Advices and tips from dean of graduate school about PS & ROL [复制链接]

sunskystar
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发表于 2009-10-19 09:32:20 |显示全部楼层

本帖最后由 sunskystar 于 2009-10-19 10:53 编辑

这是去学校的gra school admission workshop记的笔记, 个人感觉ROL的部分主要针对美国本科的申请者,因各种原因对国内的同学来说比较难达到这种要求.但PS是自己写的可掌控的因素多一些.我也把重点放在PS上了. 用英文整理是因为怕自己不能翻译的很到位. 如有任何意见建议经验请提出来分享给所有GTER.

---- PS
1. Who read your PS
It is mainly read by Faulty/ Committee of the department you are applying. The dean of the graduate school(eg. school of engineering, school of science and arts, school of generla studies and ect.)might read it too.

2. What makes an effctive PS?
Three questions to think about before starting your PS and make sure you state them in your PS.
I. What do you want to pursue?
II. What do you have? (including research/project experience, insterst, backgound and etc.)
III.What distinguish you from other applicant?

3. Failure
a) Talking about research experience is necessary but it is not simply listed what you have done rather than what you learned from what you done.

Reason for a): This helps people to identify if you are going to be an researcher or if you have the potential. It is important to let people know you have been work with faculty members/ gra students soyou know what is real research.

b) Fail to mention what do you want to work on or who will you be work with(IF YOU KNOW THE SPECFIC TOPIC/PROF, BUT PLEASE BE HONEST!) If you havn't decide the specific topic, that's fine too. You could mention the typical topics and major field you want to go into and say the school/ department you are applying has the majority programs/reseaches towards your insterest.

Reason for b): This is a way to show you really know what you are going to do and expect. Admission people want to make sure they have what you want and you could be happy with what will get from here.

c) The purpose of PS is not just presenting how instersting you found out the field is.
d) Don't say I might do sth instead of I will do sth.

Note:
-Remember this is the only opporunity you have to show yourself. So it has to be neat, no typos and edit as many times as you coudld to make it perfect!

-For non-science/engineering students or people who didn't have any previous research experience, you could talke more on projects you have done in courses you have took. And as if you are major in humanity, present important research papers you wrote for a class is good too.

---- Recommendation letter

1. It is as imporatant as your PS.
2. It has to be a "STRONG and DETAILED" letter.
3. It is better to have ROL from well-known people, but in this case, quantitity does matter and there is also a upper limit for the length.
4. The usual length is more than a page to show they know you well.
5. You could help the prof. get to know you well by sending your resume/PS and all other kinds of information even the schools you decided to apply.
6. It should not be that long.