同时被4所藤校录取的文书长什么样？

在美国社区问答（Quora）的论坛上，有一个这样的问题：“What essay got you into an Ivy League university?（什么样的申请文书让你进了常春藤盟校？）”该问题迎来了各路藤校学子的真实分享。其中，有一位名叫“Ethan Li”的学生的回答获得了高赞。

图源Quora

Ethan Li 的父母都是中国人，从小在美国长大，是一位亚裔美国人。他在Quora上分享了自己的这篇申请文书：《黑白丛林：国际象棋如何帮我度过父母离婚的日子》，一起来看看吧。

The Black-and-White Jungle:

How Chess Got Me Through My Parents’Divorce

The first time I saw a chess board, I stood—an unsmiling first-grader—spellbound by the curious horses and castles that the wizened fifth graders shuffled confidently in my school cafeteria. Beneath the ornate wood surface of those pieces, I discovered a uniquely layered beauty.

My parents had split two years earlier. I remember Dad buying us two movie tickets to the new Spider-Man and a week later buying himself a plane ticket to China. Our apartmentdevolved from a cozy, lively homeintoasmall, subdued residence. Mom mustered a brave smile and promised that Dad was just going back to visit his family.

图源网络 版权属于原作者There’s a pervasive yet hushed stigma surrounding divorce in Asian culture. Growing up, I struggled to comprehend why none of my Asian friends had single parents like myself. I would getintofights at school. When I invariably drew the ire of my teachers, Mom would drive down to school, hug me reassuringly, and take me to her office where I spent the remainderof the day. One of those evenings, I waited near her cubicle coloring carelessly on lily-white printer-paper while she typed diligently at her desktop. Suddenly, the familiar click-clack of the typing died, and I heard stuttered sobs sway the air. I froze, confused: I didn’t know Mom could cry. Mom was strong; she had warm, kind hands and she knew why the sky was blue and why Dad was visiting Grandpa and Grandma for so long. But now Mom sat shattered, back hunched over a shoddy wooden desk, warm hands clutching a damp face. I was scared so I cried with her.

Chess becameanelaborate escape for me. During sleepless nights, I readily replaced opaque stares at the apartment ceiling with enchanting chess puzzles lit by a gentle desk-light. When I sat at the chessboard, the deafening external din—my ineffable worries, Mom’s inexplicable tears, the fragile stillness of our quiet apartment—faded softlyintothe background. I crossedintothe black-and-white jungle, that beautiful mosaic of sixty-four checkered squares, a diverse biosphere inhabited bymy loyal pawns, gallant knights, and fearless rooks. And I, the king, was responsible for their livelihood, defending my kingdom against the opponent. Chess gave me a sense of control during a time when I felt I had none.

图源网络版权属于原作者In my first year, I rose to the top of my elementary school club, and near the close of the school semester I placed fourth at the national K-1 championships in Nashville, Tennessee. I remember the announcer calling my name and my six-year-old self bouncing up the stage to claim a comically colossal trophy. I remember Mom smiling because I was happy, and I was happy because she was smiling.

Through the years, my passion for the game strengthened as I accumulated more state championships and national titles. Chess became a staple in my life—it sharpened my critical thinking skills, and it trained me to creatively break down seemingly difficult situations. Although I had turned to chess to escape my problems, the black-and-white jungle slowly cajoled me to face them. Last year, I bought my own plane ticket to China and visited my father. We talked—laughed even—and he challenged me to a chess match. I let him win, but he doesn’t know that. He said he was proud of me. I didn’t know that.

图源网络 版权属于原作者Above all, chess taught me the power of resilience. Last summer, I qualified for the All-American team just two days before the deadline, successfully pulling together a month’s worth of training. Mom met me at the train station when I returned. Nearly a decade had passed since that first national championship in Tennessee, but her smile looked the same. As I drifted to sleep on the drive homeward, I embraced the elusive feeling of absolute safety like that I felt when I was a child, dozing peacefully in the backseat of my parents’ worn Toyota Camry.

这篇文书Ethan Li 写于2017年申请季的夏天，经历了多次修改后，在12月提交给了申请学校，最终收获了普林斯顿大学、耶鲁大学、哥伦比亚大学和康奈尔大学四所藤校的offer。对于正在经历申请季的学生们，Ethan Li给出了一些建议：写一篇包含独特活动、并描述特定的经历来间接展示你的个性的文书，找到一个冥想的环境，阅读一些诗歌文学来激发你的风格，然后自由写作。但同时不要想太多，过度思考有时会令人窒息。

这篇文书里，Ethan同学不光很谦虚的提到了自己坚持多年的兴趣（国际象棋）和成就（获得多个州和国家级别的奖项），阐释了从中培养的能力，更是用讲故事的方式娓娓道来讲述了自己的家庭和父母的影响，让人感触良多。不知道对于屏幕前的你是否有所帮助呢？