PS4.0 - Reconstruction

3.0到4.0是一个重大的转变。

其实现在看起来，3.0不能成为一篇Statement of Purpose。请注意这里的题目关键字——Purpose。中文翻译成个人陈述其实是很误导人的。个人陈述？陈述什么东西？陈述过去的成就还是未来的打算，不得而知。

这里引用一下一个CMU写的关于PS误区的评论：
It's misleading that the personal statement is called a "personal" statement, since what admissioncommittees are really looking for is a research statement. What admission committees want isa statement about what research you have done, what research you hope to do, and why you like research.

同样的信息传达自Indiana University的网站：
Statement of purpose. This is your chance to explain to us what your plans are. Briefly convey your vision of the future of computer science if you wish, but also try to give us an idea of your personal plan of action for the future. We are aware that such plans can and should change rapidly, particularly in a fast-moving area like computer science. You should tell us in which research areas you are most interested, and about any research experiences you have had. Don't spend much time on past accomplishments; those should be in your vita. You can use the statement of purpose to explain any anomalies in your record but in general dwelling on the past is backward-looking and what you want to be is forward-looking.

从这些角度来看，前3版的PS并没有实质性的变化，顶多是语言上的润色和精简。给PS3.0下个定义的话，用Statement of Past Achievement可能更加合适。通篇文章的主题是在描述自己过去的成绩，对于未来的计划——国外教授最看重的部分——只字未提，恰恰是犯了上面那段话中的问题。

所以4.0针对这个问题进行了更改：把讲Pallyc的部分的提到正文第一段，表达自己的研究兴趣。接着记叙本科阶段取得的一下成绩，大概两段话的内容（彻底删掉了讲兴趣产生的部分）。而后开始表达自己为什么要寻求PhD，更详细的研究兴趣，为什么去这个学校——这三点占据了3/4页的篇幅。

很庆幸自己能在关键的时候发现自己犯下的错误，感谢CMU教授那篇发人深思的文章！