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When we admit a class of students to MIT, it's as if we're choosing a 1,000-person team to climb a very interesting, fairly rugged mountain—together. We obviously want people who have the training, stamina and passion for the climb. At the same time, we want each to add something useful or intriguing to the team, from a wonderful temperament or sense of humor, to compelling personal experiences, to a wide range of individual gifts, talents, interests and achievements. We are emphatically not looking for a batch of identical perfect climbers; we are looking for a richly varied team of capable people who will support, surprise and inspire each other.
Preparing yourself for MIT, then, means doing two things:
(1) making sure you're ready to do the work, and
(2) taking the time to really explore things that interest you, both inside and outside of school.
众所周知，麻省理工学院（MIT）是一所世界顶级的理工科大学。MIT要求所有申请本科的学生，在高中阶段有至少一年的物理、化学、生物学习经历，至少两年的外语、历史学习经历以及四年的英语学习。MIT所需要的学生，是对高难度工作充满热情和挑战的人。“学习如逆水行舟，不进则退”，这句中国的古话完美诠释了麻省理工的个性。正如学校对申请者的要求一样，他们需要的，是敢于在学术上勇攀高峰的学生，因此他们积极鼓励申请者修读大学里面的课程。理工科学校的严谨和执着体现在每一个方面。可以说，MIT的学生，是离成为科学家最近的一群人。科学家需要的是永不言弃的努力，不撞南墙不回头的坚持，甚至有时候偏执的求索。
MIT在对申请者的要求中提到“The only right answer is to do what's right for you—not what you think is right for us.”做自己喜欢并擅长的事情，而不是人云亦云，刻意逢迎。大家或许会觉得MIT这样的顶级名校的学生都是SAT拿满分的“外星生物”，所以，你也想努力把自己打造成一个学霸。其实，MIT说，它需要的是“你”，就是你自己，用你自己的方式追逐所爱，去成长，去改变，去冒险，去从过错中得到收获。“What we really want to see on your application is you being you—pursuing the things you love, growing, changing, taking risks, learning from your mistakes, all in your own distinctive way.”大学学习并不是假面舞会，你不可能一直努力地扮演别人。MIT更希望看到你已经准备好——去做更好的自己！
【类别】 自我介绍型
【关键词】 something you do, pleasure
【题目翻译】 告诉我们你喜欢做的事情。（100字以内）
【题目分析】 前文已经提到，麻省理工学院喜欢的学生是坚持自我、敢于冒险的人。因此，不管你喜欢做的事情是“大事”还是“小事”，只要能体现出这两个特性，就能获得青睐。因为题目限制字数在100字以内，所以建议申请者从自己的故事里寻找与这两个特性相关的部分突出描写。
Traveling makes me feel relaxed and happy. Winnie So, a freelance journalist, once said: “Money may or may not bring happiness, depending on who you ask. But travel definitely does.” And I like it. Although I really enjoy making travel plans, I would rather like to travel without following a fixed plan. This is because the destination is not the purpose or end of my trip but a way to better myself, in body and soul. A new life is found in every single minute along the way, and the journey itself becomes the purpose and end of the experience.
题目要求100字以内，简略介绍一下让自己开心愉快的事情，不需要很多细节，但是需要详细地表达出自己的观点。文章以“喜欢旅行”为话题，展现了自己的几个基本素质：
第一，对旅行，甚至对生活的态度。通过引用Winnie So的话“金钱是否会带来快乐这一点因人而异，但是旅行一定是可以带来幸福感的事情”，一方面展示了自己对于物质生活和精神阅历的看法，另一方面从侧面展示了自己对旅行相关方面的关注。
第二，自己会制订旅行计划，但是不会墨守成规。作者自己的理念是“旅行的目的并不是目的地，而是提升自己的一种方式”，说明自己是一个会从过程中有所感悟、有所收获的人。旅途上的经历比在目的地漫无目的地游览更有价值。这是向学校展示，自己是一个随时都在从生活中学习、勇于面对未知和挑战的人。
第三，旅行是一种实践。而麻省理工的校训就是思想和行动相结合，两者不谋而合。
【类别】 选择原因型
【关键词】 which department or program, appeals to you, why
【题目翻译】 尽管你可能还不知道自己想学什么专业，但请告诉我们MIT的哪个院系或项目吸引你，为什么？（100字以内）
【题目分析】 这道题目表面上是一道选择原因题型，但同时也是学校在考查申请者未来的学习计划，以及申请者是否符合麻省理工“坚持自我，敢于挑战”的个性。这个吸引你的院系或者项目或许是你的特长所在。你想要进入学校深造，得到一些发展，建议最好亮出你在这个领域内的未来规划，表明你的能力和信心。你有可能在其他项目上很有能力，但是在这个领域内还是新手（比如转换专业的情况）。你相信MIT的资源能帮助你发挥这方面的潜能，那么，建议你在这时候积极展示你对这个项目的兴趣和已有的基础。同样，你需要制订一个未来的学习计划，同时强调你的坚持和自我挑战的个性。当然，这种坚持与挑战一定要在你的能力范围内。
I would like to pursue a major course of study in Aeronautics and Astronautics in the School of Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I look upon these studies as an opportunity to solve fundamental problems directly related to industry and the scientific community. I have pursued an academic background that has developed my aptitude for scientific problem solving and a strong will to confront and overcome new challenges. Thus, a career in research and teaching is my first choice. MIT's School of Engineering can provide me the opportunities to perform cutting-edge research on turbulence.
这段话向学校展示了三个方面的信息：
第一，想读的专业是工程学院下属的航空航天专业。
第二，选择这个专业的原因是“致力于把理论和实践相结合”。
第三，未来打算继续在这个领域深造，作研究。
我们要知道的是，100字的问答题并不是要申请者从孩提时代的梦想开始写起，这不现实，也不真实，同时亦会落入俗套。正如题目分析中所说，想念什么专业背后的意思是“我以后要当一个什么样的人”。抓住了这一点，在字里行间穿插自己的规划，就切准了学校招人的脉络。
【类别】 自我介绍型
【关键词】 attribute of your personality, most proud of, impacted your life
【题目翻译】 你性格中的哪个方面是令你最自豪的？到目前为止它对你的生活有怎样的影响？它可以是创新能力、高效的领导能力、幽默感、正直，或任何其他你想告诉我们的方面。（200~250字）
【题目分析】 这是一个非常直接的自我展示，因此只要在了解学校录取条件的基础上，选取一两个你觉得与之对应的性格亮点，再通过一些事例体现对你生活的影响即可。
I am a warm-hearted girl. I hope that we can create a better world despite the widespread apathy of modern society. Mercy, curiosity and positive desires make the world a better place, and are characteristics that have motivated me to devote myself to the study of psychology and make it a lifelong career.
I still remember seeing news about a 2-year-old Chinese girl who was run over by a car twice and then was hit by another car several minutes later, during which time none of the eighteen passers-by helped her with the exception of a homeless woman. The news shocked the world and reminded me of two psychological concepts: “bystander effect” and “empathy”. The event reflected not only bystander effect's common diffusion of responsibility, but also a lack of empathy for the pain the girl must have been experiencing.
I cannot help but ask myself: What were the bystanders thinking about during the event? How could they regulate their emotion to the point of being unwilling to help? What's the neural pattern beneath their emotional arousal and regulation? And what's the possible cultural difference between bystander effect and emotional regulation? Strong feelings of sympathy for the girl and an urgent desire to uncover the mechanism behind the onlookers' behaviors caused me to apply for the Social and Affective Psychology Program at MIT. Because it is a premier institution strong in neuroimaging and social psychology, it is the best program for me to seek answers and solutions to these important questions.
范文把性格、社会现象和专业申请结合起来。因为自己热心、善良，所以在看到社会冷漠的时候会质问和思考，希望世界更美好。而社会是由人组成的，通过现象看本质，于是就有了作者学习社会心理学这个诉求。从小爱上升为大爱，做自己喜欢并擅长的事情，这也正是MIT希望从申请者身上看到的品质。
【类别】 背景影响型
【关键词】 the world you come from, shaped your dreams and aspirations
【题目翻译】 描述你的生活背景，例如：你的家庭、社团、学校、社区、城市或城镇。这些环境如何影响了你的梦想和抱负？（200~250字）
【题目分析】 生活塑造了现在的你，而你做出的每一个选择、每一个决定，也或多或少都会受到周边环境的影响。举例来说，如果你热爱阅读，可能是因为家庭成员都有这样的习惯，而这个习惯会让你的性格更温和、更安静，也会让你的思维方式和视野有与众不同的变化，最终会促使你发展出现在的学习兴趣，并形成未来个人发展计划。这一系列的连锁反应就像蝴蝶效应一样，每个细节的不同都会产生不同的结果。要从个人实际情况出发，告诉学校你的梦想和抱负是如何形成的。
My father studied Electrical Engineering and earned a PhD in the field. My mother also excelled in her personal studies, specializing in Electrical Automation during her undergraduate years. After that, she changed her major and went on to earn an MBA. I'm the only child in our family, and their dedication to their work and their attitudes toward life have helped me become a devoted and optimistic person.
My father likes collecting airplane models, which I have played with since I was a kid. I broke them apart and then reassembled them. I even completely destroyed several of his models. My father never blamed me. He just taught me how to dismantle and assemble them using the right methods in order to make them functional again. “Do not be afraid to make mistakes.” he told me. “What you have to do is to identify any flaws and learn from them.” I have always kept those words in my mind.
“Find your way and never give up.”—my father told me when I was at the age of unknowing. I still remember in my first year of senior high school when I participated in the smart car competition with two other teammates. I programmed thousands of lines of code, spending countless hours and sometimes even nights in the lab. I know that as I try my best in everything I attempt, I will never have any regrets.
生长环境往往会影响到一个人的性格形成，其中影响最深远的因素莫过于父母。作为一所严谨的理工科顶尖名校，麻省理工想要看到你从小所接受的熏陶，检验你是否能与学校一贯坚持的理念相匹配。“从错误中学习”“永不言弃”正是精密学科的不懈追求。
范文中第一段简要介绍了背景，说明该生的家庭背景跟学校专业紧密相关。第二段和第三段通过两件小事体现了家人对自己良好的教育，也从侧面展示了自己对治学和人生的态度。
【类别】 相关经历型
【关键词】 most significant challenge, something important, didn't go according to plan, how did you manage the situation
【题目翻译】 谈谈你面对过的最大挑战，或一些没能按照计划进行的重要事情。你是如何应对这些情况的？（200~250字）
【题目分析】 题目中提到的面对过的最大挑战，或者是没能按计划进行的重要事情，实际上并不需要申请者详细描述这个挑战或是这件事情本身。这道题目考查的实际上是学生应对跟预期有出入的事情时的应变能力。面对挑战也好，突发事件也好，申请者需要冷静客观地看待和分析问题，并从自己拥有的有限资源里找到解决问题的最优方案。
Three years ago, I gave up the chance that would have led me to become an artist. I had to choose between the arts and sciences for my future course of study. Although I had been training in painting and calligraphy since the age of three, and even received early admission to the best local art school, I chose natural sciences without hesitation, in despite of my parents' objection. I knew my decision was right; but it also meant that painting would just be my hobby in the future. I also knew that I would have to spend much more time in the library and lab to make up for my lack of scientific background. I have an increasing desire to learn about nature and technology, and I prefer to solve scientific problems that can improve people's lives. That is me, a strong-minded person always pursuing what he loves to do, no matter how much challenge and sacrifice will be involved.
I am proud of myself as I have challenged myself again and again. Through all that I have experienced, I am the witness to my strong willpower and aptitudes, some of which are beyond my own imagination. As long as I am determined to do something, I am confident that I can face down any barriers and overcome them. I always keep one motto in mind: “Behind any success is unknown perseverance.”
勇于面对挑战，永远在攀登高峰。在每一个选择的岔路口，总会选择那条艰难的路。
范文从文理分科说起。对于很多高中生来说，这是他们人生中第一个比较大的选择。人在面对选择的时候，总会徘徊、彷徨。有的人会退而选择平淡，这样的选择固然没有错，但显然是不符合MIT气质的。成功的背后，是旁人不知的坚持。你的每一个经历，都体现着与学校录取个性的一致性——坚持、迎接挑战、迎难而上。