幫助美國留學生應對大學新生活的25條建議

　原文：Perhaps you were class president in high school. Or perhaps you were a member of the honor society. You could have graduated in the top percentile of your graduating class; perhaps you were even valedictorian. Maybe your were in the honors program or the International Baccalaureate program. Actually, it doesn't really matter what you did in high school as you make the transition to college. High school success (or lack of it) doesn't automatically apply to college.

　　譯文：或許你高中的時候是學校的學生會主席，或許你還是某個社會榮譽團體的一名成員，或許你是從一所名列前茅的重點中學畢業(yè)的，又或許你還是畢業(yè)生代表，還有甚你參與了什么榮譽項目或參加了國際文憑課程。但是，進入大學，你高中曾做過什么就已經(jīng)變得不重要了。你高中是否成功、表現(xiàn)突出并不能代表你大學的表現(xiàn)。

　　原文：You start college with a clean academic slate, along with a lot of independence and a myriad of critical decisions as you begin the transition into adulthood. The decisions that you make and the actions you take during this first year of college will have a major impact on the rest of your college experience.

　　譯文：你跟其他許多的個體一樣，你們站在同一學術水平線上，向成年人邁進，而這一階段你們做出的決定與決策關乎你們一生的轉(zhuǎn)變。大學第一年里，你做的所有的決定和所做的一切都將會對你接下來的大學生活產(chǎn)生深刻的影響。

　　原文：According to American College Testing (ACT), one in every four college students leaves before completing their sophomore year -- and nearly half of all freshmen will either drop out before obtaining a degree or complete their college education elsewhere.

　　譯文：根據(jù)美國大學入學測試的數(shù)據(jù)，每四個人中就有一個人沒有讀完大二，差不多有一半的大學新生要么就是沒有拿到學位就退學了，要么就是轉(zhuǎn)到其他地方完成大學教育。

　　原文：But wait! This article is not meant to scare you or take away any of the joy, excitement, and anticipation you feel about going to college. Quite the opposite. This article is all about the things you need to do to not only survive your first year of college, but to thrive in college. And many of the tools, skills, and habits you develop through this article can not only be used to help you succeed in college, but in your future career as well.

　　譯文：當然，這篇文章不是為了嚇唬你們，打消你們剛進入大學的激動、熱情與參與度的。相反，這篇文章會給大家列出一些新生需要做的事情，讓大家不僅僅在大學“存活”下來，更能在大學里“茁壯成長”。這里提到一些你需要培養(yǎng)的工具、技能或習慣不僅能幫你成功度過大學時期，也能影響到你的未來。

　　原文：The first few weeks on campus are extremely critical for all new students. It is during this time that you make critical decisions that will have an effect on the rest of your life. Some of these 25 tips are critical during your first weeks, while the others are meant for longer-term guidance and survival. Whatever you do, be sure to be yourself and try to enjoy your college experience as much as possible. Expect to feel some stress and homesickness, but don't let these issues wear you down.

　　譯文：對所有的新生來說，大學剛開始的幾周非常關鍵，就是在這幾周你做的至關重要的決定將會影響你今后的生活。這25個建議里有一些是關于大學第一周的，而其他的一些則是一個對你大學生活長期的指導。無論你做什么，一定要認清自己，盡可能地享受你大學的所有經(jīng)歷。在感覺到了壓力或者些許鄉(xiāng)愁的時候，也不要讓這些事情將自己擊潰了。

　　原文：Go to all orientations. Do you really need to go on yet another campus tour? Yes. The faster you learn your way around campus -- and around all the red tape -- the more at ease you'll feel and the better prepared you'll be when issues arise.

　　譯文：參加所有的入學前指導班。你是不是有必要參加其他的一些校園旅行呢?是的，需要。你只有越快地熟悉校園的一切，所有的規(guī)章制度、繁文縟節(jié)，在碰上問題的時候你才能準備的更好，從而更輕松地應對。

　　原文：Get to know your roommate and others in your residence hall. The people you live with, most of whom are going through similar experiences and emotions, are your main safety net -- not only this year, but for all your years. You may change roommates after the first semester or you may stay roommates for all four years -- just take the time to get to know your fellow first-year students.

　　譯文：了解你的室友和宿舍的其他舍友。住在一起的人，大部分都會經(jīng)歷同樣的事情和感情波動，同時也是你的安全網(wǎng)—不僅僅是在這一年里是這樣，大學幾年都是如此。也許你在第二年的時候可能會換室友，又或者大學幾年你都是同樣的室友—不管怎么樣一定要試著多去了解那些至少在接下來一年時間里都會在一起的人。

　　原文：Get Organized. In high school, the teachers tended to lead you through all the homework and due dates. In college, the professors post the assignments -- often for the entire semester -- and expect you to be prepared. Buy an organizer, use an app, or get a big wall calendar -- whatever it takes for you to know when assignments are due.

　　譯文：安排好自己的生活。在高中的時候，老師會引導告訴大家完成作業(yè)或者安排日期，而在大學，教授布置下作業(yè)—經(jīng)常的都是整個學期的作業(yè)—而你一定要準備好。買個文件整理器、下個相關手機APP，或者弄個大點的日歷表—反正就是要提醒自己什么時候要交什么作業(yè)。

　　原文：Find the ideal place for you to study. It may be your dorm room or a cozy corner of the library, but find a place that works best for you to get your work done -- while avoiding as many distractions as possible.

　　譯文：給自己找一個固定的學習地點。這可以就是你的宿舍，也可以是圖書館的某個角落，但是一定要找一個最適合你全身心投入學習工作的地方—記住不要找—盡量避免受到干擾。

　　原文：Go to class. Obvious, right? Maybe, but sleeping in and skipping that 8 am class will be . Avoid the temptation. Besides learning the material by attending classes, you'll also receive vital information from the professors about what to expect on tests, changes in due dates, etc.

　　譯文：要去上課。這是很必要的，不是嗎?但是睡過頭，然后逃掉8點鐘的課，這種事很容易發(fā)生。一定不要被這種想法引導，去教室上課不僅能學到東西，同時還能了解到教授所傳達的一些重要信息，比如測試重點、課的調(diào)整。

　　原文：Become an expert on course requirements and due dates. Professors spend hours and hours preparing course syllabi and calendars so that you will know exactly what is expected of you -- and when. One of the lamest excuses a student can give a professor: "I didn't know it was due today."

　　譯文：嚴格遵照課程要求與任務提交日期。教授花了大量時間準備課程大綱和時間安排，所以了解自己什么時候應該做什么事情是你要需要知道的。最最蹩腳的借口就是對教授說：“我不知道今天是截止日期”。

　　原文：Meet with your professors. Speaking as a professor, I can assure you there are only upsides to getting to know your professors, especially if later in the semester you run into some snags. Professors schedule office hours for the sole purpose of meeting with students -- take advantage of that time.

　　譯文：多余教授會面。作為一個教授，我能確定，了解你的教授的方式只有一個，尤其是可能那個學期你還會被其他事情所絆住的時候。教授的辦公時間才是完全用來會見學生的—好好利用這個時間。

　　原文：Get to know your academic adviser. This is the person who will help you with course conflicts, adding or dropping courses, scheduling of classes for future semesters, deciding on majors and minors. This person is a key resource for you -- and should be the person you turn to with any academic issues or conflicts. And don't be afraid of requesting another adviser if you don't click with the one first assigned to you.

　　譯文：了解你的學術顧問。這個人能幫你解決課程沖突、添加或刪除課程，為你拍以后各個學期的課程，決定專業(yè)與課程結構。對你來說，這個人就是關鍵的一個資源—也是你有學術問題和課程沖突的時候可以求助的人。如果你跟第一個分配給你的顧問沒什么接觸，別害怕找找其他的。

　　原文：Seek a balance. College life is a mixture of social and academic happenings. Don't tip the balance too far in either direction. One of my favorite former students always used to say her motto was to "study hard so she could play hard."

　　譯文：平衡好你的生活。大學生活是社交與學業(yè)相互融合在一起發(fā)生進行的，不要讓你的重心過于偏向其中的一邊。我有一個我之前很喜歡的學生，經(jīng)常說的一句話就是：努力地學習所以她才能放肆地玩。

　　原文：Get involved on campus. A big problem for a lot of new students is a combination of homesickness and a feeling of not quite belonging. A solution? Consider joining a select group -- and be careful not to go overboard -- of student organizations, clubs, sororities or fraternities, or sports teams. You'll make new friends, learn new skills, and feel more connected to your school.

　　譯文：對校園有歸屬感。對于大部分新生來說最大的一個問題就是想家和找不到歸屬感。解決辦法?考慮一下加入某個社團—不過一定要小心，不要魯莽—這些社團可以是學生組織、俱樂部、聯(lián)誼會或兄弟會、運動隊。你會交到新朋友、學習新的技能、慢慢地就會對你的學校有親切感了。

　　原文：Strive for good grades. Another obvious one here, right? Remember the words of the opening paragraph; while good grades could have come naturally to you in high school, you will have to earn them in college -- and that means setting some goals for yourself and then making sure you work as hard as you can to achieve them.

　　譯文：爭取取得好成績。記住我們文章開頭說的，無論你在高中時期成績有多么優(yōu)異，你要做的是在大學里學到東西—也就是說要給自己設定一些目標，確保自己付出的努力能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)它們。

　　原文：Take advantage of the study resources on campus. Just about all colleges have learning labs and tutors available. If you're having some troubles, these resources are another tool available to you. Another idea: form study groups.

　　譯文：充分利用校園的一切學習資源。所有的大學里都有教學實驗室和導師，如果你遇到了什么問題，這些資源都可以給你一些幫助?；蛘吣阋部梢詮囊恍W習團體那獲得幫助。

　　原文：Make time for you. Be sure you set aside some time and activities that help you relax and take the stress out of your day or week. Whether it's enlisting yoga techniques, watching your favorite television shows, or writing in a journal, be good to yourself.

　　譯文：給自己留出些時間。你要確保給自己一些空間與時間放松、釋放壓力。你可以選擇練習瑜伽、看自己最喜歡的電視節(jié)目、或者給雜志社寫寫稿子，這些都是對自己有好處的。

　　原文：Don't feel pressured to make a hasty decision about a career or a major. It doesn't matter if it seems as though everyone else seems to know what they're doing with their lives -- believe me, they don't -- college is the time for you to really discover who you are, what you enjoy doing, what you're good at, and what you want to be. It's not a race; take your time and enjoy exploring your options.

　　譯文：選擇專業(yè)的時候不要因為有壓力就草率地做出決定。就算看起來其他人都似乎清楚地知道自己想要做什么的時候，也不要著急，沒什么關系，相信我，大學里是讓你發(fā)現(xiàn)真實自我、享受自己做的事情、發(fā)現(xiàn)自己擅長于做什么事情、自己想成為什么樣的人的一個階段。這不是一個比賽，好好地規(guī)劃你自己，慢慢摸索，享受摸索的過程吧。

　　原文：Take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Don't look to place the blame on others for your mistakes; own up to them and move on. Being an adult means taking responsibility for everything that happens to you.

　　譯文：對你自己和自己的所作所為負責。不要為自己的錯誤而去責備其他人，坦率一點，繼續(xù)向前。成年人就是要對發(fā)生在自己身上的事負責。

　　原文：Make connections with students in your classes. One of my best students said his technique in the first week of classes was to meet at least one new person in each of his classes. It expanded his network of friends -- and was a crucial resource at times when he had to miss a class.

　　譯文：與你班上的同學多聯(lián)系。我的一個最優(yōu)秀的學生說他的方法就是在每個課上認識至少一個新同學。這擴大了他的朋友圈—當他有時候沒辦法缺了課的時候，這些人就是很好的資源。

　　原文：Find the Career Services Office. Regardless of whether you are entering college as undeclared or have your entire future mapped out, seek out the wonderful professionals in your college's career services office and get started on planning, preparing, and acting on your future.

　　譯文：找找就業(yè)輔導辦公室。無論你是沒什么計劃進入大學的，還是對未來有自己的規(guī)劃，去學校就業(yè)輔導辦公室找找那些非常棒的專業(yè)人士制定一下你的計劃，為你的未來做好準備。

　　原文：Don't procrastinate; prioritize your life. It may have been easy in high school to wait until the last minute to complete an assignment and still get a good grade, but that kind of stuff will not work for you in college. Give yourself deadlines -- and stick to them.

　　譯文：不要拖延，提前規(guī)劃好你的生活。在和高中的時候就算拖到最后一刻完成作業(yè)也許也能拿到好的成績，但在大學里這可行不通。要給自己劃一個截止日期—并且要堅持下去。

　　原文：Stay healthy/Eat Right. A lot of problems first-year students face can be traced back to an illness that kept them away from classes for an extended period of time that led to a downward spiraling effect. Get enough sleep, take your vitamins, and eat right. If you haven't heard the jokes about college food, you soon will. And without mom or dad there to serve you a balanced meal, you may be tempted to go for those extra fries or cookies. Stay healthy and avoid the dreaded extra "Freshman 15" pounds by sticking to a balanced diet.

　　譯文：保持健康的生活，吃得健康。有些學生在大學第一年里面對的問題是生病以至于不能正常地去上課，甚至能發(fā)展得更嚴重，對之后的生活都會造成影響。保持充足的睡眠、多吃點含維生素的食物、吃得健康一點。如果你沒聽過關于大學里食物的笑話，那么馬上就能有所耳聞了。父母不在身邊，沒有人給你提供有規(guī)律的飲食，你估計會被那些額外的炸薯條和餅干所誘惑。保持健康的生活，避免“新生長肉15磅”的規(guī)律。

　　原文：Learn to cope with homesickness. It's only natural that there will be times when you miss your family, even if you were one of those kids who couldn't wait to get away. Find a way to deal with those feelings, such as making a phone call or sending some email home.

　　譯文：學會應對思想情緒。在有些時候會突然想家是正常的，即便你以前可能是巴不得能早點離開家生活的那種小孩。自己想辦法克服這些情緒，比如可以打電話、發(fā)郵件給家里。

　　原文：Stay on campus as much as possible. Whether it's homesickness, a job, or a boyfriend or girlfriend from home, try not to leave campus too soon or too often. The more time you spend on getting to know the campus and your new friends, the more you'll feel at home at school. And why not take advantage of all the cultural and social events that happen on campus?

　　譯文：盡可能多的待在校園里。無論是因為想家還是因為工作，或者男朋友女朋友的問題，盡量都不要太早或者經(jīng)常性地離開學校，你花越多的時間在校園和你的新朋友上，你會更加熟悉自己的學校，就跟在家一樣。多多利用一下學校舉行的各種活動與賽事上也不錯啊。

　　原文：Seek professional help when you need it. Most colleges have health and counseling centers. If you're sick or feeling isolated or depressed, please take advantage of the many services these offices provide students. You don't have to face these issues by yourself.

　　譯文：需要的時候要尋求專業(yè)的幫助。大部分大學都有健康和咨詢中心，如果你生病了，或者感覺到孤立或沮喪了，多多找一下這些為學生設立的資訊機構，不用自己一個人去面對這些痛苦。

　　原文：Keep track of your money. If you've never had to create a budget, now is the time to do so. Find ways to stretch your money - and as best you can, avoid all those credit card solicitations you'll soon be receiving. The average credit card debt of college grads is staggering.

　　譯文：學會理財。如果你之前從沒有做過預算，那么現(xiàn)在開始做吧。找一個方法掌控好你的前，盡量避免收那些信用卡交費單。學生信用卡的債務是驚人的。

　　原文：Don't cut corners. College is all about learning. If you procrastinate and cram, you may still do well on tests, but you'll learn very little. Even worse, don't cheat on term papers or tests.

　　譯文：不要妄想走捷徑。大學是用來學些的。如果你老是犯拖延癥或者填鴨式地學習，你可能在測試上能取得好成績，但你學到的東西會很少。甚至更糟的情況，記住考試不要作弊。

　　原文：Be prepared to feel overwhelmed. There's a lot going in your life right now. Expect to have moments where it seems a bit too much. As one student says, be prepared to feel completely unprepared. The trick is knowing that you're not the only one feeling that way.

　　譯文：做好準備會有點不知所措。進入大學你的生活有許多變化，要做的事情很多。你要預料到有些時候你會感覺要做的事情太多了。就像一個學生說的，做好準備自己會手足無措吧，你絕對不是唯一一個有這種感覺的人。