What matters to you, and why? (250 word limit.)
这是斯坦福大学诸多附加文书中的一篇，其实，有好几所学校的附加文书也有类似于这样的主题。比如说芝加哥大学去年的附加文书里面就有一篇是“you are you and your ....”半开放式命题的附加文书，其实有异曲同工之处。由于篇幅的限制，250字的文书只能高度概括，你很难去用大量的细节去印证什么对你重要并解释为什么。所以，这篇文书也是让很多学生头疼的文书。
那么，该如何着手呢？让我们来看一篇美国学生的文书先，文章来自网络。
Well, that’s a very broad question. Some days, everything matters to me while on the other days, nothing matters. For example, there are times when I convince myself that the reason of my existence is to savor the delicious taste of food. But there are also times when I’m the philosophically perfect citizen whose ultimate desire is global peace and end of starvation. My priorities in life are not always constant and the things that matter to me change according to those priorities. A disappointing grade on a test might make education matter but disappointed parents might make family matter. Heartwarming notes from peers might make friends matter but heart-rending pictures of starving children might make ending world hunger matter. I’m not ashamed of my fluctuating concerns in life because they exemplify the range of perspectives I carry and my ability to focus on many parts of life at once. But when it comes down to it, what really matters to me is my happiness. When I’m happy, I feel like I’m invincible. Happiness allows me to be a Hercules challenging the Greek gods or a Jew standing up to a Hitler. It allows me to look forward towards the future rather than to ponder over the past. It allows me to appreciate my life and avoid self-deprecation and regrets. So what makes me happy? Everything, like I mentioned above, ranging from gaining knowledge and making my parents proud to hanging out with my friends or helping for a bigger cause. If my family and friends are happy, I’m happy. If I’m fighting for something I believe in and doing something I like, I’m happy. I know I’ll be happy when I’m at Stanford because I’ll be studying what I wish, how I wish, and where I wish. I will be able to tackle the many priorities in my life at once, giving me the ultimate happiness.
这个学生写的是快乐至上。不过，他并不是一开始就进入快乐至上的主题。开篇他用哲学的观点来看待这个问题，不同时间不同阶段我们所看重的不一样，并用具体的例子来说明，这个过程中，我们看到他成熟的一面，全然接纳自己的各个方面。但是笔锋一转，在篇中的地方却点出，当他觉得快乐的时候他最无敌（说白了就是内心要强大啊强大，自己要能够自娱其乐high起来）。然而，什么是快乐，这实在是一个虚无缥缈的答案，写的不好很容易就跑偏了。
然后他又用大量的细节来解释什么是快乐，获得新的知识，与朋友互动给父母争面子，为梦想努力奋斗等等，当然，能进入斯坦福云云。。
总的来说，这篇文书虽然有值得推敲和修改的细节，但是却紧扣主题，把快乐至上这样一个形而上学的题目写的有理有据。
那么，我们到底如何去处理这样的一篇文书呢？首先，主题很关键，有的学生说父母很重要，我的包包很重要，知识很重要，散步很重要，这些都很难写出新意，或者说，出题人根本是想了解你的人生观与价值观。所以，如何去给出你独特的回答并能够自圆其说非常关键。
至于芝加哥的这篇异曲同工的文书，更加的考量你的写作功底，不过基于是500字的篇幅，反而对学生的概括能力没有那么难。
英迪洛出品
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