Stepping Out of my Comfort Zone

走出我的舒适区

Samuel写

If you told me I would be playing a sport called squash at 11 years old, I would call you crazy. But in seventh grade, I was at a new school 10 times bigger than my last one. I felt like a little fish in a big pond. I was quiet, withdrawn, and very introverted. A lot of the time, I stayed where I was comfortable.

如果你跟我说我11岁时我会参加一项叫做壁球的运动，我一定会说你疯了。七年级的时候，我转到了一所比我之前的学校大10倍的学校。我就像一条小鱼来到了很大的池塘里。那个时候，我安静、孤僻、非常内向，总是呆在自己的舒适区内。

During the first week of school, a group of people visited the school and they introduced themselves as Squashbusters. At that time, I'd only heard of Squash once before, but I didn't really know what it was. Because the program combined the sport of squash with academic support, mentoring, and service opportunities, I decided to sign up. It's been six years and this program has made a monumental difference in my life.

直到开学后的第一周，一群人来到我们学校，并介绍说他们是Squashbusters（壁球爱好者）项目的。那时，我只听说过壁球，还不知道它是什么。这时，他们介绍说这个项目不仅能让你打壁球而且还给你提供学习上的支持、指导，以及服务机会，于是，我决定报名加入。六年过去了，这个项目给我的生活带来了巨大的改变。

Being a part of SquashBusters is a program that really pushed me out of my shell to the point where I've grown accustomed to challenging myself. In SquashBusters, they tell us to push ourselves past our limits on the squash courts, but that mindset has transferred to other areas of my life as well. From team trips and tournaments to cringy karaoke moments and participating in eccentric traditions like our annual SquashBusters Olympics, my comfort zone has steadily grown larger. My peers brought out a side of me I didn't even know existed. I haven't transformed completely from introvert to extrovert, but I've become more social as the years go by.

SquashBusters这个项目真的把我从自己的壳里推了出来，我习惯了挑战自己。壁球爱好者项目中的人告诉我们要超越自己在壁球场上的极限，而且这种心态也转移到了我生活的其他领域。从团队旅行和比赛，到令人畏惧的唱卡拉OK，再到参加一年一度的壁球运动员奥运会等特别的传统活动，我的舒适区稳步扩大。我的同龄人让我展现出了我甚至不知道自己存在的一面。虽然我还没有完全从内向型转变为外向型，但随着时间的推移，我变得更加善于交际。

At Hopkins, I want to do something similar. I want to try new things and embrace the campus traditions. Even though I will develop intellectually from the many academic classes and clubs/activities offered on campus, I feel as though a true community is birthed from exploring beyond what one's used to. From traditions like Blue Jay Opening Day and the Spring Fair to the many world-changing clubs like the Amnesty International club and the Foreign Affairs Symposium, the different ways to be involved in the Hopkins community is limitless and invigorating and I can't wait to be a part of the Hopkins family.

在霍普金斯大学，我也想做类似的事情。我想尝试新事物，拥抱校园的传统。尽管我将从校园里提供的许多学术课程和俱乐部/活动中发展自己的智力，但我觉得一个真正的社区似乎是在探索自己习惯之外的东西的过程中诞生的。从传统的“蓝鸦开幕日”和“春季博览会”，到许多改变世界的俱乐部，比如大赦国际俱乐部和外交事务研讨会，参与约翰霍普金斯社区的各种方式是无限的、令人振奋的，因此我迫不及待地想成为霍普金斯大家庭的一部分。

Admissions Committee Comments

招生委员会的评论：

Samuel's essay is a reflection on pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone which is not only an important life lesson but also something that Hopkins students do every day. Our students push the boundaries of discovery, are faced with challenges in and out of the classroom, and pursue newfound passions. By growing accustomed to challenging himself, Samuel exemplifies these characteristics and is able to take the lessons he has learned on the squash court into other areas of his life. He shows that if given the opportunity, he would flourish on our campus given the variety of academic and extracurricular opportunities and that he is equipped with the tools to overcome whatever challenges he is faced with.

Samuel的文章反映了如何把自己推到舒适区之外，这不仅是一堂重要的人生课，也是霍普金斯大学学生每天都在做的事情。我们的学生突破了发现的界限，面对课堂内外的挑战，追求新发现的激情。通过逐渐习惯于挑战自己，塞缪尔体现了这些特点，并能够将他在壁球场上学到的经验教训带入生活的其他领域。他表明，如果有机会，他将在我们的校园里蓬勃发展，因为他有各种各样的学术和课外机会，他有能力克服他所面临的任何挑战。

笔者点评：

本篇PS是申请美国大学本科的PS，主要还是讲述自己的成长经历和潜力，而不是学术方面的东西。

本文的结构是讲述自己从一个安静内向的男孩如何变成一个开朗、外向、乐于奉献的学生。而这是通过参加壁球爱好者项目来实现的。另外从团队旅行和比赛，到令人畏惧的唱卡拉OK，再到参加一年一度的壁球运动员奥运会等特别的传统活动也极大地改变了自己。未来，在霍普金斯大学，我也想做类似的事情，比如想尝试新事物，拥抱校园的传统，继续走出自己的舒适区以外。通过对自己过去如何走出舒适区的叙述，让招生官看出学生自己的潜力，更容易录取自己。