卡内基梅隆和南加大机械工程博士全奖

一个女生，一个申请到卡内基梅隆大学和南加州大学机械工程博士全奖的女生，在她递交给学校的个人陈述里面谈到了自己对于专业深入执著的探索(个人陈述，Personal Statement，也叫Statement of Purpose，录取审理过程中要看的)：

“……我高考的时候兴致勃勃地报了北航的机械工程和自动化学院，到了大二才认识到这个领域的复杂性和趣味性远超过了我的预想。所以我卖力地学习，成绩一直名列前茅。在一次创新实习期间，我和四位同学，协力设计每一个零部件、选择合适的材料、亲自组装，发明出了能在阶梯上如履平地的汽车。发明和制造的过程是复杂艰辛的，因为有超过57个零部件完全需要我们手工打造。在这期间，我不仅要全力以赴，完善各个工作流程，还要鼓舞士气、激励组员共同努力。然而，我们的成果并不像预想的那样完美——超重、局部强度低，且摩擦严重。究其根源，主要问题出现在开始未能全盘考虑所有可能出现的问题，比如一些在尺寸、用料上的设计缺陷直到生产接近尾声时才会显现出来。不仅如此，一部分零件需要重新设计和打造，不但浪费时间、精力和材料，还会影响终成品的性能。痛定思痛，我发现CAD/CAM/CAE可以帮助设计师在产品生产之前，将设计上的疏漏和瑕疵扼杀在萌芽状态。这对于制造工程师来说至关重要，因此我选择它作为研究生阶段学习和研究的方向。

‘表面三角离散化’是我学士学位的论文题目，旨在将给定的曲线曲面的非均匀有理B样条(Non-Uniform Rational B-Spl

ine)离散化成为给定范围的三角网格。通过使用二叉树数据结构可以实现自适应剖分。

本科结束后，我幸运地免试进入虚拟实境实验室，在姚**教授的指导下学习。姚教授是首批中国工程院院士。作为重点虚拟实境实验室中的一员，我参加了很多研究项目，例如‘可逆反应类型碾压的虚拟装配’，‘基于微波转换的曲线曲面的光顺和压缩处理’，‘剖分表面几何建模及其在数控加工中的应用’等。

‘基于微波转换的曲线曲面的顺滑和压缩处理’是我在研究生阶段进行的一个设计项目。我建立了NURBS曲线和曲面展示平台，独立设计所有NURBS的基本算法。此外，非均匀B样条微波转换算法应用在曲线曲面的光顺和压缩处理领域的工作也是由我来执行的……”

看中文的个人陈述是不是有点不爽？我们放上两篇本科应届毕业生成功申请到美国名校博士全奖的个人陈述原文。大家体会一下他们在大学里面到底学到了什么？探索了什么？

篇，仍以机械工程为例，该生成功申请到了美国大学的Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering全额奖学金，选自《美嘉教育内部PS范例》，请欣赏：

Personal Statement

Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed watching the any animation that involved vehicles especially the cartoon called “Transformers”. Of course I was deeply fascinated with the Transformers’ courage but more than that I was impressed by their powers and what they could accomplish with their vehicles.

In middle school, I finally had an opportunity to visit an international automobile show. That event was a life altering, miraculous experience for me. Here were displayed cars that I had never imagined before. They ranged from popular cars to concept cars; from family cars to SUVs; from domestic brands to over sea brands and all of them captured my undivided attention. From that moment on I have been dreaming of the possibilities of all passenger vehicles which could fulfill my own ambitious imagination in style, safety and functional merits.

I was especially impressed as a result of visiting that exhibition about the many gaps between our own domestic brands and foreign brands in aspects of form, security, equipment and technologies used in vehicle design. Considerations with regard to the human elements of safety and comfort; optimal efficiency; oil and fuel consumption and emission standards became a special concern for me. It was a natural and inevitable result that from that moment I made the decision to devote my life’s activity to the automobile industry. Still young at the time, I shamelessly imagined that one day there might be a car named after me. After the National Examination it was an easy decision for me to choose Automobile Design and Engineering as my major study discipline. 

After four years of undergraduate studies, I became more and more familiar with the automobile industry. I read everything that I could get my hands on, in both English and Chinese about automotive production and design. It became more apparent to me that design and mechanics of the industry were not the only concerns. We must also consider the automobile from the point of view of practicality and a personality which suits the consumer. Passenger vehicles, as products have become so closely related with our daily life, that we must ensure complete integration the human experience.

A person’s or family’s car is inextricably connected the drivers. Not only is it our responsibility as designers and mechanical engineers to achieve the highest degree in standards of safety, convenience, comfort and efficiency, we must take into account many human body parameters, such as optimal limb positioning; force angles of the driver and passengers; visibility and environmental forces outside of the driver’s control. We must provide an experience for the driver and his or her passengers so that they claim they treat the vehicle, not only as a tool, but as a communication and transportation device that can relieve them of the unnecessary burden of attending to requirements that we as engineers can take care of for them.