Personal History Statement 要如何寫大學中的不平等議題？

有一位同學大學時參加學生會，很看重不平等議題，詢問我該如何寫進 Personal History Statement之中。

由於這位同學有提供他的學生會的經驗當例子，為了不洩露個人隱私，我這裡不提他寫了什麼，只提供一些切題的想法。

這一題是在回答 UCLA的 Personal History Statement 的題目，不過很多學校問的題目其實大同小異，可以比照辦理。

UCLA 的題目是：

• Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how? Have any of these experiences provided unique perspective(s) that you would contribute to your program, field or profession?
  
  
• Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education. What motivated you to persist, and how did you overcome them? What is the evidence of your persistence, progress or success?
  
  
• How have your life experiences and educational background informed your understanding of the barriers facing groups that are underrepresented in higher education?
  
  
• How have you been actively engaged (e.g., through participation, employment, service, teaching or other activities) in programs or activities focused on increasing participation by groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education?
  
  
• How do you intend to engage in scholarly discourse, research, teaching, creative efforts, and/or community engagement during your graduate program that have the potential to advance diversity and equal opportunity in higher education?
  
  
• How do you see yourself contributing to diversity in your profession after you earn your advanced degree at UCLA?

如果要講學校裡的不平等議題，一種切入方式是講述學校對同性戀學生，殘障學生以及其它弱勢族群背景的學生像是其它種族的學生有什麼樣的政策，哪些地方做得很好，哪些地方可以改善。

LGBTQ rights  in universities，可以說明你做了什麼保障同性戀學生的權益的事情。

可參考以下幾篇文章：

https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2019/10/inclusion-lgbt-people-education-settingsof-paramount-importance-leaving-no-one

https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/11495/Challenging-LGBT-exclusion-in-UK-higher-education/pdf/LGBT__exclusion_May2021.pdf

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/06/05/college-lgbtq-friendly-campuses-safe-spaces/9556032002/

Support for disabled students at university，可說明你做了哪一些保障殘障學生的權益的事情。

可參考以下幾篇文章：

https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/10/14/new-report-the-experiences-of-disabled-students-in-higher-education/

https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/21/disabled-students-are-being-let-down-by-universities-16847816/

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0883035513000487

Racism at university，西方學校的種族問題比較嚴重，討論度比較高，但不代表國內學校沒有這樣的問題，學校如何對待原住民學生，華僑學生或其它種族、國籍的學生。

可參考以下幾篇文章：

www.theguardian.com/education/2022/may/18/black-students-frustrated-lack-action-university-racism-mps-told

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/universities-are-failing-address-racism-campus

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03755-1

另一種切入方式是從學生的社會經濟背景切入。家庭的社會經濟背景比較高，小孩比較容易上好學校這是不爭的事實。

可以討論的是大學是否應該降低門檻，讓社會經濟背景比較低的學生比較好申請進入他們學校？

是否應該提供成績落後的學生免費的課業上或心理上的輔導或是學費生活費上的幫助？

這樣的作法是促進社會平等，讓社會經濟地位比較低下的學生也有機會獲得好的教育？

還是這樣做反而不公平？成績是多少就是多少，不應該考慮學生的家庭狀況，不然只是讓成績優秀的學生覺得很不公平。

Socioeconomic disadvantage and access to university，可參考以下幾篇文章：

https://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/default/files/jrf/migrated/files/jr092-disadvantage-higher-education.pdf

https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2020/research/students-higher-grades/

https://www.miragenews.com/access-to-university-is-one-of-our-greatest-860815/

https://thetab.com/uk/2022/09/22/being-working-class-at-uni-is-a-massive-culture-shock-and-we-need-to-talk-about-it-274131

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/11/income-not-enough-to-break-british-class-barriers-research-finds

https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/global-social-challenges/2019/05/23/inequality-in-the-uk-higher-education-system/

https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2020/oct/27/the-need-to-improve-access-to-universities
 
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00392-6
 
https://www.qs.com/does-higher-education-reinforce-inequality/
 
https://www.unialliance.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Supporting-thriving-communities-UA_WEB.pdf