“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 I strongly disagree with this outdated notion.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(diǎn)評：

這是一篇韓國女學(xué)生申請BC數(shù)學(xué)專業(yè)的PS。文章的主線是：過去――現(xiàn)在――將來。

過去：描述自己從小學(xué)起就對數(shù)學(xué)很感興趣，并一直堅(jiān)持到高中。期間摒除了許多周圍傳統(tǒng)的異見。

現(xiàn)在：描述自己好友的反對意見和自己在美國學(xué)習(xí)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(nèi)的對于女性學(xué)數(shù)學(xué)的傳統(tǒng)觀念，巧妙地表達(dá)了自己要去美國讀書的必要性。在描述自己的將來時(shí)，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(yè)性略顯不足。

譯文：

數(shù)學(xué)家

“女性是不適合讀這樣一門復(fù)雜的課程的”我的朋友承佑得意洋洋地笑著對我說。承佑認(rèn)為數(shù)學(xué)是不適合女性去研究的領(lǐng)域。雖然他與我同齡，也沒有被過多的傳統(tǒng)觀念束縛著，但是他相信只有男性才有可能成為真正的數(shù)學(xué)家。在我的國家韓國，大多數(shù)人都刻板地認(rèn)為在數(shù)學(xué)領(lǐng)域女性是天生就比不上男性的。我很強(qiáng)烈地反對這種過時(shí)的觀點(diǎn)。女性是有能力在數(shù)學(xué)領(lǐng)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(shù)學(xué)一直以來都給了我很大的滿足感。即使是在小學(xué)，我就很著迷于數(shù)學(xué)公式的準(zhǔn)確性和邏輯性。我盡我所能去學(xué)習(xí)數(shù)學(xué)方面的知識(shí)，像其他學(xué)生收集郵票一樣收集諸如高斯和歐幾里德等數(shù)學(xué)家的法則。高中時(shí)參加的幾次國家級(jí)的數(shù)學(xué)競賽，包括韓國奧林匹克數(shù)學(xué)競賽，讓我得到測試自己數(shù)學(xué)能力和知識(shí)的機(jī)會(huì)。我在這些比賽的良好表現(xiàn)以及在韓國SAT中數(shù)學(xué)的好成績增強(qiáng)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(tái)上展現(xiàn)自我。

雖然我對于數(shù)學(xué)有很強(qiáng)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(fā)揮自己的潛能。韓國社會(huì)上根深蒂固的反對女性在數(shù)學(xué)和科學(xué)領(lǐng)域發(fā)展的觀念妨礙了我對數(shù)學(xué)的熱愛。于是我決定去美國學(xué)習(xí)，因?yàn)樵诿绹铱梢圆皇苁`地追求自己的理想。我在華盛頓特區(qū)的一所大學(xué)里學(xué)習(xí)大約一年的英語課程，并且從中體會(huì)到了美國的大學(xué)生活。美國學(xué)生對于學(xué)習(xí)的專注以及美國教育體系對于每個(gè)學(xué)生的目標(biāo)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(xué)院，這間學(xué)校不僅擁有出色的數(shù)學(xué)和科學(xué)課程，還以其注重學(xué)生的全面發(fā)展或者說是“人性化”而出名。在波士頓學(xué)院，我可以集中精力去實(shí)現(xiàn)要成為出色的數(shù)學(xué)家的目標(biāo)。

我下定決心要成功，但是我知道我必須戰(zhàn)勝許多挑戰(zhàn)。有時(shí)候，作為一個(gè)研究數(shù)學(xué)的韓國女性，我會(huì)因?yàn)橐恍├щy而感到氣餒。此時(shí)我就會(huì)想象十年后的生活。擁有了波士頓學(xué)院的學(xué)位之后，我會(huì)拜訪老朋友承佑。因?yàn)槲覀冊谖磥韼啄昀镆恢北３种?lián)系，所以他也會(huì)知道我發(fā)表的許多數(shù)學(xué)論文，而且知道這些論文在國際上享有的聲譽(yù)。我會(huì)很享受承佑承認(rèn)我堅(jiān)信自己可以成為一個(gè)數(shù)學(xué)家是正確的那一天。當(dāng)我得知由于我取得的成就，數(shù)學(xué)和科學(xué)界的大門向女性稍微敞開了一些的時(shí)候，我也會(huì)感到很自豪。