Michigan個人陳述文書案例：從自我接納中獲得成長

密歇根大學

University of Michigan Personal Statement範文

這篇來自密歇根大學的PS告訴我們(men) 寫(xie) 個(ge) 人陳述時，最重要的並非展示成就，而是如何通過真實的故事展現自己如何麵對困境、接納自我，並從(cong) 中成長。

#01、外貌的先天性差異與(yu) 童年困擾

First impressions are everything—even in kindergarten.

第一印象決(jue) 定一切，即使在幼兒(er) 園也是如此。

I was born with Nonsyndromic Aplasia Cutis Congenita. Basically, I have had a scar on my head since birth, and hair couldn't always grow over it. Up until fourth grade, when I underwent two hair transplants that would allow me to slowly grow hair over my scar, it was definitely noticeable.

我出生時患有先天性非綜合征皮膚增生症。基本上，我從(cong) 出生起頭上就有一道疤痕，頭發無法一直長在疤痕上。直到四年級，我接受了兩(liang) 次頭發移植手術，疤痕上的頭發才慢慢長出來。

What I remember vividly about kindergarten is my new peers glaring at my shiny head with a puzzled look. I learned about my classmates through their lunchbox covers and backpack designs; they saw me as the boy with the scar.

我對幼兒(er) 園生活記憶猶新的是，新同學們(men) 用疑惑的目光盯著我閃閃發光的腦袋。我從(cong) 同學們(men) 的飯盒封麵和書(shu) 包設計中了解了他們(men) ；在他們(men) 眼中，我是一個(ge) 有傷(shang) 疤的男孩。

It had a nice ring to it, but I wasn’t a fan. Unfortunately, that’s what I imagined everyone saw first, and first impressions stick.

這個(ge) 名字很好聽，但我並不喜歡。不幸的是，這就是我想象中大家首先看到的，第一印象很重要。

In elementary school, it was still my defining characteristic—what separated me from a sea of collared t-shirts and cargo shorts. As I began first grade, the questions started. In retrospect, they were harmless, but they made me feel alienated. I would try to shrug them off, but the benign inquisitions furthered the self-created idea that I was different than my classmates because of something I couldn’t fix.

小學時，它還是我的標誌性特征--是它將我從(cong) 一大片有領 T 恤和短褲中區分開來。上小學一年級後，我開始受到質疑。現在回想起來，這些問題並無惡意，但卻讓我感到疏離。我試著甩掉它們(men) ，但這些善意的追問進一步加深了我的自我暗示：我和同學們(men) 不一樣，因為(wei) 有些事情我無法彌補。

#02、努力改變認知與(yu) 主動構建身份

The idea of my peers seeing only my bare scalp when they looked at me, whether true or not, was a nightmare I couldn’t shake. It was my most distinct feature, but I didn’t want it to be defining. So, I applied myself to my activities. No matter what it was, I always tried to stand out so I wouldn’t be seen as the boy with the scar anymore. My hair wasn’t something I could control, but my personality was. I wanted to build an identity on my interests and attributes, not have one automatically assigned because of a birth mark.

同齡人看我時隻看到我光禿禿的頭皮，無論這是否屬實，都是我揮之不去的噩夢。這是我最明顯的特征，但我不想讓它成為(wei) 我的標誌。於(yu) 是，我全身心地投入到我的活動中。不管做什麽(me) ，我總是努力讓自己脫穎而出，這樣我就不會(hui) 再被看作是那個(ge) 有傷(shang) 疤的男孩了。我的頭發不是我能控製的，但我的個(ge) 性可以。我想根據自己的興(xing) 趣和特質建立自己的身份，而不是因為(wei) 天生的疤痕而被自動分配身份。

From art to sports to being one of the only first graders on elementary student council, my desire to distract my peers from my scar was the reason I pushed myself to try new things and work at them, even if it wasn’t for the best reason.

從(cong) 藝術到體(ti) 育，再到成為(wei) 小學學生會(hui) 中唯一的一年級學生之一，我想讓同伴們(men) 遠離我的傷(shang) 疤，這是我推動自己嚐試新事物並為(wei) 之努力的原因，即使這並不是最好的理由。

As I grew up with it and found hobbies that I genuinely enjoyed doing and talking about, I slowly became more comfortable with the attention that I once shied away from. I found a way, through my activities and interests, to feel comfortable in my skin, whether there was hair on it or not.

隨著我的成長，我找到了自己真正喜歡做的事和喜歡談論的話題，我慢慢地變得更願意接受那些我曾經回避的目光。通過自己的活動和興(xing) 趣，我找到了一種方法，讓自己的皮膚感到舒適，無論上麵是否有毛發。

#03、外在變化與(yu) 內(nei) 在成長交錯

I remember walking out of the operating room after my second surgery with a new sense of self, ready to be a different person with a re-created identity and a full head of hair. That didn’t happen. I went back to school as the same person I was before, and that was exactly what I wanted—I just didn’t know it then. For so long I felt restricted by my scar. It wasn’t until hair started growing when I realized I never really was.

我記得第二次手術後，我懷著全新的自我感覺走出手術室，準備成為(wei) 一個(ge) 擁有全新身份和滿頭秀發的另一個(ge) 人。但事實並非如此。我還是以原來的樣子回到了學校，這正是我想要的，隻是當時我不知道而已。長久以來，我一直覺得自己受到傷(shang) 疤的限製。直到頭發開始生長，我才意識到自己從(cong) 未真正變過。

I didn’t have a sudden epiphany about my scar after the surgery, nor did I feel like a new person. By that point in my life, I had figuratively grown into my scar just as I grew into my brother’s hand-me-downs. I found and focused on my interests, and from them I developed an identity that I was proud of, well before I went under the knife.

手術後，我並沒有突然對自己的傷(shang) 疤產(chan) 生頓悟，也沒有覺得自己煥然一新。在我的生命中，我已經在疤痕中成長，就像我在哥哥的衣服中成長一樣。我找到並專(zhuan) 注於(yu) 自己的興(xing) 趣愛好，並從(cong) 中發展出自己引以為(wei) 傲的身份，這一切都發生在我動刀子之前。

A caveat of my surgery was that the hair would grow, then one-third would fall off. My scar will never be completely gone, but I no longer feel defined by it like I did in elementary school.

我手術的一個(ge) 注意事項是，頭發會(hui) 長出來，然後會(hui) 脫落三分之一。我的疤痕永遠不會(hui) 完全消失，但我不再像小學時那樣被它所定義(yi) 。

#04、總結性領悟與(yu) 自我肯定

Neither the surgeries or my search for a more redeeming quality completely changed my life, but both experiences made me more confident in my self-perception. I can be whatever I want to be; a scar can’t change that. It just took two surgeries and years of nail biting and pushing myself at my activities, some of which I still partake in and am passionate about today, to realize it.

無論是手術還是尋找更多的救贖，都沒有徹底改變我的生活，但這兩(liang) 次經曆讓我對自我認知更加自信。我想成為(wei) 什麽(me) 樣的人就能成為(wei) 什麽(me) 樣的人，疤痕無法改變這一點。隻是經過兩(liang) 次手術和多年的咬指甲、在活動中逼迫自己才意識到這一點，其中有些活動我至今仍在參與(yu) 並充滿熱情。