申请季中，每个学生都在用尽心思地向美国大学证明自己的实力，可是能不能真正打动招生官？于是，小藤翻山越岭，搜索各种美国大学的官网文献，寻找真正的招生官们书写的建议！为大家答疑解惑！
今天小藤为大家带来一篇出自原MIT招生官发表的文章，该文专门针对国际生的申请，在文中，招生官为我们介绍了申请中的各个组成部分，以及每个部分中招生官们的侧重点。
简单的说，这就是招生官们写出来的最有权威的申请秘诀！我们不需要再费力研究与猜测，招生官直接在文章中就告诉国际生们：
他们到底想要录取什么样的人？
怎么做才能更好地让招生官们看到你？
本文原文由麻省理工学院，加州理工学院和波士顿音乐学院高级招生官ZARAGOZA GUERRA撰写
Zaragoza Guerra是College Coach大学招生专家团队的成员。
Zaragoza此前曾在麻省理工学院，加州理工学院和波士顿音乐学院担任高级招生官。
What International Students Can Expect from the US Admissions Process
Applying to a U.S. university from abroad can seem like a daunting process. Not only are you taking a leap from the familiar educational surroundings of your secondary school into the unknown waters of higher education, there's a possibility you're flying farther away from home than most of your peers and taking a chance on an entirely different country and educational system. Let's just say,“we're not in Kansas anymore.” Unless,of course, Kansas is your ultimate destination.
So how do you make sense of it all? The following breaks down how U.S. admission officers might evaluate your overall college application as well as its many components:
对于国际学生来说，申请美国大学是一个容易令人气馁的过程。
我们不仅需要经历从熟悉的中学教育跃入未知的高等教育领域，还有可能需要比大多数同龄人走得更远，在一个完全不同的国家和教育体系中寻找机会。
那么如何理解这一切呢？
以下是美国招生办对大学申请的评估方式，分成了几个组成部分：
Holistic review:One of the biggest differences between applying to a university in the U.S. versus other parts of the world is the role holistic review plays in the US application process. In some parts of the globe, students are admitted to their nation's top schools by a set of objective criteria. Don't get me wrong. We're not saying U.S. schools don't admit students objectively. They do. But many U.S. schools couple objective data with subjective information:essays, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and sometimes, interviews. In the U.S., it often takes more than a certain set of numbers for a student to be admitted.
整体评估
申请美国大学与申请世界其他地区大学的最大区别之一是：整体评估在美国申请过程中所扮演的角色。
在世界上的其他地方，学生被一套客观的标准录取。
别误会我的意思。我们并不是说美国学校不客观地录取学生。美国大学做的是把客观数据与主观信息结合起来，比如论文、课外活动、推荐信甚至面试（都结合起来）。
所以在美国，一个学生想要被录取，往往需要的不仅仅是一组特定的数字。
Standardized testing and transcripts: Yes, there are a set of standardized tests many students are required to take when applying to a U.S. school (the ACT, SAT, or TOEFL being three of the most well-known). But those tests are not looked upon in isolation. Many U.S. universities also want to know how a student might have performed within their own educational system. So they're going to ask for a student's high school transcript—a student's marks or grades. They'll also want to get a sense for how a student might have done within her set of standard leaving exams (IGCSEs, GCEs, Abitur, or Bagrut) and will, more often than not, ask for official copies of those results. In the U.S. process, it's not just about how well a student retains information, as evidenced by test results, but how a student contributes to the classroom.
标准化考试和成绩单
众所周知，大多数学生在申请美国学校时，都需要参加一系列表转化考试，最著名的就是ACT，SAT或托福考试。另外许多美国大学想要了解学生在原有的教育体系化中的表现，也会要求同学们提交能反应分数的高中成绩单。
除此之外，还会关心学生在标准的毕业考试中表现如何，并且也会要求提交这些考试的官方成绩单复印件。
但是，在美国教育中，重要的不仅仅是一个学生通过成绩证明，能多么好地保留这些信息，而是从中看出一个学生对课堂的贡献。
Resumes: Many U.S. schools are looking to get a sense of the whole person, how an applicant might positively impact a university community. And so the world outside of class often carries great weight: What might the student contribute socially, academically, or extracurricularly? Admission officers often use a student's resume—or rather, activities list—to answer such questions. The activities list not only tells an admissions officer the who, what, and when of a student's past participation, it hints at a student's future community involvement and how the student will contribute to campus life.
简历
许多美国大学在寻找的是一种心目中的完美的人，他们想要知道，申请人在入学后是否能对大学社区产生积极的影响。因此，在课堂之外做的事往往更被看重——学生在社会、学术或课外方面做出了什么贡献？
招生官们通常会通过学生的简历来寻找这些疑问的答案。简历中的活动列表，不仅告诉招生官们，这个学生过去参与的对象、内容和是假，还暗示了学生在未来生活的区域中会参与什么。以及将如何为学校做出贡献。
Personal statement: The personal statement serves as the application's “why.” If successful, it reflects a student's guiding principles, motivations, core beliefs, moments of growth, or dreams and provides a glimpse into a student's character—how the student might interact with others on campus. It's less a recounting of events or activities and more a peek into an applicant's soul: the lessons learned in life and how those lessons are manifesting themselves in the classroom, extracurricular activities, or social interactions.
个人陈述
PS其实是申请的“原因”，成功的PS，反映了学生的指导原则、动机、核心信念、成长时刻或梦想，并且还能让我们（招生官们）得以一窥学生的性格。
比如：学生如何与校园里的其他人互动等。
它不是对事件或活动的叙述，而是对申请者灵魂的一瞥：生活中学到的教训，以及这些教训如何在课堂、课外活动或社会交往中表现出来。
Letters of recommendation: Many U.S. universities require applicants to submit letters of recommendation: one from a school counselor as well as one or two from teachers who've taught the student in an academic core subject. Recommendations serve as objective, third-party assessments; they tell an admissions officer how the student interacts with others inside and outside the classroom, how the student has grown academically, and how the student compares to peers. It's best to aim for recommenders who've taught the student most recently, as their assessment will be more relevant to an admissions discussion than a more chronologically distant assessment.
推荐信
许多美国大学要求申请者提交推荐信。一封来自学校顾问，另一封或两封来自教授学生某一门核心学科的老师。
推荐人作为客观的第三方评估者，通过推荐信能够告诉招生官们，该学生在课堂内外是如何与他人相处互动的，学生在学业上是如何成长起来的，学生与同龄人相比的优势在哪。
Zaragoza Guerra认为最好最好是找那些最近教过学生的推荐人，因为他们的评估与招生讨论更相关，而不是选取需要追溯遥远记忆的事物。
Interviews: While most U.S. colleges and universities don't require interviews, those that do want to see how an applicant thinks on her feet. They are two-way conversations: a student's opportunity to find out more about a college or university, as well as a means for a college to learn about a student. Come prepared to talk about your background, achievements, and activities, as well as what's attracting you to your prospective school and why you’re thinking about your particular major. Most interviews can only help, rather than hurt, an applicant, so if you're given the opportunity to interview, go for it!
面试
虽然大多数美国学院和大学不要求面试，但依然存在一些确实想看看申请者是如何独立思考的大学和学院。一般面试时双向的对话，学生能够有机会更多地了解大学和学院，同时，这也是学院了解学生本人的一种方式。
面试中，准备好谈谈你的背景，成就和活动，以及是什么吸引你申请这所学校，为什么考虑选择这个专业。大多数面试有利无弊，所以如果有面试的机会，就去争取吧！
看完这篇招生官的文章，小藤发现，在我们眼中无比“玄妙”，不知从何下手的大学申请，在招生官们笔下变得简单而直观，这可能就是一种思维差异。
大学申请并不是需要你做多么花里胡哨的东西，只要你专心做好该做的事，好好展示出自己就可以了。
那么最重要的问题就是，如何展示自己？
正如文章中所说，文书是展示申请者特质的关键。
于是，明德立人教育在申请季推出了文书训练营，邀请了同为名校招生官，创意写作硕士的Rachel Toor老师，进行小班文书培训，点击下文了解详情。
美本频拒中国高分学子,因为99%的家长不知如何搞定最关键的一步
今年申请季，让招生官带你进名校！
