哈佛被判违宪后文书写作方面有哪些变化？

2023-24对于每本申请来说，是一个文书大变革之年。6月29日，SCOTUS判决哈佛的Affirmative Action招生违宪。7月3日，美本留学公号mind2learn发了一则消息，内容如下：

哈佛被判违宪后何去何从？

最高法院判决哈佛招生违宪，指的是其招生体系使用种族因素不当，产生明显不公，且没有限度。哈佛的最直接应对有两个。

第一，将T.O.政策永久化，即永久test optional。使用标化的人，高分对申请更加重要。不使用标化的人，低分就更加不重要。哈佛申请pool里，标化和无标化的比例是4:1。无标化比例将会继续深化，即标化有无之间达到2:1。

第二，将更多利用文书来区分申请者是否符合哈佛的价值观。这个价值观，当前看来就是社会公平。哈佛会在年度之间摇摆其价值分配，让任何单一价值下无长期固定分配，再有诉哈佛的人，就找不到充分证据了。

先说这么多吧。三和四，还不能明说。

8月1日，包括哈佛在内的各大美本纷纷公布了各自在2023-24申请季的新Supp Prompts。从遣词造句的角度，多数人看不出这次更新的深意。但老师看后，倒吸了一口热气。对于文书，他们真的这么干了。

2023文书的更新，不能仅仅从词句看，而是要放在历史变革的角度衡量。众所周知美本的申请文题prompts，是十年（或者最少5年）不变的。上一次变化，还是因为疫情效应。2021年申请季，Common App首先更新了六个文题，去掉“Describe a problem you solved”一题，换上了“Reflect someone something you are thankful”一题，意在引导出申请人的更多正能量思维。

各大美本纷纷跟进更新了Supp文题。比如Yale Supp里的“Your satisfaction”题、Princeton Supp里的“Your joy”题、 Dartmouth的“what excites you”一题，以及隔年后的Upenn的“Thank you note”一题。除了这些正能力文题之外，这一年还出现了新的Community和Identity主题的文题。位于纽约的哥大，在它的Short Answer Questions里，加入了题面最长的一题：

Columbia students take an active role in improving their community, whether in their residence hall, classes or throughout New York City. Their actions, small or large, work to positively impact the lives of others. Share one contribution that you have made to your family, school, friend group or another community that surrounds you. (200 words or fewer)

把哥大Community prompt看作是关于Community的专题的话，位于巴尔的摩的JHU则是让Community融进了background interest和identity三个关联主题中。JHU把原来唯一的Supp 文题“Collaboration with others“更换如下：

Founded on a spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity or your community) and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)

经过2021-22年的一轮更新之后，2022-23年申请季的Supp相对稳定，只有前一年度年没有跟进过的美本在这一年跟进更新了一下主题罢了。请注意，即使疫情这么大的事，这么多的院校更新主题的时候，Harvard、Stanford和MIT却纹丝不动。T3就是个雨打不湿风吹不动的铁三角。

本来可以稳定几年的文题，被今年6月底的高法判决打破。尽管Common APP的文题保持不变（因为它的文题确定在2月份），哈佛率先变动Supp文题，把十年未变的、不限字数的“Essay of choice”换成如下：

Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?

北美大陆另一端的斯坦福，也感受到了不得不变的压力，把“what’s meaningful to you”一题换做如下：

Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.

这时候，审视一下T30大U和T10 LAC，更新Supp文题的学校占绝大多数。老师在这里就不去罗列各家更新的情况了，你只要知道Supp还没变过，大概就只剩下MIT，Berkeley（加州系）和密大安娜堡。

什么是2023-24这一轮Supp文题更新的关键词呢？老师总结一下：

You是这一轮更新里的最高词。作为申请人的You，自古以来就是大学重点了解的对象。这么看You的高频似乎正常。但这一次更新的语境中，You其实是一Your的格式与一下其他词汇搭配出镜的。也就是说，学校关心的可能不是你心中固有的You，而是他们心中想要的那几种You。哪几种呢？
Life experience、interest、background和community，这四个词是与Your搭配出镜的高频词。有的学校更直白一点，就说identity或者racial、gender identity吧。有时候还加上个Religious identity出来。如果你以前是禁止过在文书里讨论宗教，那么现在可以relax了，如果真有一个信仰的话。
Diversity也是一个频出的词汇。但这一词似乎很早就出现在美本的文书价值中了。谁没有给梦校写过diverse student body就是自己最爱的话呢。但这一次的diversity，或者说从这一次开始diversity就有了更加具体和专属的意义了。

哈佛的更新中，没有出现的关键词还有两个，social justice和equality。他不说，其实是不便。毕竟挑明了的话，就会成6万人都有的成分了。那，还怎么筛选录取呢？

我把今年Supp更新的关键词所追求的主题，放进时间轴的角度这时候再去看，下面这张图，就更加清晰了：

文书在哈佛违宪案后

关键词更新了，那么文书到底要写成什么样才能金榜题名呢？老师带你读读2023的十篇新科哈佛文书的意境吧。文字本身的可取舍之处不去品论，我们只看主题故事元素扣中的关键词，除了诸如Diversity、Identity和Life Experience，以及Environment这样的Progressive价值词汇外，主题里最高频出现的概念是Immigrant 1st Gen：

Economic Equality: A boy of working-class family in a small rural town in New Hampshire writes life experience of father-son mowing others’ lawns while studying to succeed in school.
Curiosity in Nature: A boy from Orange County writes learning experience from a wilderness program, a less popular academic choice, and growing appreciation of the Earth system and one of universe.
1G Asian Girl Learning: An 1G immigrant girl writes early learning from grandfather’s butterflies and growing appreciation and preservation of nature in a poetic language.
1G Lebanese Girl Life Experience: An 1G Lebanese girl from south of Boston area writes her lemonade selling experience on summer streets, while her laymounada (lemonade) runs out of lemon.
1G Ethiopian Girl Reading Experience: 1G Ethiopian Girl writes cross-generational family reading experience inside Barnes & Noble, growing appreciation of opportunities in America.
1G Cuban Girl Living Diversity: 1G Cuban girl writes growing up experience of her back yard, hosting and mixing a diversity of her neighboring kids from Irish, Italian, and Cuban cultural backgrounds.
Hispanic Girl Music Identity: A Hispanic girl writes her name and chamber music experience, making a uniqueness through staying in unison with others.
1G Sikh Boy Life Identity: 1G Sikh boy writes first-in-lifetime haircut at age of 17, something he dared not to claim identity in facing the family’s religion and others in his Sikh community.
Girl of Storytelling: A girl growing up with a love on storytelling writes discovery of her writers’ community and poem teaching extra-curriculum activities.
Working-Class Girl on Diversity: A girl from working class family writes about color, through which she grew appreciation of and found connections with others’ perspectives.