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关于你的问题，我借用宾夕法尼亚大学传媒学院Prof. Pearl的一次公开课内容来回答：
Now let me talk to you a little bit about graduate institutions, and applying for a master’s program.
接下来我想讲一讲研究生院以及研究生申请的流程。
So once again, you really have to do your research and think about where do you want to go.
重申一下，你还是要花费心思上网搜集信息，之后再决定你到底想去哪里。
Rankings do matter perhaps, I would say a bit more for master’s programs,
学校的排名固然重要，可能对于申请研究生来说更重要，
only because master is sort of a finding degree.
因为研究生是一个需要你去发现，去研究的学位。
If you are looking to do a professional masters like a MBA, then rankings really are quite key.
比如说你想攻读工商管理硕士，那么学校的排名就很重要。
But so again are factors like do you want to be in a city,
然后还要考虑，你想不想住在城市，
what is your access to jobs,
毕业生就业前景怎么样，
is there a community of international students,
有没有留学生社区，
do you live on campus,
你要不要住在学校，
what kind of guidance do you get,
学校有没有各方面的指导，
what kind of support do you get.
有没有各方面的支持。
For something like a masters in an academic discipline like English or, I don’t know, Geography,
比如说，如果你想申请英语或地理等这些学科的研究生，
you really do have to think quite carefully about whether or not that is a good decision for you，
你一定要认真考虑，这到底是不是一个好的选择，
because they are very expensive, they are rarely funded,
因为研究生学费都很贵，并且一般没有什么资助，
so it’s unusual to get some sort of subsidy for that kind position.
也很难得到补助。
You might get a TH, it shell be offered the opportunities to do some teaching to support your tuition.
但是学校可能会提供一些教学实习的机会，你可通过参与教学获得一些补助。
You might get to some sort of scholarship,
你也有机会获得奖学金，
but they are really quite in investment,
但他们一般会看研究领域，
so you have to think about what it is your investing in.
所以你需要考虑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,
你是否想利用这笔奖学金继续读博士学位，
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.
还是同时资助你读研究生和博士。
If you are looking to raise your grade in order to be in a better position for other kinds of opportunities down the line,
如果你想提高你的学位等级，以便未来获得更多的机会的话，
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.
那么你就要好好考虑一下，哪个学校能给你提供支持，能让你成为更优秀的人。
It’s always particular professor you want to work with,
如果你已经有了心仪的教授，
that actually matters quite a bit more than the master’s and the PhD level,
这是一件非常好的事，可能比你申请研究生或是博士还要重要，
and especially if you were looking to produce some sort of researches that will help you down the road.
尤其是，当你有特别想做的研究的时候。
So if there is someone whose interest is really align with yours closely and will really help you,
如果有教授的研究领域或研究倾向跟你的兴趣一致，并且能助你进步的话，
write a PhD application, that is the place you that should think about more closely.
那你一定要申请这个学校的PhD，会对你很有帮助。
And that program, sometimes that’s not really clear either, it depends what it is you want to do.
所以最重要的还是，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.
如果你以后准备进入商业领域，相比其他一些细化的专业来说，其实申请工商管理硕士是一个更好的选择，因为它能开阔你的眼界，为你的今后打好基础。
For your looking to do a PhD program and you are a little torned between a little fields,
如果你想申请PhD，并且还在纠结于选择什么专业，
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，
我能给你们的建议就是，如果你非常擅长数学，
and masters, something like math or statistics, what really help,
或者你本身就是数学专业的硕士，
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.
那么如果申请经济的PhD或健康传播的PhD，这些十分需要运算能力的专业，你会有很大优势。
But if you say you want to do something like English,
如果你想学英语，
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.
想提高自己的语言能力和写作能力，那你就去申请英语专业相关的研究生。
If you want to, if you are not quite sure,
如果你还不确定自己到底想学什么，
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.
或许你可以考虑申请一些跨学科、或者跨领域的研究生。
And if you are looking to just get a tiny bit more training for career,
如果你想为你未来的事业做准备，学习一些技能，
then you really do need to think about the more applying master’s programs and things like communication or journalism,
那你应该申请一些培养专业技能的研究生，比如说传媒或新闻，
so for masters, I think one of the key things to think about what it is you want to do.
所以总的来说，申请研究生最重要的一点就是，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,
就像申请大学一样，学生们的GPA，平均分，CV等申请材料都非常重要，
but the real keys there are letters of recommendation and your personal statement,
但我认为最关键的还是教授推荐信和个人陈述，
nobody really cares about your CV when you are applying to a master’s program,
负责招生的老师不会太注重你的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.
但是他们会看通过看个人陈述和推荐信来判断这个专业是否适合你，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，如果你已经开始做一些研究，
and you end up getting to do your program and you want to do what instead, that’s totally fine,
并且已经完成了，然后你想继续研究一些其他的东西，申请另一个专业的研究生，也是可以的，
but what we are looking for when we read master’s applications or graduate applications,
但是一般来说，老师们看学生们的研究生申请材料时，
generally, it is the ability to articulate a project and why this place is a fit for it.
他们会期望看到这个学生能给这个领域的研究带来新的血液。
And if it was not a research, masters then just talking about why you are the right person for this place.
如果抛开研究，通俗来讲，申请研究生其实就是看你是不是对的人。
Recommendations are also key,
推荐信真的很重要，
now we read a lot of recommendations, that is where to get one, that’s really negative,
我们读过很多教授推荐信，但是一封好的推荐信很难得，
we look for a recommendation that can talk specifically about you, can I identify things that you have done,
其实一封能描述清楚学生到底是什么样子，都做了些什么的推荐信，才是我们想看到的，
so when you are asking for a recommendation,
所以当你想让你的老师写推荐信的时候，
be sure to include the names of the essays that you have written,
一定要标注你所发表的文章，
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.
而且要保证国外教授可以联系到你的老师，因为他们可能会问一些问题，比如说你做过的事，或你能做的事。
If you have taught, if you have teaching experience, that’s fantastic,
如果你有教学经验，那就更好了，
especially if you are looking to get that kind of job.
尤其是在申请教育相关专业的时候，你的教学经验会有很大优势。
If you have done summer programs, that’s useful,
如果你参加过美国大学举办的夏令营，也对你的申请有帮助，
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.
但这不是必须的，除非有些大学要求类似经历。
If you want to do something interdisciplinary,
如果你想读跨领域的研究生，
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,
你一定要确定好这个学校是否有这个领域的研究生学位，
or that other people have done,
或者是否有前人做过类似的研究，
because if you are going to suggest，that is not possible,
因为并不是你想学什么，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违背心愿，我还是建议你做自己的研究。
And once again, for things like master’s programs, going to the various websites of the institutions themselves, it is incredibly useful.
一定要浏览每一个大学的官网，上面有很多有用的信息。
And my department doesn’t have a master’s program we used to,
我们系现在是没有研究生学位的，
but there were founding that the people who want to go onto a PhD, we just apply directly to the PhD,
但是你可以直接申请PhD,
there always talk about doing a new master’s program but there are something we have at the moment.
我们一直计划开设一个新的研究生课程，但是有一些现实问题没有解决，所以还没实现。
There are some wonderful master’s programs in the communication and other institutions.
当然你也可以申请我们学校其他专业的研究生，比如说传媒专业的研究生就很好。
And we often take PhD students from those other places.
我们也经常录取来自其他国家和地方的博士生。
and I think a good master can really prepare you for great jobs going on,
我认为，在一所好大学读一个好的研究生，对你未来的事业是很有帮助的，
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准备，因为读研究生和博士生都是非常花钱的，而且大部分都没有资金补助，所以你可能要借钱来完成你的学业。
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,
现在的研究生其实大部分都是留学生，因为他们真的是不畏千里，一心求学，
so that is a really nice piece in terms of founding community,
因为多，所以留学生很容易找到他们的归宿，找到他们的伙伴，
and I think Chinese students tend to find other Chinese students to work with, which is really nice,
比如说，中国留学生就很容易找到中国人作伴，
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）
我觉得这点很好，因为留学生通过与彼此交流，能更好地理解美国的教育体系，也能更好地学习与生活。
以上是教授的公开课分享关于美研申请的问题，希望能够帮到你~
