2016年6月，酝酿许久的美国大学申请新系统CAAS(Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success)正式面向9-11年级的高中生开放。这个由美国顶级名校哈佛、耶鲁、哥大等近百所大学联合创建的新系统，初衷是招收到更到“有美式批判思维、人文修养、演讲能力的学生”，而不简单是学术背景优秀。不幸的是，正好戳住了中国学生的痛点：托福高分不再那么有用，360度展示申请者的优缺点。而现行申请系统CA(common application)，已经运行超过40年，600多所美国高校正在使用。CA的设计相较之下显得简单，除了简历，考生只要提交一篇650字的个人陈述，说明自己的成长经历、学业规划。不少学生和家长也在思量新系统使用是利大于弊还是弊大于利。

 

      目前CAAS新系统有93所成员校，其中超过1/3表明今年申请季（2016-2017）不会用该系统。起初，它们加入联盟系统，坚定支持申请的改革。但现在不管出于什么原因，在即将开启的2016-2017年申请季，它们有相当一部分选择了退后一步：今年不使用该申请系统。

 

     最令人关注的曾视CAAS为真爱、作为唯一招生方式的三所学校，有两所竟推迟使用CAAS！！！

 

疑似伪真爱 之 华盛顿大学西雅图校区(University of Washington Seattle)

      2016-2017 US News综合排名52

      官网已于8月4日更新，明确了今年申请季（2016-2017）即2017秋季入学申请，将不会采用CAAS申请系统，依然是用学校原有的UW申请系统（10月1日开放）, Fall 2018年入学申请才开始采用CAAS申请系统。下面是官网链接和重点摘录

       https://admit.washington.edu/Admission/Freshmen/Apply

      Update for autumn 2017 applicants (August 4, 2016)

      The application for autumn 2017 opens on October 1. (The UW remains a Coalition member. We will not use the Coalition application in this first year.)

       https://admit.washington.edu/Admission/Coalition

      The UW will be a Single Application School: The Coalition application will be the UW’s only application for freshman admission beginning with applicants for autumn 2018.

      在此之前，原申明如下：意为今年就会采用CAAS作为Fall 2017入学申请唯一的申请系统

      对此，CAAS官网也更新了相似的推迟使用的申明

        https://www.mycoalition.org/public/info/washington

        The application for autumn 2017 opens on October 1. The UW remains a Coalition member. However, we will not use the Coalition application in this first year. The UW will continue using our current application, hosted by CollegeNet, for one more year.

 

 

      华大最新文书

      2017 Freshman Writing Section

      今年第一篇采用的就是CAAS的文书题，为未来采用CAAS申请系统造势，第二篇和去年题目基本雷同。文书的准确性可等申请系统10月1日开放后再进一步验证。

      详见https://admit.washington.edu/Admission/Freshmen/WritingSection

 

CAAS申请系统文书题目见文末

 

疑似伪真爱 之 马里兰大学-帕克分校(University of Maryland—College Park)

       2016-2017 US News综合排名57

      官网也已明确表示今年申请季（2016-2017）即2017秋季入学申请还是用学校自身的系统申请（将于8月中旬开放），明年才开始采用CAAS申请系统，但是今年也会先试用CAAS的文书题。具体等系统开放后再验证是否一致。

      https://admissions.umd.edu/apply/essay.php

      As a proud member of The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success, the University of Maryland will use the application provided by the Coalition beginning in mid-August 2017. However, beginning in mid-August 2016, UMD will use the Coalition’s five essay options noted below for the 2016-17 application year.

      CAAS申请系统文书题目见文末

 

真爱 之 弗罗里达大学(University of Florida)

      2016-2017 US News综合排名47

      官网并未出现会延迟使用CAAS申请系统的说明，而是坚持采用CAAS招生，文书自然也是CAAS的文书题，果然是真爱。

      https://www.admissions.ufl.edu/ugrad/personalessay.html

      Beginning with the 2016-2017 admissions cycle, the University of Florida will use the Coalition Application for the freshman application. UF will require a response to one of the general essay prompts used as part of the Coalition Application. Your essay is a very important part of your application. The essay that you write helps the university know you as an individual, independent of grades, test scores and other objective data.

CAAS申请系统文书题目见文末

 

      结语：不管是不是真爱，华大和马里兰虽然推迟使用CAAS申请系统，至少今年都坚持试用CAAS的文书题目，为明年造势，由此可见其观望态度和希冀。

 

CAAS申请系统的文书题，如下

Choose one topic from the five prompts listed below.

      1.Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

      2.Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.

      3.Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?

      4.What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give younger siblings or friends (assuming they would listen to you)?

      5.Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

      often 300 to 400 words in length, no longer than 500 to 550 words