相比于美国大学流程复杂又费用昂贵的申请机制,英国大学的申请流程简单且费用低廉(甚至是直接免费的)。在美国,每所大学都有不同的申请规则和收费标准,而在英国,只需要一篇文书,就可以申请所有学校。
因此,对于很清楚自己专业选项的学生来说,英国大学申请机制的投入回报比例是很高的。那些最顶尖的学府,并不在意你是否有参加足够多的公益活动和社团,也不在意你是否有精力参加假日助教,他们唯一在意的,就是你对学科的热爱与探索。
这种衡量标准的出发点无疑是对学术的尊重和忠诚,也使得申请文书的重要性被直线提升。与此同时,我也会有隐隐的担心——申请双学位的我,该如何在一张A4纸上,平衡对两个学位的表述?我又该如何通过短短的一段文字,最大限度地突出我个人的优势?
9岁那年,我从中国来到英国。这种地理位置上的变动是我对地理研究产生兴趣的启蒙。文化的多样性教会了我不同的价值观是如何积极构建社会并塑造人们生活的。我深刻地理解不平等的存在,并热衷于探究其背后的原因。
通过阅读马克思主义者大卫·哈维(D.Harvey)的《全球资本主义空间》,我对发展不平衡的原因有了深刻的理解。尼尔·史密斯(N.Smith)的《不平衡发展》解释道:“这是一种基于资本主义社会和政治建构的现象。”这让我意识到,地理不仅与我们的日常生活息息相关,而且有可能改变和改善数十亿人的生活。这启发我进行了一次以经济地理学为重点的项目调查,题目是“性别不平等在多大程度上与一个国家的石油生产有关?”我想找到解决地理发展不平衡办法的愿望,只能通过进一步的学术研究来实现。我想继续在地理领域挑战自己,为一个更平等的世界做出贡献。
在阅读《牛津通识读本:地理》时,我对瓦尔特·克里斯塔勒(W.Christaller)的“中心地理论”背后的逻辑着迷。模型方法能够展示不同聚落的层次结构,并呈现城市化的空间模式,这促使我进行了进一步的研究。通过研究我发现,像奥古斯特·勒施(A.Losch)这样的经济学家,在受到启发后,使用引力模型和网络分析构建了一个类似的表格来解释定居点的数量、规模和相对位置。我着迷于模型的魅力,其中复杂的社会过程可以通过将关键因素相互关联的图表来更简单地解释。在未来的学术生涯中,我希望结合我的地理知识和数学能力,创建更实用的模型,为关键的地理问题提供解释和预测。
我在皇室经济机构的征文比赛中进一步地体会到强烈的人与环境的互动。在回答“政府应该赔偿洪水灾民吗?”这个问题时,我利用自己的自然地理知识分析了这一灾害发生的可能原因以及对社会经济和环境造成的影响。从我的经济学课程中,我了解到防洪是一种准公共产品,政府应该通过长远考虑来分配预算,以防止此类潜在灾害。在牛津大学的地理试听课程中,我还了解到当地团体可以小规模地实施社区森林管理(CBFM)以实现自助。所有这些信息都帮助我得出了关于这个问题的整体的结论。我非常喜欢在教学大纲之外进行研究,并且我努力拓宽我的所有视野,以便对有争议的辩论进行评估并提供解决方案。
除了学术生活,我还喜欢提高其他能力的活动。作为英格兰银行举办的“Target?2.0”竞赛的团队负责人,我学会了如何以最少的机会成本做出最佳决策。我对金融业可续发展的理念帮助我获得了在普华永道实习的机会。在参加了九年的学校活动后,我还代表利兹市篮球队进一步展示了我对生活的坚定态度。对音乐的热爱使我的钢琴水平达到了八级。
At the age of 9, I migrated from a global-south NIC to a global-north developed nation. This physical transfer of place was the initial contributor to my interest in studying geography. The diversity of culture over space taught me how different values and traditions can actively construct society and shape the lives of people. I deeply understood the existence of inequality and I am passionate to pursue the reasons behind it.
By reading the Marxist D.Harvey's Spaces of Global Capitalism, I gained a strong insight into the causes of uneven development. N.Smiths Uneven Development explained how this is a socially and politically constructed phenomena based on capitalism. This made me realise that geography is not only relevant to our everyday life, but that it has the potential to change and improve the lives of billions. This inspired me to conduct an EPQ focusing on economic geography, with the title “To what extent is gender inequality linked to a nation’s oil production?” My desire to ind a solution to uneven geographical development can only be accomplished through further academic study. I want to continue to challenge myself in the ield of geography to contribute to a more equal world.
Whilst reading Geography: A Very Short Introduction, I became fascinated by the logic behind W.Christaller's “Central Place Theory”. A model approach was able to demonstrate the hierarchy of different settlements and present spatial patterns of urbanisation. This led me to carry out further rescarch, through which I found out that economists like A.Losch were inspired to use gravity models and network analysis to build a similar form to explain the number, size and relative locations of settlements. I was fascinated by the power of models, where complex social processes can be more simply explained by diagrams that interconnect key factors. During my future academic life, I hope to combine my geographical knowledge and mathematical abilities to create helpful and more realistic models to provide explanations and predictions for key geographical concerns.
My recent participation in the RES essay competition made me appreciate further the strong human-environmental interaction. In answering the question “Should the government compensate flood victims?”, I used my physical geography knowledge to analyse the possible causes, socioeconomics and environmental implications of this hazard. From my A-Level economics lessons, I learnt that lood defence is a quasi-public good and that governments should allocate their budgets by thinking in the long term to prevent such potential disasters. At a geography taster course at Oxford University, I also learnt that local groups could implement CBFM at a small scale to self-help. All of this information helped me to draw a conclusion that considers the holistic view of this issue. I thoroughly enjoyed researching beyond the A-level syllabus and I strive to continue to broaden all my horizons in order to evaluate and provide solutions to controversial debates.
Alongside of my academic life, I enjoy activities that enhance my other abilities. As a team leader at the Target 2.0 competition held by the Bank of England, I learnt how to make the best decisions with the least opportunity cost. My belief in sustainable development in the financial sector has helped me to secure an internship with PwC. I have further demonstrated my committed approach to life by representing Leeds District Netball, after 9 years of school participation. My love and dedication to music has led me to achieve grade 8 in piano.
以上是我的申请文书,在近600个单词的篇幅里,我是这样排布内容的:
·突出个人画像,增强辨识度。
·强调核心专业兴趣,深层展开。
·引入对第二专业的兴趣,强调其与第一专业的关联性。
·其他信息的补充。
第一部分,我选择突出个人画像。在众多的文书里,我需要让自己更有辨识度,让学校对我产生深刻的印象。因为要申请的是地理专业,我选择把“从小跨文化的经历与社会地理和全球化发展息息相关”这一观点,作为个人具有标志性的优势在文书开头进行强调。
第二部分,我需要强调自己申请的专业,并深层次地呈现自己对专业的学习热情与了解程度。在这个部分,我的策略是“简洁地表述、清晰地论证、饱满地期盼”。在这个部分,我没有使用深奥的地理概念,因为作为高中生,我并不具备这些知识。最重要的是传递一份真诚的热爱,介绍目前为专业已有的付出,以及对专业的期望。
第三部分,我引入了自己对经济学的兴趣,且这个兴趣是与地理学息息相关的,并举出了有力的论据,说明地理学并不是一个孤立的学科,开放性的认知会让思考看起来更延展和自由。
第四部分,我多元地展现了自己学习、实习、课余活动的经历和成就,这也可以让学校从更多维度了解我个人的更多特质。
除了结构的排布外,从实践角度来看,结构和开头永远都是最难的。首先,可以把专业的重要词汇先列出来。对于地理学来说,holistic(全面性)、access(享用机会)、inequality(不平等)、space∕place(空间∕位置)都是它的热点词。其次,列出我所读过的有用的书籍和与专业有关的经历,这样的准备工作会给我的大纲带来更多启发。
实际上,如果靠自己精心地写文书,每个学生都能从中长久受益。因为,文书本质上是展现自己对于专业知识的了解、为了专业所付出的努力及未来想深度研究的方向。英国大学普遍都会向报考生提供参考书单,我们唯一需要做的就是提前看书和总结。而在撰写文书的过程中,学生也可以进一步梳理自己的优势及对于学科的认知,这也是十分有益的。