李倩同学本科就读于上海财经大学经济学基地班，学业成绩在整个学院遥遥领先。出于长期以来对经济学的浓厚兴趣，她始终坚持要以美国名校的经济学专业为目标，计划读到博士。考虑到经济学这样的学术型研究是一条较少有人走的学术路径，所以我们就问她为什么不选择金融或者会计等更为实用的专业，她将自己对于经济学的理解滔滔不绝地讲给我们听。从她闪烁着智慧的目光中，我们隐约感受到这位同学仿佛天生就有一种做学者的气质，可能这也是她那么坚定地选择经济学的原因吧。
回到申请现实，只有扎实的学业基础还是很难一步到位申请到博士项目录取的，李同学和本校在职的海归教授就这点也有过很多交流，所以李同学也很认同我们申请名校经济学硕士的主张，稳扎稳打，通过硕士项目的完整学习后，再制订深造的计划。
通过和李同学多次的交流和沟通，我们紧紧抓住她的学术研究这个点来展开，一则是因为学者的形象和她本人的气质非常符合，二则是因为经济学这类基础学科非常看重申请人的学术潜力。那怎么才能让她的学术气息在申请文书中得到充分的展现呢？要达到这个目的，我们努力把笔墨都集中在申请人在本科阶段所取得的学术成果上。说到这里，我们要对“学术成果”做一点相应的解释。焦点名师认为不应该僵化地理解所谓的学术成果，并不是独立发表在学术期刊杂志上才算是一种成果。就李同学给我们所提供的材料而言，如果与同龄的本科在读生相比，她自己独立做过的经济学研究已经算是相当丰富了，只是还没有达到发表的水平而已。为了让李同学的申请文书充实起来，我们决定把她写过的几篇得到老师高度评价的学期论文都纳入学术成果的范畴，把这几个研究中所涉及的比较亮眼的观点提出来，在这里有必要举其中之一为例来具体分析。
李同学曾经参加过一次她所在学院组织的有关西部新农合的调研项目，这个项目之所以成为我们文书中的重点，原因就在于它的特殊性。为了完成调研任务，李同学远赴陕西艰苦农村体验生活，在克服种种困难之后，她顺利取得了后续研究所需要的详细数据。这个项目的特殊性不仅仅在于研究本身，更在于以下两个方面：第一，通过此次调研，李同学对经济学研究有了更深刻的认识。要做一个出色的经济学家，不仅需要聪明的头脑，在很多时候，更需要研究人员吃苦耐劳的精神和在困难的环境下自己对于科学的信仰，这种信仰也是成就伟大学者的必要条件；第二，在贫困地区工作，李同学也亲眼目睹了我国经济发展极不均衡的现状，加深了对贫困的理解，更深刻地感受到了自己作为经济学学生的社会责任。这段科研经历也给杜克大学录取委员会留下了深刻的印象，记得Charles Becker（Dean）还发邮件给李同学提及过她这段可贵的经历，给予了她高度的赞誉。
尽管李同学的简历上没有一点社会实习经历，也没有那么多溢美之词，但最终的申请结果还是印证了我们申请策略的成功，八所经济学硕士项目录取了七所，只有一所南加州大学因李同学已确认入读杜克大学，自己主动放弃，可以说是横扫了经济学硕士中排名靠前的学校。
杜克大学校徽
附
Penny同学已经在2014年暑期毕业，并于当年成功拿到伦敦摩根士丹利投资银行的offer。时代焦点另一位成功学员，于楚同学，也于次年成功收获杜克大学经济学博士全奖录取。她的很多经历和准备都是参照李倩同学的案例获得成功的。在许老师最新出版的《斯坦福日记》中也完整记录了她的申请历程。下图为于楚同学Offer信展示：
DUKE
offce of Admissions
2127 Campus Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0065
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
February 20，2014
Chu Yu
1637 Omington Ave.Apt 202
Evanston IL 60201
Dear Ms.Yu：
Your application and supporting documents have been carefully reviewed by a departmental committee and by The Graduate School.I am pleased to inform you that you are hereby granted admission as outlined below.
Department/Program：Economics
Degree：Doctor of Philosophy
Term of Admission：2014 Summer Term 2
Duke University operates with a highly selective admissions policy, and I congratulate you upon this positive decision Your first-year financial award consists of a tuition and fee scholarship, health insurance coverage, and a fellowship stipend for which no service is expected of you in return.Details of your frst-year fnancial support package are listed under the Financial Aid tab of the Applicant Self-Service system.Through this offer of admission and fnancial support, we are expressing our confdence that you will excel in your chosen field.We understand that you may have received a number of competitive offers but sincerely hope that you will accept this offer to join Duke's scholarly community.The Graduate School and your department will ensure that you are supported through at least your fifth year of study, provided that you remain in good academic standing and are making satisfactory progress toward your degree.You are, however, considered a vital participant in meeting this commitment.We expect you, as a member of the Duke graduate community, to make a good faith effort to apply for all possible institutional and extemal scholarships and fellowships available to students in your feld.Not only do external scholarships and awards support The Graduate School's commitment to provide at least fve years of full support for all Ph.D.students they are also a prestigious and valuable acknowledgement of your research and scholarship.In the event that you are successful in the competition for an external scholarship or fellowship that can be used for your frst year of study, we expect that you will accept that award in place of Duke's support package and notify us accordingly.To ensure that your acceptance of any external award does not put you at a fnancial disadvantage, we will supplement the external fellowship, as needed, to bring your support to at least the total amount outlined in the offer of fnancial support.
The tuition and fee scholarship and your individual health insurance premium will be paid directly to your student account on your behalf.Your fellowship stipend will be paid in equal monthly installments on the last workday of the month beginning in September.You should, therefore, be prepared to support yourself fnancially through your frst month of study.
Health insurance is required for all Duke students.If you choose to enroll in Duke's student medical insurance plan（Duke SMIP），The Graduate School will cover the cost of your individual premium.Information on the Duke SMIP can be found on the student health website（http://www.studentaffairs.duke.edu/studenthealth）.International students holding F-1 or J-1 visas are required to enroll in the Duke SMIP.Domestic students may choose not to enroll in the Duke plan；however, those who do not enroll must meet the waiver criteria（which can also be found on the student health website at http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/studenthealth/health-insurance#node-1284）and provide proof of comparable alternative insurance coverage.If you do meet the waiver criteria and choose to waive the Duke SMIP, The Graduate School will provide a$400 stipend supplement that will be included in your October paycheck.
This offer of admission and fnancial award is vdlid until April 15，2014，or within 15 days from the date of this letter, whichever is later.Please notify us of your acceptance（or declination, which we would regret）using the Applicant Self-Service system.If you choose to accept this offer and have not yet submitted your official, confidential transcripts, please do so as soon as possible.Official transcripts must be sent to The Graduate School directly from the institution issuing the transcript, or in a sealed envelope bearing the institution's stamp on the outside of the envelope.
In October 2009，the Council of Graduate Schools（CGS）renewed the Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants, which outlines student rights and obligations
conceming acceptance of offers of fnancial support.A copy of this resolution may be accessed on the CGS website at http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/CGS_Resolution.pdf.Information regarding Duke University requirements, courses, housing, disability services, and cost of attendance can be found online at http://gradschool.duke.edu/admissions/admitted/index.php.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the graduate admissions offce at（919）684-3913 or grad-admissions@duke.edu.We sincerely hope you will decide to accept this offer, and we look forward to the contribution you will make to our scholarly community.
Sincerely
Paula D.McClain, Ph.D.
Dean of The Graduate School
Vice provost for Graduate Education
于楚说：“现在是我读博士之前的最后一个暑假，这个暑假过去后大概再回国的机会就很少了。即使只有不到两个月的假期，我还是决定回到许老师的时代焦点来工作一个月，看看这里现在发展得怎么样了。当我看到公司有员工百名，其中包括来自哥大、耶鲁等顶级名校的毕业生，许多教学分点，连最尖端的网络课程都规模宏大制作优良时，我很骄傲这个我看着它长大的公司越做越大，也很骄傲这个公司的决策者和领导者是我的恩师许老师。尽管公司越做越大，许老师还是像以前一样兢兢业业坐在他的办公室里，用他惯有的自信与幽默与家长和学生交谈，去帮助更多的孩子实现梦想。”
于楚同学近照
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