回答整理自芝士圈外籍文书导师答疑。

问：嗨,Allen!
我有点困扰，除了我对这个领域的热情，我还能用什么品质或潜在特质来回答“why me”这个问题？

我申请的是研究型生物人类学。毫无疑问，每个申请顶尖学校项目的人都足够聪明和勤奋，所以仅仅提到勤奋的品质或类似的品质在我看来是不够的。我想知道什么样的其他品质/潜力会让一个人脱颖而出?我想提到我的文化背景和经验的跨文化研究的经验。因为我在申请项目人类学，所以这可能是一个优势。但我不确定这是不是一件好事……

答：非常好的问题!
你已经明确地认识到为什么它如此具有挑战性。强调你的职业道德和好成绩不会让你脱颖而出(而且从你的成绩单和推荐信中就能看出来)。你的文化背景当然与人类学相关，尤其是如果你像你说的那样，有过很多跨文化的经历。许多国内申请者没有这样的经历。如果你从课堂、实习或工作中获得了任何领域的经验，那也是值得包括在内的。

你可以表明你做过相关类型的研究，你真的喜欢这种工作。你并不需要写一份研究报告，但你可以利用研究经历来展示一些重要的品质:喜欢旅行，喜欢动手，喜欢数字。不要害怕在“why me”的文章中加入一点幽默。我读过一些优秀的essay，申请人在其中描述自己是多么的书呆子，或者有多少数字让他兴奋。

以下为英文原文，以供参考。
Q：
Hi Allen!
I’m a bit struggling with what certain qualities/potential to show apart from my mere passion in the field in order to answer the question “why me”.
I’m apply for Mphil in biological anthropology.There is no doubt that everyone applying for the programs in top schools are smart and diligent enough for it, so just mentioning the quality of hard-working or similar qualities does not seem enough to me.I am wondering what kind of other quality/potential would make one stand out? I thought about mentioning the my cultural background and my experience of cross-cultural studying experiences.As I’m applying for programs anthropology, it could be a possible advantage.But I am uncertain if it is a good thing to mention…

A：
Excellent question! And you’ve identified exactly why it is so challenging. Mentioning your work ethic and good grades won’t make you stand out (and they will already be clear from your academic transcript and letters of recommendation). Your cultural background is certainly relevant to an anthropology department, especially if, as you state, you’ve had a lot of cross-cultural experiences. Many domestic applicants won’t have this experience. And if you have any field experience from a class, internship, or job, that will also be worth including. You can show that you’ve done relevant types of research, and that you truly love that kind of work. You don’t want to write a research statement, but you can use the research experience to show important qualities: love of travel, getting your hands dirty, working with numbers. And don’t be afraid of a little humor in a “why me” essay. I’ve read excellent essays in which the applicant describes what a nerd she is or how much numbers excite him.