“Women aren’t suited for such hard subjects,” my friend Seung-woo told me with a smug smile. Seung-woo didn’t think that mathematics was a field for women. Although he was my age and wasn’t tied down by most traditional beliefs, he believed that only men could be true mathematicians. The majority of people in my country, South Korea, believe the gender stereotype that women are inherently inferior to men in mathematics. I strongly disagree with this outdated notion. Women are just as capable of outstanding mathematical achievement as men, and I am determined to help disprove gender stereotypes through my example.

Mathematics has always given me a deep sense of satisfaction. Even in elementary school, I was attracted to the precision and logic inherent in mathematical formulas. I devoured as much mathematical information as I could, collecting theorems of mathematicians such as Gauss and Euclid like other students collected stamps. I had the opportunity to test my skills and knowledge in high school, when I competed in several national math competitions, including the Korea Mathematical Olympiad. My strong showing in these venues, along with my top math grades and perfect math score on the Korean SAT, bolstered my confidence in my abilities. I was proud to prove to others that I was capable of performing at the highest levels.

Despite my strong interest and achievement in mathematics, it has been difficult for me to realize my potential due to the Korean educational system, which emphasizes cramming for tests instead of critical understanding. More significantly, Korean social biases against women in the fields of math and science have discouraged me from pursuing my love of mathematics. Thus, I want to study in the United States, where I will be able follow my dream without these constraints. For about a year, I have taken English language courses at a university in Washington, D.C., where I have gained a glimpse of American academic life from the inside. I am very impressed by American students’ devotion to their studies and the system’s ability to support each student’s goals. I am therefore especially interested in attending Boston College, which, in addition to offering outstanding math and science courses, is renowned for its emphasis on cultivating students’ full development, or "cura personalis." At Boston College, I will be able to focus on my goal of becoming an excellent mathematician.

I am determined to succeed, but I know that I must overcome many challenges. Sometimes, when I feel discouraged by the obstacles I face as a Korean woman in mathematics, I imagine what my life will be like ten years from now. Armed with a Boston College degree, I will visit my old friend Seung-woo. We will have corresponded over the years, so he’ll already know about the many mathematics articles published in my name, and he will be well aware of the international acclaim they received. I will savor the day when Seung-woo admits that I was correct in believing that I could succeed as a mathematician. I will be proud to know that partly due to my achievements, the door to increased opportunities for women in math and science has swung open a little bit wider.

點評

這是一篇韓國女學生申請BC數學專業的PS。文章的主線是：過去――現在――將來。

過去：描述自己從小學起就對數學很感興趣，并一直堅持到高中。期間摒除了許多周圍傳統的異見。

現在：描述自己好友的反對意見和自己在美國學習一年英語課程的感受。

將來：用想象的方式描述自己將來的成功。

總的來說，文章寫得比較精彩，作者很好地利用了韓國國內的對于女性學數學的傳統觀念，巧妙地表達了自己要去美國讀書的必要性。在描述自己的將來時，作者又采用了想象的方式，很新穎，可以吸引讀者的眼球。但是在精彩之余，文章的專業性略顯不足。

翻譯：

數學家

“女性是不適合讀這樣一門復雜的課程的”我的朋友承佑得意洋洋地笑著對我說。承佑認為數學是不適合女性去研究的領域。雖然他與我同齡，也沒有被過多的傳統觀念束縛著，但是他相信只有男性才有可能成為真正的數學家。在我的國家韓國，大多數人都刻板地認為在數學領域女性是天生就比不上男性的。我很強烈地反對這種過時的觀點。女性是有能力在數學領域取得跟男性一樣的成就的。我也下定決心去通過我自己的例子來反駁人們的性別刻板印象。

數學一直以來都給了我很大的滿足感。即使是在小學，我就很著迷于數學公式的準確性和邏輯性。我盡我所能去學習數學方面的知識，像其他學生收集郵票一樣收集諸如高斯和歐幾里德等數學家的法則。高中時參加的幾次國家級的數學競賽，包括韓國奧林匹克數學競賽，讓我得到測試自己數學能力和知識的機會。我在這些比賽的良好表現以及在韓國SAT中數學的好成績增強了我對自己能力的信心。我很自豪地證明給別人看我有能力在最高水平的舞臺上展現自我。

雖然我對于數學有很強的興趣并取得了一些成就，但是身處韓國教育體系的我很難發揮自己的潛能。韓國社會上根深蒂固的反對女性在數學和科學領域發展的觀念妨礙了我對數學的熱愛。于是我決定去美國學習，因為在美國我可以不受束縛地追求自己的理想。我在華盛頓特區的一所大學里學習大約一年的英語課程，并且從中體會到了美國的大學生活。美國學生對于學習的專注以及美國教育體系對于每個學生的目標的支持都給我留下了深刻的印象。因此我特別想加入波士頓學院，這間學校不僅擁有出色的數學和科學課程，還以其注重學生的全面發展或者說是“人性化”而出名。在波士頓學院，我可以集中精力去實現要成為出色的數學家的目標。

我下定決心要成功，但是我知道我必須戰勝許多挑戰。有時候，作為一個研究數學的韓國女性，我會因為一些困難而感到氣餒。此時我就會想象十年后的生活。擁有了波士頓學院的學位之后，我會拜訪老朋友承佑。因為我們在未來幾年里一直保持著聯系，所以他也會知道我發表的許多數學論文，而且知道這些論文在國際上享有的聲譽。我會很享受承佑承認我堅信自己可以成為一個數學家是正確的那一天。當我得知由于我取得的成就，數學和科學界的大門向女性稍微敞開了一些的時候，我也會感到很自豪。