3. 研究，研究，研究

PS寫作歷程的80-90%是研究、思考和計劃。寫作部分（10-20%）是最容易的部分。當(dāng)我為申請人提供幫助時，在對課程進(jìn)行詳細(xì)研究后，我會根據(jù)他們特定的課程選擇和背景寫一份調(diào)查問卷，以幫助指導(dǎo)他們進(jìn)行頭腦風(fēng)暴。如果有必要，我還會幫助定位關(guān)鍵的學(xué)術(shù)文章或研究小組，以幫助申請人了解在他們目標(biāo)領(lǐng)域中進(jìn)行的前沿研究。這樣做的目的是為了確保申請者能夠?qū)⑺麄兊膶W(xué)術(shù)興趣寫到與已經(jīng)在讀的學(xué)生無異的水平。很少有頂級大學(xué)愿意招收對所選學(xué)科知之甚少或一無所知的人申請。他們一般更愿意招收那些知識已經(jīng)達(dá)到60%的人，然后將其提高到100%。

問卷還包括一些標(biāo)準(zhǔn)問題，如學(xué)術(shù)背景、工作經(jīng)驗，以及你將如何為該項目做出貢獻(xiàn)。但是與流水線作業(yè)不同的是，我強(qiáng)烈鼓勵申請人反思，而不僅僅是描述。例如，在談到實習(xí)經(jīng)歷時，我們不能只是轉(zhuǎn)述已經(jīng)寫在簡歷上的內(nèi)容，我們需要反思所培養(yǎng)的技能，描述所遇到的挑戰(zhàn)，說說從這段經(jīng)歷中學(xué)到了什么，以及這段經(jīng)歷對碩士選擇和未來職業(yè)選擇有何啟發(fā)。這就是“個人陳述”中“個人”的那個部分。

為了寫出扎實的1000-1500字的PS，那些我指導(dǎo)過的優(yōu)秀的申請人會產(chǎn)生5-6千字或更多的潛在內(nèi)容。我收到的最多的是超過20000字的內(nèi)容! 總的來說，這個過程有點像釣魚。我們首先使用一張非常大的網(wǎng)來捕捉盡可能多的想法。然后，我們將那些深刻的內(nèi)容從好的和一般的內(nèi)容中分離出來

4. 審閱并篩選內(nèi)容

接下來，我們需要對內(nèi)容進(jìn)行審閱，并開始確定哪些部分對招生團(tuán)隊最有說服力，哪些部分應(yīng)該被刪掉。如果你在DIY，請嘗試著和其他人一起完成這個階段（最好是在你所選領(lǐng)域有一些學(xué)科知識的人）討論你的想法真的很有幫助。有時通過討論，你會意識到，你實際上比你最初想象的要多得多。通常情況下，我們可以用一個“好的問題”從那些看似平常的經(jīng)歷中挖掘出具有強(qiáng)大說服力的內(nèi)容。當(dāng)其他人在審閱你的內(nèi)容時，也可以發(fā)現(xiàn)你的不足之處，并指出那些你需要做更多研究的地方，從而你的PS在描述和思考之間取得平衡，也在過去、現(xiàn)在和未來之間取得平衡。

5. 將內(nèi)容結(jié)構(gòu)化

現(xiàn)在是時候搭建出PS最終的樣貌了。換句話說，制定一個框架和計劃，來確定最終的PS應(yīng)該有多少段落以及每一段的內(nèi)容是什么。經(jīng)常會有同學(xué)總覺得PS應(yīng)該有某種最好的結(jié)構(gòu)，他們會直接問我：PS的內(nèi)容應(yīng)該如何安排？但其實，每份PS都是不同的。如果我輔導(dǎo)10個申請人，每個PS都會有不同的安排，因為每個申請人的優(yōu)勢、過去、現(xiàn)在和可能的未來都是不同的。

6. 撰寫

一旦我們有了計劃，事情就會變得很簡單。在這一步，有兩點很重要。首先，自己寫! 不要相信別人或中介能為你做這件事。是的，與朋友或老師討論你的想法。是的，你也許可以討論要寫哪些具體內(nèi)容。是的，你應(yīng)該在語言上得到反饋，在語言完美之前不要提交。這些步驟甚至受到大學(xué)的鼓勵，但要自己寫第一稿。 如果你這樣做了，它將是真實的、誠實的、地道的。我輔導(dǎo)過的最好的學(xué)生總是希望100%主導(dǎo)這個構(gòu)成。如果有人真正有能力進(jìn)入英國或美國的頂尖大學(xué)，他們就不會是那種尋找捷徑的人。另外，我見過許多由中介或顧問寫的PS，盡管它們有時是花大價錢買來的，但它們往往寫得很差，充滿了陳詞濫調(diào)。它們可能包含很多華麗的語言，看起來很花哨，但對項目的學(xué)術(shù)主任來說，它們只徒有其表。你不能只用風(fēng)格來說服教授；內(nèi)容才是唯一重要的東西。第二條建議是：允許自己在第一稿中超過目標(biāo)字?jǐn)?shù)的25-30%。這是因為，通過后續(xù)的撰寫，你的文章會逐漸變得更加精簡有力。

7. 再次審閱和重新起草

一旦我們有了初稿，我們就有一了一個像樣的基礎(chǔ)，但仍可能離完美的PS有一些距離。 對一些申請人來說，第一稿可能離最終的PS不遠(yuǎn)，但對另一些人來說，可能需要更多的時間繼續(xù)修改撰寫。我曾指導(dǎo)申請人直到第六或第七稿，我們都沒有100%滿意。在這一過程中，文本在語言中逐漸變得密集。換句話說，你開始把更多的內(nèi)容裝進(jìn)每個句子里，并嘗試去挑戰(zhàn)每一個詞的意義、貢獻(xiàn)或重要性，直到文章沒有任何 "脂肪"！在這個過程中，你要確保每一個論點都得到支撐。招生導(dǎo)師討厭含糊不清的東西。特別是聲稱 "對X感興趣 "或 "對Y充滿熱情"，卻沒有任何支持性的證據(jù)或思考，或聲稱你熱衷于 "將理論付諸實踐"。這樣的短語不僅會被忽視，而且可能對你不利，因為它們表明你只能用籠統(tǒng)的語言進(jìn)行交流，而頂尖大學(xué)希望申請人具有高水平的批判性思維能力。如果你在DIY，請記得讓同事，讓朋友、老師或工作的專業(yè)人士來審閱你的PS并給出建議。

8. 等待一些時間再進(jìn)行最后的檢查。

每當(dāng)我們寫完文章的時候，我們總是會想，我們已經(jīng)盡力了，這篇文章一定是很好的。如果你第二天早上再看它，它仍然會看起來很好！但如果你一周后再看它，你幾乎不可避免地會發(fā)現(xiàn)一些問題，包括內(nèi)容、結(jié)構(gòu)或語言這些方面。有時是小問題，有時是大問題。所以，不要在截止日期前匆匆忙忙地寫PS。當(dāng)我指導(dǎo)申請頂級項目的申請人時，我通常建議用5-6周的時間從零開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