上海宏润博源学校分享Macalester学院录取经验

I’m so glad that William was accepted ED2 to Macalester, which is such a fantastic college and I think the perfect fit for him. To me there are two crucial factors that supported his success.

非常开心吴同学在ED2申请时被Macalester学院录取。这是一所非常好的文理学院，非常适合他。在我看来，以下两个重要的因素使得吴同学可以成功进入梦校。

First is William’s self-discovery, which he writes about so thoughtfully. He took the time to learn about himself, to express his ideas, to take on challenges and discover more of his own potential. Of course, he’s a great student, too, but that level of awareness is what makes him stand out from other highly competitive students—and more than compensated for his worries about not having a high enough TOEFL score.

第一个就是他的自我探索和发现。他的文书也充分体现了这一点。他花了很多时间来认识自己，表达自己的想法，承担挑战，发现自己的潜力。当然，他也是一位非常出色的学生，不过在所有优秀的申请者中真正让他脱颖而出的是他对于自我的认识水平，远远弥补了他对于自己托福成绩不够高的担忧。

This points to a second factor—William’s thoughtfulness in engaging with our School for support, and our ability to advocate for him throughout his application process. I was able to arrange for William a practice interview with someone who worked previously for the admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania, which helped him gain confidence and provided valuable feedback. Similarly, as a School—unlike agents or third parties—we are able to connect directly with colleges and universities to explain our students’ circumstances—the rigor of an AP language course being taught by someone with a PhD in Linguistics, for example—and their unique place within our community. Those relationships between SHBS and higher educational institutions—cultivated through years of personal engagement—directly benefit our students, particularly when applying to smaller schools and those that engage in wholistic review.

这也与我要说的第二点有关：吴同学在申请过程中积极寻求学校的帮助和支持，而且学校有能力在整个申请过程中为他背书。我邀请了一位曾在宾夕法尼亚大学招生办公室工作过的朋友帮他进行一场模拟面试。这场面试帮助他获得了自信，并且提供了非常有价值的反馈。同样地，作为学校---不像机构或者其它第三方---我们可以直接与大学或学院联系，解释或说明学生在高中阶段的情况（比如，一位拥有语言学博士学位的老师对于AP语言课程同学们的严格要求）以及学生在我们社区中的独特性。宏润博源学校与高等学府之间（经过多年的个人互动和沟通培养起来）的关系可以直接让我们的学生受益，尤其是当学生要申请比较小的文理学院以及需要对学生进行全面评估的大学。

I’m proud that William represents the best of what SHBS education can offer, and proud of his many accomplishments leading to this fantastic admissions outcome.

吴同学的成长和成功很好地展示了宏润博源学校可以为学生提供的教育和支持，我为此感到自豪。同时，我也为吴同学取得的诸多成绩感到骄傲，正是这些成长和进步才让他能够成功圆梦。

I might have been a very ordinary student if I didn’t come to an international school. As a reticent student in junior high school, studying was the biggest part of my life---every day, sitting in the same classroom, listening to the teachers’ lectures, and feeling overwhelmed, with no socializing, no passion, and no idea about my future life. However, everything seemed to change gradually after I transferred to Hongrun Boyuan School in Grade 10: a new environment, a new system of teaching, new students, and new discovery of my self.

如果我没有选择国际学校，而是继续在体制内学习，那我很有可能就是一个再普通不过的学生。初中的我一直沉默寡言，我每天的生活就只有学习。在同一间教室，听着老师上课，感觉自己没有社交，没有激情，对未来的生活不知所措。然而，在我10年级转学到宏润博源后，一切似乎都逐渐发生了变化。在这个新的环境，新的教学体系和新的同学们构成的校园里，我也发现了新的自己。

I pushed myself to make more friends in school, to try my best to develop meaningful relationships and, at the same time, I communicated directly and openly with my foreign teachers. They were all nice to me and helped me with many problems, and most importantly, they help me to develop my confidence. So, I have come to believe that good relationships in school with not only students but also teachers will be very helpful for every student.

我不断推动自己去结交更多朋友，尽力发展并维护每一段有意义的关系。同时，我也积极地去和外教老师们交流。他们非常热心，帮助我解决了许多学习上的问题。最重要的是，他们帮助我培养了自信心，让我的人生发生了巨大改变。所以，我认为在学校里和同学们以及老师们建立良好的关系，对每位同学都是巨大的帮助和成长。

What’s more, I participated actively in many school activities. Various kinds of activities provided a stage to express myself freely. For instance, the Arts Festival, dubbing competitions, debate competitions, and organizing my own club all provided platforms for my growth. They provided opportunities to discover my talents, and encouraged me to try new things. Three years at SHBS really changed me a lot; I became more talkative, energetic and more confident.

其次，我积极参与了许多学校活动。学校各式各样的活动为每一位同学都提供了一个自由表达自己的舞台。例如，艺术节，配音比赛，辩论比赛以及创办自己的社团都为我的成长和进步提供了机会和平台。这些大大小小的活动让我不断发现独属于我的才能，并且让我有信心去尝试新事物。在宏润博源学校的三年真地改变了我很多。我变得更加健谈，更加充满活力，也更加自信。

Another new experience which influenced me a lot was being a member of student government. It gave me a great opportunity to develop my way of working and collaborating with people. I ran for student government twice, which helped me develop my own ways to solve problems: firstly, I would outline my work and responsibility and figure out my position in the whole picture, which is very important for cooperation. Second, I sought out resources, with teachers and students, asking for their help. Third, I gained from others’ feedback, reflecting with people I worked with. Fourth, when I found some problems, I would think deeply about the solutions available and make up for the mistakes.

另一个对我影响很大的经历是成为学生会的一员。学生会培养了我与他人沟通合作的能力。我曾两次竞选学生会，发展出了独属于我的为人处事的方式：首先，我大致明确我应该做些什么，对于自己在活动中的定位很重要。其次，我会去主动寻求资源，与老师和同学一起，寻求他们的帮助。第三，不断反思，不断和一起合作的同伴们总结自己可以改变的地方。第四，发现问题后，立刻思考相对应的办法来弥补错误。

With the four steps above, I will always be ready for future work and improving my efficiency. This discovery is the greatest treasure I have gained after two years in student government. Finally, I have become an active, vocal class leader, which was something I had never before thought possible.

通过上述四个步骤，我始终能为未来的工作做好充分准备，且不断提高办事效率。这种处事能力是我在学生会工作两年的宝贵收获。最后，得益于此，我也是班级里积极、直言不讳的班干部，这是我以前从未设想过的事情。

Last but not least, I would like to share one sentence I learned in Biology, which made a deep impression on me ——“Life finds a way.” Not all of us succeed in the same way. Only by discovering our selves, and finding our own way—this is the key for us to move step by step on our path to the future. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Everything can be a new chance for you to get closer to your dreams.

最后，我想分享一下我在生物学中学到的一句话，这句话让我思考良久——“生命会自寻出路。”并非所有人都会以同样的方式成功。只有发现自己，找到适合自己的方式，才是我们在通往未来的道路上一步一步前进的关键。不要害怕尝试新事物，因为所有的尝试都可能成为更接近梦想的新机会。