50篇精彩大学申请Essay分享之一: 一篇被斯坦福录取的申请Essay

《纽约时报》每年都会向全美国高中毕业生公开征集《大学申请论文》。2016年，该报社筛选出4篇精彩论文。这些文章...

《纽约时报》每年都会向全美国高中毕业生公开征集《大学申请论文》。

2016年，该报社筛选出4篇精彩论文。这些文章的作者对各自关于生活费用、工作经历和社会阶层等问题做了陈述。我们会陆续分别转载其他三篇。其中一篇文章的作者是爱丽卡·梅斯特（Erica Meister）。爱丽卡是密歇根州诺斯维尔高中的一名高中毕业生。诺斯维尔（Northville）最近被评为“密歇根州最势利的城市”。在文章中，爱丽卡对自己的家乡做了毫不留情的抨击。

爱丽卡文中这样描述她本人和同学：“我们是诺斯维尔人。我们的大多数人根本不在乎自己行为的后果，也不为自己的行为负责任——比如说我们暗中出售大麻和其他毒品——因为我家里有钱有势。”

这话听起来像是对一些社会现象的无情嘲骂，指出轻狂和自私是家财万贯的产物。爱丽卡在文中揭示，诺斯维尔的人们总是对街头文化趋之若鹜，但却很少关注扶贫项目。

比如她这么写道：

几年前，当说唱艺术开始流行的时候，许多男生的穿着方式让人恶心：他们模仿着自己心目中的偶像歌手，牛仔裤一直掉到胯下，内裤都露出来了；而他们在运动T恤衫和项链上所花的钱，估计比平常人周薪收入还要多。他们把自己装扮成歌手阿姆（Eminem）的模样，还鹦鹉学舌，照搬父母的话，对“共产主义”式的福利政策发表一番意见后，便唱起歌手杰伊（JAY Z）“大作”—杰伊在他的歌里描述自己如何在城市贫民窟长大，又如何受到种族主义的影响。

《纽约时报》每年都会收到数百篇《大学申请论文》，即便如此，《纽约时报》也不得不承认，爱丽卡的论文是他们迄今为止所收到的最为坦白的文章。

《纽约时报》说：“我们每年收到的文章中至少都会有一篇谴责市郊富裕阶层的生活方式，但从来没有看到过像爱丽卡这样如此直言不讳。”

但爱丽卡的论文也显示了她本人业已成为轻浮自私风气的受害者之一。

比如说学生们可以自愿报名参加AP考试。这些考试对于学生们申请大学很有帮助，但每一门课的考试费用就高达92美元。爱丽卡有个同学家庭困难。她问起这个同学计划参加哪一些AP考试，而这个同学说自己连参加一门考试的费用都支付不起。

爱丽卡在文中说：“人情冷漠的社会风气令人痛恨，但这种不良风气正在侵蚀着诺斯维尔，而我自己也成了这种风气的牺牲品。”

密歇根州的诺斯维尔市位于底特律市郊外，最近被RoadSnacks.net网站评为“密歇根州最势利的城市”，原因是其“财富无双、房价高昂（在密歇根州，诺斯维尔收入最高，房价第二），因而这里的人们变得极为势利。”

的确，底特律与诺斯维尔收入水平之间的差距让人瞠目结舌。美国政府数据显示，2014年诺斯维尔平均家庭收入是91,270美元，而底特律仅为26,095美元。

即将于今年秋天进入斯坦福大学的爱丽卡在文章结尾写道，她非常渴望将诺斯维尔式的生活甩在脑后，而用心探索外面的世界。

当然，这篇文章并非爱丽卡考上斯坦福大学的唯一法宝：她不但以9.56秒的速度打破了15米绝壁攀登比赛的美国国家记录，还是美国国家荣誉协会的会员，而且她在诺斯维尔中学的GPA也一直保持在3.9的水平。

Erica Meister（爱丽卡·梅斯特）的大学申请Essay原文如下：

In 2015, Northville, the place I consider to be my hometown, was name the snobbiest city in Michigan. I prefer to describe Northville as reckless.

The more enterprising students of Northville High School specialize in the selling of three goods: marijuana, Adderall and test answers, all goods many of my peers don’t think twice about using. We’re from Northville. Most of us know nothing of consequences or responsibility for our actions, because our fathers can cover for us with cash and connections. We’ve been raised in such privilege that we feel enabled to say and do whatever we want, thoughtlessly.

Several years back, when the rap aesthetic was particularly prominent, most of the males came to school in ill-fitting jeans that sagged below their designer boxers, sporting T-shirts and necklaces that likely cost more than the weekly income for the average person, in imitation of their favorite rapper. They carried themselves like Eminem and spewed out Jay Z verses about being raised in extreme urban poverty and racism, before parroting their parents’ views on the “communist” welfare programs.

Derogatory terms for gays, the disabled and people of color are shouted in the hallway, right over the heads of people to whom those refer. From experience, I can certify that the administration does little besides halfheartedly admonish reported bullies and send them on their way to continue their reign of terror.

To my chagrin, I have occasionally fallen into a similar mindset. I once asked a friend, whose family I knew was struggling, what AP tests she planned to take. She replied that her family couldn’t afford any. I had forgotten how bad her circumstances were and had asked my question without thinking. I found myself victim to the disease that infiltrates Northville, the same carelessness I despise. Northville’s gilded bubble caused me to forget that some don’t have the luxury of affording even the reduced price of standardized tests.

Aside from being potentially harmful, this recklessness creates a sense of emptiness for me. Superficial, materialistic and shallow, we’re all too busy going on to the next thing, focusing on getting an A and not about learning the material, and getting our rib into a conversation without listening to what was actually said. Our sole aim is to keep moving. Where, how and at what cost are irrelevant questions to us, and thus we manage to remove all trace of purpose from our actions.

My most prominent goal has always been to leave Northville behind, to find a world in which people act consciously, aware that their actions affect others, and choose to delve deeper by asking questions and seeking legitimate answers that may differ from their limited understanding. In the meantime, I aspire to prepare myself by being more thoughtful, informed and, most of all, careful.

（该Essay转载自：http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/05/12/your-money/student-college-essays-about-money.html）

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