这虽然是美本申请的文书，但是我想它的优秀之处同样适用于美高。

2016年，美国高三学生Brittany Stinson被告知荣获5所常春藤大学录取：耶鲁大学，哥伦比亚大学，宾大，达特茅斯和康奈尔大学，此外，录取率仅为4.69(低于任何一所常春藤)的斯坦福大学也给她抛了橄榄枝。“我现在还处于非常震惊的状态，我还不确定能够做好选择呢” Brittany近日在受访中难掩兴奋之情。众所周知，美国8所常春藤联盟是出了名的难进，低录取率也让每年的爬藤人群必须通过极其残酷的竞争。Brittany被录取的几所大学今年录取率为4.69%到13.96%。那么，这位美国女孩到底是因为什么而被美国名校青睐呢？我想除了优秀的学术成绩，申请文书的写作也发挥着极其重要的作用。近日Brittany Stinson通过《商业内幕》向外界公开了个人的申请文书，或许我们可以从中一探究竟。Brittany Stinson申请文书（以下为译文）在一个周六早上，当时两岁的我终于摆脱开妈妈的双手，挥动着双臂横冲进Costco超市(以低价实惠著称)，莫名的兴奋和激动，还有双目透露出的搜寻猎物的饥渴之情。无视妈妈眼中的惊恐，我忙着将喜爱的西班牙油条和肉桂糖放进购物车，开心地继续搜寻之旅。我在超市过道上上演着短跑冲刺，敬畏地仰视着身边堆积如山的散装产品。怀着好奇，我想触摸、品尝这里的一切;我想将头伸进冰箱，去挖掘每一个缝隙的存在。如同一名征服者，但我寻找的不是梦想中的黄金之地，而是超市的各种免费试用品！尽管最后都难逃被我妈牢牢抓到怀里的命运，但那时的Costco于我而言，就是王国一般的神圣存在。从琳琅满目的商品到超优惠的热狗套餐，这里应有尽有。在一定程度上来讲，Costco算的上消费主义的充分体现。从我还是一个只能坐在购物车呀呀呓语的小女孩，到现在我终于可以自由穿梭于各种试吃摊之间，Costco超市算得上是我童年成长生活中不可或缺的角色。作为一名资深Costco购物者，我深谙这儿的购物之道。我能够快速定位，分辨出不同商品的区域，并且挑选一辆容量超大的购物车，快速高效地开始我的购物之旅。慢慢地我开始去观察身边的顾客，看着他们推着购物车，上面装满了冰冻的墨西哥卷饼，芝士泡芙，桶装冰淇淋，还有减肥药。望着过往人群，有时候我会好奇，到底什么样的人会购买三磅的酸奶油呢？难道是因为发酵过的酸奶比原味口感好吗？诸如此类的问题在我脑海中不断滋生，就这样，Costco帮助我开启了通往另一个新奇世界的大门，我的好奇心在那里恣意飞翔。当我吃着超市里卖的热狗时，我脑海里浮现的不是Costc促销的广告语，而是在思考有限性和无限性。我想知道酸奶油有没有其它创新用法，我更想了解货物从八尺货架上掉下来以及一个骨瘦如柴的17岁少年快速推车时，进行的是哪种抛物运动。甚至我设想过：如果存在一罐33盎司的能多益巧克力，那我们是否真的有自由意志？我观察着每一个购物者的惯性动作，从中我学到的是最实用的物理知识。比如一名女顾客装了满满一购物车商品，她尝试着倾斜着倒车，但还是逃不过购物车失去控制，撞向混凝土柱。有一次过圣诞节，我从超市购买了胡桃木熏制的火腿，这不可避免地引起了一场父亲与我之间的争执。父亲宁愿选择以前的老火腿，而不太愿意接受新品种。我佩服他的这种执着，但我却不认同这种观点。任何事情都应该尝试改变，而不是偏执地坚持一件事，更何况这种改变可能带来意想不到的后果呢。就像这次火腿事件，最后大家都觉得新口味更美味。我在Costco学到的这些探索技能，同样也帮助我一步步实现着自己的学术成就。我学会去探寻历史，研究生物，练习舞蹈，甚至我去学习做布法罗烤鸡和松露巧克力，我的脑海就像一辆容量无限的购物车，我不紧不慢地将所有严肃或轻松的知识装下，在知识的海洋中自由地遨游。我学习微积分，加入越野跑，参与科研项目，拥有这样一辆购物车，就好比拥有一件秘密武器。我无所畏惧地选择前行，去感受这个世界的所有美好。无论是尝试空中瑜伽，还是学习使用天文软件来描绘黑体辐射表，或是在数百人面前跳舞，任何我感兴趣的活动，我都满怀热情地参与其中。我拥有强烈的求知欲，敢于超越常规思维——这些都是我对自己最好的定义。在大多人眼中，Costco仅仅是一座超市。但是在我心中，它带给我的是源源不断的能量补给，还有随时给我启发的好奇心，激励我勇敢地去探索世界。也是Costco超市——让我不满于接受“what”的既有观点，相反我更关注问题原因的“why”以及解决过程的“how”。本质上而言，我一直在不断探索，不断发现，在求知道路上从不止步。【敏敏点评】

我们细读这篇精彩的文书后，不难发现，文章的成功之处在于，通过美国人们熟知的场景：到Costco购物，作为引子，引起读者的兴趣，描述了一幅又一幅大家熟悉却从未深刻记忆研究过的画面，带出了自己的性格特点：永不停歇的求知欲。

很容易想象，招办的老师们在阅读此文时，都会忍不住发出会心一笑，从而深深的记住了这个优秀幽默的申请人。也是这篇文章最值得每一个申请学生去学习的地方。以下为Brittany Stinson申请文书原文（题目）Prompt 1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.（正文）Managing to break free from my mother’s grasp, I charged. With arms flailing and chubby legs fluttering beneath me, I was the ferocious two¬ year old rampaging through Costco on a Saturday morning. My mother’s eyes widened in horror as I jettisoned my churro; the cinnamon¬sugar rocket gracefully sliced its way through the air while I continued my spree. I sprinted through the aisles, looking up in awe at the massive bulk products that towered over me. Overcome with wonder, I wanted to touch and taste, to stick my head into industrial¬sized freezers, to explore every crevice. I was a conquistador, but rather than searching the land for El Dorado, I scoured aisles for free samples. Before inevitably being whisked away into a shopping cart, I scaled a mountain of plush toys and surveyed the expanse that lay before me: the kingdom of Costco. Notorious for its oversized portions and dollar¬fifty hot dog combo, Costco is the apex of consumerism. From the days spent being toted around in a shopping cart to when I was finally tall enough to reach lofty sample trays, Costco has endured a steady presence throughout my life. As a veteran Costco shopper, I navigate the aisles of foodstuffs, thrusting the majority of my weight upon a generously filled shopping cart whose enormity juxtaposes my small frame. Over time, I’ve developed a habit of observing fellow patrons tote their carts piled with frozen burritos, cheese puffs, tubs of ice cream, and weight¬loss supplements. Perusing the aisles gave me time to ponder. Who needs three pounds of sour cream? Was cultured yogurt any more well¬mannered than its uncultured counterpart? Costco gave birth to my unfettered curiosity. While enjoying an obligatory hot dog, I did not find myself thinking about the ‘all beef’ goodness that Costco boasted. I instead considered finitudes and infinitudes, unimagined uses for tubs of sour cream, the projectile motion of said tub when launched from an eighty foot shelf or maybe when pushed from a speedy cart by a scrawny seventeen year old. I contemplated the philosophical: If there exists a thirty¬three ounce jar of Nutella, do we really have free will? I experienced a harsh physics lesson while observing a shopper who had no evident familiarity of inertia's workings. With a cart filled to overflowing, she made her way towards the sloped exit, continuing to push and push while steadily losing control until the cart escaped her and went crashing into a concrete column, 52” plasma screen TV and all. Purchasing the yuletide hickory smoked ham inevitably led to a conversation between my father and me about Andrew Jackson’s controversiality. There was no questioning Old Hickory’s dedication; he was steadfast in his beliefs and pursuits – qualities I am compelled to admire, yet his morals were crooked. We both found the ham to be more likeable–and tender.I adopted my exploratory skills, fine tuned by Costco, towards my intellectual endeavors. Just as I sampled buffalo¬chicken dip or chocolate truffles, I probed the realms of history, dance and biology, all in pursuit of the ideal cart–one overflowing with theoretical situations and notions both silly and serious. I sampled calculus, cross¬country running, scientific research, all of which are now household favorites. With cart in hand, I do what scares me; I absorb the warehouse that is the world. Whether it be through attempting aerial yoga, learning how to chart blackbody radiation using astronomical software, or dancing in front of hundreds of people, I am compelled to try any activity that interests me in the slightest. My intense desire to know, to explore beyond the bounds of rational thought; this is what defines me. Costco fuels my insatiability and cultivates curiosity within me at a cellular level. Encoded to immerse myself in the unknown, I find it difficult to complacently accept the “what”; I want to hunt for the “whys” and dissect the “hows”. In essence, I subsist on discovery.我们新足迹游>>>学为广大学子和家长提供全方位的夏令营及夏校申请服务，关于夏校，更多内容欢迎点击了解>>>