客服电话：400-609-1118冬天来了春天还会远吗高中生可以做哪些准备
在美本留学申请中，我们需要做好充分的规划准备。一日之计在于春这里我们就来看一看、耶鲁大学前招生官对高中生准备申请美本有哪些建议。
Spring is the perfect time for high school juniors to start thinking about college applications.If you start the process now,it will make the fall college application crush much less stressful.While COVID has introduced a number of changes–in terms of school offerings,testing,and extracurricular options,the general principles for what you can do now to prepare for the college application season remains the same.
春天是11年级学生开始思考并准备大学申请的最佳时机。如果你现在就行动起来，那么下半年开始的大学申请季，你的压力将减轻很多。尽管新型冠状病毒已经导致了许多变化——比如学校的课程设置、标化考试、和课外活动的选择等方面，但你现在可以为大学申请季做准备的一般原则仍然保持不变。
Putting together your college application is like cooking a good beef stew.If you’re trying to make a five-star stew,you wouldn’t just nuke beef,potatoes,and carrots in the microwave.That mouth-watering stew requires slow-cooking and simmering for hours to achieve that delicious flavor and texture.Likewise,the most competitive college applications are crafted when a student has spent time reflecting on their time in high school,brainstorming,writing,and revising(and re-revising)their essays.
准备大学申请材料就像烹饪一份美味的炖牛肉。如果你想烹饪出一份五星级的炖牛肉，那你不能仅在微波炉里烤牛肉、土豆和胡萝卜。这种令人垂涎的炖菜需要慢煮慢炖数小时，才能达到可口的味道和口感。同样，最有竞争力的大学申请材料是需要学生花时间回顾、反思自己的高中时光，集思广益，不断地写作和修改文书后才能完成的。美国留学申请
But before you can get“cooking”on your college application,you need to first gather the key raw ingredients.Don’t aim for perfection right now,just gather the key components.And if you feel intimidated,remember:the hardest part is getting started.
但是，在开始“烹饪”大学申请材料之前，你首先需要收集关键的原材料。这个阶段，不需要追求完美，只需要把关键部分收集到一起。如果你感到紧张和不安，请记住：最困难的部分是行动起来。
Draft a school list
草拟一份学校清单
As my colleague Jason(who formerly worked at Uber)says,you don’t typically get in a car unless you have a destination in mind.Similarly,before you start piecing your application together,you need to have a general direction or destination in mind in terms of colleges.
我的同事Jason之前在Uber工作过，正如他说，在上车前，我们通常都会有明确的目的地。同样，在开始拼接大学申请材料之前，你需要对申请什么样的大学有一个大概的方向和目标。
Sometimes students feel intimidated because it’s hard to know how to even begin making a school list.Consider these questions that can act as a compass to point you in a direction:“What do you like about your current high school and community?What are some things that you’re not a fan of about your high school?”This thought exercise can help to inform what you’re looking for in a school and perhaps even more importantly,its culture and community.
有时，学生会因为不知道如何开始列学校清单而感到惶恐。那么以下问题或许对于你思考学校清单有帮助：“你喜欢目前所在的高中和社区的哪些方面？你不喜欢他们的哪些方面？”这项思考练习可以帮助你了解你理想中的学校，更重要的是你倾向的文化和社区。
Some key factors to consider:school size(a large state school like the University of Michigan vs.a small liberal arts school like Haverford College),location(city/rural),weather,finances(in-state vs.out-of-state tuition),and proximity to home.Be honest about your personal preferences,as you will be spending four years of your life in college.
还有一些关键因素需要考虑：学校规模(是像密歇根大学等的大型公立综合性学校还是像哈弗福德学院等的小型文理学院)，地理位置(城市/乡村)，天气，学费(州内/州外/国际生)，还有离家远近。坦诚对待自己的个人偏好，因为你将在这所大学度过你生命中的四年时光。
A typical school list will have roughly 10 schools,comprised of“reach”,“fit”,and“safety”schools.For now,don’t feel confined by the number of schools you will apply to,just start the list.Over the next few months,as you have time to think about it,you will be able to whittle down your list.
一个典型的学校清单大约有10所学校，包括“冲刺”、“匹配”和“保底”学校。目前，你不必局限于要申请的学校数量，只需列出清单即可。在接下来的几个月，随着你有更多的时间思考以及对大学更深入的了解，你可以再精简这份学校清单。美国留学高中准备
In many cases,COVID has impacted the ability to participate in on-campus school visits,but many schools have adapted to online school visits.While it’s not the same as in-person visits,it should still give you a sense of the school’s culture and what they view as their strengths/comparative advantage.Think about what these schools choose to highlight on their websites and videos.And try to connect with a current student at the school that could provide more personal insight.
在许多情况下，新型冠状病毒导致我们无法参加线下访校，但是许多学校已经开设了线上参观学校的方式。尽管这与面对面的访校并不相同，但仍能帮助你了解学校的文化以及他们认为自己的强项和比较优势的方面。寻找并思考这些学校选择了哪些内容在其网站和视频上突出展示。并尝试联系该学校的在校生，他们可以提供更多的个人见解。
冬天来了春天还会远吗高中生可以做哪些准备
Track your extracurriculars
追踪你的课外活动
The Common Application,which the majority of universities accept,gives you space to list up to 10 activities.Start a running list of the different activities that you’ve been involved in,as well note the impact you have made in those activities.
Common Application(绝大多数大学都接受的申请系统)给你提供了最多列出10项活动(和5项获奖)的空间，你需要列出9年级以来参与的各项活动，并阐述你通过这些活动带来的影响。
One of the biggest mistakes I saw as an admissions officer is that students would use the description portion of the activities list to describe the activity.Keep in mind that admissions officers aren’t looking for a description of the activity,but we are looking to understand what type of impact that you’ve made during your participation in the activity.
在我担任耶鲁前招生官的期间，看到的最大错误之一是学生会使用活动列表的Description(描述)部分对活动进行详细的阐释。请牢记，招生官不是想了解活动本身，而是希望了解你在活动中带来了什么样的影响。美国留学高中规划
You can describe your impact qualitatively,but when possible,quantify.For example,if you organized a fundraiser for the local Red Cross,how much did you and your team fundraise and what did money do?Or if you made a film or an art piece and posted it on Instagram and gained a lot of likes or views,write that down.Or under your leadership of a club,how much percentage growth did your club experience?
你可以定性描述你的影响，但如果可能的话，也尽量量化。比如，如果你为当地的红十字会组织了一次筹款活动，你和你的团队筹款到了多少钱，这些钱又被用于做了哪些事？再比如，你制作了电影或艺术品并将其发布在Instagram上，获得了很多点赞和评论，也请写下来。又或者，在你领导下的社团，成员数量有多少百分比的增长？
Brainstorm some ideas for your personal statement
主文书头脑风暴
The Common Application has announced that its prompts for 2021-2022 will remain the same as the 2020-2021 prompts with one exception.There are seven total prompts,but since the last prompt option(number seven)is“share an essay on any topic of your choice”,you can essentially write about anything.
Common Application已宣布2021-2022年的文书题目，与去年相比，仅更新了一个题目，这也是五年来第一次变更文书题目。总共还是七个题目，但是由于最后一个题目（第七个）是“任选主题写一篇文章”，因此你基本上可以撰写任何内容。美国本科留学
Getting started is the most intimidating part.As a starting point,I’d suggest you look through the prompts#1-6 and jot down some potential brainstorm thoughts in response to each.Keep in mind that these ideas can come at completely random times–while you’re chatting with friends,taking a walk outside,sipping a coffee by the window.As these thoughts come,you can type them on your phone,write them down in a notebook,however you want to notate.Over time,there will probably be 2-3 topics that emerge as ones that you feel more drawn to and can write more easily about.
开始总是最艰难的。首先，我建议你仔细阅读前六个文书题目，并记录针对每一个题目的潜在思路。请记住，这些想法完全可能随时随地地出现——在与朋友聊天的时候、在户外散步的时候、在窗边喝咖啡的时候。当这些想法出现时，你一定要记下来，不管是通过手机，还是笔记本。随着时间的流逝，可能会出现2-3个更加吸引你的想法，从而帮助你更容易的开始撰写文书。
I actually think it’s a good idea to have two potential personal statement options.The reason is that if you get writer’s block,you can turn to the other topic.And also,you will almost surely be able to use your“back-up”personal statement content for the school-specific supplemental essays.
实际上，我认为准备两个主题的个人陈述是一个很好的主意。因为如果遇到写作瓶颈，你可以转向另一个主题。而且，你大概率能够在学校的小文书中使用备用个人陈述的内容。
Consider and identify your theme
考虑并确定你的申请主题
The strongest applications that I read at Yale were ones where,after reading,I felt like I could almost“see”the student pop out of the application because there was a common and consistent theme.Are you the mountain biker who is fascinated by all things mechanic?The budding scientist who loves to write?Try to come up with a short catch-phrase that can help you identify what your theme will be.Imagine if you were writing a Twitter bio.
我在耶鲁大学审阅过的最棒的文书，是那些当我读完后能仿佛看到这个学生就站在我面前的文书。而这类文书往往都有一个共同而一致的主题。你是对一切机械事物都着迷的山地车骑手？你是喜欢写作的新生代科学家？试着想出一个简短的、能引人注目的标语，以帮助确定你的文书主题是什么。就好像你正在填写微博的个人资料。美国本科准备
Oftentimes,your theme will be tied to where you spend most of your time and what gets you the most excited.Step back and take a look at your transcript(what classes you took),personal statement brainstorm thoughts,along with the list of extracurriculars(this includes how you spent your summers).Do you see a theme?Or perhaps ask a friend to take a look and ask them if they see a theme?
通常，你的主题将与你花费时间最多的的以及最能让你兴奋的事物联系在一起。回顾一下，看看你的成绩单(你上了什么课)，个人陈述的头脑风暴，以及课外活动清单(包括你如何度过的暑假)。你看到什么主题了吗？或者请一个朋友看看并询问他们是否能看出来？
This theme should be reflected in your personal statement,activities list order,teacher recommendations(areas you can ask your teachers to highlight),and more.The reason a theme is so important is because as an admissions officer,we could be reading upwards of several dozens of applications in a day.The applications can start to blur together,so the ones that are most memorable are ones that I can easily recall.
这个主题应该在你的个人陈述、活动列表以及老师的推荐信(你要求老师强调的部分)等材料中反映出来。主题如此重要的原因是，作为招生官的我们一天可能需要阅读多达几十份的申请，时间久了，这么多的申请材料开始变得模糊，而有共同一致且突出独特的主题才是最令人难忘、我们可以轻松回忆、一直关注的。
Make sure you’ve completed any testing that you would like to take
确保你已完成所有想要参加的测试
Prior to the pandemic,there was a movement towards test optional admissions.That movement has been accelerated due to COVID,particularly as test dates have been canceled and there is less access to standardized testing options.
在全球性流行病暴发之前，就有采用Test-optional(不强制要求提交标化)的趋势。新型冠状病毒的出现加速了这一趋势的发展，特别是在考试不断被取消、学生参加标化的机会更少之后。美本申请准备
But if you still have the option,I’d recommend that you take the standardized tests and then–based on your results–you can then decide whether you want to submit to schools.
但是，如果你还有机会，我建议你参加标准化考试，然后根据你的成绩决定是否要提交给学校。
Identify your teacher recommendations
确定你的老师推荐信
Most schools require two letter recommendations from teachers,as well as a letter of recommendation from your school counselor.Most often you’re preassigned to your school counselor,but you do have a choice for your teacher recommendations.
大多数学校都需要两封任课老师的推荐信以及一封学校顾问的推荐信。大多数情况下，你的学校顾问是被指定的，但是你可以选择作为你推荐人的任课老师。
Ideally,you’ll have one letter of recommendation from a teacher that has taught you in the humanities or social sciences.And another letter of recommendation from a teacher in the math/sciences.Note that some schools(such as MIT)specifically request letters of recommendations from these two separate categories.Other schools,such as Yale,just ask that the two letters of recommendation come from teachers who have taught you in core academic subjects.
理想情况下，选择一位教人文或社会科学的老师，以及一位教数学或科学的老师来作为你的推荐人。请注意，某些学校（例如MIT）特别要求两封推荐信要来自这两个不同领域的任课老师。其他学校，如耶鲁大学，只要求这两封推荐信来自曾教过你的主课老师。
My biggest piece of advice is to choose the teachers who know you the best and who will advocate for you.Sometimes it will be the teacher for the class you have the best grade in,but sometimes it won’t be.In my experience at Yale,the most underestimated part of the college application was the teacher recommendations.Admissions officers tend to put more weight in teacher recommendations over alumni interview write-ups because the teachers have the benefit of seeing you over an extended period of time,interacting with peers,and seeing the more natural you.
我强烈建议选择最了解你并愿意推荐你的老师。有时候，他可能是你取得了最好成绩的那门课的任课老师，但也可能不是。根据我在耶鲁大学招生办的经历，大学申请材料中最被低估的部分是老师的推荐信。比起校友面试官提交的面试总结，招生官更倾向于阅读老师们的推荐信，因为他们与你有过去很长一段时间的相处，能看到你与同学之间的交往，以及你更真实的一面。美本留学准备
By the end of junior year,you should have already asked your teachers whether they would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you.Over the next few months,attend office hours,participate in class discussions,and find ways to nurture that relationship.
11年级结束前，你应该已经询问过你的老师是否愿意为你写推荐信。在接下来的几个月中，你应该在课堂上更加积极的参与讨论，多去老师办公室沟通交流，与老师建立更密切的关系。
Be kind to yourself and keep the big picture in mind
善待自己把握大局
If you’re feeling stressed,know that it is understandable.Not only might you feel like you’re trying to capture four years of high school life onto paper,but different colleges have different requirements.And on top of that,with COVID,a lot of normalcy has been upended.
如果感到压力很大，你要知道这是正常的、可以理解的。因为你不仅想要将你过往的高中经历完美呈现，而且你面对的是来自各个大学的不同要求。另外，新型冠状病毒也颠覆了很多常态。
I think it’s so important to keep perspective,as sometimes we miss the forest for the trees.College admissions at selective schools is subjective–it’s human readers and committees formed of humans who make the decisions.It’s rare that a student gets into all the schools they apply to.
我认为保持前瞻性和全局观是非常重要的，因为有时我们会因小失大。顶尖名校的录取是主观的——申请材料是由人来审阅的，录取决定也是由多人组成的录取委员会来共同做出的。很少有学生能被他申请的所有学校录取。
https://www.usastudy.com.cn/newslist/newDetail?id=61b1ba9e751b5b1988148fa4
更多留学干货内容，欢迎继续关注美国留学网。
更多留学申请规划问题欢迎扫码免费咨询
