大家好，我是 Greg Molinari，我来自美国洛杉矶/橙县地区。我曾在加州大学伯克利分校攻读历史，并在加州大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA）获得国际与比较教育硕士学位。我有多年在美国和中国学校的教学经验，并曾作为布朗大学的校友面试官积累了丰富的招生经验。我对运动也十分热爱——在高中和大学时，我都曾参加水球运动队。

作为升学顾问，我曾帮助学生成功进入多所顶尖大学，如康奈尔大学、UCLA、伯克利分校、约翰霍普金斯大学、西北大学、纽约大学、牛津大学和剑桥大学。

尽管我的主要方向是美国高校，我也参与过牛剑（牛津和剑桥）的申请工作，并审阅学生撰写的进阶学术论文。同时，我也能够帮助学生清晰地了解美国与英国大学申请之间的差异，确保他们的申请符合每个体系的特定要求。例如，UCAS（英国）申请主要以学术为导向，而Common App（美国）申请则几乎完全围绕学生的生活经历展开。

正如我刚刚所提到的，UCAS（英国申请系统）与Common App（美国申请系统）之间的差异主要体现在个人陈述书的写作要求上。UCAS的申请主要集中在学术内容上，要求学生详细说明他们计划学习的专业（课程）、在高中阶段的相关学习经历，以及未来的规划。这些陈述通常还包括学生阅读过的专业书籍、启发他们的教师、对他们产生深远影响的课程、暑期学校经历，或参与过的实习。

而美国的申请则相当不同，几乎不会涉及学生未来的专业方向或高中阶段的课程。美国大学更倾向于了解学生在校内外的活动经历，以及他们在生活中收获的经验。比如，学校希望看到学生是否参与过社区服务，如辅导儿童、参与公共环境清洁治理、加入环保团队，或帮助邻里中的老人。这些活动不仅展现了学生的社会责任心，还反映了他们的社区参与度。

当然，尽管美国大学对课外活动的关注度比英国大学更好，但是两国大学招生团队都更加倾向于录取那些积极参与社会活动且多方面发展的学生，而非仅仅专注于课堂学习的学生。

我建议学生们从10年级（对应美国体系中的9年级）开始准备申请，因为大学主要考察学生在10-13年级（美国9-12年级）的成绩和活动表现。因此，学生应尽早参与课外活动、暑期项目、实习或社区服务。此外，大学也十分看重学生在学术上的持续进步——如果学生的成绩在这几年内表现出稳定提升，这将为申请加分。

学生还应及时记录自己的各类成就，无论是音乐演出、志愿服务，还是其他实践经历，这些记录都将成为申请过程中的重要支持材料。

My name is Greg Molinari and I am from the Los Angeles/Orange County area. I studied History at UC Berkeley and later earned an MA in International and Comparative Education from UCLA. Over the years, I’ve taught in both American and Chinese schools and gained valuable insight into university admissions as a Brown alumni interviewer. Sports have also been a lifelong passion—I played water polo at both the high school and college levels.

In my years as a counsellor, I’ve supported students through admissions to top universities, including Cornell, UCLA, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, NYU, Oxford, and Cambridge.

I also advised on all Oxbridge applications, which required me to review advanced academic essays. I also helped students navigate the differences between US and UK applications, ensuring their submissions matched the expectations of each system. For example, the UCAS (UK) application is almost completely academically oriented, while the Common App (USA) is essentially non-academic; it’s all about your life experience and what you have learned from them.

As I have mentioned above there are giant differences between the UK application, which is called UCAS, and the USA application, which is called the Common App. The difference is in what they are asking you to write about in the personal statement essays. The UK application is strictly academic, asking which major (course) you plan to study, your background in that subject in high school, and your plans for the future.  These essays usually always include a discussion of books they have read in their intended major, teachers who inspired them, classes which advanced their learning, summer school classes which were helpful, or even internships. 

However, the USA application essays are the opposite. None of the questions ask you to identify which major you intend to study or ask you to explain your classes in high school. The US universities really want to see that a student has done community service during their time in high school or middle school. They really want to see that students have participated in school activities, but also done some things which are paid work or volunteer work, for example tutoring children, help clean up parks, groups to protect the environment or help old people in your neighborhood, and many other possibilities. 

Although the UK universities do not focus heavily on activities, both US and UK universities are very eager to admit students who have helped their community and participated in activities, not the students who have only gone to classes. 

Application preparation really starts in Year 10. Universities only look at grades and activities from Years 10–13 (or Grades 9–12 in the US system), so it’s important to get involved in extracurricular activities, summer programmes, internships, or community service early.

Universities also value steady academic improvement—if your grades show consistent growth, it leaves a positive impression. Keep records of your achievements, whether it’s from music performances, volunteer work, or other experiences, as they can help strengthen your applications later on.