你的申请是你和大学招生官之间第一次书面交流，写申请是证明你思想清楚，有创造性，有竞争力，让你自己脱颖而出的一个主要机会。让我来告诉你为什么如此。你的大学申请可以像你的论文一样有创造性，大学招生官经常要读数千份申请，所以你必须得让你的申请很出色才行。
The first written communication to the dean of college admissions will be your application. Writing your application is a major opportunity to distinguish yourself—to document your clarity, creativity, and competence. Let me tell you why. Your college applications can be as creative as your essay. College admissions deans read thousands of applications, so yours has to stand out.
招生官正在寻找在求知欲，出版，音乐，学生会，体育，创造性思维，艺术等领域可以给大学提供领导力的学生。招生官正在通过你的申请来评估你是否配得上他们学校，是否能给他的社区带来他正在寻找的领导力。让我们近距离看看你在准备你的申请之前必须做的步骤。
The dean is looking for a freshman class that provides the college with high energy leadership in intellectual curiosity, publications, music, student government, athletics, creative thinking, and the arts. The dean is reading your application to evaluate if you are going to be a good match for his college and provide his community with any of those leadership categories he is seeking. Let’s take a closer look at the steps you must take in preparing your applications.
写作你的申请
Writing the Application
当你看到几种你必须完成的申请，你很可能会认为这是浪费时间，一遍又一遍地填写各种问题太乏味了。申请当然不像那些能吸引你的文件。这是你在数千份看起来很像、招生官读起来会昏昏欲睡的申请材料中脱颖而出的一个机会。你将通过一份乏味的申请来展现自己的创造性。在一份申请里有很多地方可以使你脱颖而出。有一个规则是不让任何地方空着，如果有一个问题不恰当的，画一条线在空格处，这样招生官会知道你注意到这个问题了。
When you look at the various applications that you have to complete, you’re likely to think that it looks time consuming and very boring to fill in all of those questions over and over again. It certainly doesn’t look like the document that is going to get you in—and that’s my point! Here’s your chance to get an edge on those thousands of dull applications that all look alike and that the deans fall asleep reading. And here’s how: You are going to be creative with that boring application. There are a lot of places on an application where you can distinguish yourself. One rule is not to leave anything blank. If a question is not relevant, draw a little line in the space, so the dean knows you saw the question.
在这里，大学想知道的是你在校外是如何使用你的时间的，招生官想知道你的领导能力，组织能力，你花费了多少时间在课外活动上。花点时间把这些描述出来吧。美国大学招生官经常会评估申请者的性格。你如何使用自己的时间和你所看重的东西会让他们对你有所考量。
The question the college is trying to get at here is how you spend your time outside of school work. The dean wants to know about your leadership and involvement, and how much time you spend in that activity. Take the time to figure it out. American college deans are always trying to measure character. Looking at how you spend your time and what you value gives them their measure of you.
如果你对剧院有热情而不是填满申请上的各种类别，那么，用那些地方去做你自己的事情吧：写几句话，描述你曾经参演的剧目的角色。当你写下你的课外活动的时候，要考虑这些活动会给出什么信息。你好么?如何好?你能跑么?跑得快么?你演奏乐器么?你可以演奏那种水平的音乐?你花费多少时间在体育运动上，在出版物上，在表演艺术上?细节是你在追求什么?你处于哪种地位?你的团队有多好?你实现了多少目标?你写东西么?在哪里发表过?你的学校赢得过国家级的奖项么?重点是，如果你想从符合资格的其他学生中脱颖而出，什么是必需的。
If you have a passion for theatre rather than fill in all the columns as found on the application, use that space to do your own thing: Write a few sentences describing the roles you played and the plays you were in. When you are writing about your activities, think about what message you are giving. You’re good? How good? You run? How fast? You play? What level of music do you play? How much time did you spend in sports, on publications, in the performing arts? Specifics are what you are after. Which position do you play and how good is the team? How many goals did you score? You write? Where were you published? Has your school paper won any national awards? Specificity is what is needed to show how you stand out from all the other qualified applicants.
利用申请写下你为了什么疯狂，写下你在论文中没有提及的东西。换句话说，要把那些申请问题当成指南，而不是当成别人要求的、你必须填写的刻板的分类。以后我会写更多关于申请的东西。同时，如果你有关于申请写作问题和关于大学申请的问题，请发到我的博客上。
Use the application to write what you are crazy about, and something you haven’t written about in your essay. In other words, use the application questions as guidelines, not as rigid categories where you have to put exactly what they ask for.Tune in next week with more on writing the application. In the meantime, send in your application questions and any college admissions questions to blog address.
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