致所有正在閱讀這篇文章的中國高中生、大學生、研究生和家長們：      
To all the Chinese high school, college, graduate students, and parents reading this, 
　　如果我告訴你們，我有直通哈佛、斯坦福或耶魯這些美國頂尖名校的秘訣，你會怎么做？你會給我多少錢？會請我到北京最頂級的飯店大吃一頓嗎？或者是帶我到中國最有異國風情的地方走一遭？雖然拒絕如此奢侈的禮物對我來說非常困難，但我不得不承認，世上根本沒有這樣的秘訣。不管其他教育咨詢機構之前告訴過你什么，但是被頂尖美國大學錄取始終是一個頗有運氣成分的人為流程。就算你的SAT成績很高或者你曾經(jīng)獲得過很多獎項，也不能保證你就一定能被錄取。這世界上根本就沒有能確保進入某一學校的捷徑。
　　If I told you I had the secret to guarantee admissions into a top US University like Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, what would you do? How mUCh money would you pay me? Would you treat me to the finest dinners in Beijing, or a vacation in the most exotic locales in China? As hard as it is for me to turn down sUCh lavish gifts, the truth is, there is no secret. I don’t care what other edUCation consultancy agencies may have told you in the past, but admissions to a top US Universities is a human process, and mUCh of it is by chance. It does not matter how high your SAT score is or how many prestigious awards you’ve won, there is no way to ensure acceptance into a specific school. 
　　我所能做的，是給學生和家長們一些建議，告訴他們?nèi)绾纬浞掷米约旱母咧谢虼髮W生涯，以及如何合理定位自身從而最大可能地獲得錄取。在我自己經(jīng)歷過大學錄取過程之后，我總結了一些經(jīng)驗與你們分享，來避免你們犯與我一樣的錯誤。
　　What I can do, however, is give students and parents some general tips on what they can do to make the most of their high school/collegiate career, and position themselves well enough to have the highest chance of gaining admissions. Going through the college admissions process myself, I have experiences to share with you so you don’t make the same mistakes as I did. 
　　不過在開始之前，我先做個自我介紹。我是美籍華人，在西安出生，2歲的時候移居到美國。我在波士頓長大并且完成高中學業(yè)，之后，便去了劍橋城的哈佛大學學習心理學和醫(yī)學預科。在大學期間，我參加過許多不同的課外活動，特別是一個幫助波士頓唐人街弱勢青少年的課外項目。大學畢業(yè)之后，我去了南非的約翰內(nèi)斯堡，建立了我自己的非盈利組織，并在當?shù)氐囊粋€貧困鄉(xiāng)鎮(zhèn)，通過體育和教育來幫助青少年。你可能會想好奇為什么我現(xiàn)在在中國為IDP寫博文。那是因為我正處于Gap Year，明年8月將回到哈佛，進入醫(yī)學院學習。在申請美國院校方面我有許多經(jīng)驗，我想我可以分享一些信息給你們。
　　But before I do that, let me first introdUCe myself. I’m Chinese American. I was born in Xi’an, and moved to the US when I was 2 years old. I grew up in Boston, where I attended high school, and subsequently went across the river to Cambridge to study at Harvard, where I studied Psychology and pre-medical studies. I was involved in many different extracurricular activities, in particular, one after school program that helped underprivileged youth in Boston’s Chinatown. After college, I went to Johannesburg, South Africa, to start my own non-profit organization that assisted the youth in an impoverished township there through using sports and edUCation. So now you might be wondering why I’m here in China blogging for IDP. I’m here on a gap year before I start medical school next August. I figure since I have so mUCh experience applying to US schools, I can help share some of that information.
　　現(xiàn)在來說一說我將會在博客里和大家分享的內(nèi)容。我將給你們一些關于準備申請的建議，什么是你應該做的以及你不應該做的。我也會寫一些我作為美國人，在中國生活所觀察到的現(xiàn)象和文化上的差異。與此同時，對于中國教育系統(tǒng)，生活質(zhì)量以及任何我所能想到的特定方面，我也將發(fā)表我自己的看法。如果你有任何關于內(nèi)容上的意見或者建議，請告訴我，我會盡我所能來滿足你們的要求。哈佛校友咨詢熱線：400 821 8688
　　In terms of this blog, here’s what you can expect. I’ll give you some general advice on how you can prepare for the application process-- what you should do, and what you shouldn’t do.      I’ll also write about some of my general observations as an American living in China and differences in the culture. I’ll talk about what I think about certain aspects of the edUCation system here, the quality of life, and whatever else comes to mind. Please, if you have any suggestion or comments on what you would like me to write about more, let me know, and I’ll try my best to accommodate you. 
本文作者：前哈佛面試官、哈佛知名校友Mr. Patrick LI