本科留学|在理想的大学申请人身上招生官看中哪些特质

After it was recently released that Harvard rated Asian-American applicants lower on personality traits than applicants of other races, many started to raise questions about how college admission officers evaluate intangible criteria, such as personality and fit. How do they determine “likeability,” “courage,” or if someone is ‘widely respected?”

哈佛大学(Harvard)最近发布的一份报告显示，亚裔申请人在性格特征方面的得分低于其他种族的申请人。此后，许多人开始质疑大学招生官员如何评估无形的标准，比如个性和契合度。他们如何判断一个人的“好感度”、“勇气”，或者“是否受到广泛尊重”?

Previous admissions officers and education scholars have come forward to further explain the use of personality traits in the admissions process, and we are realizing more and more that it’s not science.

以前的招生官员和教育学者已经站出来进一步解释在招生过程中使用个性特征，然而我们越来越意识到这是不科学的。

To evaluate soft traits in college applications, most admissions officers perform what is called a “holistic admissions process” that takes personality traits as well as hard facts, like test scores, extracurriculars, and grades into considerations. Other factors, such as letters of recommendation, college essays, and school rankings are considered as well.

However, the main thing that differs between schools is which personality traits are considered and how they are ranked and evaluated. The hardest part is that most school admissions officers don’t want to reveal the criteria that is being used since once it is a measurable it becomes “gameable.”

为了评估大学申请中的软特质，大多数招生官都会进行所谓的“全面录取过程”，既要考虑性格特质，也要考虑硬条件，比如考试成绩、课外活动和学校成绩。其他因素，如推荐信、大学申请文书和高中学校排名也被考虑在内。

然而，不同学校之间的主要区别在于考虑了哪些性格特征，以及如何对它们进行排名和评估。最困难的部分是，大多数学校的招生官员不想透露正在使用的录取标准，因为一旦它是可测量的，它就变成了“赌博”。

Some schools will look at traits such as kindness, courage, and emotional intelligence, while other schools will value self-efficacy, creativity, and leadership. In general, schools tend to look or traits that reflect the college’s values or that make a student a good fit for a specific institution.

School’s also consider what traits may help to predict success in both college and later career. Most college admissions officers believe that if retention rates are strong then the criteria they are using to evaluate applicants is working.

一些学校会注重诸如善良、勇气和情商等特质，而另一些学校则注重自我效能感、创造力和领导力。一般来说，学校的外表或特点往往反映了学校的价值观，或使学生适合某一特定学校。

学校还考虑了可能有助于预测大学和未来职业生涯成功的特质。大多数大学招生官认为，如果留级率很高，那么他们用来评估申请者的标准就会起作用。

For example, certain Ivy League schools, such as Columbia, take a very holistic approach to understand what motivates students most. They consider what contributions a student could make to a Columbia classroom and also what that candidate might offer their Columbia classmates.

Within this holistic approach, Columbia considers curriculum and grades as well as context (like family circumstances, secondary school, community, interests and access to resources), extracurricular activities, character, fit, and finally, recommendations from others that provide evidence of intellectual curiosity and promise, classroom and school and community participation, and overall potential for the candidate to make an impact at Columbia in the classroom and beyond.

例如，某些常春藤盟校，如哥伦比亚大学，采取一种非常全面的方法来了解学生的最大动力是什么。他们会考虑：一个学生可以为哥伦比亚大学的课堂做出什么贡献，以及这个候选人可能会给他们的哥伦比亚大学同学提供什么。

在这个整体分析中,哥伦比亚大学认为课程和成绩以及其他背景(如家庭环境、所在中学、所在社区、兴趣和资源丰富程度),课外活动,性格,健康,最后是推荐信都非常重要。推荐信提供证据来表明申请人的求知欲和言而有信,课堂和校园活动及社区活动参与力度,最终表明候选人即将在哥伦比亚大学产生重大积极影响的潜力。

（可以看出哥伦比亚大学本科录取率异常低，仅高于哈佛大学）

However, subtle differences in criteria reveal differences in college’s values, and some of these differences can even be noted amongst admissions officers at the same universities. Colleges hold meetings every year to ensure that the admissions rubric is being applied the same way by all admissions staff.

They aim to find concrete examples of the desirable qualities as they relate to various components of the application, like the personal statements, letters of recommendations, and interviews.

然而，标准上的细微差异揭示了大学价值观的差异，其中一些差异甚至可以在同一所大学的招生人员中发现。大学每年都会召开会议，以确保所有招生人员都能以同样的方式对待申请入学的学生。

Most importantly, admissions officers say they look for a “hook” in an applicant’s file, but just what that is, is hard to define and it varies between different schools. The key for students applying to universities is to try to connect with the admissions officers in the best way they possibly can.

This means portraying relatable and likeable traits that show mature thinking and actions beyond most of their peers. Highlight individual personalities and uniqueness and connect with readers by opening up and avoiding trite phrases and wording.

最重要的是，招生官员表示，他们会在申请人的档案中寻找“挂钩(即最吸引人的因素）”，但具体是什么，很难定义，而且在不同的学校之间也有所不同。对于申请大学的学生来说，关键是要尽可能地与招生人员联系在一起。

The admissions process is always developing and evolving in order to help give students that deserve it an advantage. Of course, the process will never be perfect, but the aim of the holistic approach is to ensure that all aspects of the college application are considered fully, fairly, and equally.

招生过程一直在发展和演变，以便帮助那些理应获得优势的学生。当然，这个过程永远不会完美，但整体方法的目的是确保大学申请的所有方面都得到充分、公平、平等的考虑。

最后，小编总结一下2020FALL入学申请季已经拉开序幕，早批录取最早截止日期是10.15号，首先希望参加北美8.24 SAT考试的学生旗开得胜，另外各位正在努力配合文书的同学们继续坚持哦，让我们进入申请递交倒计时，期待各位同学在四个月后录取通知书拿到手软。