1. Becareful of using words that have a negative meaning in American English. The word “propaganda,” for example, means something like “government-controlled brain washing” in the US. (Your best choice is to use the words “marketing” or “publicity” if you want to indicate that you organized a campaign to raise awareness of a certain problem.) Likewise, in the US we do not use the words “cripple” and “retarded”; we use “handicapped” (or even better, “disabled”) and “developmentally disabled” or “mentally challenged.” We don’t call old people “old people”—we call them “elders” or “the elderly.”And we prefer “business person”or “business professional” to “businessman.”
留學文書寫作慎用美式英語中一些含有否定意義的詞匯。例如，“propaganda”這個詞在美國就有點“政府洗腦式”的宣傳的意思了。(如果你想要表達你發(fā)起一項運動來提高人們對于某一問題的認識的話，最好選用“marketing”或是“publicity”。)同樣的，在美國，我們也不會用“cripple” 或者是“retarded”之類的詞，取而代之的是“handicapped”(disabled更好)以及“developmentally disabled”或“mentally disabled”。我們在稱呼老人時也不直接用“old people”，而是用“elders”或是 “the elderly”。我們也不經(jīng)常用“businessman”，而是用“business person”或“business professional ”。
2.Vary the length of the sentences in your essay. If you have written several long sentences in a row, insert a short sentence to give the reader a break.Variety in your sentences will make your essay easier to read (and thus more memorable). It also demonstrates that you have a superior command of the English language. And don’t be afraid of including a one-sentence paragraph. A one-sentence paragraph (especially at the beginning or end of your essay) will be very dramatic and grab the reader’s attention.
申請文書寫作需要變換句子的長短。如果你在文書中已經(jīng)連續(xù)用了幾個長句，那么插入一個短句能給讀者一個停頓的時間。句式多樣化能夠使你的留學申請文書更容易懂，因而也更容易讓人記住。這樣的句式變換也證明你的英語語言掌握的比較好。同時不要害怕運用一句式段落。一句式段落，(尤其是在短文的開頭結(jié)尾)會很出彩，也會吸引讀者的注意力。
3. If English is your second language, don’t try to make it hard on yourself by writing really long sentences and using large vocabulary words. (Don’t say “internationalization”; just say “international.” Why use “metropolis” when you can just use “city”?) Remember that the readers are not hoping to be impressed by your vocabulary—they want to be impressed by your story.
如果英語是你的第二語言，那么不要試圖在留學文書中費力地運用一些特別長的句子或者特別大的詞匯。(不要用“internationalization”，用“international ”就好了。另外，如果你可以用“city”，為什么要用“metropolis”呢?)記住，讀者并不希望被你申請文書中的詞匯打動，而是被你的故事所打動。
4. If you are applying to graduate school, your personal statement will need to include detailed evidence of your research. For example, if you are applying toa graduate program in biology, your PS should include specific descriptions of experiences you have had, such as research projects, internships, work in biological laboratories, and such. The other key elements for graduate study applications are what you want to study, the field you are interested in, the background you have, why you have chosen this particular program, and your plans after graduation.
如果你正在申請研究生院校，那么你的留學文書個人簡歷就需要包括你研究項目的一些詳細的說明。例如，如果你正在申請生物專業(yè)的研究生項目，那么你的個人簡歷就需要對你的研究經(jīng)歷進行詳細的描述，比如你的研究項目，實習經(jīng)歷，以及在生物實驗這方面的工作等等。研究生學習申請的其他的一些關(guān)鍵因素還包括：你想要研究什么，你對哪一個領域感興趣，你的個人背景，選擇這一研究項目的原因以及畢業(yè)后的打算。
5.Avoid using inappropriate reasons for why a particular college is attractive to you. (I have actually seen essays where the applicant described how much he “loved” the University of Chicago and wanted to date her, and another wherethe applicant wrote that NYU was attractive because she just loved the colorpurple on the NYU website.) You must read the website carefully to discover specific programs, activities, curricula, distinguished professors (and the like) that you can point to and say, “THIS is why I want to go to University X.”
在申請文書中說明某所大學為何對你有吸引力時，避免運用一些不恰當?shù)睦碛伞?我曾經(jīng)看過申請者在短文中描述自己是如何如何熱愛芝加哥大學，并想要和它約會的，而另一個人則在短文中說紐約大學吸引她僅僅是因為她喜歡紐約大學網(wǎng)站上的紫色)。你必須仔細瀏覽學校官方網(wǎng)站，以便發(fā)現(xiàn)一些具體的項目、活動、課程，以及著名的教授，諸如此類的，然后你就可以在短文中指出這就是你想要去XX大學的原因。
6. Do not tell the school how good it is. “I want to attend the prestigious University X because it is a top US college with an international reputation,” just sounds insincere.
不要只在短文中陳述學校多么好。“我想要申請著名的XX大學，因為它是美國一所頂尖的大學，在國際上都享有盛譽。”這樣說的話會顯得不真誠。
7.Catch the reader’s attention in the first sentence of your essay by writing something dramatic or humorous. In one excellent essay I read, the applicant (hoping to major in entomology), wrote this: “Ahhhh! There are bugs in the shampoo!" Doesn't that make you want to read more? (He then went on to describe how his mother had found one of his “science experiments” involving insects, and how experiences like this made him want to study entomology.)
在短文的開頭寫一些富有戲劇性的或者是幽默的東西，以吸引讀者的眼球。我曾讀過一篇優(yōu)秀的短文，申請人想要修昆蟲學專業(yè)，開頭他是這樣寫的：“啊，洗發(fā)露里竟然有蟲子!讀完，難道你不會想要繼續(xù)讀下去嗎?(接下來他又描述了他的母親如何發(fā)現(xiàn)了他的一次昆蟲“科學實驗”，以及這些經(jīng)歷是怎樣使他最終想要研究昆蟲學的。)
8. If you start with a story, you can end with some reference to the same story. (Our entomology student, for example, could then mention his mother’s shock again in his last paragraph.)
如果你的留學文書是以一個故事開頭的，那么你可以在結(jié)尾的時候再提一下這個故事。(例如，這位昆蟲學的學生在最后一段再次提到他的母親對他這些行為有多震驚。)
9.Well-chosen quotations can add powerful credibility to your essay. All you need to do is decide what the key concept of your essay is (such as strength, honor,or patience) and then use the internet to find quotations that use any of these key words. The best quotations come from persons who are well-known to both Chinese and American readers, and they must be admirable persons. (Past American and Chinese presidents are good examples.) The quote should be short,about one powerful sentence in length. Including a striking quotation in your essay is particularly persuasive if you are applying to a humanities program or want to be an English major, as it demonstrates the breadth of your reading.
在文書寫作中恰當?shù)囊媚軌虼蟠笤鰪娢恼碌目尚哦取６阈枰龅木褪沁x定你的文章所要表達的關(guān)鍵點，(比如說個人特長，獲得的榮譽，或者是參加的實踐活動等等)，然后再根據(jù)這些關(guān)鍵詞在網(wǎng)上搜索有關(guān)這方面的引文。最好的引文是出自那些在中國和美國讀者中都比較有名并且令人敬佩的人。(前任美國總統(tǒng)，中國主席這些都是比較好的例子。)引文最好簡短有力，大概一句那么長。如果你想要申請人文學科項目或者是想要學英語專業(yè)，那么這樣漂亮的引文會使文章非常有說服力的，因為這樣的引用可以證明你閱讀廣泛。
10.Your purpose in writing your essay is to come across as a unique individual,one who stands out from all the other applicants and one whose writing style is lively, fresh, and different. For undergraduate essays, the personal details of your life and the struggles you have had to overcome will make good stories. Good stories are memorable. You don’t have to be a perfect person; indeed, it maybe that any “flaws” you have will convince the reader that you are a multi-faceted person who learns from your mistakes. These flaws don’t have to be terrible:You can describe the time that you made complete a fool of yourself before yourfriends. (Americans call this the “My most embarrassing moment” essay.) Then tell the reader what you learned from this experience.
你的寫作目的是為了突出你是一個獨特的個體，一個在眾多申請者中脫穎而出的人，而你的寫作風格也應是生動活潑，新穎清新，與眾不同的。對于本科生的留學文書寫作來說，你的個人的生活經(jīng)歷以及奮斗歷程都會成為比較好的故事素材。好的故事一定是令人印象深刻的。當然你不必是一個非常完美的人，相反恰恰是這些缺點會使讀者相信你是多面的，你是能夠從錯誤中吸取教訓的。這些缺點不必是一些特別嚴重的：你可以描述你在朋友面前出糗的一次經(jīng)歷(美國稱這類的文章為“我最尷尬時刻”類文章)。然后再告訴讀者你從這次經(jīng)歷中學到了什么。
11.Always try to make your writing as “concrete” as possible,meaning that you provide specific examples (or stories) to support your main points. Instead of just writing, for example, “I spent two months doing chemistry research,” describe the nature of that research, what process you used, and what it taught you. Depthis more important than breadth. The reader will be more impressed by specific details about ONE of your experiences then a list of twenty experiences. (Save the list of experiences for your resume.)
盡可能使你的文章具體一些，這就意味著你要提供一些具體的事例或故事來支撐你的主要觀點。例如，不要只是寫“我做過兩個月的化學研究”，而是應該詳細地描述一下這次研究的性質(zhì)，采用的方法，以及你收獲了什么。文章的深度比廣度更重要。比起羅列一堆你的個人經(jīng)歷，你的某一次經(jīng)歷中的一些細節(jié)更能打動讀者(你可以把這些經(jīng)歷用在簡歷上)。
12.It is perfectly all right to describe your particular religion in an undergraduate essay. Readers in the US come from many different religious backgrounds and the admission officers will most likely be broad-minded and tolerant. The main thing is not to try and “convert” the reader—you simply want to show how being a Buddhist (or a Catholic, or a Christian, or whatever) has had a profound impact on your life.
本科文書中陳述你的宗教信仰也是完全可以的。美國讀者大都來自不同的宗教背景并且學校招生人員也都是心胸比較寬廣的人。但不必試圖改變讀者的宗教信仰，你只需說明作為一名佛教徒(或者是天主教徒、基督徒等等)給你帶來了怎樣重大的影響。
RL寫作要點：
13. A reference letter (or letter of recommendation) should be no longer than one page. The basic format for the first paragraph is to state how long you have known the student and what general attributes this student exhibits (knowledgeable, dedicated, persistent, etc.) that make you honored/delighted/proud to recommend him or her. Each body paragraph should describe in detail each of the general attributes you mentioned in the first paragraph. The last paragraph then simply concludes with something like, “I believe that student so-and-so will be an asset to your esteemed institution and thus I give her my highest recommendation. If you have any questions, please contact me.”
一封推薦信最好不要超過一頁。第一段的基本格式是陳述一下你和學生認識多久了，他身上大體是哪些品質(zhì)(是知識淵博，還是專注投入，還是堅持不懈等這些)使你對于能夠推薦他深感驕傲自豪。接下來的每一段就要詳細地陳述你第一段中提到的他的那些品質(zhì)了。最后一段就可以簡單地總結(jié)一下，你可以這樣說，“基于學生的這些表現(xiàn)我相信該學生一定會為貴學校做出貢獻，這也是我極力推薦他的原因。如果您有什么問題請及時聯(lián)系我。”
14.Avoid describing any of the student’s physical attributes. Readers in the US become very uncomfortable when they read that the applicant is “a lovely young girl” or a “strong handsome boy. (Admission officers are not allowed to evaluate you based on what you look like.)
避免在推薦信中描述任何有關(guān)申請者的身體特征。如果美國的讀者讀到說申請者是一個“年輕漂亮的女孩”，或者是一個“相貌英俊，身體強壯的男孩”時，他們會感到很不舒服。(學校那邊也是不允許招生辦人員根據(jù)長相來評估一個學生的。)
15.Do not include negative information in a letter of recommendation. Describe only the applicant’s successes, not failures.
推薦信中不要包含一些負面信息。只需描述他們的成功，而非那些失敗。
CV寫作要點：
16.Resumes need to be very clean, clear, simple, and elegant. Do not include fancy fonts or distracting wingdings for bullets. Be sure that your main headings stand out from the text by putting them in bold, or italics, or a larger fontsize. You want whoever reads your resume to be impressed by your achievements and accomplishments, not by your graphic design abilities.
簡歷要干凈簡單，清晰明了，行文優(yōu)美。不要出現(xiàn)一些花哨的字體或分散人注意力的字體。你可以通過加粗，傾斜，或者放大字體的方式，確保你的大標題和你的正文區(qū)別開來。因為你想要給讀者留下深刻印象的是你取得的成就和成果，而非你的圖文設計能力。