首先申明，我自己没有任何这方面的经验，都是从书本或网上得来的信息，版权绝对不归我所有。现在列出来这个是我存下来的一个FILE，当时我觉得很有启发。 对很多有经验的父母来讲可能没有帮助了，就给那些跟我一样对这个神秘的大学申请过程好奇而又知道得不多的父母参考吧。
admissions officers at the nation’s most prestigious schools want to hear directly from their applicants, in their own voices, via the personal essays.
Whatever the topic and format of the question or questions, a few things remain clear about the college essay:
(1) It must reflect your personality and your voice.
(2) It must shed light on significant aspects of your character and experience, providing
insight into you both as a scholar and as a human being.
(3) It should be an intimate and lively portrait of yourself that none of the other application elements can provide.
(4) If the application in question asks you to comment on a work of literature or art, you
must still relate the cultural object in question back to yourself and your personal
experience.
(5) If you are asked why you are applying to a particular school, you should discuss how
the school’s offerings relate to your personal interests.
(6) No matter what the topic, all essays essentially ask the same question: What makes
you tick。
Of all the educational,emotional, transitional, happy, sad, funny, and silly experiences you have had in your life, you must focus on a single one that succinctly and artfully conveys a sense of who you are. You simply cannot write about everything, no matter how tempting each significant experience may be. Nor can you simply offer a factual account of your life’s experience. You must choose a particular moment or aspect of your experience in microcosm that depicts the whole of your character in macrocosm. That is the trick. Again, no matter what the topic, question, or guideline, the personal essay is a chance for you to shine, to speak out in your own unique voice, and to show an admissions reader why you would be an invaluable member of the next incoming freshman class.
Do's ：
Be honest
Show, don’t tell!
Let the reader hear your own voice
Follow instructions and answer the question!
Don’t:
(1) Bad grammar. (2) Students underselling themselves.(3) Not answering the question。 (4) An essay that is so highly edited by others。（5）Write about global events that have had little
impact on your private life.
http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/kids-writing/1440114.html
