水木清华
To a large degree, the particular graduate program you are applying to will di ctate the content of a successful application essay. However, certain qualitie s of these essays apply equally to all fields. Admissions committee members ar e looking for interesting, insightful, revealing, and non-generic essays that suggest you have successfully gone through a process of careful reflection and self-examination. Your essay should offer a very thorough, probing, and analy tical look at yourself and your objectives. 
1、Insight Into Your Character ( 洞察你的个性特征) When we say "non-generic" above, we mean a personal statement that only you co uld have written, one that does not closely resemble what other applicants are likely writing. You achieve this type of statement by being personal and anal ytical. Don't waste space on superficial generalizations about your life. Inst ead, give the reader specific, personal details so that he or she will be able to understand your character and motivation. Then analyze those details in a way that drives home clear, illuminating points. 
2、Sincerity （真实） Don't focus too heavily on what you think admissions officers want to see, at the expense of conveying your own message in your unique way. Be yourself rath er than pretending to be the "ideal" applicant. Inundated with countless clich é-ridden essays, admissions committees respond very favorably to honesty. Don 't be afraid to reveal yourself. Admissions officers are interested in finding out about who you are, and they appreciate candor. Sincerity is important to stress because it's hard for most of us to achieve, despite the fact that it seems so simple. The pressures and anxieties of the s ituation have locked us into a mindset that prevents us from writing honestly. Further, because we are not used to writing about ourselves and being so clos e to the subject, we cannot assess the sincerity of our own writing. Thousands of students every year will read this same advice, whether in a guidebook or even in the application instructions themselves, but they simply will not be a ble to put itinto practice. If you can be one of the few who truly understand what it means to be sincere, then you will already have separated yourself fr om the pack in a crucial way. You might question how a reader who doesn't know you can judge your statement' s sincerity. The basis for judgment usually lies in the context your reader ha s developed from reading hundreds or thousands of other essays. Assessing your essay against others is one essential area in which we can offer a more criti cal eye than your friends, relatives, or teachers who have not accumulated the expertise specific to the personal statement. Moreover, our perspective in re ading your essay is just as objective as your admissions reader's perspective will be. 
3、Background and Motivation （综合背景和学习动机） Detail your interest in and exposure to your particular discipline in a though