巨大的想像和發(fā)揮的空間。讓人讀了題目之后，有一種寫作的沖動。關(guān)于如何寫好作文。作者想把一位招生官員對考生寫作文出的忠告推薦給大家，請好好讀它并體會其中深刻含義。
1.作文不是寫給具有豐富想像力的招生官員看的，也不是寫給具有高度文學(xué)修養(yǎng)的老師看的。閱讀作文的對象應(yīng)被想像為你的朋友、室友或者你的親屬。
2.不要為了作文而作文。作文應(yīng)是在講述一個(gè)故事，講述一個(gè)在一頁紙上能完成的故事。
3.在作文里的你應(yīng)該是一個(gè)真實(shí)的你，而不是一個(gè)想像中的、理想中的，甚至是一個(gè)完全虛構(gòu)的你。有人說，應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)你最美的那一面。但我認(rèn)為應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)你的兩面。無論你想表現(xiàn)的是哪一面，都應(yīng)該符合你的實(shí)際情況。
4.作文可以讓別人看一看，提一提意見，但你的作文應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)出你自己的風(fēng)格、特點(diǎn)，表現(xiàn)出你自己的思想、情趣和喜好。關(guān)鍵是要寫出一個(gè)活生生的、獨(dú)一無二的你自己。
二、作文的題目和例文
下面是加州理工學(xué)院2007年考生必須提交的作文題目，同學(xué)可以看一看，想一想。
Please answer questions 1 and 2 on separate pages. Attach them to this form and include your full legal name and date of birth on each page。
Please limit each essay to 500 words. Remember, these essays are just one of many factors considered in your application. Use this form to respond to number 3.
1. Please share with the Admissions Committee how you discovered Caltech and the reasons you decided to apply. What do you believe you would contribute to Caltech both academically and personally?
2. In addition to your interest in studying math, science, and/or engineering, we are interested in knowing about you as a person。
To this end, write an essay on one of the following:
a. What event or events have shaped your life?
b. Select one activity outside of math and science in which you have been involved, and describe why it has been meaningful to you。
3. Please fill the rectangle below with something you think is interesting. (Refer to the guidelines on page 4 of the application instructions。)
作為一個(gè)例子，下面給出一個(gè)2007年被斯坦福大學(xué)錄取的中國考生的報(bào)考作文。
題目：haring intellectual interests is an important aspect of university life. Describe an idea or experience that you find intellectually exciting, and explain why. (250)
作文：I enjoy thinking differently and originally. When my chemistry teacher assigned a planning lab that involves “create a buffer solution using chemical compounds of appropriate concentration and explain why H2O cannot resist changes in pH?！?Instead of rushing into finding a suitable acid and salt to create the buffer as our teacher expected, I immersed myself into uating the question itself. I asked myself that if a water molecule, when dissolved in a liquid with lower pKa, donates H+ just like CH3COOH does in aqueous solution, why can’t water be used as a part of a buffer? I asked myself that if NaCH3COO can be used as the conjugate salt of in buffer solution, with the same logic why couldn’t NaOH be used as the conjugate salt for H2O? From here I was able to think further, and although I was faced with more problems as I continued, by solving them one by one through referring to the most basic definitions and principles of chemistry and the information on my AP chemistry books, I find myself closer and closer to my destiny。
A few days later, I wrote my planning lab with the research question “using H2O and NaOH of equal concentration dissolved in liquid NH3 to create a buffer solution”. After my teacher praised me for the originality and feasibility of my idea, I once again felt the thrill of achieving something I desired. (235)