小　目　录
Personal Statement
Recommendation Letter
Explanation Letter

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Personal Statement

England, the home of great scientists like Newton and the home of great writers like Shakespeare. A modern Chinese poet wrote about Cambridge in the 1940’s that “Very quietly I take my leave/As quietly as I came here/Quietly I wave good-bye/To the rosy clouds in the western sky./The golden willows by the riverside/Are young brides in the setting sun;/Their reflections on the shimmering water/Always linger in the depths of my heart./The floating heart growing in the sludge/Sways leisurely under the water;/In the gentle waves of Cambridge/I would be a water plant!” To be in this great country of science and arts has remained my long-cherished dream. This dream is now going to come true because I am trying to seek a high school education there.

Having completed my junior middle school education in June 20xx, I entered Dalian No. 24 Senior Middle School, a key high school in Liaoning Province, with the distinguished performance of straight A’s in all the courses during the entrance exams and have been a student in the class for special talents. I have excelled particularly in science courses like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Having developed strong scholastic aptitudes and laid a firm academic foundation, I am determined to become a student in one of the leading high schools in England.

I have very strong motivations for making this important decision. The most important motivation comes from my determination to pursue an international education, develop international perspectives and acquire international experiences. In this age of increasing globalization, the talents in tomorrow’s competitive labor market are bound to those who combine both domestic and international perspectives. It is obvious that the earlier one becomes internationally-oriented, the better equipped s/he is to tackle the challenging and complicated problems of tomorrow. Although in recent years an increasing number of Chinese high school students pursuing western education is rising, the number is still very limited. I just want to be one of such a limited number of students so that I will be in a more advantageous position to attain self-actualization in the future.

I believe that I will be a worthy student of your school because I have many important assets. Scholastically, I have always excelled ever since my elementary school, being very receptive to new knowledge and having the strong self-motivation to be outstanding. My scholastic excellence has allowed me to be student official like monitor of the class, student representative of physics, mathematics and Chinese courses, and leader of the student union. In the mid-term exam in Nov. 20xx I ranked top 10 among a total of 600 students in my grade and rose to top 3 during the final exam in July 20xx. I was honored as Outstanding Student Official and Outstanding Student among 3000 students of our school in Jan. 20xx.

I have also been an extracurricular activist. During the junior middle school I was the broadcaster of the school’s broadcasting station. I participated in various knowledge contests, debates, athletic competitions. In Dec. 20xx I won the first prize at the inter-school Debating Contest of our school district and I received the honor of Best Debater. I improved my critical thinking, broadened my scope of knowledge, and enhanced my communicative skills through such activities. From 20xx to 20xx, I took part in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Olympics Competitions and demonstrated my talents in science subjects.

In addition, I have made great efforts to improve my hands-on abilities and the ability to carry out independent research. Even when I was a fifth grader in the elementary school, I designed the model The Mansion of Peace during the Model Designing Contest of Hallmark Buildings for the Centennial Celebration of Dalian City and won the Excellence Award. As a result of taking part in this activity, my creativity and practical skills were tested and proved. In April this year, as the leader of our school’s extracurricular research team, I did a project designed to study the influence of Japanese cartoon on Chinese middle school students. The project was conducted by means of questionnaires and the results of our investigation shed light on aesthetic, cultural and emotional implications of the influence. Our research findings were published in the News Probe column of the most influential local newspaper Dalian Daily and aroused the concern not only of leading educators but also of the general public. The significance of the project for me was the strengthening of my leadership, investigatory and analytical abilities.

Now, having prepared myself fully for a more challenging education by developing myself in a n all-round manner, I considered it important to seek new academic heights. One reason why I wish to seek education in England is that I am quite unhappy with the test-oriented style of education prevalent in present-day China, which forces students into passive learning of knowledge. Students’ originality, active questioning, creative thinking and independent research are not encouraged and appreciated. I believe that with a change of academic environment, I can develop my potential to the fullest extent. I wish that under the British educational system I can explore my interests freely and allow myself to develop in the direction that best fits my interest.

I wish to apply for Westminster High School, a top-ranking A-Level high school in the UK because it is a large, dynamic community whose mission is to prepare all students for the future by cultivating academic, social and physical skills in an intellectually challenging environment. It boasts of strong faculty and a diverse and vigorous student community. Your curriculum covers a wide range of knowledge and students are encouraged to interact actively with themselves and with teachers. Students will also be encourage to air their own views and develop their own unique thinking. In my future studies, I would like to lay special emphasis on science subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. I wish to enter a top-ranking university in the UK after completing my high school education and concentrate on biochemistry or polymer materials.

I have been a boarding student for many years and I am accustomed to living independently. Of course, my aunt who has been living in London will act as my custodian. I will make my best efforts to further improve my English proficiency and to integrate myself into local community life as soon as possible. I believe that the next two years will be the most formative period of my life and my choice of studying in the UK will exert a defining impact on my future academic development. If admitted by your school, I will be most proud of being able to receive the most admirable education in a country beautifully described in the poetry of my most beloved poet.

Dear Sir or Madam:

As a teacher of Dalian Nanyang Middle School, I feel it a great pleasure to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Mr. Ma x x who is currently seeking admission into your well respected school. Mr. Ma studied at our school from August 20xx to July 20xx and I used to be his physics teacher as well as the head teacher of his class. Therefore I know him very well and when he recently indicated to me his decision to receive a senior middle school education at your school, I immediately decided to give him my fullest support. The reason why I am so willing to recommend this very outstanding student is because he showed impressive aptitudes in his two-year academic and extracurricular performance and important academic potential.

In order to write this letter of recommendation, I have consulted Mr. Ma’s academic records over the years. I am happy to report that he performed exceedingly well in almost all the courses that he took. Compared with 600 fellow students in his grade, Mr. Ma’s academic performance can be listed as among the top few. In the exam in 20xx he was top ten in his grade and in 20xx his rapid progress landed him in the top 3. He received a series of honors and awards like Outstanding Student of the School. Throughout his education in our school, he was systematically and comprehensively instructed in a full spectrum of courses ranging from mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, computer, Chinese, English, history, geography, biology, fine art, music, to physical education. As a boarding student, he would get up early in the morning so that he could have sufficient time to get well prepared for his classes. He participated actively in classroom discussions and would consult his teachers whenever he had problems that he could not understand. He was most conscientious in completing his homework assignments and he also liked to learn from and help his classmates. In doing his coursework, Mr. Ma was very diligent and this hardworking attitude will continue to ensure that he would make still greater progress in his studies at your school. In a word, Mr. Ma has laid a very solid academic foundation for pursuing the more challenging senior middle school education, whether in China and in the UK. The fact that he entered Dalian No. 24 Senior Middle School with top-ranking scores in June 20xx fully testified to his outstanding scholastic aptitudes.

During his two years study at our school, Mr. Ma served as monitor of the class (a position usually assumed by the best student of the class). This meant that he was the most important student official of the class. As such, he performed many important duties and helped organize and launch many important events at class and school levels (he himself participated in many of those activities). Those activities included speech contests, knowledge contests, debating contests, taji boxing contests, table tennis contests, ancient Chinese poetry contests, etc. In undertaking those events, he demonstrated impressive organizational and communicative skills and he was highly praised by his teachers for successfully accomplishing those important responsibilities. My conclusion is that he is a student notable not only for his scholastic performance but also for his excellent personal conduct.

I would describe Mr. Ma as a student outstanding in all aspects. He had effective learning strategies and made use of his time for efficient study. He has strong motivation and the determination to excel. He is talented, with a wide range of knowledge and a diversity of interests. He is especially interested in mathematics, physics, biology, computer technology and his talents would be further developed if he is to concentrate on them. He is good at self-education and at independent thinking and research. He simply needs a stimulating academic environment to fully develop his academic potential.

Although it is a great regret that Mr. Ma’s transfer to your school will cause him to leave his native country and to his former teachers and classmates if admitted by your school, nevertheless I feel comforted in the fact that at your school he will be able to be exposed to a totally new culture and an exciting new environment. He will acquire new experiences and will make new friends. He will receive an even more exciting education and develop different and definitely more effective learning methods. His new academic and cultural experiences will significantly help her understand the world in a better perspective and form a more comprehensive way of looking at the world. He will spend some of his most important formative years at your school where he can become a good student who can go on to pursue more advanced education. I am confident that your school will provide a very nurturing environment best for his academic and personal growth and development. Therefore, I recommend Mr. Ma most enthusiastically and it is expected that you can give most favorable consideration to his application.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further enquiries concerning Mr. Ma. My mobile phone number is xxxxx

Yours Sincerely

X x x

Head Teacher and Teacher of Physics
Dalian Nanyang Middle School

Dear Schoolmaster:

I have filed my application materials to your esteemed school and I have since been looking forward to the exciting news of my admission into your school in great anticipation. Unfortunately, I have been informed recently that, by the time I enroll in your school next year (once admitted), I will be exceed your age limit by half a year. This has caused suspicion on the part of the admissions officers of your school that I might have failed in my academic performance in one academic year and had to repeat the coursework. Therefore, they have refused to examine my application.

However, this suspicion is groundless. My age has exceeded your limit not because I have done poorly in my study. Rather, it is related to the Chinese educational system which is somehow different from that in the UK. I started my elementary school at the age of 7 and there are six grades in the entire elementary education. That is to say, all Chinese elementary school students have to spend six years before they can proceed onto middle school. In the junior middle school, three years are required. So it is quite natural for a second-year senior middle school student in China to be 17 years old.

If you read my Personal Statement and my academic transcript, you will find that I have performed exceedingly well in my studies throughout my education. In addition, I have been a winner of many awards and honors. I would like to make it fairly clear that I have in no way failed in my studies. In fact, I consider myself a most competitive candidate for your school, academically and in other aspects.

Even if I indeed exceed your age limit by several months, I hope that you can show flexibility and considerateness in reviewing my application. I have been making preparations for applying for your school for a long time and I am most earnest and sincere in my anticipation. If you only take into consideration of my age and overlook my distinguished academic performance, it would be most disappointing to me.

I hope that you and admissions officers could re-consider my application and show necessary flexibility regarding my age. I would be most grateful for all the assistance that you might render me.

Yours sincerely

X x x

嘉文博译郑重声明：