一個女生，一個申請到卡內(nèi)基梅隆大學(xué)和南加州大學(xué)機械工程博士全獎的女生，在她遞交給學(xué)校的個人陳述里面談到了自己對于專業(yè)深入執(zhí)著的探索(個人陳述，Personal Statement，也叫Statement of Purpose，錄取審理過程中要看的)：

“……我高考的時候興致勃勃地報了北航的機械工程和自動化學(xué)院，到了大二才認識到這個領(lǐng)域的復(fù)雜性和趣味性遠超過了我的預(yù)想。所以我賣力地學(xué)習(xí)，成績一直名列前茅。在一次創(chuàng)新實習(xí)期間，我和四位同學(xué)，協(xié)力設(shè)計每一個零部件、選擇合適的材料、親自組裝，發(fā)明出了能在階梯上如履平地的汽車。發(fā)明和制造的過程是復(fù)雜艱辛的，因為有超過57個零部件完全需要我們手工打造。在這期間，我不僅要全力以赴，完善各個工作流程，還要鼓舞士氣、激勵組員共同努力。然而，我們的成果并不像預(yù)想的那樣完美——超重、局部強度低，且摩擦嚴重。究其根源，主要問題出現(xiàn)在開始未能全盤考慮所有可能出現(xiàn)的問題，比如一些在尺寸、用料上的設(shè)計缺陷直到生產(chǎn)接近尾聲時才會顯現(xiàn)出來。不僅如此，一部分零件需要重新設(shè)計和打造，不但浪費時間、精力和材料，還會影響終成品的性能。痛定思痛，我發(fā)現(xiàn)CAD/CAM/CAE可以幫助設(shè)計師在產(chǎn)品生產(chǎn)之前，將設(shè)計上的疏漏和瑕疵扼殺在萌芽狀態(tài)。這對于制造工程師來說至關(guān)重要，因此我選擇它作為研究生階段學(xué)習(xí)和研究的方向。

‘表面三角離散化’是我學(xué)士學(xué)位的論文題目，旨在將給定的曲線曲面的非均勻有理B樣條(Non-Uniform Rational B-Spl

ine)離散化成為給定范圍的三角網(wǎng)格。通過使用二叉樹數(shù)據(jù)結(jié)構(gòu)可以實現(xiàn)自適應(yīng)剖分。

本科結(jié)束后，我幸運地免試進入虛擬實境實驗室，在姚**教授的指導(dǎo)下學(xué)習(xí)。姚教授是首批中國工程院院士。作為重點虛擬實境實驗室中的一員，我參加了很多研究項目，例如‘可逆反應(yīng)類型碾壓的虛擬裝配’，‘基于微波轉(zhuǎn)換的曲線曲面的光順和壓縮處理’，‘剖分表面幾何建模及其在數(shù)控加工中的應(yīng)用’等。

‘基于微波轉(zhuǎn)換的曲線曲面的順滑和壓縮處理’是我在研究生階段進行的一個設(shè)計項目。我建立了NURBS曲線和曲面展示平臺，獨立設(shè)計所有NURBS的基本算法。此外，非均勻B樣條微波轉(zhuǎn)換算法應(yīng)用在曲線曲面的光順和壓縮處理領(lǐng)域的工作也是由我來執(zhí)行的……”

看中文的個人陳述是不是有點不爽？我們放上兩篇本科應(yīng)屆畢業(yè)生成功申請到美國名校博士全獎的個人陳述原文。大家體會一下他們在大學(xué)里面到底學(xué)到了什么？探索了什么？

篇，仍以機械工程為例，該生成功申請到了美國大學(xué)的Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering全額獎學(xué)金，選自《美嘉教育內(nèi)部PS范例》，請欣賞：

Personal Statement

Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed watching the any animation that involved vehicles especially the cartoon called “Transformers”. Of course I was deeply fascinated with the Transformers’ courage but more than that I was impressed by their powers and what they could accomplish with their vehicles.

In middle school, I finally had an opportunity to visit an international automobile show. That event was a life altering, miraculous experience for me. Here were displayed cars that I had never imagined before. They ranged from popular cars to concept cars; from family cars to SUVs; from domestic brands to over sea brands and all of them captured my undivided attention. From that moment on I have been dreaming of the possibilities of all passenger vehicles which could fulfill my own ambitious imagination in style, safety and functional merits.

I was especially impressed as a result of visiting that exhibition about the many gaps between our own domestic brands and foreign brands in aspects of form, security, equipment and technologies used in vehicle design. Considerations with regard to the human elements of safety and comfort; optimal efficiency; oil and fuel consumption and emission standards became a special concern for me. It was a natural and inevitable result that from that moment I made the decision to devote my life’s activity to the automobile industry. Still young at the time, I shamelessly imagined that one day there might be a car named after me. After the National Examination it was an easy decision for me to choose Automobile Design and Engineering as my major study discipline. 

After four years of undergraduate studies, I became more and more familiar with the automobile industry. I read everything that I could get my hands on, in both English and Chinese about automotive production and design. It became more apparent to me that design and mechanics of the industry were not the only concerns. We must also consider the automobile from the point of view of practicality and a personality which suits the consumer. Passenger vehicles, as products have become so closely related with our daily life, that we must ensure complete integration the human experience.

A person’s or family’s car is inextricably connected the drivers. Not only is it our responsibility as designers and mechanical engineers to achieve the highest degree in standards of safety, convenience, comfort and efficiency, we must take into account many human body parameters, such as optimal limb positioning; force angles of the driver and passengers; visibility and environmental forces outside of the driver’s control. We must provide an experience for the driver and his or her passengers so that they claim they treat the vehicle, not only as a tool, but as a communication and transportation device that can relieve them of the unnecessary burden of attending to requirements that we as engineers can take care of for them.