Make Your College Essay Stand Out 大學申請作文與眾不同

Recently, I have read "Four College Essays That Stand Out From The Crowd" on New York Times.  On a side note, you possibly figure that NYTimes is my favorite newspaper, and  you are absolutely right.  In addition to NYTimes's role in news publications, it does have excellent articles on education issues, especially higher education related topics.

I would say that college essay is one thing that can efficiently differentiate one applicant from all the others.  The purpose of this piece of writing is to paint a unique picture of who you are and what your perspectives are.  Many who apply for the most prestigious institutes have similar GPA (a very high GPA, of course) and similar extra-curricular experience (community service hours, student leadership roles, and sports performance).  What tells them apart could be the college essay.

Most applicants try to avoid controversy so that they will not offend the admission.  Or sometimes, the applicant cannot provide fresh perspective when writing about controversial topics.  One can show his or her creativity and in-depth thinking or one just shows his or her lack of creativity and higher thinking skills.

To be different, the applicant has to take risks.  When everyone clings to status quo, the person strike a different cord can eventually stand out.

To view the complete New York Times' article, please clink the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/your-money/four-college-essays-that-stand-out-from-the-crowd.html?hp&_r=0

最近,我讀了紐約時報上的文章, "四篇與眾不同的大學申請作文". 您可能知道紐約時報昰我最喜歡的報紙. 這點不錯. 當然紐約時報昰新聞報界的頂梁柱. 同時也因為紐約時報常有出眾的關於教育的文章, 特別昰關於高等教育的文章.

我覺得大學申請作文昰眾多入學標準中可以讓申請人脫穎而出的一件法寶. 寫這篇文章的目的就昰將自己的獨到見解和特別之處告訴招生部門. 很多申請名校的應屆畢業生都有高積點和豐富的課外經理. 可昰不昰每個申請人都可以寫讓人刮目的推銷自己的申請作文.

申請人常常迴避有爭議的話題, 怕冒犯了招生老師. 也有時候, 在寫爭議話題時申請人根本沒有自己的想法. 有的人可以在這個申請作文裡展示自己的創造力. 有的人表現的卻昰缺乏想像力.

如果要與人不同, 就得冒點險寫些不同的東西. 每個人都小心不要犯錯的時候, 願意寫別人不敢寫的話題或寫不好的話題可以讓你不同.

College or Not

Last week, my husband, B.W. (for privacy let me just call him that), a high-school-student-look-like himself in late 20s, spoke to a roomful of high school students on their Career Day about how to make games.  Most presenters at the event were people in high positions, including a mayor, a judge, and a HBO executive.  But according to the organizer and my own observation, B.W. had the biggest audience.  50 to 60 seventeen-eighteen-year-olds with eager faces were crammed in a room that seats 30 maximum.  It was the last 30 minutes of their school day, and miraculously, they sat quietly through the whole presentation, asked technical questions, and laughed at the time they were expected to laugh.  B.W. had a simple explanation, you know, most high school kids play games.  

However, I think there is more to that.  The difference between B.W. and other presenters is that the experience of B.W. represent a viable alternative path.  B.W. didn't study programing in college.  He loves drawing and considers himself an artist.  He is also extremely passionate about game, which he can talk about all day long.  Many might just stop at that point.  But he went further, taught himself how to code, and started making games on his own.  Now, he has made countless games for big wig corporations and popular products as well as movies, quite prolific.  After working for a few employers, he started to work independently last year.  Creating your own business or being a free agent is not what schools teach us typically.  That's why B.W.'s presentation was so unique on the Career Day.  Not only he gave students concrete resources regarding game development, his personal story also showed them how one can carve a niche for him/herself. 

While the employers are still cautious about expanding hiring, working independently could be feasible option.  The unemployment of young people is extremely high.  Within the recent 3 or 4 years, I have read numerous pieces of news that how difficult it is for young people, with college education or not, to land a decent job.  It seems quite normal to move back to one's parents after graduating from college because the job market is so bleak.  It is very common for college graduates to have huge student loans.  A bachelor's degree doesn't guarantee anyone a starting point for a satisfying career.  The future of those without any college education is even worse.  

Facing this perplexing situation, alternative initiative, such as Enstitute, is set up to help young people to acquire and build career skills.  Instead of finishing an expensive, four-year university education, high school students or college students become an apprentice, work full time, and receive training as well as stipend for their work.  How these young men and women will become in a few years is still unknown.  But even without such facilitations, those famous college dropouts became successful and rich.  I think what sets young people apart is how they are socialized.  Those in college or Enstitue are socialized to aim at aspirational career paths.  Hence it is not necessarily the academic training provided by higher education that help one become successful.

美国变成24岁到35岁事业率最高的发达国家。一张大学学士文凭不一定帮你找到工作。加上大学学费暴涨，为自己的教育投资回报率显得特别低。可是没有学历的年轻人的事业率更高收入更低。这样两难的情况下，有了些新的机构，比如Enstitute， 为学生提供在高新科技行业的学徒式实习期。读大学还是做高级学徒好，现在结果还不知道。可是已经有很多成功的大学辍学人士证明读大学不只是唯一的光明正道。

去學費很貴的大學值得嗎

自從08年美國經融危機, 美國失業率一直居高不下. 失業人群中, 有很大一部份是找不到理想工作的應屆大學畢業生.  所以償還學生貸款也成了大問題.  是否要上學費高昂, 遠超出經濟承受能力的所謂名校成為了這幾年的焦點話題. 學校是否有責任幫助學生及家長分析教育投資風險也同樣受到關注. 一些著名大學常常被點名, 比如地處曼哈頓的紐約大學.

不少指導大學申請的專家老師一再提醒學生家長們千萬不要盲目追崇名校. 尤其是學習生活費用超過支付能力的時候, 更要全面評估來選擇學校. 事實證明, 某個大學的文憑在經濟不景氣的時候未必給畢業生一個金飯碗. 學生所學專業以及學校此專業在行業的影響力更重要. 用紐約時報舉的一個例子, 如果你不想去華爾街工作,就不必讀哥倫比亞大學.

上大學的費用不只是學費, 還有當地的生後費物價水平.  比如, 紐約, 洛杉磯, 舊金山等地的居住成本就很高. 洛杉磯的消費稅高達近10%. 買同樣價格的東西, 在洛杉磯付的錢就會比別地多10%. 同樣的學費, 加上消費稅, 也會相應增加. 一些情況下, 從總體評估, 知名的公立大學可能勝過私立名牌(不少頂著常青藤的名頭).

感面对挑战的就选这样的研究生课程

最近读了纽约时报几篇报道纽约曼哈顿切尔希地区的文章。切尔希以前是屠宰场，近期因为谷歌在这开发了新的办公园区，此地变成了人们谈论科技革新的焦点。谷歌办公点的不少免费设施，福利项目，比如5个不同的免费餐厅，很快地成为了人们证明其先进性的说辞，纽约时报上提了，国家公共广播(npr)里也提了。进而传出谷歌第一年新员工增重15等等佳话。

大家都在观望，切尔西以及纽约的卢瑟福岛是否会成为美国东北部的硅谷？ 这样重要的时机，名牌大学的计算机和工程系研究所是一定不愿错过的。更何况，纽约市市长出标，中标的学校将得到巨额经费支持。

目前得到纽约州支持的是科乃尔（Cornell)大学的应用科学专业，和伊斯列理工学院合作，首届只有8个学生。教授没有固定的办公室，上课没有固定的教室，哪有空出的会议室，哪儿就是课堂，颇有些创业公司的范儿。这可不是传统的计算机信息工程专业。 学校准备推出8个学位课程，信息技术贯穿整个体系。 学科规划有三个方向，新媒体的软体设计，用新信息科技提供医疗服务， 信息实体环境的设计包括人工智能等等。 学习其实是提问，客作都是在新企业界的名人， 常说的话题是创新时必要经历的失败。21岁的学生格莱戈说：“每个星期，我们都去参观（一）很棒的（二）正在找人的新企业。”

这个新研究生专业绝对是科乃尔的试验品，也绝对值得一试。

Not a Safe Bet, But A More Exciting Program

As a person who finished two Masters (in Education then later in Psychology), I do wonder whether my buck had made a bang yet.  Nowadays, I like to answer with "Maybe yes... Maybe no.", the all-time response of Scottish castle/inn owner in Little Britain, because the result is still not clear after peeling off the myths surrounding graduate programs.  I bet many others are pondering the same thing especially those who are deciding if they should take the plunge.  The investment in education seems to become a riskier choice after stories about false advertisement (involving big wig names such as Le Cordon Bleu) and heavy debt of student loans have surfaced within the recent years.

So when I read these lines, "One thing the students have in common is being excited, not intimidated, by doing something so untested. Mr. Krum called it “the hottest ticket to the hottest show in town.”, my first reaction was, "Hmmmmm.... interesting."  I wish I could say the same thing about my own students. In a time that so many uncertainties play into one's success, to embrace the unknown is one of the essential skills we must have.  

"Building a Better Tech School", article earlier this week from New York Times, cast the attention on the most popular tech campus, Chelsea.  Google's "invasion" in this neighborhood and its well-spread perks (free cafeteria, etc.) has already built buzz around this area.  However, the graduate program on applied science from the Cornell and Technion collaboration,  Cornell Tech, is truly ground breaking, in my humble opinion.  This is not the first time that higher education institution decide to join hands with the business world.  What set Cornell Tech apart is the way the program structures itself, making it more relevant, more fluid, and more failure/learning-experience-friendly (a coined word by myself).  These are not qualities we would necessarily connect to a computer science/engineering program, and I am not sure calling Cornell Tech's program, a computer science program is fair either.  Perhaps, it is the new direction universities are heading, at least indicated in the article.

Many are guessing whether the Big Apple will become another tech capital.  Many are calculating when they can pay off their student loans.  One thing for sure is that if you decide to go to Cornell Tech (and get there in September), you will be in the City, lots of fun, perks just naturally coming with the location.

Read the entire NYTimes' article here; http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/cornell-nyc-tech-planned-for-roosevelt-island-starts-up-in-chelsea.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&emc=eta1

美国的穷孩子和中国的富孩子们

今天早上读了一篇纽约时报的文章《常青藤大学好像外星》，小标是《精英高等学府就像陌生的马星》。一看到标题，我就想到这些名校里外国学生，他们所经理的文华冲突，他们怎么在痛苦的教训里认清其实非常官僚的美国高等教育体制。不过文章说得完全是美国本土的问题，与中国高等教育的问题有相似之处，农村孩子上大学，机遇不平等。美国的农村孩子遭遇一些中国农村孩子遇到的难题。除了上大学的资金问题， 农村孩子无人指点，无人投靠，想得到能申请的大学屈指可数。纽约时报的文章要求高校挑起帮助学生申请大学的责任，深入关注贫困地区的学生。（在美国这些孩子只申请自己路过的几个高校，中国的情况是申请经济条件可以负担的几个高校。）高校学科文华环境是否合适，并不在考虑范围内。

即使经济条件优越，中国学生申请美国大学也有美国本地贫困农村学生所经历的困难。每年成批的国外名校代表参加各种教育展览会，介绍学校特色以及其超群之处。可是少有名校代表详细介绍申请大学的过程，或者是上了合作班如何更好融入大环境。也很少有人提出这个问题，大型名校是否适合你。中国学生通常选择名校申请，忽略一些历史悠久的珍宝型私立大学和通向罗马的其他大道。和成千上百崇尚名校资质出众的学生竞争，不得不担负巨大的心里压力， 有时候也得接收让人沮丧的结果。我常想这和高考有特别大的区别吗？在这个主张个性自主的时代，申请国外大学的过程应该是一个冷静的思考过程，思考更重要的问题－我是谁，什么高校环境适合我的个人发展。

College Application-Still a Myth

With my first cup of coffee this morning, I read a New York Times post.  The title is "The Ivy League Was Another Planet", and the tagline is "Elite Colleges Are As Foreign As Mars".  When I read the titles, my instant thought went to the foreign students in the Ivy League schools, how many cultural shocks they might experience and how they learn to maneuver the American not-quite-user-friendly higher education system.

However, the article was about the domestic phenomena in U.S., about talented students in rural America and inequality of higher education.  In addition to lack of financial resources, these young people know little about universities that will suit them.  They don't have too much knowledge of college application process and don't have too many role models or consultants they could go to for valuable suggestions.  The article demanded that the college admission should shoulder more responsibility to reach out to the communities that have little access to the institution.  It compared the college recruitment process to the army recruitment.  The army recruiting personnel make sure they penetrate these communities and helped the applicants go through every step of the application, while college admission rarely does that, even to rich kids in America.

Rich or poor, most kids have to fill in various application requirements ultimately on their own.  The major difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich has a large group of experts, family members, teachers, college councilors, and alumni they can rely on for hands-on support.  The whole process seems less lonely and some advice could play a significant role in getting into the school you want.  Most importantly, the rich kids have experienced adults or peers, who graduated from the same high school, to help them find out what they want.

The foreign students share the same challenge the poor American high students face. Some of the foreign students might lack financial support.  But many more foreign kids and families have limited knowledge of the higher education system and the application process.  When college representatives from well-known institutes in U.S, Canada, Australia, and etc. attend a variety of education fairs overseas and present how wonderful their schools are, they conveniently skip the answers to some important questions.  How can the applicant fulfill every requirement on the long list and which requirement is weighed more than others in the admission process?  And often people don't ask themselves, is this school really for me?  Foreign students tend to select a handful of the most prestigious schools because everyone knows the big wig.  Hence they have to compete with an army of highly qualified applicants and sometimes bare the disappointing result.  Meanwhile, a number of well-established, smaller institutes are easily overlooked in this process.  When  more and more kids are planning to go to universities overseas, a comprehensive review of who you are  and all the options you have is a must.