美本申请中，个人申请文书往往是最能体现你的“独一无二”的关键部分。它不仅仅是讲故事，更是展现你性格、思维方式和价值观的舞台。
不过，很多同学在动笔时会陷入迷茫 —— 不知道该选择什么主题，不清楚怎样表达自己的亮点，甚至怀疑自己的经历是否值得书写。
如果你恰巧也遇到类似的难题，不妨参考往年成功申请者的优秀文书，亲身感受一下他们如何选题、构思与叙述！
之前老师为大家分享了哈佛大学、约翰霍普金斯大学和纽约大学等院校公布的申请者文书，今天老师为大家带来五篇埃默里大学的优秀文书范例，并附上招生官的点评！
在招生博客中，埃默里大学就强调申请文书可以涉及各种主题，但归根结底，它应展现学生的品格、好奇心与个人声音。
事不宜迟，一起走入往届成功申请者的故事当中吧……
第一篇
讲述你人生中一次能够体现你性格或塑造你性格的经历。
Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
“智者多疑而谨慎！”
——荷马
“哎呀！”——荷马·辛普森
我不是哲学家；我不善辞令，从未质疑过人生的意义，而凡是超出实现潜能所需的思考，都会被我推迟到更悠闲的时刻再进行。我曾经怀疑过，也曾谨慎行事；但根据我的经验，我学会了抛弃不必要的思考与惯常智慧，以换取进步。哲学若不能付诸行动，便毫无意义。
“你在开玩笑吧。”同学扫了一眼我的课表，摇了摇头，“你怎么没选双学分课程？”
在我高三那年，高中开始用GPA加权的方式鼓励大家选择双学分课程。据说，这类课程比AP课要求更低，被誉为“聪明人的课程选择”。于是，我集齐了自己所有的“智慧”，选了6门AP课程，而且老实说，我很享受它们的深度。谈到学习，我既不谨慎，也容易怀疑，我都是直接去做。如果我想学化学，我就去学化学；如果我对心理学感兴趣，我就去学心理学。对于不可避免的事，没有必要犹豫不决；我下定决心要抓住教育机会，等完成之后再自己判断它的难度。
这种优先行动的习惯在我的经历中屡试不爽。九年级时，我本可以怀疑自己的能力；但我直接参选了学校健康社的干部，并在十一年级获得了职位。那一年，社团成员之间有个争论：如果科技学生协会（TSA）的会议与我们冲突，我们该如何吸引新成员？当社团干部们还在权衡利弊时，我离开了会议，直接去报名参加科技社，与他们讨论并达成协议，让科技社将会议时间调整到午餐的后半段，然后把健康社的会议安排在前半段。这需要深思熟虑吗？不需要。需要辞令优美的演讲吗？更不需要。与其进行预期中的演讲和社团“爱国”宣言，不如直接采取明确的行动，提出一个请求，冲突就解决了。结果出席人数增加了，而额外的收获是 —— 我还能同时留在两个组织里。
在校外，坚定而不疑的行动力让我也能在社区中发挥作用。我才十七岁，不能在即将到来的选举中投票。但这并不意味着我不会在城市中留下自己的印记。从教会成员的幼儿园孩子加法，到辅导三位同学备考SAT，这些小事在长远看来都很重要。青少年能结束全球饥饿吗？恐怕不行；但我能在社区花园除草，一步步推动进展。
并不是所有行动都会成功。然而，在谨慎的智慧与失败之间，我选择行动。我不自诩为智者；我既不爱怀疑，也不是时刻谨慎。我只是单纯地追求目标。正如另一位“荷马”教给美国的那样：当在成功与潜在风险之间犹豫不决时，你只需要“哎呀”就好。
向上滑动阅览英文原文：
“How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!”-Homer
“D'oh!”-Homer Simpson
I'm not a philosopher; eloquence eludes me, the meaning of life is unquestioned, and thinking, beyond what is required to carry out a potential, is postponed to a more leisurely time. I’ve experienced doubt, and proceeded with caution; and in my experience, I've learned to discard unnecessary thought and conventional wisdom in favor of progress. Philosophy amounts to nothing unless it results in action.
“You're kidding.” Scanning my schedule, my classmate shakes her head. “Why didn't you take Dual Credit?” During Junior year, my high school began to incentivize Dual Credit courses with a GPA multiplier. Advertised to be less demanding than an AP class, Dual Credit was extolled as the wise man's curriculum. So, mustering all the wisdom I had, I took 6 AP classes, and frankly, I enjoyed their depth. When it comes to education, I'm not cautious – and I'm prone to doubt. I just act. If I want chemistry, then I get chemistry; if I'm intrigued by psychology, then I pursue psychology. There is no point in pondering the inevitable; I am determined to take educational opportunities. I'll judge the difficulty for myself after I complete it.
The practice of prioritizing action has proved useful in my pursuits. In ninth grade, I could have doubted my capability; instead I ran for office in the school's health club and earned a position in the eleventh grade. That year, there was a debate amongst the members over meeting schedules: if the Technology Students Association meeting coincided with ours, how would we attract new members? As the club officers weighed the costs and benefits amongst themselves, I left the meeting and signed up for the technology club, discussed an agreement, and voted for the technology club to move its meetings to the second half of lunch before scheduling the Health club meetings for the first half. Did it require thinking? No. Eloquence? Hardly. Contrary to the anticipated speeches and club-based patriotism, it only took clear action and a request to solve the conflict. Attendance increased, and as a bonus, I enjoyed a continued membership with both organizations.
Beyond the sphere of public education, doubt-free determination facilitated my impact in the community. I am seventeen; I cannot vote in the upcoming elections. However, that does not mean I will hesitate to make a mark with my city. Small actions, from teaching addition to a church member's kindergartener to tutoring three classmates for the SAT, matter in the long run. Can a teenage end world hunger? Doubtful; but by pulling weeds from the community garden, I can further progress one step at a time.
Not all actions end successfully. However, between cautious wisdom and failure, I choose action. I don't fancy myself as wise; I'm not prone to doubt, nor am I perpetually cautious. I simply pursue my goal. As the wiser Homer has taught America, when torn between success and potential peril, one must simply “D'oh.”
招生官点评
这篇文书有几个主题非常鲜明。首先，学生的学习态度积极、深思且富有反思精神。尤其是在开头部分，可以明显感受到她对学习的热爱 —— 关注的是课程内容本身，而非课程名称。此外，她愿意探索多种学术领域，这种开放性在叙事中贯穿始终。探索不同学科正是博雅教育的核心特征，而学生对此展现得非常出色。
第二个主题是将知识用于推动改变。学生展现了改善社区的个人意愿与行动力。即便有些改变看似微小，但推动社区进步的能力对其发展至关重要。在文书中，学生通过具体事例支撑了自己作为一名积极参与社区事务的公民形象。
最后，叙事中处处流露出她愿意承担风险的态度，这一点读来令人兴奋。积极投身于一个全新的社区意味着要面对重大风险，而学生显然已经准备好在埃默里大学大胆投入。最终，最宝贵的是她那种“向前失败（fail forward）”的自信 —— 这种心态在踏入大学第一年时尤为重要。纵观全文，我们不仅从文字中了解了这位学生，也看到了她的个人特质与埃默里大学使命和社区价值观的高度契合。
第二篇
一些学生的背景、身份、兴趣或才能对他们来说意义非凡，以至于他们认为，如果不在申请中体现出来，这份申请就不完整。如果你也是这样的人，请分享你的故事。
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
大多数飞机的座位都是两排或三排一组排列的。按数学逻辑来说，无论是哪种布局，在我们家五口人中，总有人要坐在陌生人旁边。自小以来，我总是主动要求做那个“坐陌生人旁边的人”。或许这是我作为乐观的中间孩子的天性，但我一直觉得，这种情况带来的最大可能是——我会遇到一位了不起的人，聊天的内容可能从“略有趣”到“改变人生”之间的任何一个层次。
从我学会说话开始，我就意识到 ——跨越沟通障碍，是建立有意义的人际关系的关键一环。我的父亲是一位成功的科学家，但他自出生以来便完全失聪。我的童年在理解他才智的同时，也常常因无法传达最基本的需求而困扰 —— 他难以通过读唇的方式理解我用的词汇，我又还不会写下来。小时候，我学会了不断调整自己的表达方式，以克服被误解的困境。与父亲建立联系的能力，建立在我一生对无法听见的人的沟通障碍的绕行与破解之上。当时的我并未预料到，这种能力会成为我在许多重要领域取得成功的核心技能之一。
从幼儿园起，我就热爱中国文化。妈妈厌倦了年复一年地为我准备熊猫生日蛋糕，也看腻了我每年万圣节都扮成熊猫，直到我长到所有熊猫服都穿不下。二年级时，我说服了一家面馆的老板送我两盏中国灯笼，它们至今还挂在我的房间里。高三那年夏天，我获得了美国国务院的竞争性奖学金，到中国学习普通话、沉浸在东方文化中。
被“空投”到中国成都，在语言还不流利、又与家乡失去联系的情况下，现实并不是我幻想中的“抱着熊猫、在公园打太极”。我又一次回到了“像幼儿一样无法表达基本需求”的状态。我甚至会想：“你们给我的这些东西，人类真的会吃吗？”我很快了解到，中国的教育体系对学生的要求之高，绝非弱者所能承受。每一分成绩，都会被公示在教室前的公告板上，成败一览无余。每天，我都在接受适应力、韧性和消化系统的多重考验。那是我第一次切身感受到，站在沟通障碍的另一边会是什么感受 —— 不仅要努力表达自己的需求，还要真正理解别人说的话。
在项目结束时，中国学校的校方一致投票选我作为奖学金获得者的代表，用中文在500多人的面前发表演讲。飞机降落前，我已经收获了无数与陌生人之间的精彩对话与非凡经历。
一生中，我学到的跨越沟通障碍的方式，就是逼自己去穿越它。必须全盘接受每一次新的、不舒服的经历，并对它们说“是”。最终，我带着超乎预期的文化认知回国，与曾经的陌生人建立了跨越语言的终生友谊，甚至惊讶地发现自己爱上了兔眼睛和牛肠的味道。
我很感激，这段经历让我确认：走出舒适区，确实可能带来从“略有趣”到“改变人生”的各种体验。在从中国回来的飞机上，我当然还是选择坐在陌生人旁边……而且，这次也没有让我失望。
向上滑动阅览英文原文：
Most airplanes are constructed with seats in rows of two or three. Mathematically, that means no matter the configuration, someone in my family of five has to sit by a stranger. Ever since I was little, I always asked to be that person. Perhaps it's the optimistic middle child in me, but I always considered the greatest possibility was that I could meet someone remarkable, and that the conversation could be anything on the spectrum from slightly interesting to life-changing.
From the time I could speak, I began to realize that overcoming communication barriers was an integral key to unlocking the enormous potential in constructing meaningful relationships with others. My father is a successful scientist, but he has also been profoundly deaf since birth. My childhood was spent understanding his intelligence while still struggling at times to convey basic needs because I was choosing words that were too difficult to lipread and that I couldn't yet write. As a kid, I learned how to continually recalibrate my own approach to overcome the challenge of constantly being misunderstood. My ability to build a relationship with my father was contingent on spending a lifetime navigating around the communication barriers that exist for someone who cannot hear. At the time I didn't foresee I was developing an aptitude for communication skills that would be critical for succeeding in so many other important areas.
Since kindergarten, I have loved Chinese culture. My mom got tired of me requesting panda birthday cakes year after year and seeing me dressed as a panda each Halloween until I grew out of every costume. In second grade, I convinced the owner of a noodle house to give me two Chinese lanterns that still hang in my room today. In my junior year of high school, I earned a competitive scholarship from the U.S. State Department to study abroad for the summer learning Mandarin and immersing myself in eastern culture.
Being dropped into Chengdu, China when you don't speak the language fluently and being cut off from all communication back home was not all the cuddly pandas and Tai chi in the park that I had fantasized. Once again, I found myself a toddler, unable to communicate basic needs. I wondered, “Are humans really supposed to eat all the foods you’re giving me?” I quickly learned the Chinese education system is one of unparalleled expectations, not for the meek. With every grade a student receives, they can see their successes or failures broadcasted on a board in front of the class. Each new day tested my adaptability, my resilience, and my digestive system. I, for the first time, realized what it must feel like to be my father on the other side of the communication barrier, not just trying to express my needs, but trying to really understand what others are saying. At the end of the program I was told I had been unanimously voted by my school administration in China to represent the scholarship recipients and deliver a speech on their behalf to over 500 people… in Chinese. The flight was now descending after so many remarkable experiences and conversations with strangers.
Throughout my life, I have learned that the path to overcoming communication barriers is to will oneself through them. One must embrace it all and say “yes” to every new and uncomfortable experience. In the end, I returned home with a cultural awareness beyond expectation, possessing lifelong friendships with former strangers whom I now communicate with in their native language, and surprisingly loving the taste of rabbit eyeballs and cow intestines.
I am so grateful to have learned and confirmed in my life that stepping out of my comfort zone can, in fact, lead to experiences anywhere on the spectrum from slightly interesting to life-changing. On the flight home from China I, of course, chose to sit next to a stranger… and it didn't disappoint.
招生官点评
从我读到这篇文书的前几句起，我就知道，这位学生很适合埃默里大学。他重视交流，怀有难以满足的好奇心，并且思想开放。不是很多人会承认自己喜欢在飞机上和陌生人搭话 —— 但这位学生会，而且热爱这种偶遇，因为他将它们视为学习与成长的机会，而这正是我们在埃默里寻找的品质。
在这个人们似乎更多是在“误解”而不是“沟通”的时代，这位学生显然理解语言对他人的影响，并专注于提升自己的沟通能力，以建立与他人的牢固关系，尤其是与父亲的关系。此外，他甚至真的走出了舒适区，去到中国，亲身体验沟通障碍，找到创造性的方式去跨越障碍，同时与同学建立联系。
整篇文书洋溢着关心、同理心，以及让世界变得更好的愿望。这位学生显然体现了埃默里大学“用知识服务人类”的使命，我们迫不及待地想看到他在埃默里校园里开启更多深刻的交流。
第三篇
讲述你人生中一次能够体现你性格或塑造你性格的经历。
Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
在陀思妥耶夫斯基的《罪与罚》中，人物索尼娅在隐喻层面上被比作基督。为了养家糊口而沦为娼妓后，她用披巾蒙住头和脸，趴在床上痛哭 —— 通过这一情景，她与耶稣的受难建立了联系。她的母亲卡捷琳娜在她哭泣时亲吻她的脚，就像当时教堂里的人们会含泪亲吻基督偶像的脚那样。在这里，陀思妥耶夫斯基暗示，即便是被视为罪恶的行为，比如卖淫，也可能成为一个人成为圣者的途径。
当我向母亲讲述这一段情节时，她哽咽了，而我满心困惑。是什么让她对这样一个哲学问题如此激动？我问她是否有什么想说的 —— 她的回答远远超出了我的预期。
她向我描述了父亲为了追求与一位年轻女子发生性关系，如何摧毁了我们家的房子，以及母亲所有的身份证明文件，最终成功地带走了我和哥哥。由于父亲为了申请福利没有在我的出生证明上署名，母亲重新获得了我的监护权，但哥哥却不得不留在那个在当时几乎不关心儿子的男人身边。母亲没有钱，没有住所，也没有愿意伸出援手的朋友。她向姐姐寻求帮助，却换来了冷酷、欺骗与贪婪。
母亲在自己身上看到了与索尼娅的相似之处。她们都面临着看似无解的问题，都被推入了一个父权制度中 —— 这个制度常常只重视女性最原始的价值。尽管母亲一次又一次试图走上一条更光彩的道路，但制度却与她为敌。她买不起新的身份证明文件，否则就会付不起房租，而我也无法在华氏105度（约40度）的高温下被来回折腾。她被困住了。父亲回来了，并在她经历了一年多极度贫困、失去身体自主权之后，提出恢复关系。而她接受了 —— 为了我，走进了那个曾经毁掉她一生的男人的家门。
在母亲经历了酗酒的阶段，并有一次对父亲施加了家庭暴力之后，我曾认为她是不道德的，或至少是被误导的。但我错了。尽管经历了人类所能承受的最糟糕的事，而且不能向任何人倾诉，她仍然留在那个有意让她痛苦至极的男人身边，只为了我的安康。如果在我们之上的确有上帝，那么祂看待索尼娅和我母亲时，绝不会把她们视为罪人，而是圣者 —— 对此，我深信不疑。
向上滑动阅览英文原文：
In Fyodor Dostoevsky's, “Crime and Punishment”, the character Sonia is metaphorically linked to Christ. After prostituting herself to feed her family, she covers her head and face in shawls, before lying on her bed face down and sobbing– through this, she is linked to the death of Jesus. Her mother, Katarina, kisses her feet while she sobs, the same way people in the churches of that time wept and kissed at the feet of idols to Christ. In this situation, Dostoevsky is implying that even something such as prostitution that might be deemed a sin can instead be that which allows one to be a Saint.
As my mother choked up while I described the above anecdote, I was filled with confusion. What could lead her to be so upset over this philosophical question? I asked if there was something she wanted to talk about and to say there was would be an understatement.
She described to me the process by which my Father, in pursuit of a sexual relationship with a young woman, had demolished our family’s house, and all of my Mom's identifying documents, before successfully taking away both me and my brother. While my father wasn't on my birth certificate for a Welfare bid, and my mother regained custody of me, my brother had to remain in the care of a man who put little emphasis on caring for his sons at that point in his life. My mother was left with no money, no place to live, and no friends who would lend their support. She turned to her sister for guidance and instead of love and compassion was met with cruelty, deceit, and greed.
My mother found a parallel between herself and Sonia. Both were faced with a problem the likes of which seems unsolvable and were thrust into a patriarchal system that far too often values little of women beyond the most primitive desires. Despite constant attempts to get herself onto a more admirable path, the system resisted her. She could not afford to purchase new identifying documents without missing rent, and I couldn’t handle being paraded through 105-degree weather. She was stuck. My dad came back and offered to continue their relationship after more than a year of abject poverty and lack of bodily autonomy. And she accepted the invitation into the man who had ruined her life for me.
After going through a phase of alcoholism and an instance of domestic violence against my Father, I viewed my mother as immoral, or misguided at the least. I was wrong. Despite experiencing some of the worst things a human can experience, and being able to tell nobody about it, she remained in a household with a man who intentionally hurt her beyond belief, for my well being. If there is a God above us, he views Sonia and my Mother not as sinners, but as Saints, and in that conviction, I could not be more absolute.
招生官点评
文学让人得以在文字中看见自己。这篇文书在讲述个人故事的同时，还融入了教育性的元素。作为招生官，我们常常被学生问到是否应该谈及个人挑战与经历。虽然我们对作文主题并无偏好，但我们强调，学生应写出能够凸显自己声音的文书，而不是仅仅反映家庭或社区的声音。
这篇文书精巧地将文学、家庭与自我交织在一起。坦白说，这类文书有时很难写好，因为它需要清晰的写作重心、明确的逻辑与简洁的表达。
文书的亮点在于开头段落，主题与意图一目了然。写作结构让读者能够顺畅地跟随故事线索，结尾的对比也收束得十分完整。这个例子表明，不论主题是个人经历还是虚构情节，故事的流畅性与叙事节奏，与主题选择同样重要。
第四篇
描述一个令你全神贯注、以至于忘记时间的主题、想法或概念。为什么它如此吸引你？当你想深入了解它时，你会求助于谁或什么？
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
对我来说，讲故事的技艺是神圣的。
回顾我的人生，我并没有某个决定性时刻意识到自己的使命是去研究、创作并教授故事。更像是一连串飞速闪过的快照，每一张都泛着岁月的黄、带着指纹的温度。我记得有一次，我在深夜里读彼得·布鲁克的《空的空间》（一本关于戏剧理论的书），遇到了这样一句话：“戏剧是一种揭示，是一种对抗……它引导人们……走向觉醒的理解。”这句话让我发现，讲故事是一种情感上的对抗 —— 作者与作品的对抗，以及作品与观众的对抗。这是一种碰撞，一种宣泄。
宣泄塑造了我作为剧作家的身份。我的第一部剧作《火箭人》改编自雷·布拉德伯里的同名短篇小说，讲述了一名少年与长期在外太空执行任务的宇航员父亲的故事。这太奇妙了 —— 那就是我的一生。我的父亲每周有四天从丹佛飞往洛杉矶出差，只有当他在家时，我们的家庭才算完整。在创作《火箭人》的一幕时，少年在父亲再次离开前与他对峙，这一幕改变了我的人生——在我新增的原场景中，少年恳求道：“留下来吧。”求你了。那一刻，我立刻哭了起来，祈祷远在千里之外的父亲能听见。
我在那天明白，宣泄就是在一个故事中释放我自己的故事。当我的灵魂与作品的灵魂的界限变得模糊时，那才是真正的创作时刻。《火箭人》的结构像一座大教堂，我的情感是彩绘玻璃，我的记忆是拱门。但我在第一次将作品分享给演员和剧组后意识到，如果没有人去体验，一座教堂什么都不是。我的18岁男主Pierce在第一次读到剧本时哭了，我的灯光设计师和音效设计师也哭了。作为剧作家，我希望能为观众重现这种体验，并将剧院建立为一个安全的地方：你可以在这里悲伤，可以在这里被看见，可以在这里怀抱希望。而这一目标的起点，不仅是技艺，更是对观众的深切热爱。
归根结底，讲故事是一种服务。
我人生中一次决定性的挑战，是有机会为初中女生开设并实施一门免费的剧本写作课程。疫情来袭时，我不得不将课程重新构想为线上版本，通过当地学区推出；我重新调整了三周的课程大纲、可下载的练习题以及教学策略。在Zoom上教授剧本写作意味着倾听她们在学校交友的困难，以及在父母反对下仍渴望参加抗议游行的心声。每节课，她们都能体验到用故事映照自己生活与情感的超越感，并且非常热爱这个过程。有位名叫Isabel的学生在信息中用了十个感叹号表达她对上课的兴奋，她甚至拍摄了一部自己编写的独角戏视频，配上了服装与口音。每晚下课后，我都觉得自己快要因为喜悦而爆炸。教学生如何在故事中释放自己的故事，是我做过的最有意义的事。
坐在剧院里，当序曲响起的瞬间，成千上万的交谈声在一瞬间消失；在观看终幕时惊叹地捂住嘴，感叹一场两小时的演出如何包容了人生的所有细微之处 ——这就是我存在的理由：去提供故事，去教授故事。这是我的使命，也是我的修行。
向上滑动阅览英文原文：
The craft of storytelling, for me, is holy.
Looking back on my life, I don't see one defining moment where I realized that my purpose is to study, compose, and teach story. It's more like a collection of snapshots whipping by, each one yellowed with age and fingerprints. I remember reading The Empty Space by Peter Brook on theatre theory long into the night, encountering the line, “Drama was exposure, it was confrontation… it led to… an awakening of understanding.” These words were what led me to the discovery of how storytelling is an emotional confrontation between the author and the writing and between the writing and the audience. It's collision. It's catharsis.
Catharsis defines me as a playwright. The first play I wrote, The Rocket Man, adapted from a short story of the same name by Ray Bradbury, follows a teenage boy whose astronaut father spends much of his time in space. It's uncanny – that's my entire life. My own father travels from Denver to Los Angeles four days a week on business, and my family isn't whole unless he's with us. Drafting a scene of The Rocket Man, where the boy confronts his father before he leaves again, changed my life: Stay with me, the boy begged in the original scene I added. Please. I immediately began to cry, praying that my own father, a thousand miles away, was listening.
I learned that day that catharsis is releasing my own story within a story. When the line between my soul and the soul of my story blurs, that’s when the real work happens. The construct of The Rocket Man was like a cathedral, with my own emotion as stained glass and my memories as arches, but I realized after sharing it with my cast and crew for the first time that a cathedral is nothing without people to experience it. My 18-year-old male lead, Pierce, cried when he first read the script. So did my light designer and sound designer. What I want is to recreate this experience for an audience as a playwright with the intention of establishing the theatre as a safe place. You can grieve here. You can be seen here. You can hope here. This goal starts not just with craft, but with overwhelming love for that audience.
At its core, storytelling is service.
One of the defining challenges of my life presented itself as the opportunity to create and execute a free playwriting course for middle-school girls. When the pandemic hit, it forced me to reimagine my course for a virtual setting offered through the local school district; I realigned everything – my three-week curriculum, my downloadable course exercises, and my teaching strategies. Teaching playwriting to middle-school girls over Zoom meant listening to their struggle to make friends at school and their desire to participate in protest marches against the will of their parents. With each lesson, they experienced the transcendence of having their lives and emotions reflected through story, and they loved it. One student, Isabel, told me with ten exclamation points about how excited she was for class. She even filmed a one-woman version of a play she wrote, complete with costumes and accents. I came out of class every night feeling like I might burst from joy. Showing students how to release their own story within a story is the most purposeful thing I have ever done.
Sitting in a theatre as the overture starts, hearing a thousand conversations stop in the span of a single heartbeat. A hand over my mouth in awe as I watch the finale and wonder at how a two-hour show can contain all the nuances of life. That's why I exist – to offer story. To teach it. That's my mission and my ministry.
招生官点评
你是否曾遇到一位非常优秀的老师？在我的个人经验中，优秀的老师不仅教授知识，还会教授他们对这门学科的热爱。这位学生让我感受到她对讲故事的热爱，以及她如何将这种热爱分享给社区。这让我开始思考，为什么我会热爱某些故事，或者为什么我会如此自然地与某些叙事产生共鸣。好的老师和好的作家总是能让你思考与反省。
我个人很喜欢她从《火箭人》中获得的灵感。雷·布拉德伯里对于高中生来说是容易接近的作家，但大多数人只知道《华氏451度》。我自己也是通过这本书认识布拉德伯里的，喜欢经典并不丢人。对于一篇以“讲故事的重要性”为主题的文书来说，《华氏451度》似乎是显而易见的灵感来源 —— 毕竟它探讨了焚书以及保存故事和思想的重要性。这两者之间的关联显而易见。但这位学生反而受启发于一个讲述忙碌且缺席父亲的短篇故事。与其说是故事的宏大主题，不如说是个人与故事的情感联系更打动人。再次印证，伟大的老师会教你他们对内容的热爱。
在一个容易让人感到被去人性化的申请流程中，这篇文书显得真实。真实的学生写下这些文字，真实的人在阅读它们。这听上去显而易见，但我认为双方有时都会忘记这一简单的事实。我给有志于写好申请文书的学生的建议是：找到你擅长的、你熟悉的东西。这并不意味着“找到你热爱的东西”。我自己早已毕业多年，也不确定自己究竟热爱什么。这意味着 —— 什么时候你感到自己最成功？什么时候你最有动力？什么时候你与内容最有连接？这位学生感到自己最好的作品来自写作带来的情感联系与宣泄。而在读完这篇文书后，我相信了这一点。
第五篇
请描述对你个人生活与志向影响最深的因素与挑战。这些因素是如何帮助你成长的？
Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
当我们年幼时，世界似乎是无限的。就我个人而言，直到八岁我都相信德国与威斯康星州是相邻的。但随着身体的成长，我们逐渐接触到社会的真相，也就对周围的世界有了更深的理解。小时候，我很容易为妈妈长时间工作、我们住在发霉的狭小公寓找借口，因为我并不知道别人拥有“更好”的东西 —— 而且对我来说，这并不是觉得自己过得更差，只是不同而已。
我的朋友有蓝眼睛和一栋房子，我有棕眼睛和免费的午餐。但随着我对世界的了解加深，这些差异变得越来越难以忽视，因为人们长大后会为了顺应社会角色而封闭自己的心。妈妈的年轻、经济状况、没有学历，以及我没有第二位家长 —— 这些都是我在成长过程中被告知属于“失败者”的特征。这是个残酷的事实，因为我妈妈绝不是失败者。她拼命工作，把我的需要放在她自己之前，因为要养活一个新生儿，她不得不放弃上大学，去快餐店打工。她成长得比任何一个二十岁的人都要快。尽管如此，我们依然收获了怜悯甚至鄙夷的眼神。但无论外界如何恶意中伤，我们始终拒绝让别人的评判击垮我们。
当妈妈加班时，她会把我托付给她最老的两位朋友 —— Brian和Eric。他们什么都聊 —— 政治、哲学、物理、啤酒；我问的每一个问题，他们都会给出深刻而真诚的回答，甚至当我五岁时追问“印第安淡色艾尔啤酒到底特别在哪里”时也是如此。他们激发了我对学习的热爱，在妈妈忙着为我们维持一个家的同时，教我认识这个世界。
Brian是位厨师。我们的对话大多发生在他翻炒蘑菇或切丝彩椒时。多年后，在他做烩饭的那个夜晚，我站在厨房里问起福利的事。我知道妈妈和我在领取福利，但我不明白为什么它会带有负面的含义。他们解释说，人们常常对福利抱有误解；他们会固守自己作为社会成员的局限立场，从而对他人的生活方式与观点闭上心门。这听起来说得通，但在那天放学后，我依然觉得这很不公平。
“今天有个女孩笑话我，因为我们家领福利。”我小声嘀咕着，局促地挪动脚步。“她说她妈妈觉得，如果我妈连家长会都没空参加，就不该进家长协会（PTA）。”
Brian和Eric交换了一个凝重的眼神，但我还是继续说下去。随着声音的颤抖，我和屋里的人几乎同时意识到，这件事对我的影响远比我起初以为的要大。
“我妈妈真的很努力。为了我们。为了让我们安全、有饭吃、生活得还可以。当她已经尽了全力的时候，他们没有资格说她做得不够。”
他们犹豫了一下，正如成年人在开始严肃对话前常有的那样。
“孩子，世界上有很多事都不公平。这就是其中之一。”Brian 开口说，“那个女孩和她妈妈会想方设法打击你和你妈妈，因为他们根本无法理解你们为了走到今天付出了多大的努力。他们不想去理解，也不会去理解。这不是你的错，是他们的错。”
那一刻，我明白了。我知道我和妈妈都很努力。福利并不会让我低人一等；相反，它教会了我换位思考。人们很容易去评判他们不了解或不愿了解的事，因为同理心在人们的教育中远没有嘲讽与仇恨来得根深蒂固。同理心与道德感，是我认为高于一切的品质。我关心人们如何对待彼此，因为我见过当人们太以自我为中心而不顾及言语对他人造成的伤害时，会带来多么深的创伤。而我激发同理心的最佳方式，就是通过艺术与人文学科。Brian和Eric帮助培养了我对了解他人的热情，以及通过唤起情感来建立有意义联系的能力。无论是通过艺术、文学，还是人文科学，我都希望自己能成为让人们看到不同视角的人，而我想通过尽可能多地学习，来拥有可以回馈世界的东西。
向上滑动阅览英文原文：
When we are small, the world seems infinite. Personally, I believed that Germany was adjacent to Wisconsin until I was 8. But eventually, physical growth lends itself to a greater understanding of the world around us as we become exposed to truths of society. It was easy for me to justify my mom's long work hours and our pocket-sized apartment filled with black mold when I did not know that everyone else had something “better”—and for me, it never felt like I was worse off, it just felt different. My friend had blue eyes and a house. I had brown eyes and I got free lunch. But as I learned more about the world, I found that those differences became difficult to overlook as people grew up and closed their minds in order to conform to their roles in society. My mom's young age, financial status, and lack of a degree, as well as my lack of a second parent were all characteristics I saw in people who were portrayed to me as failures. It was a harsh reality to accept, because my mom was anything but a failure; she worked tirelessly, prioritizing my needs over hers and resigning herself to fast food jobs because she could not go to college while supporting a newborn. She grew up much faster than any 20-year-old should have to. And yet, for all her strength, we received looks of pity and degradation. But for all the vitriol, we steadfastly refused to let the judgments of other ruin us.
When my mother worked late, she left me with her oldest friends, Brian and Eric. They discussed everything—politics, philosophy, physics, beer; and for every question I had, they had insightful and honest responses, even when I demanded to know what was so special about Indiana Pale Ale when I was five. They inspired my passion for learning and taught me about the world while my mom worked to make sure we still had a home.
Brian was a chef. Most conversations happened while he sautéed mushrooms or julienned peppers. Years passed, and on the night he made risotto, I stood in the kitchen and asked about welfare. I knew my mom and I had it, but I failed to understand the negative connotation surrounding it. They explained that people often have misconstrued ideas about welfare; they become close-minded to the lifestyles and perspectives of others as they adhere to their own confining positions as members of society. This made sense, but it did not seem fair, particularly after school that day.
“Today a girl laughed at me because we have welfare,” I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. “She said her mom said my mom shouldn’t be in the PTA if she can't even come to meetings because she's working.”
Brian and Eric exchanged heavy glances, but I rambled on, voice shaking as I realized at the same time as everyone else in the room that this incident had affected me more than I initially thought it had.
“My mom works really hard. For us. To keep us safe and fed and okay. They don't get to say she isn't doing enough when she's trying her best.”
They hesitated the way adults do before having serious conversations.
“Kiddo—there are a lot of things about the world that aren't fair. This is one of them,” Brian started. “That girl and her mom try to tear down people like you and your mom because they have no perception of how hard you two work to be where you are. They won't try to understand because they don't want to. And that's not on you, that's on them.”
And I understood. I knew that my mom and I worked hard. Welfare did not make me anyone's inferior; instead, it taught me about perspective. People are quick to judge what they do not know or understand, because empathy is not indoctrinated in people as well as derision and hatred are. Empathy and morality are traits that I believe take priority over any other; I care about how people treat each other, because I have seen the damage that results when people become too self-involved to care about how their words affect others. The best way for me to inspire that empathy is through arts and humanities. Brian and Eric helped cultivate my passion for learning about people and for evoking emotion within them to form meaningful connections, and whether it is through art, literature, or human sciences, I want to be someone who can open people up to different perspectives, and I want to do it by learning as much as I can so that I have something to give back.
招生官点评
在埃默里大学，我们的核心文化之一就是社区。这篇文书展示了鼓励与社区如何成为继续前行的灵感。在招生工作中，我们知道学生会面临各种挑战。这篇作品的真诚让读者意识到，学生带着塑造他们的过往经历进入大学。大学是一个自我探索与塑造自我声音的机会。
申请文书与课外活动经历可以让招生官看到学生将如何融入大学社区。学生会参与吗？他们会支持社区成员吗？他们会为了所有人的进步而挑战社区规范吗？这些问题在审核过程中非常有价值。在这篇文书中，我们看到这些问题被具象化。我们知道，这位学生可以在我们的大学社区中成为这样的人，因为这些品质曾被传递给她，并深刻影响了她的人生。
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