学校排名

U.S.News 综合第13

学校名称

学校简单介绍

西北大学（Northwestern University），简称NU或NWU，1851年创立，位于伊利诺州的埃文斯顿市，临近芝加哥，是美国一流私立研究型大学，十大联盟高校。其著名的法学院、医学院和商学院分院坐落在繁华的芝加哥市区Streeterville的密歇根湖畔。西北大学是世界最顶尖的研究型大学之一，至今有8位诺贝尔奖获得者，38名普利策奖获得者，2014年科研经费超过5.5亿美元。西北大学是美国最富有的10所大学之一，2014年其总资产约为98亿美元。它与芝加哥大学同时作为芝加哥地区学术声望最高的两所大学。西北大学以其严格的招生录取出名，其在校中国留学生比例尤其是大陆本科生以及每年获得全额奖学金博士研究生录取的中国留学生比例极低。2015年西北大学本科生录取比例为11%，而中国籍本科生录取率更是低至不足1%，再次位列美国录取率最低的学校之一。

文书范本

Tea, cool in nature, is a drink for those who act according to their beliefs, and possess virtues of humility.

- The Classic of Tea, Lu Yu (Sage of Tea, Tang Dynasty)

My father loves tea. He used to make it every morning. I, however, did not enjoy its rough bitterness. Neither had I been willing to ask him why he loved it so much: he had always seemed so distant from me.

The shriveled tea leaves languished in the red porcelain pot; my father talked to me while performing his routine of tea making on that humid summer night at the dinner table. Time seemed to freeze at that moment. I ran into my room, slammed the door, hid myself in the quilt and cried bitterly. I was not able to understand how a father could decide to leave his daughter behind for three years to work in one of the most remote and impoverished villages in China. As a man of few words, my father left without an explanation a few days later. I comforted myself that my elusive father was just, once again, being elusive.

The dry tea leaves danced gracefully and blossomed like flowers as my father poured boiling water into the glass pot. Visitors from the village where my father had worked filled our house; they had come thousands of miles to express their gratitude to my father for transforming their village and lives. Clean water, electricity, roads. Harvest, sheep, corns. My father listened attentively, sipping the cup of tea in his hand every now and then. I sat aside, and saw white color in his hair through the rising mist of the tea. I took a cup of tea myself and savored. For the first time the tea was no longer bitter. Its smoothness touched my tongue; it traveled down, and left traces of rich, sweet fragrance in my mouth, delicate yet pure. The sweet flavor lingered. I finally understood my father’s love for tea. And like learning to appreciate tea, I finally learnt to read my father.

The aroma of the tea wafts quietly as I make myself a cup of tea every morning. It has been four years since I came over to study on my own in Singapore. Days passed and I learnt more, understood deeper and gained new insights. The great geographical distance did not stop my father's influence on me. I followed his path and embarked on a journey of improving the lives of those around me. The government of my hometown accepted my proposals to implement new measures to improve people’s lives. The free tuition project I organized benefited the less privileged children in the society. It is heartening to see people’s smiles and to realize that like my father, I can make a difference too.

The tea leaves in the cup sink down, forming piles of dark brown layers at the bottom. The water has turned brownish golden. It seems that I have become my father, whose life has been motivated by the responsibility for others; I believe this motivation will steer mine too.

申请顾问编著点评

这篇文书以一段对茶的描述开头，奠定了整篇文书的基调——自然、温润和厚重。中国作为世界上最早将茶作为饮品的国家，本就是一件有着历史厚度的事情。而作者以这样的描述作为全文的hook，自然地将读者引入了这样一种氛围当中。对于作者来说，她最初是接受不了茶的“苦涩”滋味，也不理解父亲为什么会喜欢饮茶，感觉自己与父亲之间隔着像茶水这样苦涩的鸿沟。

作者的这一描述是一种象征，从后文中读者可以感受到。她不喜欢茶的苦涩质感，影射着她父亲在其心中的形象——难以琢磨、遥远。然而，作者的这种感觉却在父亲的事迹中渐渐地发生着转变，而这也是作者通过这篇文书想要展示的形象——对社会的责任和使命感。作者的父亲话不多，跟女儿的交流也不多，但是她却是一个实干家，帮助一个村子脱离了贫困，改善了生活。

这个事件对于女儿的触动非常之大，也正是女儿对于父亲以及父亲事迹的观察和思考，让她决定了要跟随父亲的步伐，认识和关注社会，并且尽自己的力量解决社会问题、改善民生状况。而也就是这样的触动，让她即使远在异国他乡求学，也不忘为家乡的困难人们提供帮助。也正是这样一种使命感，让她在今后的道路上也能充满力量，不断前行。总的来说，这篇文书有一种平实温润的热忱流淌其中，让读者通过阅读文章可以感受到这个年轻女孩的细腻、缜密，但同时又不乏胸怀大略的抱负和恒久的责任感。

文书朴实的文字蕴含的是一颗诚挚和坚定的心，相信这也是打动招生官的重要原因。