小　目　录
Personal Statement
Essay (Contributions to Diversity)
Berkeley Essay
NYU Essay
GWU Essay
Columbia Essay

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Personal Statement
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Program: Undergraduate Program in Economics, USC

Every morning when I enter Jingshan High School, I would habitually cast my eyes onto an inscription on the monument by the school gate, which reads “Education should be oriented toward the modernization process, toward the entire world, and toward the future.” The inscription is by Deng Xiao-Ping, the most celebrated Chinese statesman known to the world and the chief architect of the country’s opening and reform campaign over the past three decades. This inscription, written for our school 18 years ago, marked a totally new chapter of education across the country, reversing the former test-centered education pattern to a new one, one centered on the comprehensive development of the intellectual, academic, and personal qualities that would fully prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow.

As the most prestigious school in the country, Jingshan High School has not only attracted special care and concern from a number of top leaders of the country as the nation’s paragon of high school education but also has established collaborative relations with quite a few European and American high schools. As part of the school, I have been particularly proud of this unique heritage and I have always been spurring myself to be worthy of the school’s tradition and prestige. More than most of my peers, I have realized that a rounded development of intellectual and personal qualities is how I can best prepare for the future. As a high school student in the most formative periods of my life, I am convinced that the essential part of this rounded development is to open my mind and to open my heart, to acquire those qualities of mind and character necessary for good citizenship and wise leadership, a broad intellectual curiosity that embraces open-mindedness coupled with critical thinking.

Jingshan High School, equipped with the best faculty fully committed to excellence of teaching and scholarship, has allowed me to open my minds in an intellectually stimulating environment. I have been systematically educated through a wide spectrum of subjects, not only the conventional ones like mathematics and physics but also the most updated ones such as computer science, biology and environmental science. What’s more, our teachers all seem to have the knack of making the courses as fascinating as they are instructive. On my part, I have maintained a high level of curiosity for almost all the subjects offered and I have studied them with the insatiable interest of an aspiring student. I decided that the ability to achieve academic distinction was really a matter of initiative—that ability to pursue beyond the ordinary requirements of each course and beyond the average efforts of my classmates. By capitalizing on my sound academic foundation in the middle school and by making a little more extra efforts than my classmates each day, I have achieved an average score of over 90/100 over the past three consecutive years, ranked among the top 5 in my class.

While maintaining a high level of excellence in all the courses, I have had ample opportunity to explore and then deepen my academic interests. This is what I call "finding my passion" and this passion informs my choice about what I would like to study during my undergraduate program. My greatest passion lies in mathematics. Since my primary school, I have been a student in the special training class of Mathematical Olympiad and my exposure to the esoteric Chinese mathematics classic “Nine-Palace Diagram” further excited my love for mathematics. The essence of the classic is to find solutions to challenging problems through different approaches and perspectives. However, the progression from primary school to middle school and finally to high school has been an arduous journey of escalating difficulties—I have been plunged into increasingly smart groups of elite students and I have faced increasing challenge to be the better of the best. This practice of giving myself constant pressure finally landed me into the Mathematics Class at Jingshan High School, a class that subjects a selected number of students with special mathematics aptitudes to intensive training. Even in this most competitive environment, I have succeeded in maintaining a No. 2 position in my mathematics performance. For me, the best thing about developing my mathematics aptitudes is not so much in participating in a number of major mathematics contests and winning a spate of honors but in the development of effective teamwork. In many contests, I have worked in team projects and close collaboration among team members and with our instructors has been the key to our success and I am always been proud of my role as a contributing team player. Another important outcome of my firm mathematics foundation is that I have also been a winner in a number of important physics and chemistry contests.

It is precisely my distinguished mathematical caliber that has permitted me to venture beyond mere coursework and to address practical problems. One of the greatest events for the whole world in 2008 is the summer Olympic Games in Beijing and outside the athletics the greatest problem for the city is its traffic, with millions of athletes, media people, spectators and tourists all over the world suddenly flooding into this already over-populated metropolis. From the very beginning, I have been as concerned with this great international event as every excited Chinese; but as a resident of the city itself, I am also concerned with how traffic problems could be solved to provide a congenial environment for the Olympic Games. What I did was to carry out a research project in which I designed a questionnaire, collected data from the interviewees and statistics regarding the traffic volume over the past few years, performed quantitative and empirical analysis, and came up with several tentative solutions. By undertaking this project “The Problems of Beijing’s Traffic and Some Countermeasures”, I honed my research skills. What’s more, I enhanced my environmental awareness and my sense of social responsibility—as part of the city itself, I have the obligation to investigate into its existing problems and to help solve those problems for the sake of improving the welfare of the general public. This research experience, tentative as it is, will deepen my interest in scholarly research in my future academic careers.

For me, school education has not only been a rewarding process of opening my minds but also of opening my hearts. With a height of 190 cm, I have been both the captain and a leading player of our school’s basketball team. As such, I have organized annual basketball competitions of the entire school that have become the greatest campus event. My extracurricular responsibilities include serving as director of the External Liaison Department of the Student Union, planning and launching debating contests with 8 neighboring schools in our district, as well as cultural festivals and art shows of our school. On many occasions, we have participated in the municipal contests. An active volunteer in community services, I have paid visits to homes of the elderly people to clean the houses and help with household chores. In the wake of the May 12 Earthquake in Sichuan Province, I have organized charity activities apart from making my own donations. The money we raised was sent to help re-established schools. Since then, I have been closely following the reconstruction in the disaster-hit areas and keeping contacts with our counterparts in the areas.

By far, my most impressive extracurricular activity happened in the summer last year. Through a highly competitive screening contest, I became one of the three students in our school to go on a Scientific Expedition in the United States organized by Juvenile Adventure Club under the China Association of Science and Technology. I became the student leader of the 50-member team of this month-long journey of discovery, which took us to Hawaii where we studied the active volcanoes on the island and visited its observatory. We also traveled to the Grand Canyon and other sites of natural wonders which are of huge scientific research values. Toward the end of our journey, we paid visits to a number of leading universities of the United States including Stanford University and Berkeley University.

This experience, plus my previous experience of communicating and exchanging with the visiting students and teachers from our sister schools in the United States and Europe, has been decisive in opening my heart and mind. I have long been fascinated by the open and creative education of my international counterparts who are open-minded, with distinctive individuality and strong hands-on abilities. At the same time, they attach great importance to cultural diversity. Such a pattern of education is surely crucial in developing healthy and socially responsible students who will be contributive citizens of tomorrow’s society. This perfectly agrees with my vision for my personal growth; hence, I am strongly motivated toward an undergraduate program in the United States.

Fascinated by the first-rate undergraduate education of the University of Southern California, I would like to enter its undergraduate program in economics. USC enrolls more international students than any other U.S. university; this heavy international atmosphere is what I like most. With a strong tradition of integrating liberal and professional education, USC fosters a vibrant culture of public service and encourages students to cross academic as well as geographic boundaries in their pursuit of knowledge. I am interested in economics because, as China becomes the third largest economy in the world, there have been important changes and consequences in the world economy. The Chinese economy presents a unique case for study, including its underlying implications for China itself and for the rest of the world. I hope to learn classical economic theories in the west and use those theories to interpret the China Phenomenon. To study economics, I believe I have some obvious advantages. First, I have performed extensive self-study on economics under the guidance of my father who used to be a university professor. I have read such books as Microeconomics by N. Gregory Mankiw and The Economics of Transportation by Rong Zhao, a Chinese scholar. Then I have strong aptitudes in mathematics. I hope to develop my skills in constructing mathematical models to do empirical research on economics, particularly to put Chinese economy into a global context. I believe my future studies and research would lead to interesting discoveries.

Curiosity, passion, and a readiness to face challenges, those are the qualities I have developed in the past. Those qualities will also inform my future academic endeavors. Through your undergraduate program, I expect to develop into an aspiring student with international perspectives and experiences, as well as pluralistic cultural values, who is ready to tackle with the complicated challenges of this rapidly changing world.

(说明：因有些家长不善英文，要求提供中文译文以供参考。)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　个 人 陈 述

Program: 经济学专业本科，美国西北大学/南加州大学等

　　每天清早，当我进入景山学校时，我会习惯性地将眼光投向校门旁矗立着的一块碑上的题词――“教学应面向现代化，面向世界，面向未来。” 该题词出自邓小平之手，中国最为世界所熟知的杰出政治家以及中国过去三十年改革开放的总设计师。这篇写于18年前的题词，标志着全中国教育的一个崭新篇章，逆转了此前以考试为中心的教育模式，变为一种最新的模式，一种基于学生知性、学术和个人品质综合发展的模式，旨在使学生作好全面的准备，面对未来的挑战。

　　作为中国最声名卓著的一所学校，景山学校不仅仅吸引了国家诸多高层领导的特别关爱，被当作高中教学的典范，而且还与众多欧美中学建立起了密切的合作关系。作为该校的一分子，我为我校独特的传统和遗产而倍感骄傲，而我也一直激励我自己要无愧于学校的声望。较之于我的大多数同龄人，我更深切地意识到学业及个人品质的全面发展如何能最好地使我为将来作好准备。作为一个置身于我一生中最关键成长期的高中生，我相信这一全面发的核心部分在于开放我的心与智，去获取头脑和性格中那些足以能使我担当起良好的公民和明智的领导者的品质，一种广泛的求知欲，既能使我心胸开阔，又不乏批判性思维。

　　景山学校，以其致力于优秀教学与学术研究的一流师资，使我得以在一个催人上进的学习氛围中开放我的心智。通过广泛的一系列课程的学习（这些课程既包括常规的数理化，亦涵盖最新的计算机科学、生物以及环境科学），我奠定了一个系统的知识基础。更可贵的是，我们的老师们似乎都掌握着各自的拿手绝招，能让他们的授课变得既富于启迪，又引人入胜。就我自身而言，我对所上的课程全都保持着很高的求知欲，学习起来充满了一个好学上进的青年学子所特有的一种旺盛的兴趣。我相信，一个学生是否学习优异，关键在于他是否积极进取，是否能够超越每门课的一般性要求，超越我同龄人所能作出的一般性努力。通过充分发挥我初中时代所积累起来的良好学业基础，并且每天坚持比我同学多作出一点努力，我在过去的三年中维持了90/100分以上的平均成绩，名列全班前五名。

　　在所有课业中维持优异成绩的同时，我还得到了充分的机会来探索并深化我的学术兴趣。这就是我所谓的“寻找我的激情所在”，而这一激情将决定我在本科期间我将选择的专业。我最大的激情无疑在于数学。自从我小学起，我一直是奥数特训班的学生，而我随后所接触到的中国的《九宫图》数学典籍，也进一步激发了我对数学的热爱。这一典籍的精髓就在于训练人们如何从不同的角度、以不同的方法来解决问题。从小学到初中，再从初中最后到高中，每一步均意味着一段更具挑战性的征程。我一次次地置身于顶尖的学生群体之中，面对着与日俱增的挑战，要竭力成为优中之优。这种不断给自己施压的做法最终使我入选景山学校的数学班，这个班让为数不多的特选学生接受深度的数学训练。即使在这个竞争极强的环境中，我仍得以维持数学课业表现全班第二的水平。对我来说，拓展自己数学秉赋的益处，不仅仅在于参加各种各样重大的数学竞赛并获取荣誉，更在于培养了一种卓有成效的团队精神。在多个竞赛过程中，我必须完成集体项目； 与老师和其他团队成员密切合作，一直是成功的关銉。而我能引以为荣的是，我始终能扮演好一个善于作出贡献的团队成员的角色。我深厚数学功底的另一个重要结果是，我也能在诸多重要的物理和化学竞赛中获奖。

　　正是我数学方面出类拔萃的秉赋，使我得以在单纯的课业之外敢于有所追求, 去关注某些实际问题。对于全世界来说，2008年最重大事件之一便是在北京举办的夏季奥运会。对于北京这个城市而言，除了体育竞技，最大的一个问题便是交通—数以百万计的运动员，体育官员，媒体记者，观众和旅游者从世界各地涌来，使这个业已人满为患的大都市更趋拥挤。从一开始起，我就像每一个兴奋不已的中国人一样，对这个举世瞩目的事件高度关注。但作为北京市民，我还特别关注交通问题如何能最好地得到解决，以便为奥运会提供一个良好的环境。我的实际行动是进行一项小科研，其中我设计了问卷调查表，从受访人那里收集信息，并对北京过去几年的交流量进行统计，然后展开定量和实证分析，并得出若干探索性的方案。通过从事这个名为“北京交流的现状及对策探索”的小科研，我提高了我的科研能力。此外，我也强化了我的环保意识以及社会责任感――作为北京市的一分子，我有义务去研究它所存在的问题并帮助解决这些问题，以便改善全体公众的福祉。这次科研经历尽管尚欠成熟，但将会极大地加深我在未来的学习生涯中对学术研究的兴趣。

　　对我而言，学校教育不仅仅是一个令人获益匪浅的开放头脑的过程，也是一个开放心灵的过程。以我1米90的身高，我既是我校篮球队的队长，又是主力队员。以此身份，我组织全校每年一度的篮球赛事，令整个校园为之欢腾。我课外的职责还包括担任校学生会外联部部长，策划并举办我区八个学校间的辩论赛，以及我校的文化节及艺术展。我们还多次参加市级比赛。作为社区服务的热衷志愿者，我也走访敬老院，帮助清扫房屋和做家务。在四川“5.12”大地震后，我在自己进行捐款的同时旋即组织了筹款赈灾活动。我们筹得的款项被用以重建校舍。打那开始，我一直密切关注着灾区的重建，并与灾区的学生保持着联系。

　　迄今为止，我最重是大的课外活动发生在去年。经过竞争激烈的选拔，我成为我校三名学生之一，参加由中国科协下属的青少年探险俱乐部组织的赴美科考活动，我还成为这为期一个月的探索之旅的五十人团队的学生领队；其间，我们在夏威夷研究了活火山，并参观了当地的天文台；我们还前往大峡谷以及其他具有重大科研价值的自然奇观进行科研。在旅程的最后，我们还参访了多所美国最著名的高等学府，如斯坦福大学，伯克利大学等。

　　这一经历，加上此前与欧美姐妹学校的师生们交流交换的经历，对于我心与智的开放产生了决定性的作用。长期以来，我一直深为我的国外同龄人所受到的那种开放和富有创造性的教育所倾倒，他们思想开放，具有鲜明的个性，注意培养扎实的动手能力。同时，他们十分注重文化多样性。这一教育模式无疑具有至关重要的意义，能够造就身心健康和富有社会责任感的学子，使其成为能够造福于未来社会的公民。这完全符合我对于自己未来个人成长的构想，有鉴于此，我萌发了强烈的动机，要前往美国接受本科教育。

　　由于深受南加州大学一流的本科教育的吸引，我期望能进入其经济学本科学位课程进行学习。南加州大学比其他任何一所美国大学都要招收更多的国际学生， 这一浓重的国际氛围实乃我所看重的。南加州大学以人文教育与专业教育的兼容并蓄为其厚重的传统，鼓励培养一种富有活力的校园文化，激励学生们跨越学术和地域的界限，去追寻知识。我之所以对经济学甚感兴趣，这是因为随着中国成为世界第三大经济体，它正在给世界经济带来重大的转变，并引发一系列新的结果。中国经济向世人提供了独特的研究案例，包括它对中国本身，以及对世界所产生的深层影响。我希冀学习西方经典的经济学理论，并利用这些理论来解读中国的经济现象。对于经济学的学习，我拥有某些显而易见的优势。首先，在我曾经是大学教授的父亲的指导下，我广泛地自学了经济学，读过诸如曼昆的《微观经济学》和中国学者荣朝的《交通经济学》等经典书籍。其次，我拥有很强的数学能力。我期待着能拓展我的数学建模能力，进行经济学的实证研究，尤其是要将中国经济置于全球框架内来审视。我相信，我未来的学习和科研必将取得某些饶有兴趣的发现。

　　求知欲、激情、以及面对挑战的决心，这是我在过去的学术和个人求索中所形成的三大品质，这些品质亦将贯穿于我未来的学术追求中。通过攻读贵校的本科学位课程，我盼望着能成为一个积极有为的学生，拥有国际性视野和经历，以及多重的文化价值观，时刻准备着去应对这个快速变化着的世界的各种复杂的挑战

1. At the University of Maryland, we value a diverse community. How have your life experiences and background shaped you into an individual who will enrich the University of Maryland community? (250 words)

2. The University of Washington seeks to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. How would you contribute to this community?
3. “We know that diversity makes us a better university— better for learning, for teaching, and for conducting research (University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman) .” Share an experience through which you have gained respect for intellectual, social, or cultural differences. Comment on how your personal experiences and achievements would contribute to the University of Michigan.

Diversity in an academic environment is a most stimulating force by creating harmony and progress through the interactivity of different cultural, intellectual, and social differences. Indeed, diversity makes a better university in which each student learns to respect people and values different from one’s own, become enriching and enriched.

As one of the best high schools in China, my school has attracted students from ethnic minorities—China has a total of 56 ethnic groups. Apart from wearing their peculiar clothes and practicing their peculiar customs, ethnic students in our school tends to have what we see as peculiar and even “superstitious” beliefs. Some would tell me how a big and aged tree has a soul or how a huge stone can be an auspicious and protective omen. I realize that many ethnic beliefs essentially embody a profound awe and respect for nature, a way of thinking that can help us become more nature-friendly.

Then, we also have exchange students from abroad—from Japan, South Korean, France, and North America. I myself have been on an exchange program in the United States. I have been exposed to a wealth of cultural, religious and intellectual differences and I have grown increasingly comfortable and understanding of those differences. They provoke in me a healthy open-mindedness and cultural tolerance.

As a Chinese student, I will contribute to the diversity of your university community. I will tell my future classmates what China is like as a rapidly developing country, with its ancient history and unique features of contemporary culture. I will tell them what devastations the recent unprecedented earthquake in Sichuan has produced on the school systems in the region and how desperately the students there need our help. If there are campus events like International Day, I would organize a China Day Exhibition where I will show pictures about China, about Beijing and about the recent exciting Olympic Games. I can explain to my students, most of whom must have watched the Opening Ceremony, the distinctive Chinese culture embodied in the ceremony. In this way, I will help enrich the cultural diversity of our university community.

Berkeley Essay:

Tell us a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

Once I had a critical experience and that experience has been producing and will continue to produce a lifelong impact on my outlook on life.

One day when I was a first-grade student in primary school, I played with my classmates after the school was over. We stayed at school because we were waiting for our parents to pick us up as we did not have any school bus. Suddenly, I felt a piercing gain in my eye and I burst into hysterical crying. I did not know what happened, but the pain was beyond description for a small kid. In a second, our teacher came and she checked what had happened to me. She, together with all the students, was horrified to find that a sharp piece of pencil was stabbed into the edge of my eye socket, barely missing my eyeball! Nobody dared to pull out the pencil for fear of a lethal injury to my eye.

When my parents arrived, they were shocked. They decided to send me to the nearest hospital and we took a taxi. Inside the car, I was overwhelmed by fear. I was fearful that, if one of my eyes did become blind, I would not be able to do a lot of things I wanted, like playing basketball and many other sports. I was really scared and I kept sobbing in despair. My parents kept soothing me, but to no avail. They could not drive the seeds of doubt and fear away from my mind.

Then, my father said: “Son, if your eye does go blind, I would have mine transplanted onto you!”

All of a sudden, I stopped sobbing and all my fears and doubts vanished.

As it turned out, the doctor gave me proper treatment and I recovered in the due course. In retrospection of the entire process of the accident, it was my father’s words that gave me the comfort and the courage to face a major challenge.

Even since this incident, I know that my selfless parents are always there, always ready to give me the support and the courage that I need in whatever I do. Their love is unfailing.

With their unfailing love to back me up, I, instead of being daunted by the fearful experience, learned to be fearless. Never again did I experience any fear in my life. Now, in my high school, with my 190CM height, I become the forward of the school’s basketball team and I am the main object of attack from my opponent team. Basketball is a highly competitive and combative sport and there is a great deal of physical bumping and knocking into each other but I have always been fearless, never playing “weak” for fear of potential hazards or injuries. Motivated by this fearless spirit, I have become physically and mentally invincible.

This fearless spirit as cultivated in me by my selfless father is what has made me proud of myself. Not only in sports but also in academic studies, I have learned to be courageous and brave enough to face all challenges. I know that all the challenges and difficulties would back away in the presence of an undaunted mind. More than most of my classmates, I am ready to try new things and venture into strange waters. As teenagers, most of them are still afraid of being away from their parents. For me, however, I am ready to go to a distant country to pursue an international education that would prepare me for an exciting life. I am well aware that there would be many challenges and difficulties but only by facing them squarely could one truly surmount them. To do this, one must be fearless.

NYU Essay:

Describe the world you come from --- for example, your family, your community, or school --- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

“我和你，心連心，同住地球村，/ 為夢想，千里行，相會在北京。/ 來吧！朋友，伸出你的手，/ 我和你，心連心，永遠一家人。/ You and me /From one world /We are family /Travel dream /A thousand miles Meeting in Beijing /Come together / Put your hand in mine /You and me/ From one world /We are family / 來吧！朋友，伸出你的手You and me/ From one world /We are family.“

This is the lyric of the theme song “YOU AND ME” for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad held in Beijing, the city where I live. As much as I am proud of China and Beijing, I am proud of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games and its theme song. Therefore, if I am to sing a song at a talent show, I would definitely choose to sing this song.

Sung by the British soprano Sarah Brightman and Chinese singer Liu Huan, You and Me” has been considered by many as one of the best and most touching Olympic theme songs in history. Since its official release on the opening ceremony, it has been downloaded on the internet by hundreds and millions of people, making it the most popularized theme song in the Olympic history.

I love the song very much for a number of implications. Admittedly, it is not as sweeping and passionate as “Viva Barcelona” (Spain) and “Hand in Hand” (South Korea), it is nevertheless the most emotional, gentle, touchingly simple, and long-lingering. In many important ways, the song perfectly conforms to the ideal of “One World One Dream” as advocated by the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

The lyric of the song is a combination of the Chinese language and English language, two languages spoken by the largest number of people in the whole world. Those two languages are what might be called universal languages and a song sung in those two languages can reach out to the largest number of audience.

The song is sung by a leading Chinese singer and a British singer of international reputation. This embodies how China and Chinese culture are ready to be inter-related with the rest of the world and the cultures of other countries. This mixture of the Chinese and the international is itself symbolic of China’s readiness to become an integral part of the world and to become a very contributing member of the international community.

Another crucial point is that this song is sung by two singers of two different colors and two different sexes. This testifies to the Olympic spirit of peace and harmony that transcends differences in race, color, religion, and political beliefs. It champions the spirit of universal love, care, friendship, and fraternity, as advocated by western Christianity and oriental Buddhism. The opening of the Olympic Games was only two months away from the unprecedented 8.0-magnitude earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province in which more than 80,000 people were killed and countless others were wounded and left homeless. Millions of people in the quake-stricken areas watched the opening ceremony and the song could produce a wonderful healing power to them after the heartbreaking experience.

Now, in coming to NYU, I am coming to an international academic and cultural community. In many important ways, a community is a big family. I hope that my peers and I would open our minds and hearts and have a great time together in the universal spirit of love, care, and help.

GWU Essay:

Topic: Tell us in no more than 500 words what motivated you to apply and describe what contacts you have had with GW. We have told you about the dynamic GW classroom, campus, and city experience, now tell us how you will make use of these resources in meeting your educational goals.

Last summer, I went on a Scientific Expedition in US organized by the China Association of Science and Technology. As student leader of the 50-member team of this discovery journey, I studied active volcanoes in Hawaii, the Grand Canyon and other sites of natural wonders. Toward the end of our journey, we toured the capital city of the United States and the George Washington University. For a Chinese student, it was really a rare but exciting experience.

Now, I want to pursue undergraduate education in the US not only to acquire academic knowledge but also to know American society. The U.S. and China are two important countries in the world, but very different politically, socially, and culturally. In seeking to enter GW, I hope to combine GW academic experience with the social and cultural experience of the nation, both of which are crucial to my future personal development.

Coming from Beijing, capital of China, I know that a nation’s capital offers many advantages in increasing one’s knowledge about the country. There, political leaders speak on major issues of the country and the world and make decisions. Leaders from other countries also arrive there to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues. One is kept well informed about latest developments and one learns to be open-minded, culturally tolerant and intensely concerned with the state of affairs in the society and country.

Entering GW will provide me many exciting opportunities for my intellectual and personal development. I will join the outstanding cohort of students with great diversity. In this exciting environment of unusually bright and talents student body, I can interact with my prospective fellow students whose perspectives will significantly enrich mine. AT GW, creativity and imagination are encouraged, initiative and commitment recognized, and intellectual curiosity satisfied. Students are encouraged to cross various boundaries in pursuing insights and aptitudes that enable them to be responsible and contributing members of society.

I wish to enter the College of Arts and Sciences to study economics. I hope to develop a strong theoretical foundation combined with practical research and experiential learning opportunities. My academic experience will be greatly enriched by the inspiring faculty who are world renowned scholars well connected to the current issues. I hope to learn their insightful views about the profound changes caused by the on-going global financial crisis.

I am determined to be fully involved in the dynamic GW university life. With a height of 190 cm, I have been both the captain and a leading player of our school’s basketball team. I have organized annual basketball competitions of the entire school that have become the greatest campus events. I hope to join GW’s basketball team and contribute to the university athletics. Yao Ming, a player from China, is currently playing center for the Houston Rockets in NBA. As the tallest active player in NBA basketball, he is my idol. I hope that I can also play a very important role in your basketball team the way that he does for Houston Rockets.

Columbia Essay:

Topic: You have been selected to sing in a talent show. What song would you choose? Why?

I am most fortunate to have been born into a family of intellectuals. Both of my parents are university graduates and my father worked for quite a few years as a university teacher upon his graduation. Now, he is a department director in a major company engaged in international business and trade. My mother is a senior accountant.

The best thing about such a family background is that my parents have attached great importance to my education. They have tried to ensure I receive the best education possible by attending the best schools in the neighborhood, ending up in JingshanHigh School, the best high school in China. This high school is where China’s educational reform took place about 20 years ago, a reform that centered on the comprehensive development of the intellectual, academic, and personal qualities that would fully prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow.

My family itself is full of intellectual atmosphere. Throughout, my parents have collaborated with my teachers at school in promoting my intellectual development. They would teach me lessons at home, expand my knowledge, and call my attention to what has been happening in the world around us. At weekends, we would discuss major issues in the latest political, social and economic developments in China and around the globe and our discussions would turn out to be informal mini seminars that are intellectually stimulating.

My parents have also taught me to be a selfless and socially responsible person who is loving and caring. I have learned to be undaunted by any difficulties and challenges and always be prepared to help those who are in need. That is why I have taken part in a substantial amount of voluntary service, have taken a leading role in extracurricular activities, and have made important efforts in the wake of the unprecedented earthquake in May 2008 inChina’s SichuanProvince to raise money to help the schoolchildren in the quake-stricken areas to go back to school.

To be an intellectually aspiring student and to be a socio-centric individual has always been my ideal. That is why I have endeavored to achieve academic excellence on one hand and to be a contributing member of my community. All those will serve as a necessary foundation for me to become a contributor to our society as a good citizen.

Highly motivated and goal-oriented, I wish to pursue a first-rate education in the United States after completing my high school in China. This is the age of globalization and I wish to acquire the international education and international perspectives and experiences that would prepare me for a successful career. After finishing my undergraduate studies, I will proceed onto graduate studies to develop a really solid academic foundation for career success. It is often asserted that that individuals acting in their own self-interest can benefit society more than they expect to. I hope to achieve full self-actualization while contributing to the welfare of mankind as a whole.

嘉文博译郑重声明：