文书是美国高校申请必交材料，个人称述PS ，简历CV, 推荐信RL，美国高校全方位了解每一位申请者，比如从学生本人口中，认识学生的老师、老板口中，调查了解学生到底是一个什么样的人。申请者的个人品质、未来目标、学术能力适不适合学校？
PS给予学生自我发言、宣传自己为自己拉票的机会，所以申请者需要写好PS，精简的说出个人学术上生活上的准备。阐述个人为什么要申请该校该专业、跟学校的匹配度怎么样等；CV需要有条理的阐述自己的学术背景和个人荣誉；RL则是从第三方推荐人的角度说明申请者某方面的学术潜力和个人品质。
除了常规的PS、CV、 RL文书外，不少院校还需要完成好几篇Essay,（具体篇数和题目因院校不同，略有差异。）那么Essay 主要都想考核申请者哪方面的能力，通常会设置哪些问题来了解申请者呢？
以旧金山大学为例：
旧金山大学需要完成1篇Esaay,题目是2选1，字数200字以内。We are intereste in learning more about you. Please select from one of the two options below an write a response of no more than 200 wors.
1、The University of San Francisco's Jesuit traition emphasizes community engagement an eucation for social justice, inspiring our stuents to become passionate agents for others. How o you see yourself becoming a part of this mission?
2、A USF eucation is intensely personal an intellectually emaning, emphasizing iscipline thinking an life-changing experiences. As you think about the many acaemic programs offere at USF, what fiels of stuy are you rawn to an why?
由此不难看出，旧金山大学想了解学生的兴趣爱好、个人经历等与学校的匹配度。
以伊利诺伊理工大学为例：
1、Why are you intereste in Illinois Institute of Technology? (250 wors or less)
2、Tell us why you are pursuing your selecte major. If you are unecie on a major tell us about the acaemic areas of interest to you. (250 wors or less)
说明为什么对IIT感兴趣，说明为什么选择该专业、该专业是什么吸引了你。
常见的网申Common 系统，通常设置以下问题来考核申请者的性格特点和价值取向：
1）Some stuents have a backgroun, ientity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application woul be incomplete without it. If this souns like you, then please share your story.
一些学生有一些具有特殊意义的背景、身份、兴趣或天赋，如果在申请材料中不提及这些，那么这份申请材料将会不够完整。如果你是这样的，那么请分享你的故事。
2）The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be funamental to later success. Recount a time when you face a challenge, setback, or failure. How i it affect you, an what i you learn from the experience?
从挫折中得到的经验教训能帮助我们获得成功。回忆你面对挑战、挫折或者失败的一次经历。它是如何影响你的，以及你从中学到了什么？
3）Reflect on a time when you questione or challenge a belief or iea. What prompte your thinking? What was the outcome?
你是否挑战过某个理念或想法？什么因素促使你去挑战它？如果可以再做一次选择，你还会这样做吗？
4）Describe a problem you've solve or a problem you' like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical ilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you an what steps you took or coul be taken to ientify a solution.
描述一个你解决过或者想解决的问题。可以是学术挑战，研究调查，道德困境——任何你认为对你个人而言很重要的问题，不论大小。说明它对你的意义和你解决问题的方法。
5）Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparke a perio of personal growth an a new unerstaning of yourself or others.
讲述让你成长或者让你重新认识自己的的一个成就、事件、或者感悟。
6） Describe a topic, iea, or concept you fin so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why oes it captivate you? What or who o you turn to when you want to learn more?
描述一个让你流连其中，甚至忘记时间的话题、想法、理念。为什么它吸引你？你想多学习时，会寻求什么/谁的帮助？
通过以上Essay 问题不难看出，大多数的文书都是需要讲故事，把故事讲的有趣、好玩，让浏览的人惊叹“天哪，原来还有这种操作”，真有意思，你快讲讲接下来发生了什么。
