除了一定要写的主文书,大学申请中逃不过的文书非Why Major莫属。好消息是,Why Major文书虽然也需要包括针对大学的细节,但是
复用的比例在所有类型的文书中应该是最高的,所以写好一篇Why Major文书,就可以说是所向披靡了。
今天,我们就来看看该如何写好一篇Why Major文书吧!
怎么判断一篇文书是Why Major文书?
在写文书之前,首先要判断它究竟是一篇什么样的文书。
Why Major文书的题目通常不会特别直白地问“Why do you like xx major?”,而是会用一些更加委婉的形式,比如:
Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated earlier in this application?
Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment,
what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Why do these areas appeal to you?
Why Major文书写作技巧
写Why Major文书可以遵循以下3个基本步骤~
步骤1:列出与所选专业相关的事件
可以把写文书当作拍摄一部电影,如果电影的主题是你喜欢的专业,那么你会包含哪些事情呢?
根据你所能想到的所有事件,无论大小,列出一个简单的要点大纲。
Why Biology?
Elementary school: Getting my first dinosaur toy and reading dinosaur books
Middle school: Visiting museums, seeing water under a microscope
High school: Doing online research, getting an internship where we analyzed brainwaves and dissected a stingray
步骤2:理清事件之间的逻辑
一个简单好用的方法是按时间顺序排列你列出的所有事件,因为它能将帮助你了解你的兴趣是如何发展的,也能帮助你自然地串连起事件。
如果要写一篇较短的文章(例如 100-150 个单词),那么大约每个句子写一个事件,但
如果文章的字数要求较高(例如 250-300 字),可以进行适当的细节拓展,而事件本身和发展的逻辑不需要改变。
步骤3:确认中心思想
事件都是零散的,但是文书需要有明确的中心思想,用简要的一句话概括你喜欢某个专业的原因,再用具体的事件详述。
中心句可以出现在文书的开头或结尾,当然出现在中间也不是不可以,只要不突兀且明显就可以。
基本的步骤以外,
还有3个需要特别注意的地方,具体如下~
事件需要具体且真诚
可以用较华丽的语言来叙述,但是最好不要随便编造事件,尽量让事件看上去真实可信,
对于阅文书无数的招生官来说,详实的小事很多时候会比惊天动地的大事更讨巧。
可以考虑分享与你对专业的兴趣相关的简短轶事,这在文章的开头尤其有效,因为讲故事会吸引读者,同时为你的学术兴趣提供背景。例如,如果你有兴趣去耶鲁大学学习英语,你可以通过描述你和你父亲每周六去图书馆的童年仪式来开始你的文书。
详细说明你计划实现目标的方式
根据题目,仅仅表达你对特定专业的热情往往是不够的,
你还想描述你的目标并解释主修某个领域将如何帮助你实现这些目标。也许你早期博览群书的经历激发了你创作小说的热情,但你应该进一步解释英语专业如何使你能够赏析伟大的文学作品,从而为你提供作为一名成功作家所需的背景和基础。
解释你的学校选择
通常被忽略的一点是,
Why Major文书虽然主要写的是专业,但是它也应该揭示相关大学将如何帮助你实现你的目标。你的理由不应局限于“该大学在该专业领域排名靠前”,而应深入探讨课程、教学方法以及特定课程或资源。
例如,如果你热衷于成为一名作家,那么就要解释耶鲁大学的英语课程将如何帮助你实现理想。
你可以提到想要选修某门特定课程、跟随某个教授学习或在校报上发表作品。
如果你是Undecided,该怎么办呢?并不是说没有确定专业,就不能写Why Major文书,你可以选择写大约 1-3 个潜在的专业,同时详细说明学校如何帮助你实现目标。假如你真的连意向的范围都没有,
那么也可以从自身的经历出发,在你能想出的事件中,哪些专业看起来联系最紧密?可以选择与过往经历最相关的专业,这样文书好写,也更有说服力~
Why Major文书案例
方法是有了,但是如何实施还是个问题,为了帮助大家更好地了解,我们来看看两篇较好的Why Major文书吧!
My decision to major in Electrical Engineering was inspired by my desire to improve security through technology. When I lived in Mexico, my father’s restaurant security system lacked the ability to protect our property from robbers, who would break in multiple times a year. Thanks to the influence of my cousin, who now studies Autonomous Systems, I developed an interest in electrical engineering. I am inspired to not only improve my father’s security system but contributing to security innovations for larger companies and perhaps, one day, national security. (89 words)
第一篇文书较为简短,叙述也很朴实,
虽然缺乏一些特别吸引人的华丽句子,但是在逻辑清晰地表达出关键点上做得很好~
My whole life, storytelling has shaped me. When I lived in London, my parents would read me The Lion King every night until I’d memorized the whole book. In elementary school, I would curl up in my bed, warm lamplight making my room golden, listening to my dad bring to life classics like Wilderness Champion and Tom Sawyer. Later, I found audio storytelling, laughing hysterically at Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me on the car ride to school and connecting to a radio network of humanity through This American Life. It wasn’t long before I got hooked on visual narratives, mesmerized by the cinematic intensity of Whiplash and the whimsical world of Moonrise Kingdom, alternate realities I could explore as if they were my own. By high school, I was creating my own array of stories through satirical school newspaper articles, analysis of mise-en-scene in film class, podcasting, and my own locally-broadcasted radio series.
A concentration in the Literary Arts or Modern Culture and Media is the next step in my life of storytelling. The dynamic world of connection and vulnerability a well-told story can create is what continues to fascinate me. At Brown, I would explore how engaging narratives have been told in the past and can be innovated in the future through new digital platforms. Whether researching radio’s historical impact on public opinion during World War II or the Vietnam War, developing screenplays, producing my own documentary or learning from Writers-In-Residence, I hope to pioneer networks of connection. (250 words)
第二篇文书就详细了很多,适合字数上限较高的情况。这篇的叙事结构也很巧妙,从一个小故事引入,再点明自己对专业的兴趣,接着阐述自己的目标,以及具体大学如何帮助自己实现目标。
这是一篇非常全面的Why Major文书,很适合分析参考~
Why Major文书最适合提前准备好啦!
毕竟几乎没有一个申请美本人能逃过Why Major文书(狗头)。
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