2017-2018年Common App重大改革：学生可邀请校外升学顾问辅导

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CA作为一个平台，意在简化美国大学本科申请步骤，每年都会根据新的申请形式和趋势做出适当的调整和改动。前不久，CA就公布了最新2017-2018年的申请文书题目，其中2题新增，3题修改，2题不变。 CommonApp 2017-2018年度最新文书题目变化 Common

App表示，题目改变的目的是为了帮助申请者能通过这些题目找到共鸣，更好地分享自己的故事。纵观这几年的文书题目变化，有大改也有微调。有时可能是怕问得太虚无缥缈，申请者不好回答;有时可能是担心学生写跑偏了，所以做了限定;有时是想到了一个更新的角度去了解学生……不管怎样，这都是为了让招生官更多更好得了解申请人。今年的题目具体有哪些变化?学生应该选什么题目动笔?本文给你详细解读一番。【题目1】Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is

so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If

this sounds like you, then please share your story.(没有变化)有些学生有非同一般的背景、身份、兴趣或才能，这是他们不可缺少的一部分。如果你也有同感，请分享你的故事。解读：这是了解申请者的入门题。“Identity”(身份)是个比较抽象的概念，很多学生拿到手之后并不知道如何理解，因此从2015年开始，添加了更加具体的“背景”“兴趣”“才能”，帮助学生寻找选题。这是一个百搭题，没有设定太多限制。很多学生都会选择这个题目，但要写出彩也不容易。如果文书立意不够精细，很大几率转不住招生官的眼球，沦为申请中的分母。【题目2】The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to

later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure.

How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? (微调)我们从挫折中学到的经验对之后的成功至关重要。回忆你一次你面对挑战、阻碍或者失败的经历。它是如何影响你的，你从中学到了什么?和去年的题目对比一下：The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount

an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and

what did you learn from the experience?解读：去年的“failure”(失败)，特别容易写成一部悔过书。此次弱化表达为“obstacles we

encounter”(我们所遇到过的挫折)。并且也把incident/time更具体为challenge(挑战), setback(挫折), or

failure(失败)。仍然是一个CA常见的表达变化，没有实质变化。解题思路：招生官想从这道题看出你的性格特点，你面对挫折、失败和挑战是什么态度，采取了什么行动，并最终得到了哪些成长。因此，这道题的关键在于分析失败原因且做出了一系列的改变，不要一味单纯描述失败。【题目3】Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea.

What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? (微调)回忆一次你质疑或挑战某种观念或想法的经历。是什么启发了你的思考呢? 结果如何?2016-2017的题目是：Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to

act? Would you make the same decision again?解读：和去年的act相比，今年的thinking可能显得简单一点。但招生官还是看结果的(outcome)。这道题是挑战权威/成见，强调了学生的批判性思维能力，一般中国学生选得相对比较少。如果你选这道题，需要注意critical thinking或者challenge a belief

不是代表你要全盘否定某个想法。世界不是非黑即白，很多学生在这道题目容易写得极端，这是不可取的。招生官希望看到的是：你怎么去权衡两个极端的。另外，忌写一读开头就让人想到结尾的文章。【题目4】Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It

can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma -

anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its

significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a

solution.(无变化)描述一个你解决过或者打算解决的问题。这个问题可以是学术方面的、研究调查或者是道德伦理方面的——任何你认为对你个人而言很重要的问题，不论大小。说明它对你的意义和你解决问题的方法。解读：这种sense of

community近几年来美国招生官非常地看中，看加州系统和新CAAS系统文书就知道了。每个都有一个题目是和community相关的。这道题目招生官最想看到的是你们problem-detecting和problem

solving的能力，非常适合工科类、不爱肆意抒情的学生选择。这里大家很容易走入的误区就是：This problem should be big,

significant, probably saving the whole society. 答案是否定的。你们是高中生，他们不会expect you to

be a perfect person(

无所不能的学生)，你这么厉害还来上什么大学呢?所以还是文书的原则，你必须以小见大。从小事儿出发。另外这道题目来讲，建议大家可以思考的是我身边有什么可以解决的问题呢?我可以为我的community带来什么的。【题目5】Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period

of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (微调)描述让你成长或者让重新认识自己或他人的一个成就、事件、或者感悟。对比一下2016-2017题目：Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your

transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or

family.解读：题目把关键词“adulthood”换成了一段解释：sparked a period of personal growth and a new

understanding of yourself or others.(激起了你的个人成长与对自己或他人的全新了解)，重点从个人成长(personal

growth)，变为自己或者他人让你有感悟的事情，范围变宽。很多学生在写的时候，很容易忽略自己的“ethnic”

特色。也就是自己的地域特色。我们完全可以从这点出发。选这个题目，反思是非常重要的，如果写不出深刻的reflection,不建议选择这个题目，不然只会写出让招生官觉得shallow的文章。【题目6】Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes

you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn

to when you want to learn more? (新增)描述一个让沉迷其中，甚至忘记时间的话题、想法、理念。它哪里吸引你? 当你试图去了解更多的时候，你会求助于什么样的帮助?解读：这道题招生官希望看到applicants的学习动力以及学习能力，考察他们如何利用身边的资源来学习。这道题目适合有着强烈专业兴趣的学生选择。这可能跟“Why

Major”系列撞车，目测写的人不会特别多。【题目7】Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already

written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

(新增)任选话题写一篇短文。它可以一篇是你过去所写的文章，文章题目不限，可以自创。这道题目看似简单，但是这7个里面最难的。因为如果你发现自己写的东西和其它6道题目都有沾点边儿，但是你选了7，会有种possibility让人觉得你写的东西很散。还不如选择一个题目去写。但是如果有着丰富的想象力，写小说，写诗的同学可以大胆地选择这个题目。但是还是要和自己的counselor沟通，毕竟自己觉得有趣的小说和诗，只是主观的想法，一定要和counselor或者peer沟通。斯坦福录取的学生写的文书是怎样的? 申请文书很重要。它是你展示个性和特质的媒介。

你是一个富有幽默感的数学天才，还是一个爱思考的，有着天马行空想象力的写作好手，都要通过个人申请文书来表现。题目出来了，构思写好却是一个艰难的过程。文如其人，好的文书往往能让招生官看到的时候会心一笑，心里已经给这学生点赞了。下面我们就来看看斯坦福大学校报刊登的一篇文章，文章摘录的是2012级新生在申请文书(个人陈述)中的第一句话，看完你就能明白为什么斯坦福要录取他们了。例一：Unlike many mathematicians, I live in an irrational world; I feel that my

life is defined by a certain amount of irrationalities that bloom too

frequently, such as my brief foray in front of 400 people without my pants.翻译：与很多数学家不同的是，我生活在一个非理性的世界里。我觉得我的生活是由一定量的，爆发过于频繁的不合理因素构成的。比如说，我曾在400多个人面前，没穿裤子，短暂的逗留了一会儿。点评：这个学生明显是要阐述自己在数学方面的兴趣，但是在个性方面又显得十分活跃，不同于其他数学天才的呆板。申请委员会肯定会印象深刻，有兴趣接着往下读，他没穿裤子到底是怎么回事。例二：Sitting cross-legged on the floor of a Bhimanagar slum dwelling in

Bangalore, I ran my fingers across a fresh cut on my forehead.翻译：盘腿坐在印度班加罗尔市的一个贫民窟里，我用手指轻轻抚摸着额头上一道刚刚刻下的伤痕。点评：这篇申请的第一句话就表明这个申请者的人生经历很不寻常，至少比一般的高中生丰富很多。同时，这第一句话还制造了一个悬念，让人忍不住读下去，看个究竟。例三：When I was 8 years old, I shocked my family and a local archaeologist by

discovering artifacts dating back almost 3,500 years.翻译：在我八岁的时候，我让我的家人和当地的考古学家大吃一惊，因为我发现了距今有3500年历史的文物。点评：这个人应该是要申请人类学，历史系或者考古系的专业。第一句话就在宣称我在这个方面很牛。例四：I had never seen anyone get so excited about mitochondria.翻译：我从没有见过任何人对线粒体感到如此兴奋。点评：我查了字典，所谓线粒体(mitochondria)是细胞生物学的一个概念，我相信即使是一般的美国的大学教授(相关领域的除外)也得查一下字典才能认识这个单词。短短10个英文单词就表明了这个申请者是哪一方面的牛人，关键是这个人对这个领域还有很高的热情。例五：I have old hands.翻译：我有一双苍老的手。点评：我和我的美国同事一致认为这个是最牛的第一句话。因为仅仅用了四个最简单的英语单词，就营造出了出其不意的效果。想象一下，申请者都是17，18岁的高中生，什么样的人会有“一双苍老的手”呢?例六：Flying over enemy territory, I took in Beirut's beautiful skyline and

wondered if under different circumstances I would have hopped on a bus and come

here for my vacation. Instead, I saw the city from the window of a helicopter,

in military uniform, my face camouflaged, on my way to a special operation deep

behind enemy lines.翻译：飞越敌占区的时候，我看着贝鲁特美丽的天际线，心想是不是换一个环境，我会跳上一辆旅游巴士来到这里度假。实际情况是，我是透过直升飞机的舷窗来俯瞰这座城市，身着军装，脸上涂着迷彩，正深入地后方去执行特殊任务。点评：这个就像一部好莱坞大片的开头部分，让人不禁猜想这个申请者到底是什么样的资历，她/他到底经历了什么?如果斯坦福录取了这个人，是不是很有面子?例七：Some fathers might disapprove of their children handling noxious chemicals

in the garage.翻译：有些父亲也许不会允许他们的孩子在车库里摆弄有毒的化学品。点评：这个人大概是要申请化学系，因为很明显，她/他来自一个对化学很狂热的家庭。例八：I was paralyzed from the waist down. I would try to move my leg or even

shift an ankle but I never got a response. This was the first time thoughts of

death ever crossed my mind.翻译：我从腰部以下都瘫痪了。我努力想要动一下我的腿活着抬抬脚踝但是身体毫无反应。自杀的念头在我脑海里闪过。点评：注意，所有的表达都用的是过去时，说明这位申请者已经完全度过了这个阶段，但是到底发生了什么，我相信录取委员会的人一定会很关注的。例九：As an Indian-American, I am forever bound to the hyphen.翻译：作为一个印度裔美国人，我这辈子都跟连字符脱不了关系。点评：英语里Indian-American有一个连字符，这位申请者用这个符号巧妙地富有幽默感地来了一句，就像说相声一样抖了个包袱。例十：I have been surfing Lake Michigan since I was 3 years old.翻译：我从三岁起就在密歇根湖上冲浪了。点评：这个申请者明显很有体育天赋，三岁起就在五大湖之一的密歇根湖上冲浪了。如果在体育方面有特长，拿过全国性的奖项，学习成绩又十分优秀，那么被斯坦福大学录取就是轻易而举的事情了。例十一：On a hot Hollywood evening, I sat on a bike, sweltering in a winter coat

and furry boots.翻译：在一个炎热的好莱坞的夜晚，我坐在一辆自行车上，穿着一件冬天的大衣和毛茸茸的靴子，汗流浃背。点评：一句话，就点明了时间，地点和人物，还充满了矛盾冲突。这个开头还是挺引人入胜的。集知识性和趣味性于一体，非常具有可读性。选好素材，以小见大，用事实说话要远远胜过空喊口号。4月10日Common Application申请系统又做了一些改革，增加了一些功能 和Google云盘整合 这一变化模仿的是CAAS申请系统的Locker功能。和Google云盘整合，学生将能上传文件、简历、作业以及拥有申请的补充资料等。而且，在申请的时候，学生可直接调用存在谷歌云盘上的申请材料。美国很多高中学校都采用Google文档和Google云盘，学生和教师能够在有网络的情况下创建和访问共享文档。这大大方面了美国高中老师和学生之间的协作。功能虽好，但国内还需要翻墙才能使用。Google Drive Integration: Students will now be able to easily access and

upload documents, resumes, and school assignments while completing the Common

App and the college-specific sections of the application. We know that many

school districts have adopted Google Docs and Google Drive to enable their

students and teachers to create, collaborate, and access shared documents from

any internet connected device. We also recognize that some students do not

always have personal computers at home but use Google Drive on school or library

computers to store their documents. We want to meet students where they are. By

using the systems that they are already using, we are making the process more

accessible for students.学生可邀请校外升学顾问辅导 这是今年CA申请系统的一个重大变化，依然是基于CAAS联盟申请系统功能模仿的。之前学生可以邀请在校升学顾问参与申请过程，而2017-2018年开始，通过CA系统递交申请的学生，还可以邀请校外资源，比如校外的申请顾问、独立咨询顾问及社区组织(community-based

organizations)辅导自己的申请。CBO, Advising, and Recommender Enhancements: Students receiving support from

advising and community-based organizations will be able to work with those

counselors just as they work with their school-based counselors and teachers

within the application. These individuals will then be able to manage their

caseloads and view student progress within the Common App system. In addition,

any student who wishes to do so will be able to share a view of their

in-progress application with their school counselor, CBO counselor, or other

advisor.Courses ; Grades 一些大学要求学生在申请过程中自行填写课程和成绩分数。CA新增Courses ;

Grades功能，意在将成绩递交流程精简、标准化。通过Courses ;

Grades，申请人自己可以填写高中课程和高中成绩，而填好之后，CA会进行整合，从而方便了学生、顾问和学校这三方。这一功能目前还在测试中，将在2017年8月1日后正式启用。Courses ; Grades: Many students are required to submit self-reported high

school academic records when applying to some colleges and universities. With

Courses ; Grades, students will be able to fill out their self-reported

transcript information as part of their Common Application. By integrating the

Courses ; Grades section into the Common App, those students who are already

sending this information will be able to complete and submit it with their

Common App, making the process of self-reporting transcripts more standardized

and streamlined for students, counselors, and colleges.Courses ; Grades was developed from the feedback of member institutions,

high school students, and counselors. The Common Application hosted a series of

student and counselor focus groups with beta testing to determine how to make

the self-reported transcript process accessible and efficient. Courses ;

Grades will launch in limited release on August 1, 2017.西班牙语版 为了方便第一语言是西班牙语的学生申请，CA系统的主要信息会被翻译成西班牙语，家长和其他家庭成员可以更好地了解大学录取过程。Spanish Language Resources: Key information for using the Common App will be

translated so that students, parents, and other family members who speak Spanish

as their first language can better understand the college admission process,

including applying for financial aid and receiving virtual mentoring. This new

tool will also benefit counselors who will be working with these families and

will need Common App materials in Spanish.另外，CA系统又加入了一些新成员校，目前总共有740所高校使用该申请系统。新增的成员校名单如下：美国Hellenic College (MA)Vermont Technical College (VT)Dominican College (NY)Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ)York College of Pennsylvania (PA)Appalachian State University (NC)Barton College (NC)Catawba College (NC)East Carolina University (NC)Eastern Mennonite University (VA)Lincoln Memorial University (TN)Marshall University (WV)University of Houston (TX)Southern California Institute ofArchitecture (CA)University of Nevada, Las Vegas -UNLV (NV)University of Northern Colorado (CO)University of Oregon (OR)University of the West (CA)University of Wyoming (WY)Anderson University (IN)Art Academy of Cincinnati (OH)Cleveland State University (OH)Defiance College (OH)Kent State University (OH)Missouri University of Science andTechnology (MO)Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (IN)Trine University (IN)University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)University of Missouri (MO)University of Missouri - Kansas City (MO)University of Missouri - St Louis (MO)Western Michigan University (MI)Wheaton College (IL)其他国家：Carnegie Mellon University in QatarDuke Kunshan University (China)Monash University (Australia)Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain)University College Dublin (Ireland)本文转自美国留学快报，如有版权问题请联系修改或删除。