完成硕士申请个人陈述的八个步骤——我指导学生的方法
个人陈述是申请过程中的一个重要部分，因为大学的招生部门必须在具有类似学术背景和实习经验的候选人之间做出取舍。特别是在不需要面试的情况下，PS至关重要——这可能是你展示自己 "声音 "的唯一机会。
我会在这里概述我为学生提供申请支持的方法与过程，如果你决定自己DIY自己的申请或文书，这些内容也会对你有所帮助！
在开始之前，我需要强调一下个人陈述的写作过程需要多长时间。当然，一个讲母语的人可以在2或3小时内写出一篇1000字的PS。但它很可能很差。写出一篇真正的好文章就像在硕士阶段写一篇 "Distinction "级别的论文。它需要大量的研究。取决于你的背景和你申请的课程，你可能需要20-25个小时的研究、思考和计划，然后才能开始写作——尤其是如果你申请的是英国或美国的顶尖大学并面临八分之一的录取率。
我希望这对你有帮助。如果你有任何问题或意见，或者在这种过程中需要支持，请随时在wechat上与我联系： Uni_Jim
那现在，让我们来说说这八个步骤：
1. 设定短期到中期的职业目
在很大程度上，一个好的PS是面向未来的。一份你过去所做事情的清单仅仅是一份简历或履历。而PS则不止于此，他应该是一份声明，一份关于你所选择的课程将如何有助于你实现中短期目标的声明。因此，你的文书需要基于你清楚地了解你在3-5年后想要达到的目标。反过来，这些目标也是由你的价值观以及你想在现实世界中产生什么影响或贡献来决定的。
在指导申请人时，我和他们的第一次讨论会议通常是关于职业规划的。我鼓励申请人找到他们在毕业后和3-5年内将要申请的职位的招聘信息。这些对了解你未来职业道路和雇主所看重的东西很有用。此外，申请人需要回答这些问题。1.你现在身处哪里？2.你想去往哪里？3.你需要哪些技能、能力、心态亦或经验来达到这个目标？ 4. 你所申请的硕士学位将如何帮助你实现这一目标？
仅仅含糊其辞地说 "我想做咨询或投资银行 "也是不够的。什么样的咨询——例如，战略、运营或财务？什么样的投资银行业务——例如，股权融资或承销。无论你选择的是什么行业，是医疗、教育、商业还是IT，你都需要通过具体的职业规划来展示你的雄心。还要记住，大学排名表在很大程度上是由毕业生工资决定的。你的职业进展和工资可能会在毕业后的1年、3年和5年内被追踪。 因此，如果你能在你的PS中传达出你有能力和野心在未来获得一份顶级工作，你就会成为一个更有吸引力的候选人。
2. 正确选择申请项目
只有当我们有一个明确的职业目标时，我们才能选择正确的申请项目。这两部分必须完全协同。第二步是从第一步顺理成章的延续。 现在，我每天都与那些说 "我不关心项目，我只关心大学的排名 "的申请者交流。我理解这一点，但当每个名额有六到八个申请人时，这就是造成失败的罪魁祸首。课程选择必须是正确的。为此，你需要知道该课程是为刚起步的学生还是有经验的从业者设计的？是为那些已经在某一领域有经验的人设计的？还是为那些正在向新领域过渡的人设计的？这个项目是希望你可以自由的追求自己的研究目标，还是具有很强的结构化课程？许多项目提供很多选修课程，所以实际上你可以“定制自己的学位” 在这种情况下， 你是否真正了解选修模块将涵盖的内容，以及你将如何做出选择？如果可能的话，请尝试与你所申请的国家中熟悉大学领域的人进行讨论。 我发现，有时申请者很难区分那些学术或理论内容较多的项目和那些旨在使他们掌握工作技能的项目。
3. 研究，研究，研究
PS写作历程的80-90%是研究、思考和计划。写作部分（10-20%）是最容易的部分。当我为申请人提供帮助时，在对课程进行详细研究后，我会根据他们特定的课程选择和背景写一份调查问卷，以帮助指导他们进行头脑风暴。如果有必要，我还会帮助定位关键的学术文章或研究小组，以帮助申请人了解在他们目标领域中进行的前沿研究。这样做的目的是为了确保申请者能够将他们的学术兴趣写到与已经在读的学生无异的水平。很少有顶级大学愿意招收对所选学科知之甚少或一无所知的人申请。他们一般更愿意招收那些知识已经达到60%的人，然后将其提高到100%。
问卷还包括一些标准问题，如学术背景、工作经验，以及你将如何为该项目做出贡献。但是与流水线作业不同的是，我强烈鼓励申请人反思，而不仅仅是描述。例如，在谈到实习经历时，我们不能只是转述已经写在简历上的内容，我们需要反思所培养的技能，描述所遇到的挑战，说说从这段经历中学到了什么，以及这段经历对硕士选择和未来职业选择有何启发。这就是“个人陈述”中“个人”的那个部分。
为了写出扎实的1000-1500字的PS，那些我指导过的优秀的申请人会产生5-6千字或更多的潜在内容。我收到的最多的是超过20000字的内容! 总的来说，这个过程有点像钓鱼。我们首先使用一张非常大的网来捕捉尽可能多的想法。然后，我们将那些深刻的内容从好的和一般的内容中分离出来
4. 审阅并筛选内容
接下来，我们需要对内容进行审阅，并开始确定哪些部分对招生团队最有说服力，哪些部分应该被删掉。如果你在DIY，请尝试着和其他人一起完成这个阶段（最好是在你所选领域有一些学科知识的人）讨论你的想法真的很有帮助。有时通过讨论，你会意识到，你实际上比你最初想象的要多得多。通常情况下，我们可以用一个“好的问题”从那些看似平常的经历中挖掘出具有强大说服力的内容。当其他人在审阅你的内容时，也可以发现你的不足之处，并指出那些你需要做更多研究的地方，从而你的PS在描述和思考之间取得平衡，也在过去、现在和未来之间取得平衡。
5. 将内容结构化
现在是时候搭建出PS最终的样貌了。换句话说，制定一个框架和计划，来确定最终的PS应该有多少段落以及每一段的内容是什么。经常会有同学总觉得PS应该有某种最好的结构，他们会直接问我：PS的内容应该如何安排？但其实，每份PS都是不同的。如果我辅导10个申请人，每个PS都会有不同的安排，因为每个申请人的优势、过去、现在和可能的未来都是不同的。
6. 撰写
一旦我们有了计划，事情就会变得很简单。在这一步，有两点很重要。首先，自己写! 不要相信别人或中介能为你做这件事。是的，与朋友或老师讨论你的想法。是的，你也许可以讨论要写哪些具体内容。是的，你应该在语言上得到反馈，在语言完美之前不要提交。这些步骤甚至受到大学的鼓励，但要自己写第一稿。 如果你这样做了，它将是真实的、诚实的、地道的。我辅导过的最好的学生总是希望100%主导这个构成。如果有人真正有能力进入英国或美国的顶尖大学，他们就不会是那种寻找捷径的人。另外，我见过许多由中介或顾问写的PS，尽管它们有时是花大价钱买来的，但它们往往写得很差，充满了陈词滥调。它们可能包含很多华丽的语言，看起来很花哨，但对项目的学术主任来说，它们只徒有其表。你不能只用风格来说服教授；内容才是唯一重要的东西。第二条建议是：允许自己在第一稿中超过目标字数的25-30%。这是因为，通过后续的撰写，你的文章会逐渐变得更加精简有力。
7. 再次审阅和重新起草
一旦我们有了初稿，我们就有一了一个像样的基础，但仍可能离完美的PS有一些距离。 对一些申请人来说，第一稿可能离最终的PS不远，但对另一些人来说，可能需要更多的时间继续修改撰写。我曾指导申请人直到第六或第七稿，我们都没有100%满意。在这一过程中，文本在语言中逐渐变得密集。换句话说，你开始把更多的内容装进每个句子里，并尝试去挑战每一个词的意义、贡献或重要性，直到文章没有任何 "脂肪"！在这个过程中，你要确保每一个论点都得到支撑。招生导师讨厌含糊不清的东西。特别是声称 "对X感兴趣 "或 "对Y充满热情"，却没有任何支持性的证据或思考，或声称你热衷于 "将理论付诸实践"。这样的短语不仅会被忽视，而且可能对你不利，因为它们表明你只能用笼统的语言进行交流，而顶尖大学希望申请人具有高水平的批判性思维能力。如果你在DIY，请记得让同事，让朋友、老师或工作的专业人士来审阅你的PS并给出建议。
8. 等待一些时间再进行最后的检查。
每当我们写完文章的时候，我们总是会想，我们已经尽力了，这篇文章一定是很好的。如果你第二天早上再看它，它仍然会看起来很好！但如果你一周后再看它，你几乎不可避免地会发现一些问题，包括内容、结构或语言这些方面。有时是小问题，有时是大问题。所以，不要在截止日期前匆匆忙忙地写PS。当我指导申请顶级项目的申请人时，我通常建议用5-6周的时间从零开始到完成最后的草稿。
8 Steps to Great Master’s Personal Statement
(How I support applicants)
Because Admissions have to decide between candidates with similar academic backgrounds and internship experience, a PS is an important part of the application process, especially when no interviews are required. It could be your only chance to show your ‘voice’.
This is an overview of how I provide support postgraduate applications and this process may also help you if you’re doing it yourself DIY style.
Before starting, I need to emphasise how long this process takes. Of course, a native speaker could write a 1,000-word PS in 2 or 3 hours. But it’s likely to be poor. To write a really good one is like writing a ‘distinction’ level essay at master’s level. It needs a lot of research. Depending on your background and the programme you’re applying for, you might need 20-25 hours of research, reflection, and planning before you even begin the writing process – especially if you’re applying to a top UK or US university where there could be eight applicants for every place.
Right let’s start with the 8 steps...
1. Set short to medium-term career goal
A good PS is, to a significant degree, forward facing. It is not just a list of things you did in the past – that’s what a CV or resume is. It’s a statement of how your chosen programme will contribute to you achieving your short to medium term goal. So, you need to start with a clear idea of where you want to be in 3-5 years’ time. In turn, these goals are also informed by your values and what impact or contribution you want to make in the real world.
When guiding applicants, the first meeting I have is usually about career planning. I encourage applicants to find actual advertisements for the roles they will be applying for after graduation and in 3-5 years. These can be useful in understanding possible career pathways and what employers are looking for. Then applicants need to answer these questions: 1. Where are you now? 2. Where do you want to be? 3. What skills, competencies, mindsets, and experience to you need to reach that destination? and 4. How will that master’s contribute to you reaching that goal?
It’s also not enough just to vaguely state “I want to do consulting or investment banking”. What kind of consulting – e.g., strategy, operations, or financial? What kind of investment banking – e.g., equity financing or underwriting. Whatever your chosen industry, whether it is healthcare, education, business, or IT – show you ambition through a specific career plan. Remember too, that university league tables are heavily shaped by salaries. Your career progress and salary may be tracked 1, 3 and 5 years after graduation. So, if can convey in your PS that you have the ability and ambition to secure a top job in the future, you could be a more attractive candidate.
2. Get programme choice right
Only when we have a clear career goal, can we select the right programme. These two parts must be perfectly aligned. Step two follows logically from step one. Now, I speak to applicants daily who say ‘I don’t care about the programme’ – I only care about the university ranking. I understand this, but it’s a recipe for failure when there are six to eight applicants for every place. The programme choice MUST be the right one. So, you need to know whether the programme is more designed for budding academics or practitioners, for those who are already experienced in a field or for those transitioning into a new field. Is it a programme where you might be largely left unsupervised to pursue you own research aims or one where the programme is heavily structured. Many programmes offer a wide range of optional modules, so in effect, you might be designing your own tailored degree. In this case, do you actually understand what the optional modules will cover and which you would take? If possible, try to have this discussion with someone who knows the university sector well in the country you are applying to. I find that sometimes applicants aren’t able to easily distinguish programmes that have a heavy academic or theoretical content from those which are designed to equip them with workplace skills.
3. Research, research, research
80-90% of the PS journey is research, reflection, and planning. The writing part (10-20%) is the easy bit. When I’m supporting applicants, after researching the programmes in detail, I’ll write a questionnaire which is tailored to their particular programme choice and background to help guide their brainstorming. If necessary, I may also help in locating key academic articles or research groups which help applicants appreciate cutting-edge research being conducted in their field. The aim is to make sure that applicants can write about their academic interests to a level that is no different from students already on the programme. Few top universities want application from individuals with little or no knowledge of their chosen subject. They generally prefer to recruit those whose knowledge is already 6/10, then raise it to 10/10.
The questionnaire also covers standard areas such as academic background, work experience, and how you will be an asset on the programme, but also encourages applicants to reflect rather than just describe. For example, when talking about an internship experience, we can’t just paraphrase what is already written on the CV, we need to reflect on the skills developed, describe the challenges encountered, say what was learnt from the experience, and how this experience informs the choice of master’s and future career options. This is the ‘P’ part of the PS. It’s personal.
To write a solid 1000–1500-word PS, the best applicants I work with will generate 5-6,000 words or more of possible content. The most I received was over 20,000! Overall, the process is a bit like fishing. We begin by using a really big net to capture as many ideas as possible. Then we separate the great content from the good and the average.
4. Review content
Next, we need to survey the content and start to identify what parts will be most persuasive to the Admissions team and which bits should be cut. If you’re doing this DIY, try to do this stage with someone else, ideally someone with some subject knowledge in your field. It really helps to discuss your ideas. Sometimes, through discussion you come to realise that you actually have a lot more to offer than you originally thought. Often, something the applicant thinks is quite minor can turn into something quite persuasive if the right questions are asked to ‘extract’ that full experience. Someone else reviewing your notes can also identify where the gaps are and where you might need to do more research to ensure that you PS has the right balance between description and reflection, and the right balance between past, present, and future.
5. Structure content
Now it’s time to get an idea of what the final PS might look like. In other words, make a plan. Decide how many paragraphs there should be in the finished PS and what the content of those paragraphs will be. Often people ask, ‘How should a PS be structured?’ as if there were only one ‘correct’ way. But of course, every PS is different. If I’m supporting 10 applicants, each PS will be arranged differently, because each applicant’s strengths, past, present, and possible future will be different.
6. Write
Once you have a plan, things get easier. Two important points: 1. Write it yourself! Don’t trust others or an agent to do this for you. Yes, discuss ideas with friends or teachers. Yes, perhaps discuss what content to include. And, yes, get feedback on language and don’t submit until the language is perfect. These steps are even encouraged by universities but write the first draft yourself. If you do, it will be real, honest, and authentic. The best students I work with always want 100% ownership of the process. If someone is genuinely capable of getting into a top UK or US university, they would not be the kind of person who looks for short cuts. Also, I have seen many PS written by agents or consultants, and although they were sometimes expensively paid for, they are often poorly written and full of clichés. They may contain lots of ornate language, which looks fancy, but to the Academic Director of the programme, just looks like fluff. You cannot persuade a professor with just style; content is the only thing that matters. The second piece of advice is to allow yourself to go 25-30% over your target word count for the first draft. This is because, through subsequent drafts, your text will evolve to be more concise.
7. Review and redraft
Once we have a first draft, we should have a decent platform, but there still may be some distance to go. For some applicants, the first draft may be not far off the finished PS, but for others several more draft may be required. I’ve worked with applicants where we were both not 100% satisfied until draft 6 or 7. During this process, the text becomes gradually denser, language-wise. In other words, you really start to pack much more content into each sentence and challenge the meaning, contribution, or significance of every single word to the point where there is no ‘fat’! Also, make sure every idea is supported. Admission Tutors hate vagueness. Especially claims of being ‘interested in X’ or ‘passionate about Y’ without any supporting evidence or reflection or claims like you are keen ‘to put theory into practice’. Not only are such phrases ignored, but probably count against you because they suggest you can only communicate in generalities, and top universities want applicants with high level critical thinking skills. If you’re working by yourself, get friends, teachers, or working professionals to review your PS.
8. Make distance before final check.
Whenever we write something, we always think, since we did our best at the time, that it must be pretty good. And if you look at it again the next morning, it will still look pretty good! But look at it one week later and you will almost inevitably spot problems! Problems with content, structure, or language. Sometimes minor issues, sometimes major issues. So, don’t rush a PS just before a deadline. When I’m working with applicants aiming for top programmes, I suggest taking 5-6 weeks to get from zero to the final draft.
I hope that was of help. If you have any question or comments or need support in this kind of process, feel free to contact me on WeChat：Uni_Jim
