申请美国留学的同学都知道，除了学术成绩、课外活动、竞赛等，还有一个重要元素——文书。在 CA 网申系统上，有一篇650字左右的主文书，但许多大学还有自己专属 Essay，一般1-3篇，也就是补充性文书。
主 Essay 的范文、解析、技巧和注意事项，我们已经看过许多，但是补充性文书看起来简单，字数比主文书短，还要展示出自己特质，可谓“字字千金”，要怎么才能写好呢？
补充文书的重要性不容小觑，既要具有学校特色的存在，也最能反映出申请人的个人特质和与学校的匹配度，什么样的文书才能加强而不是削弱你的申请呢？先以成功申请到塔夫茨大学的 Ryan Sheehan 补充文书为例，他申请的计算机科学。
补充文书题目：
As the son of two journalists, I have grown up under a lifelong inquisition: How is your room such a mess? Can you please stop chasing the cat? Will you come down from the tree already? Granted, those are all from this past year, but the point still stands.
Like any good journalists, my parents have also always had a propensity for uncovering the truth. On the third night that I had my license, I decided to go to the library to study.
Before 15 minutes had passed, I noticed the librarian peering at me through the shelves before quickly averting her eyes and whispering, "He's here," into her phone. Even so, regardless of how many spies they've hired over the years, I have always looked up to my parents immensely.
However, I have found my inherited inquisitiveness to be a trait most useful in a place far from the realm of reporting: the robotics lab. After four years of spending almost more time in the lab than at home, I have learned that nothing is more important than asking the right questions.
As a programmer, I need to be able to communicate with my builders. Come press time, if I don't interview them properly, our robot will invariably end up as a hunk of unresponsive aluminum. To make a machine, the team must work as one. So although I may be writing source code instead of a breaking story, I am glad I had such nosy parents after all.
塔夫茨大学招生主任 Karen Richardson 表示，这篇 Essay很棒。
简单 250个单词表达了很多东西，既告诉我们 Ryan是谁，也能了解到他的家庭、生活、学术兴趣，甚至展示了他的幽默感，文章非常完整、立体。
每个人都是与众不同，有着独特的经历，Essay 自然也是丰富多样，那么补充文书要怎么写呢？招生官和文书老师给了大家 4 个通用建议。
1. Answer the question.
回答问题——看起来有点啰嗦，但是每一位申请人应确保认真阅读并理解要求。有学生可能将同一篇 Essay 用于不同的大学申请，但是补充性文书只适合某一个学校。
2. Start with an outline.
每个人可能有自己的写作习惯，但仍然建议大家先列一个大纲。最好先通过头脑风暴将自己所有想在文书中传达的个人技能、素质、经验都写出来。
3. Offer something new.
“补充性”文书——所谓补充，就是给招生官提供更多信息，以进一步说明你为什么适合这所大学？请提供一些新的东西，而不是重复主文书已经覆盖的内容。
4. Narrow your focus.
这一点我们尤其注意，很多人犯的最大错误就是“话题”太大，尝试在一个段落中解决一个复杂的政治问题，总是想把握“高大上”的主题，能把小事写好比只浮夸的提大事要好太多。
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