在个人陈述中，最能抓住读者的部分就是开头，现在我们一起来学习如何hook your readers!
Keep it short. A good opening is clear, bold, and to the point. If the reader can’t tell what you’re talking about after the first few sentences, you may lose his attention forever. Here more than ever you need to stay focused and be clear. Avoid the temptation to be cryptic or mysterious (see above), and just be straightforward with your reader about what it is you’re trying to say. Then say it. He’ll be grateful for your honesty.
Make a statement. Leading with a rhetorical question is tempting, but it can easily lead you down any of the three “don’t” paths discussed above. (“What is the price of glory?” “How do you recover from a crippling loss?”). Here’s an idea, though: try starting with the answer to that rhetorical question. “On the surface, becoming a ‘champion’ at anything looks like the opposite of fun.” “The first step to overcoming a loss is getting out of bed the next day.” Use the balance of your essay to explain what you mean and how you learned this.
Make it relevant. We mean this literally: your opening should connect directly to the overall point your personal statement aims to make. If your statement is about the lesson you learned from a close relative’s death, your opening should directly to one of those things – death, the lesson you learned, or the relative. If it doesn’t, you are wasting space and energy without getting any closer to your statement’s goal.
When it comes to your personal statement introduction, plan to revise it many times and re-read it often before getting it right. It may take you more time, but trust us: investing time here will be well worth it. Once you get your hook down, the rest of the writing should flow naturally because you’ve already set up a good framework. It will also make your reader’s job easier because, rather than interpret, or decipher, all he has to do is read – which, hopefully, he will be excited to do because he’s interested in what you have to say.
(来源参考chasefuture)
