美本申请文书tips：美国大学本科文书补充题目

Common Applicaiton系统即将在下个月开放，打算申请美本2020Fall的小伙伴们，你们的文书准备好了吗？

在申请美国大学过程中，文书是绕不过的一道坎，而不同的时间准备和安排，最终的申请结果也会大不相同。其中，英文写作能力和时间管理能力都是不可忽视的关键因素。但是你知道，英语写作拖后腿、时间安排不合理，可能就一不小心和梦校失之交臂！！

我们常说的英文写作的文章类型主要有Persuasive Essay议论文、Expository Essay叙述文、Personal narrative个人陈述文。

Persuasive Essay建立在一定的综合英语基础上，大量运用于美本申请与海外课堂上，比如托福综合作文中的摘要总结、新SAT考试议论文的分析性写作、申请文书中的why essay、大学课堂学术讨论、演讲、辩论以及每学期要交的论文。因此我们将为大家详细分析Persuasive Essay，即议论文的写作技巧。

写作就像建房子要画蓝图、框架非常重要，只有事先勾勒出文章的结构，才会有完整的逻辑和论述。这就要求我们写作时有全局观，在写具体内容之前，在脑中搭建文章的大致框架，常用文章结构为Intro简介-Body正文-Conclusion结论。

正式开始写作时，申请生则需要从以下几个方面来入手：

1.选择合适的观点，这个观点必须要你认可并赞同。要想说服被人，首先自己要有充分的自信，如果自己对所选择的观点都有疑虑，那你很大概率是无法成功说服别人的。

2.合理使用逻辑，Persuasive Essay的写作，强调清晰性，具体是指在行文的微观逻辑上，做到简单易懂、毫不费力。这听起来很简单，但实际并不容易实现。

很多人写作都是从自身出发，以自我为中心，加上在中国的语文课堂中，老师都强调作文立意要高，这与Persuasive Essay写作的要求是不同的。实际上，在Persuasive Essay写作中，所有的东西都应该是最简单、最清晰的。

很多学生在写作时甚至表达不清楚自己的观点，只是把一些耳熟能详的概念转化为英文，这样表达出的概念会让考官不知所云。在写作时，想象这篇文章的读者是三岁的孩子，你只需要你把一件事清楚地解释给他听。

3.摆出合理的论据，支撑你的观点，如果论据不充足，那文章就会显得空泛，论点也没有说服力。尽可能找到合理、客观、可靠的论据，所以大家最好通过摆事实，特别是公认的事实来说理，更容易被大家所接受，也可以尝试从不同的角度来举出更多的论据。

4.利用反论点进一步加强观点。虽然Persuasive Essay中不是一定要包含counter-arguments，但是通过counter-argue可以使文章更有力度

在进行counter-argue时，可以试想有一个不同意你观点的人，最容易提出什么样的论据来反驳你或者有哪些理由可能会推翻你的论文，然后你再根据这个抗辩。

5.总结全文要点。在写作结尾用精炼的语言重申文章观点，也许你在开头已经比表过态了，那结尾就再来一遍，注意变换一下表达方式，这样才能给读者里留下深刻印象。

除了CA系统的文书题目，美国各大高校也在近期公布了自己的补充文书题目，其中不乏芝加哥大学、加州理工学院等知名牛校，一起来看看它们的题目都是什么吧！

芝加哥大学

Question 1(Required)

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

Question 2: Extended Essay

Required，6选1

1. Cats have nine lives, Pac-Man has three lives, and radioactive isotopes have half-lives. How many lives does something else—conceptual or actual—have, and why?

——Inspired by Kendrick Shin, Class of 2019.

2. If there’s a limited amount of matter in the universe, how can Olive Garden (along with other restaurants and their concepts of food infinity) offer truly unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks? Explain this using any method of analysis you wish—physics, biology, economics, history, theology… the options, as you can tell, are endless.

——Inspired by Yoonseo Lee, Class of 2023.

3. A hot dog might be a sandwich, and cereal might be a soup, but is a a ?

——Inspired by Arya Muralidharan, Class of 2021 (and dozens of others who, this year and in past years, have submitted the question “Is a hot dog a sandwich,” to which we reply, “maybe”)

4. “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.”

——Jessamyn West Inspired by Elizabeth Mansfield, Class of 2020.

5. UChicago has international campus centers around the world, but we don’t have any interplanetary, interstellar, or interdimensional campuses… yet! Propose a spot in time or space, in this or any universe, for a new UChicago campus. What types of courses would be taught at this site? What cultural experiences await students who study there?

——Inspired by Peter Jasperse, Class of 2022

6. “Don’t be afraid to pick past prompts! I liked some of the ones from previous years more than those made newly available for my year. Also, don’t worry about the ‘correct’ way to interpret a question. If there exists a correct way to interpret the prompt I chose, it certainly was not my answer.”

——Matthew Lohrs, Class of 2023.

加州理工学院

【Essay Option 1】Describe three experiences and/or activities that have helped develop your passion for a possible career in a STEM field. Use the separate spaces provided below, one for each STEM experience and/or activity.

STEM experience/activity 1 and explanation (10-120 字):

STEM experience/activity 2 and explanation (10-120 字):

STEM experience/activity 3 and explanation (10-120 字):

【Essay Option 2】

Much like the life of a professional scientist or engineer, the life of a “Techer” relies heavily on collaboration. Knowing this, what do you hope to explore, innovate, or create with your Caltech peers? (250-400 字)

【Essay Option 3】

Caltech students are often known for their sense of humor and creative pranks. What do you like to do for fun? (250-400 字)

【Essay Option 4】

The process of discovery best advances when people from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives come together. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity of Caltech’s community? (250-400 字)