教育部最新數(shù)據(jù)顯示，中國(guó)2017年出國(guó)留學(xué)總?cè)藬?shù)突破60萬(wàn)大關(guān)，相比上一年增長(zhǎng)了11.74%。想要出國(guó)留學(xué)，除了考出好成績(jī)，還要寫(xiě)一封打動(dòng)招生老師的“個(gè)人陳述”。一起來(lái)看看英國(guó)大學(xué)的招生老師為大家揭秘，如何寫(xiě)個(gè)人陳述最加分？

First, you will have to register with Ucas and enter your personal details. You will then be able to apply for up to five courses. Make sure you cross reference the course requirements with your predicted grades and A-level choices so you won’t get rejected before you have even taken your exams.

首先，你需要在英國(guó)大學(xué)和學(xué)院招生服務(wù)中心網(wǎng)站注冊(cè)，并錄入個(gè)人信息。之后你可以申請(qǐng)最多五種課程。要確保將課程要求和你預(yù)計(jì)的成績(jī)以及A-level（英國(guó)高中課程）選擇加以對(duì)照，以免還沒(méi)考試就被學(xué)校拒了。

You will then be asked to detail your education and qualifications to date and to give details of any jobs you have had. It’s also a good idea to nail down who will be providing your academic reference as soon as possible – make sure you give your teacher enough time to make it a good one.

之后，你將被要求詳述迄今為止的教育背景和所獲證書(shū)，以及你做過(guò)什么工作。最好能盡快找到人選為你寫(xiě)學(xué)術(shù)推薦信，要確保你為寫(xiě)推薦信的老師留出了足夠的時(shí)間，這樣才能寫(xiě)好。

Finally, before you submit your application, you will be asked to include your personal statement. This is your chance to convince your university or college that you are the right person to study their course.

最后，在提交申請(qǐng)前，你還要按要求提交個(gè)人陳述。這是你說(shuō)服申請(qǐng)?jiān)盒ｄ浫∧愕囊粋€(gè)機(jī)會(huì)。

For some people, writing a personal statement will come easily. But for those who are feeling daunted about the prospect of putting 4,000 characters together, you are not alone. As Stuart Balnaves, head of learner experience at Ucas, puts it: “Those three words – Ucas personal statement – can stike fear into students’ hearts", but there are ways to make the process easier.

對(duì)大多數(shù)人來(lái)說(shuō)，寫(xiě)個(gè)人陳述并不困難。但也有不少人一想到要寫(xiě)4000字的文章就頭皮發(fā)麻。英國(guó)大學(xué)和學(xué)院招生服務(wù)中心學(xué)生體驗(yàn)負(fù)責(zé)人斯圖亞特-巴爾內(nèi)夫斯說(shuō)：“入學(xué)個(gè)人陳述這三個(gè)詞語(yǔ)會(huì)讓學(xué)生心生恐慌”，但有些辦法能讓這件事兒更簡(jiǎn)單。

To start with, jot down reasons why you want to study your chosen course. Is it a new passion or an old interest? Were you inspired by something you read or does it lead towards the career you would eventually like to pursue – in which case, what is it that appeals to you about that career?

首先，大概寫(xiě)下為什么你選擇了這一課程。是最近才感興趣，還是由來(lái)已久？是受到了某篇文章的啟發(fā)，還是決心今后干這一行？這個(gè)職業(yè)又有哪些吸引你的地方？

Secondly, think about what you can say you have done to demonstrate why you are passionate about this particular subject. Have you taken part in a society or club outside of school? Do you enjoy reading about your subject, if yes, what books particularly interest you and why?

其次，想想看如何描述個(gè)人經(jīng)歷，以便說(shuō)明為什么對(duì)這一課程充滿熱情。你在課外參加過(guò)社會(huì)實(shí)踐或者加入過(guò)社團(tuán)嗎？喜歡讀有關(guān)的書(shū)嗎？如果是，你對(duì)哪些書(shū)最感興趣？為什么？

Have you worked in any roles that help with skills that universities might find appealing? Have you helped fellow students at school, have you volunteered or undertaken work experience in your field?

你做過(guò)哪些工作，有助于提升大學(xué)所需技能嗎？你在學(xué)校幫助過(guò)同學(xué)嗎？參加過(guò)志愿活動(dòng)，或者在你自己感興趣的領(lǐng)域有過(guò)工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)嗎？

“The best statements will show that a student is interested in the subject; that they've studied it, that they've developed an interest it in outside school, and that they're developing their skills and abilities outside academia,” says Liz Hunt, undergraduate admissions manager at the University of Sheffield.

英國(guó)謝菲爾德大學(xué)本科入學(xué)主管利茲-亨特說(shuō)：“最好的個(gè)人陳述能表明申請(qǐng)者對(duì)課程感興趣，曾有過(guò)這方面的學(xué)習(xí)經(jīng)歷，在課外也有相關(guān)愛(ài)好，除學(xué)業(yè)外，也一直在提升個(gè)人能力。”

However, she advises students to avoid rambling: “Some try to tell you their life story,” she continues, “sometimes this can be quite useful, but it needs to be relevant rambling, it needs to tell admissions tutors why you have decided on a particular subject.”

但她建議學(xué)生不要啰嗦：“一些學(xué)生試圖講述生活中的故事，有時(shí)這很有用，但這得和申請(qǐng)有關(guān)，得是在告訴招生老師為什么你決定學(xué)習(xí)這一課程。”

James Williams, lecturer in education at the University of Sussex, agrees: “Admissions tutors are looking to see that you have an understanding about the course you are applying for,” he says. “Content of courses will be different at different universities, so we don’t look for applicants to be too specific, but candidates should look for common topics and address these.”

英國(guó)蘇塞克斯大學(xué)教育學(xué)講師詹姆斯-威廉姆斯也同意這一點(diǎn)，他說(shuō)：“招生老師會(huì)注意看你是否理解你申請(qǐng)的課程。不同大學(xué)的課程內(nèi)容不同，因此我們不指望申請(qǐng)者說(shuō)的特別具體，但要找出普遍的話題并談一談。”

The key is balance. Contrary to what Oxbridge demand, most universities will look for candidates to split their statements between their academic achievements and their extra-curricular pursuits – if these are relevant to your chosen degree, all the better.

關(guān)鍵在于平衡。和牛津劍橋的要求不同，大多數(shù)大學(xué)要求申請(qǐng)者將學(xué)業(yè)成就和課余愛(ài)好分開(kāi)陳述，如果課余愛(ài)好與所選課程有關(guān)的話當(dāng)然更好。

However, as Williams says, don’t go overboard. “The mistake people make is to mention too many clubs,” he says, “it makes us question how dedicated you’ll be to your study or work. Pick some key extra-curricular activities and think about the skills they give you and feed that into what you are doing.

不過(guò)，威廉姆斯說(shuō)，也不要太過(guò)火。他說(shuō)：“申請(qǐng)者常常會(huì)犯的錯(cuò)誤就是提到太多社團(tuán)。我們會(huì)懷疑你還能不能專(zhuān)心學(xué)習(xí)或工作。挑選一些重要的課余活動(dòng)，想想你鍛煉了哪些技能，并和你所做的結(jié)合起來(lái)。”

“Avoid the vacuous statement,” he adds, “the statement that seems to say a lot, but actually says nothing at all, for example ‘I am a people person; committed to doing my best at every opportunity’.”

他補(bǔ)充說(shuō)：“要避免空洞的個(gè)人陳述。有些個(gè)人陳述看似說(shuō)了很多，其實(shí)啥也沒(méi)說(shuō)，比如‘我善于與人打交道，每次做事都會(huì)全力以赴。’”

Stock phrases should be avoided at all costs, and applicants should also be careful not to exaggerate their achievements. Be warned; if you are invited to interview, you should expect to be quizzed on what you have said in your statement. White lies won’t impress anyone and can become pretty obvious pretty quickly under pressure.

要盡可能避免寫(xiě)套話，也得小心不要夸大其詞。需要注意的是，如果你受邀參加面試，你將會(huì)被問(wèn)到你在個(gè)人陳述中寫(xiě)的內(nèi)容。善意的謊言無(wú)法打動(dòng)他人，而且在壓力之下很快就會(huì)被戳穿。

Applicants should also avoid copying anyone else’s statement or taking inspiration from the internet, says Balnaves. Ucas uses a program called Copycatch to identify similarities in statements and notifies the universities if it picks up anything suspicious.

巴爾內(nèi)夫斯說(shuō)，申請(qǐng)者也不要抄別人的個(gè)人陳述，或者從網(wǎng)上找靈感。英國(guó)大學(xué)和學(xué)院招生服務(wù)中心使用名為“抓取復(fù)制”的程序來(lái)檢查個(gè)人陳述的相似之處，發(fā)現(xiàn)可疑之處會(huì)提醒學(xué)校。

Balnaves also urges students to review their statements for spelling and grammar and to apply in good time. “We probably get about 10 percent of our applications in the last week,” he says, “but it’s best to give yourself some breathing space. The best advice you can get is from a family member or a teacher, read it aloud to them so you haven't missed any crucial bits.

巴爾內(nèi)夫斯還敦促申請(qǐng)者檢查個(gè)人陳述的拼寫(xiě)和語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤并及時(shí)提交。他說(shuō)：“有大約10%的申請(qǐng)是在最后一周提交的，但最好留些富余時(shí)間。你能從家人或老師那里得到最好的建議，寫(xiě)好后大聲讀給他們聽(tīng)，這樣就不會(huì)漏掉一些關(guān)鍵點(diǎn)。”

“Write about what makes you unique," he continues, "only you know your unique selling points. Ask yourself ‘what makes me different, what will I bring to the university and what will I get out of it?’”

他接著說(shuō)：“寫(xiě)一寫(xiě)你在哪些方面與眾不同。只有你自己知道自己的‘獨(dú)特賣(mài)點(diǎn)’。問(wèn)問(wèn)你自己‘是什么品質(zhì)讓我不一樣？我能為學(xué)校帶來(lái)什么？又將從學(xué)校得到什么？’”

個(gè)人陳述寫(xiě)作的“要”與“不要”

DO check for spelling and grammar - get your parents to double check and then check again

要檢查拼寫(xiě)和語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤---讓父母再給你檢查兩三遍

DO link your extra-curricular pursuits with your course choice

要把你的課余愛(ài)好和課程選擇聯(lián)系起來(lái)

DO show your teachers a draft first – so you will know what to change in plenty of time

要先給老師看看初稿，這樣你就有足夠的時(shí)間修改

DON’T use suggested synonyms unless you’re sure what they mean

不要使用有暗示性的同義詞，除非你確切知道是什么意思

DON’T be tempted to exaggerate what you’ve done

不要夸張描述個(gè)人經(jīng)歷

DON’T talk about specific universities, only talk about the subject

不要談?wù)撎囟ǖ膸姿髮W(xué)，只談?wù)撜n程本身

英文來(lái)源：每日電訊報(bào)

翻譯&編輯：yaning