相信PersonalStatement大家都知道，但是PersonalHistoryStatement是什么？又该怎么写呢？PersonalHistoryStatement（下简称PHS），是专门为了学校增强学生的diversity（即种族、阶级、性别认同等多元性）而涉及的一篇文书，主要要求学生描述自己的社会背景，例如少数族裔背景等，外国申请人有时不需要写PHS。对于中国的申请人而言，貌似一部分博士学位只需要一篇SoP描述学术志趣，还有很多学位只需要一篇PersonalStatement，这种PS大致有点类似于SoP和PHS的混合物。
PersonalHistoryStatement范文
IamimpressedbytheanomalyIhavebecome:afemalestudentofMexicandescentspecializinginearlymodernEuropeanhistory.Myundergraduatecurriculum,whichconsistedmainlyofEnglishclassesonShakespeareorMiltonandhistorycoursesontheEnlightenmentandtheReformation,beliedmyethnicorigins.Infact,IcanrecallthoseuncomfortablemomentsinclasswhenIwouldpausetoglancearoundtheroom,realizingthatIwastheonlybrownstudentinalecturehallofsixtyoreightystudents.Despitetheseoccasionalsetbacks,Icontinued,headstrong,topursuemypassionforallthingsearlymodern.AndIcreditmyacademicsuccessandaccomplishmentstomyfirmresolvetostudyonlythatwhichinterestedmeandnotthatforwhichIwasintended.
Yettherecomesatimewhenanamateurscholarbecomesaprofessional,atwhichpointshemustreconcilesomehowherpersonallifeandpastwithhernewcareerandfuture.Findingmyselfonthevergeofthattransition,Ifeelitisanadequatetimetoreflectonhowmyscholarlyinterestsintersectwithmyculturalupbringing.ItisthisoddbutuniquerelationshipbetweenmyidentityasanhistorianofRenaissanceEurope,mydevelopingfeminism,andmyMexicanorigins,thatIwanttodiscussinthisessay.
Forreasonsbeyondmyimmediategrasp,IhavealwaysharboredspecialfondnessfortheperiodroughlydescribedastheEuropeanRenaissance.Icanrecallbrieflystudyingthiseraduringaworldhistoryclassinmyelementaryyears.Butanyintereststhatmayhavebeenignitedweresoonsquelchedinhighschoolbythecurriculum’snecessaryemphasisonAmericanhistory,governmentandpolitics.MyinterestsinearlymodernEuropedidnottrulyblossomuntilIchanceduponaWesternCivilizationclassmyfirstyearofcollege.Immediately,larger-than-lifecharacterslikeHenryVIIIandLeonardodaVinci,andmassmovementssuchastheReformationandtheFrenchRevolution,tookholdofmyimaginationinwaysnotanticipated.ThoughItestedmyenthusiasmforhistorybyexploringotherepochsandgeographies–eventakingacourseonraceinLatinAmerica–Ialwaysreturnedtothatperiodwhichsoheldmespellbound.
YetIhadnoonewithwhichtodiscussmynewfoundpassion.Fartootimidtotalktomyprofessorsaboutanythingotherthanhomeworkandwritingassignments,Iturnedtomyfather,ahistoryenthusiastlikemyself.Butmyfather,whoknewmuchabouttheMexicanhistoryandimportantLatinAmericanfigureslikePorfioDiazandCheGuevara,couldhardlybeexpectedtosustainaconversationaboutmygrowinginfatuationforthelikesofCatherinedeMediciandLouisVIV.Sadly,IexperienceddifficultyrelatingmybackgroundandidentitytothepeoplewhosehistoryIstudied.Myconceptofhistoryhadalwaysentailedaspecial,patrioticbondbetweenthepeopleofthepastandtheirdescendants.AndI,thedaughterofaMexicanimmigrant,hadnoimmediatetiestothefathersofWesterncivilization.NeverhadIevenvisitedLondon,Rome,orParis;onlyMexicoCity,Guadalajara,andthetinyvillagewheremyfatherwasborn,Churintzio.
Asmyunderstandingtheearlymodernperiodmatured,however,mypoeticconceptofhistorychangeddramatically.Indeed,thereexistsmarkeddisparitybetweenthehistoryinculcatedingrammarandhighschoolwhichisheroicanduncriticalandtheanalyticalhistoryuniversityprofessorsrequirestudentstopractice.IeventuallyrealizedthatIcouldstudytheearlymodernperiodfromthepositionofascholarinterestedinthewaysthatpeopleofthepastinteractedwithoneanotherandreactedtotheeventsthatshapedtheirlives.Inasense,Iassumedtheroleofananthropologistwhostudiesanddissectsaforeignculturenotonlytobettercomprehendthatcultureanditssymbols,buttogainunorthodoxperspectiveontheworldweinhabittoday.Regardlessofmyethnicbackgroundandorigins,myanalyticalskillsandflairforwritingarestrictlymyown.However,myworkethic,Iamproudtosay,derivesfrommyfamily,fromafatherwhodoggedlypursuedtheAmericandream,andfromfield-laboringgrandparents.
Yeteveryacademicneedshisorheownniche,andIdiscoveredminewhenIstumbleduponthenascentbutpromisingfieldofwomen’shistory.Thoughdistancedsomewhatfromitsoriginalpoliticalagenda,feminisminacademeremainsstrongandvibrant,evidentespeciallyinemergingworksofhistorythatnotonlydetailwomen’shistoricalstrugglesandrealities,butforcefullyarguethatsuchexperiencesdemandattentionandincorporationintothehistoricalrecord.MyfirstencounterwiththisfascinatingareaofscholarshipoccurredduringmyjunioryearofcollegewhenIenrolledinacourseonearlymodernwomenwriters,andwasinspiredbystoriesoffeministscholarswhoweredevotingtheirtimeandefforttorescuetheworksofwomenauthorslikeChristinedePizanandElizabethCaryfromrelegatedobscurity.IsoonrealizedthatIhadarealandhonestinvestmentinwomen’shistoryandwomen’sissues,forI,muchlikethewomenIstudied,camefromaculturewheretraditionalpatriarchalvalueswereandcontinuetobeupheld.Indeed,thereismuchtobesaidaboutthesimilaritiesbetweenearlymodernpatriarchyandcontemporaryMexicanmachismo.Bothrelyonthehierarchyofthefamilytoachievesocialandmoralstability.Bothenforcethesubordinationofwomen’sbodiesthroughgenderedcodesofhonor.
Perhapsthegreatesttestamentofmypromiseasanhistorianofearlymodernwomen’shistoryismyseniorthesis,whichearnedmethe2003Chancellor’sAwardforExcellenceinUndergraduateResearch.Entitled”Chaste,Silent,andHungry:TheProblemofFemaleAppetiteinEarlyModernEngland,1550-1700,”thisprojectarguedfortheprevalenceofaculturaldiscourseinearlymodernEnglandconcernedwithregulatingwomen’sbodiesandsexualitythroughregimenteddiet.Aslewofconductbookswhichaggressivelycautionedwomenagainstthedangersoffoodindulgenceandsatiationservedasthefoundationforthisthesis.Unsurprisingly,attheheartofthisstudyoftherelationshipbetweenfoodmoresandgenderideologies,wasmyownconvictioninthepowerofcultureandcustomtoinformwomen’sexperiencesandself-perceptions.
Mybackground,Iwouldargue,hasmoldedmeintothescholarIamandthefeminishistorianIamintheprocessofbecoming.Growingupwithinamale-dominatedcultureandfamilyhasmademekeenlyawareandsensitivetothecontextualconfinesthatoppresswomen’sactionsanddesires;ithasalsomademeappreciativeoftheimaginativeandcourageouswaysinwhichwomenhavecollaboratedandconspiredsometimestacitly,othertimesquiteovertlytochallengeandsubvertpatriarchalauthority.IamfortunatetohaveknowngenerationsofresilientMexicanwomen,beginningwithmygrandmotherwhotoldfascinatingstoriesofherlifeasanimpoverishedimmigrantmother,endingwithmyselfwhostrugglestostraddletheliberalworldofacademeandthetraditionaldomainofhomeandfamily.Ichannelmyrespectandadmirationforfemaleforbearanceintomyownwork,andIbringanuncommonbutinsightfulperspectivetoearlymodernhistorybecauseofmyuniqueMexicanorigins.
此文文笔依然太美，譬如第一段几个画面排列，第二段开头第一句笔锋的转折，作者的文学修养可见一斑。但此文最重要的优点在于，它完全抓住了PHS这种物体的实质所在。PHS要求把自己个人的历史背景和未来的职业理想联系在一起，这位申请人的历史背景与其未来的职业八竿子打不着，说实话可能是一个弊端，但是这篇文章完全化腐朽为神奇。说到底，这还是因为作者本人对她专业的深沉热爱和深入了解。
我的观点是，真正优秀的PHS，绝不试图通过黑你周围的人来突出你的优秀。诚然，很多申请人都一不小心走进了这样的套路，说实在的这是一种很容易吸引眼球的写法，但它远远不是最好的。一切的院系都希望招收正直、自信、乐观、向上的学生，没有人希望招收对自己的背景充满怨念、对自己周围的人不屑一顾的申请人。PoliticalCorrectness这个概念就是美国人发明的的，它暗示着即使你不同意你周围的人的做法，你也应该试图跟他们和平相处。虽然黑周围的人很容易显示出申请人本身锲而不舍的奋斗精神和出淤泥而不染的高贵态度，但是在那些饱读诗书、对社会文化了解得很透彻的读者（whichare你的招生委员会的教授们）眼中，会显得非常naive。
而且我不知道是不是文科申请人对这个问题需要尤其提升敏感度。一个文科的系里面往往都有一部分教授在研究性别，一部分教授在研究族裔，一部分教授在研究阶级，那你根本几乎不可能黑世界上的任何一个群体，因为你不论黑什么群体，这些教授都心里一清二楚，很容易看出你话里的破绽来。
请看上面这篇文章，全文中何处透露了墨西哥裔是一个持有很多错误观点的族裔，我研究文艺复兴表明我不与之同流合污这种思路？说实话在美国这个政治敏感的国家也没有人敢这么些。恰恰相反，她肯定了她父亲这个墨西哥小村出生的移民的学识、表现出对她族裔文化的欣赏、并且巧妙地把墨西哥族裔的文化背景与欧洲文艺复兴协调到了一起。又如，这位作者本科读了文学和历史两个学位，她也没有描述自己觉得如何文学不好所以才转投历史，而是一再强调自己的文学背景能给历史研究带来什么好处。这才是PS中应该出现的逻辑，是正面的、积极的逻辑，而不是负面的、以否定其它选项来达到目的的逻辑。如果我是招生官，我也想要找一个对自己的身份非常自豪的学生，而不是想要一个对自己的来处感到不满的学生。如果你要转专业、如果你要去做非主流的事情，你应该突出你的独特而不是突出跟我不一样的都是不足的。有千千万万个好理由可以为你的行为作出解释，黑你周围的人绝对不是其中之一。
然后再回过头来请大家反复研读这篇文章的第一自然段。PHS和PS的第一自然段非常非常重要，一定要吸引眼球，相反SoP的第一自然段就务必开门见山总结自己的研究兴趣。此文第一句就石破天惊，接下来通过若干意向的排列，勾画出一个与众不同但又积极向上的我的形象，最后一句wrapitup。一个多月前我第一次欣赏完此文的第一自然段之后，瞬间就觉得这世界上所有其他的PS和PHS都弱爆了TAT
对于非英语母语的撰稿人来说，一定要反复proofread和找同伴peerreview你的文书才行。
