Criteria for Critiquing Admissions Personal Documents 美国教授谈PS评判标准及程序-----作者：Prof. Karena Andrusyshyn (本中心特邀美国专家)
美国教授谈PS评判标准 程序 part2 Once the PS passes the above criteria it is passed on to the professor. The professor then reads at least part of the document, and sorts them into NO and MAYBE. The criteria used by professors include: Is there something that makes this applicant different from others? This is the finest tooth of the filtering comb If the applicant’s PS looks and sounds just like every other one, it doesn’t pass this criteria. There must be something that sets this person apart from the crowd, and it isn’t academic scores. An engaging beginning, a statement that shows modesty or a bit of humor will get the PS put in the MAYBE pile. Does the experience look adequate? If the professor cannot readily see the papers published and the projects done it may get discarded. This is where summaries of experience are better than detailed step by step descriptions. A few details about each important project or experiment are quite enough. They need not be complete. For the most part, the professors have already done all the experiments listed and the projects also,so the step by step description gets in the way. Would the applicant be an asset to the department or program? This is very subjective, and it is the most critical. The professor must believe he or she will like and respect the applicant. This is where showing respect for the professor is paramount. Do not insult his or her intelligence by including anything he or she already knows. Do not insult them by incredible statements. Professors are looking for hard working, intelligent individuals who get along well with others, share the glory of accomplishments with others and can learn from their mistakes. The last can only be shown by including a mistake or two. They are not looking for perfect machines: these are called computer s. Does the applicant show the ability, the intelligence and the drive to complete the program, and does she or he show the good sense to have other interests in order to avoid burn-out? A last piece of advice: since the number of words in a personal statement or a reference or CV is limited, don’t waste words on things the professor already knows, or on things that can easily be inferred. Remember that most of these professors are either native English speakers, or equivalent to one.
