哈佛学子手写札记：做好自身定位，开启经验之旅

致所有正在阅读这篇文章的中国高中生、大学生、研究生和家长们：      
To all the Chinese high school, college, graduate students, and parents reading this, 
　　如果我告诉你们，我有直通哈佛、斯坦福或耶鲁这些美国顶尖名校的秘诀，你会怎么做？你会给我多少钱？会请我到北京最顶级的饭店大吃一顿吗？或者是带我到中国最有异国风情的地方走一遭？虽然拒绝如此奢侈的礼物对我来说非常困难，但我不得不承认，世上根本没有这样的秘诀。不管其他教育咨询机构之前告诉过你什么，但是被顶尖美国大学录取始终是一个颇有运气成分的人为流程。就算你的SAT成绩很高或者你曾经获得过很多奖项，也不能保证你就一定能被录取。这世界上根本就没有能确保进入某一学校的捷径。
　　If I told you I had the secret to guarantee admissions into a top US University like Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, what would you do? How mUCh money would you pay me? Would you treat me to the finest dinners in Beijing, or a vacation in the most exotic locales in China? As hard as it is for me to turn down sUCh lavish gifts, the truth is, there is no secret. I don’t care what other edUCation consultancy agencies may have told you in the past, but admissions to a top US Universities is a human process, and mUCh of it is by chance. It does not matter how high your SAT score is or how many prestigious awards you’ve won, there is no way to ensure acceptance into a specific school. 
　　我所能做的，是给学生和家长们一些建议，告诉他们如何充分利用自己的高中或大学生涯，以及如何合理定位自身从而最大可能地获得录取。在我自己经历过大学录取过程之后，我总结了一些经验与你们分享，来避免你们犯与我一样的错误。
　　What I can do, however, is give students and parents some general tips on what they can do to make the most of their high school/collegiate career, and position themselves well enough to have the highest chance of gaining admissions. Going through the college admissions process myself, I have experiences to share with you so you don’t make the same mistakes as I did. 
　　不过在开始之前，我先做个自我介绍。我是美籍华人，在西安出生，2岁的时候移居到美国。我在波士顿长大并且完成高中学业，之后，便去了剑桥城的哈佛大学学习心理学和医学预科。在大学期间，我参加过许多不同的课外活动，特别是一个帮助波士顿唐人街弱势青少年的课外项目。大学毕业之后，我去了南非的约翰内斯堡，建立了我自己的非盈利组织，并在当地的一个贫困乡镇，通过体育和教育来帮助青少年。你可能会想好奇为什么我现在在中国为IDP写博文。那是因为我正处于Gap Year，明年8月将回到哈佛，进入医学院学习。在申请美国院校方面我有许多经验，我想我可以分享一些信息给你们。
　　But before I do that, let me first introdUCe myself. I’m Chinese American. I was born in Xi’an, and moved to the US when I was 2 years old. I grew up in Boston, where I attended high school, and subsequently went across the river to Cambridge to study at Harvard, where I studied Psychology and pre-medical studies. I was involved in many different extracurricular activities, in particular, one after school program that helped underprivileged youth in Boston’s Chinatown. After college, I went to Johannesburg, South Africa, to start my own non-profit organization that assisted the youth in an impoverished township there through using sports and edUCation. So now you might be wondering why I’m here in China blogging for IDP. I’m here on a gap year before I start medical school next August. I figure since I have so mUCh experience applying to US schools, I can help share some of that information.
　　现在来说一说我将会在博客里和大家分享的内容。我将给你们一些关于准备申请的建议，什么是你应该做的以及你不应该做的。我也会写一些我作为美国人，在中国生活所观察到的现象和文化上的差异。与此同时，对于中国教育系统，生活质量以及任何我所能想到的特定方面，我也将发表我自己的看法。如果你有任何关于内容上的意见或者建议，请告诉我，我会尽我所能来满足你们的要求。哈佛校友咨询热线：400 821 8688
　　In terms of this blog, here’s what you can expect. I’ll give you some general advice on how you can prepare for the application process-- what you should do, and what you shouldn’t do.      I’ll also write about some of my general observations as an American living in China and differences in the culture. I’ll talk about what I think about certain aspects of the edUCation system here, the quality of life, and whatever else comes to mind. Please, if you have any suggestion or comments on what you would like me to write about more, let me know, and I’ll try my best to accommodate you. 
本文作者：前哈佛面试官、哈佛知名校友Mr. Patrick LI