How to write a personal statement? Students who apply to go abroad have to go through a process of writing PS and composition. This is actually a process of knowing yourself and discovering your own bright spots. It's easier said than done.

What's the difficulty?

First of all, it is difficult to know yourself. The process of knowing yourself is the process of growing up and maturing. Maybe you will ask, it is difficult for me to know others and myself? In fact, it is easy to know others, but it is quite difficult to know yourself. The probability of success is directly proportional to the accuracy of knowing yourself. Some people can't know themselves accurately all their lives.

It is difficult to know yourself, because all the criteria for measuring yourself come from society and feedback from others. Whether it's the exam or the evaluation of our colleagues, classmates, teachers and friends. Only through the "interaction" with the society can we get the social response to ourselves. The terrible thing is that many times a person can't respond to the role of society; There was even a wrong reaction that led us astray. We think that the mirror of society is flat, but sometimes it is concave, sometimes it is convex, and sometimes it has both concave and convex surfaces. In addition, I will change myself, because I haven't had time to show my potential and I can't get feedback from the society, which will lead to a time lag in knowing myself.

Having said that, if you want to know yourself, you have to reflect on the big mirror of society through your own actions. Whether the mirror is flat, concave or convex depends on yourself.

Secondly, it is challenging to describe yourself, especially in English. Language is not the best description tool. Many of our features can't be expressed in words, and more features are distorted in the limited vocabulary structure of the language, which makes readers misunderstand. What's more, we often can't really grasp the whole of language, a limited expression tool. Especially when English is not our mother tongue, words often fail to convey meaning. This makes your PS make English readers often unable to enjoy themselves after reading it, resulting in an unpleasant feeling of itching across the shoes. What's more, I feel insulted after reading it. Think about it. What are your chances of being admitted when the applicant feels this way?

So what can we do? The most important thing is to seek truth from facts and not to play with English skills. Write short sentences and write what you are familiar with. Think about your feelings when you read "I ate a shit meal"-will I admit you to Peking University? Laozi said, "Clever is clumsy." The bottom line of admission is that you were from China before reading your PS, as long as you can write fluently and express your meaning clearly.

Third, the western cultural value system is different from our domestic one. I have seen many students repeatedly emphasize that they are Communist Youth League members or Communist Youth League members or secretary of the Youth League branch. Do you want to establish league branches and party branches in the evil capitalist society?

In addition, it is difficult to choose materials other than resumes, transcripts and letters of recommendation. The ideal PS should not repeat the information already described in the report card and resume. PS is the most important "portrait" that is independent, has special information and makes you different. You may have a hundred qualities, but how to choose and emphasize them? It's the stupidest way to pile it all up. Emphasize each item. In fact, we can't emphasize every item. The most important two or three points are enough.

How come? A wise man has understood what I want to say. Let me summarize it again.

First, be yourself.

Be honest, dare to face up and express what you think is most valuable. Being yourself can't be imitated by others. Whether you are good or not, it is your characteristic. Who can say that your stubborn side can't impress the candidates? Especially in the United States, a country that respects individuality. No one can lift himself from the earth alone. In other words, I believe that all applicants will see your characteristics within one minute after watching tens of thousands of PS.

Second, be fully prepared

Especially leave enough time to write. A year or two is not much. Writing PS is like making wine. It takes time to accumulate. If you want to write tastefully, you must have time to ensure it.

Third, please ask friends who have studied abroad to help modify it.

Grammar and rhetoric are very important, and the most important thing is content. The connotation of "three good students" in the United States is different from that in China. Pay attention to cultural differences. The value evaluation of candidates is based on the coordinate system of western culture. If the wrong coordinate system is established, even the best coordinate system will not be recognized. I once saw a case where a student's PS was audited by an experienced teacher, and the school issued an admission notice and scholarship within two days after receiving the application materials. In many cases, experienced teachers play the role of making the finishing point. And this seemingly effortless finishing touch will determine your life.