如何才能避免申請到最水的大學？

謝邀！

關于你的問題，我借用賓夕法尼亞大學傳媒學院Prof. Pearl的一次公開課內容來回答：

Now let me talk to you a little bit about graduate institutions, and applying for a master’s program.

接下來我想講一講研究生院以及研究生申請的流程。

So once again, you really have to do your research and think about where do you want to go.

重申一下，你還是要花費心思上網搜集信息，之后再決定你到底想去哪里。

Rankings do matter perhaps, I would say a bit more for master’s programs,

學校的排名固然重要，可能對于申請研究生來說更重要，

only because master is sort of a finding degree.

因為研究生是一個需要你去發現，去研究的學位。

If you are looking to do a professional masters like a MBA, then rankings really are quite key.

比如說你想攻讀工商管理碩士，那么學校的排名就很重要。

But so again are factors like do you want to be in a city,

然后還要考慮，你想不想住在城市，

what is your access to jobs,

畢業生就業前景怎么樣，

is there a community of international students,

有沒有留學生社區，

do you live on campus,

你要不要住在學校，

what kind of guidance do you get,

學校有沒有各方面的指導，

what kind of support do you get.

有沒有各方面的支持。

For something like a masters in an academic discipline like English or, I don’t know, Geography,

比如說，如果你想申請英語或地理等這些學科的研究生，

you really do have to think quite carefully about whether or not that is a good decision for you，

你一定要認真考慮，這到底是不是一個好的選擇，

because they are very expensive, they are rarely funded,

因為研究生學費都很貴，并且一般沒有什么資助，

so it’s unusual to get some sort of subsidy for that kind position.

也很難得到補助。

You might get a TH, it shell be offered the opportunities to do some teaching to support your tuition.

但是學?？赡軙峁┮恍┙虒W實習的機會，你可通過參與教學獲得一些補助。

You might get to some sort of scholarship,

你也有機會獲得獎學金，

but they are really quite in investment,

但他們一般會看研究領域，

so you have to think about what it is your investing in.

所以你需要考慮清楚你到底要做什么。

Are you doing this because you want to get into a PhD program, eventually it might be worthy,

你是否想利用這筆獎學金繼續讀博士學位，

but whether you should apply do reckly to a PhD program, in which case you would already be funded for both the masters and the PhD.

還是同時資助你讀研究生和博士。

If you are looking to raise your grade in order to be in a better position for other kinds of opportunities down the line,

如果你想提高你的學位等級，以便未來獲得更多的機會的話，

then once again, that’s worth thinking about what kind of places are going to best support your achievements to do better and to excel in the long run.

那么你就要好好考慮一下，哪個學校能給你提供支持，能讓你成為更優秀的人。

It’s always particular professor you want to work with,

如果你已經有了心儀的教授，

that actually matters quite a bit more than the master’s and the PhD level,

這是一件非常好的事，可能比你申請研究生或是博士還要重要，

and especially if you were looking to produce some sort of researches that will help you down the road.

尤其是，當你有特別想做的研究的時候。

So if there is someone whose interest is really align with yours closely and will really help you,

如果有教授的研究領域或研究傾向跟你的興趣一致，并且能助你進步的話，

write a PhD application, that is the place you that should think about more closely.

那你一定要申請這個學校的PhD，會對你很有幫助。

And that program, sometimes that’s not really clear either, it depends what it is you want to do.

所以最重要的還是，你一定要想清楚自己到底要做什么。

So if you are looking to go into a business, and MBA is probably a better option than something a little more narrow because it’s just open up so many more avenues.

如果你以后準備進入商業領域，相比其他一些細化的專業來說，其實申請工商管理碩士是一個更好的選擇，因為它能開闊你的眼界，為你的今后打好基礎。

For your looking to do a PhD program and you are a little torned between a little fields,

如果你想申請PhD，并且還在糾結于選擇什么專業，

I would say masters either in a site of skills that were really help you if you want to do a quantity in a PhD program，

我能給你們的建議就是，如果你非常擅長數學，

and masters, something like math or statistics, what really help,

或者你本身就是數學專業的碩士，

even if you want to go into an economics PhD or maybe a health communication PhD, really, really showing up these quantities of skills can help.

那么如果申請經濟的PhD或健康傳播的PhD，這些十分需要運算能力的專業，你會有很大優勢。

But if you say you want to do something like English,

如果你想學英語，

then you want to really focus on building other kinds of skills like you language skills, your writing skills, so choosing a master’s program that will help you do that is better.

想提高自己的語言能力和寫作能力，那你就去申請英語專業相關的研究生。

If you want to, if you are not quite sure,

如果你還不確定自己到底想學什么，

if you want to do something like a more interdisciplinary master’s program like help like, you know, and why you have all of these great interdisciplinary programs and so on and so forth.

或許你可以考慮申請一些跨學科、或者跨領域的研究生。

And if you are looking to just get a tiny bit more training for career,

如果你想為你未來的事業做準備，學習一些技能，

then you really do need to think about the more applying master’s programs and things like communication or journalism,

那你應該申請一些培養專業技能的研究生，比如說傳媒或新聞，

so for masters, I think one of the key things to think about what it is you want to do.

所以總的來說，申請研究生最重要的一點就是，要想清楚自己要做什么。

Now once again, in those cases things like GPA, test score, CV, application, those really matter,

就像申請大學一樣，學生們的GPA，平均分，CV等申請材料都非常重要，

but the real keys there are letters of recommendation and your personal statement,

但我認為最關鍵的還是教授推薦信和個人陳述，

nobody really cares about your CV when you are applying to a master’s program,

負責招生的老師不會太注重你的CV，

but they really, really care that you know how the articular why this program is a good fit for you and why you are going to do well there.

但是他們會看通過看個人陳述和推薦信來判斷這個專業是否適合你，你能否做到最好。

And that’s not binding, let’s say you are right there, you want to research things access,

但是也不一定，如果你已經開始做一些研究，

and you end up getting to do your program and you want to do what instead, that’s totally fine,

并且已經完成了，然后你想繼續研究一些其他的東西，申請另一個專業的研究生，也是可以的，

but what we are looking for when we read master’s applications or graduate applications,

但是一般來說，老師們看學生們的研究生申請材料時，

generally, it is the ability to articulate a project and why this place is a fit for it.

他們會期望看到這個學生能給這個領域的研究帶來新的血液。

And if it was not a research, masters then just talking about why you are the right person for this place.

如果拋開研究，通俗來講，申請研究生其實就是看你是不是對的人。

Recommendations are also key,

推薦信真的很重要，

now we read a lot of recommendations, that is where to get one, that’s really negative,

我們讀過很多教授推薦信，但是一封好的推薦信很難得，

we look for a recommendation that can talk specifically about you, can I identify things that you have done,

其實一封能描述清楚學生到底是什么樣子，都做了些什么的推薦信，才是我們想看到的，

so when you are asking for a recommendation,

所以當你想讓你的老師寫推薦信的時候，

be sure to include the names of the essays that you have written,

一定要標注你所發表的文章，

that your professor can speak to them, ask for the specific examples of the kinds of things you have done, and maybe even the kinds of things that you can do.

而且要保證國外教授可以聯系到你的老師，因為他們可能會問一些問題，比如說你做過的事，或你能做的事。

If you have taught, if you have teaching experience, that’s fantastic,

如果你有教學經驗，那就更好了，

especially if you are looking to get that kind of job.

尤其是在申請教育相關專業的時候，你的教學經驗會有很大優勢。

If you have done summer programs, that’s useful,

如果你參加過美國大學舉辦的夏令營，也對你的申請有幫助，

but maybe not as necessary except for maybe，that you know how things work in the America institutions, particularly if you are looking for some sort of teaching.

但這不是必須的，除非有些大學要求類似經歷。

If you want to do something interdisciplinary,

如果你想讀跨領域的研究生，

you really need to be sure that is supported by the institutions that you are applying to, so if you want to a joining masters, make sure that there are something that either exist,

你一定要確定好這個學校是否有這個領域的研究生學位，

or that other people have done,

或者是否有前人做過類似的研究，

because if you are going to suggest，that is not possible,

因為并不是你想學什么，就有什么的，

you don’t want to ruin yourself other than for both other kinds of programs, so I would say you have to really do your research, reject your professors, see if it is possible.

所以如果你真的不想違背心愿，我還是建議你做自己的研究。

And once again, for things like master’s programs, going to the various websites of the institutions themselves, it is incredibly useful.

一定要瀏覽每一個大學的官網，上面有很多有用的信息。

And my department doesn’t have a master’s program we used to,

我們系現在是沒有研究生學位的，

but there were founding that the people who want to go onto a PhD, we just apply directly to the PhD,

但是你可以直接申請PhD,

there always talk about doing a new master’s program but there are something we have at the moment.

我們一直計劃開設一個新的研究生課程，但是有一些現實問題沒有解決，所以還沒實現。

There are some wonderful master’s programs in the communication and other institutions.

當然你也可以申請我們學校其他專業的研究生，比如說傳媒專業的研究生就很好。

And we often take PhD students from those other places.

我們也經常錄取來自其他國家和地方的博士生。

and I think a good master can really prepare you for great jobs going on,

我認為，在一所好大學讀一個好的研究生，對你未來的事業是很有幫助的，

but bear in mind that you probably goona have quite a bit of debt, cause master’s program are quite expensive and often not funded.

但你一定要做好心理準備，因為讀研究生和博士生都是非?；ㄥX的，而且大部分都沒有資金補助，所以你可能要借錢來完成你的學業。

Now once again, I think the most master’s students tend to be overwhelmingly populated by international students, since they were really focused to work，and international students,

現在的研究生其實大部分都是留學生，因為他們真的是不畏千里，一心求學，

so that is a really nice piece in terms of founding community,

因為多，所以留學生很容易找到他們的歸宿，找到他們的伙伴，

and I think Chinese students tend to find other Chinese students to work with, which is really nice,

比如說，中國留學生就很容易找到中國人作伴，

and I think that the advantages that they may have is in terms of really understanding how these systems works, because it really understands how to navigate the kind of master’s focus program. （23:06）

我覺得這點很好，因為留學生通過與彼此交流，能更好地理解美國的教育體系，也能更好地學習與生活。

以上是教授的公開課分享關于美研申請的問題，希望能夠幫到你~