做好人生的重要選擇：8條建議教你選擇適合你的大學
The college search doesn't have to begin and end with the Ivies and the name brand schools. There are many schools out there to choose from — some known and some less known, all worthy of your attention.
選學校不必非要在常春藤聯合會名牌大學和知名院校中進行挑選。還有很多院校可供選擇——知名的和不怎麼知名的，它們都值得你的關注。
Here's some advice for trying to find the school that works for you.
當你要選一所適合自己的學校時，這裏有一些建議可以供你參考。
1. Start with who you are and why you are going.
以你的性格和你爲什麼上大學爲出發點。
You need to examine yourself and your reasons for going to college before you start your search. Why, really, are you going? What are your abilities and strengths? What are your weaknesses? What do you want out of life — something tangible or intangible?
在開始選大學前，你需要問問自己，找找上大學的理由。你到底是因爲什麼去上大學？你的能力和優勢是什麼？你的弱點是什麼？生活中那些看得見的和看不見的，你想從中得到什麼？
Are you socially self-sufficient or do you need warm, familial support? Talk with your family, friends and high-school counselors as you ask these questions. The people who know you best can help you the most with these important issues.
你能獨立生活還是需要熱心的家庭援助？問自己這些問題的時候，可以和家人、朋友及高中指導員談談。最瞭解你的人能在這些重要問題上給予你最大的幫助。
2. Size matters: Your college does not have to be bigger than your high school.
規模問題：你的大學不需要比你的高中大。
Most good liberal arts colleges have a population of fewer than 4,000 for a reason; college is a time to explore, and a smaller community is more conducive to internal exploration.
大多數優秀的文科類院校的在校學生人數少於4000，這是因爲大學是讓人發揮探索精神的階段，小型的團體環境更有助於自我探索。
It is not the number of people, but the people themselves and the kind of community in which you will learn that really matters. Many large universities have established honors colleges within the larger university for these same reasons.
真正在乎的不是人數，而是學生本身和你在哪種校園環境裏學習。出於同樣的原因，很多大院校之間建立起了榮譽學院。
3. A name-brand college will not guarantee your success.
讀名牌大學無法保證你的成功
Think about the people in your life who are happy and successful and find out where (and if) they went to college. Ask the same about famous people.
看看你生活中那些快樂的成功人士，問問他們在哪裏上的大學（如果他們上過大學）。也可以問問名人同樣的問題。
You will likely find that success in life has less to do with the choice of college than with the experiences and opportunities encountered while in college, coupled with personal qualities and traits.
你將會發現生命中的成功與院校的選擇關聯甚少，關聯更多的是在大學裏的經歷和機遇，再加上個人能力和特點。
Employers and graduate schools are looking for outstanding skills and experience, not college pedigree. As you search for colleges, ask about student outcomes; you will find many colleges that outperform the Ivies and "name brands," even though you may have never heard of them!
僱主和研究生院在尋求傑出的技能和經驗，而不是畢業院校。當你在選院校時，問問學生的成果，你將發現很多院校要勝過常春藤聯合會名牌大學和知名院校，雖然有些大學你從來都沒聽過。
4. You don’t need to pick a major to pick a college.
你不必爲了專業去選院校。
Very few high-school students have enough information or experience to choose a major. You need the variety and depth of college coursework to determine your interest and aptitude.
只有少數高中生才擁有足夠的信息和經驗去選擇一個專業。你需要根據大學培養計劃的多樣性和課程深度來決定你的興趣和能力培養。
Most college students change their minds two or three times before they settle on a major, and they can still graduate in four years!
很多大學生在他們選定一門專業前會有兩到三次的轉專業，而且他們依舊可以如期畢業！
Being undecided is a good thing and will leave you open to more academic experiences.
沒有選定專業是件好事，它會留給你更多的學術空間。5. Don’t be scared by the stories.
不要被人言嚇到
If you only pay attention to the headlines, you might start to believe that no one is getting in anywhere! The truth is that the majority of the colleges and universities in this country admit more students than they reject.
如果你只關注新聞標題，你可能就會認爲每個人都要無處可去了！事實上，大多數院校錄取的學生要比拒收的學生多。
If you're worried about your chances of getting admitted — and you're willing to investigate beyond the very narrow band of highly selective colleges — you'll find that you have many options that will lead to a great fit for you.
如果你擔心自己的入學（你願意去調查的知名院校，雖然希望渺茫），你會發現你有很多讓你受益匪淺的選擇。
Be informed about your academic profile and compare it to the profile of the most recently admitted and enrolled class for the colleges you are investigating.
瞭解掌握自己的成績，與你在研究的大學最近入學註冊的大多數學生們做個比較。
Check the college admission Web site for this information and contact them if you can’t find it. Ask your high-school counselor for additional advice and guidance as it applies to your school.
登錄大學招生網站找一找這方面的信息，如果你找不到它們的話，聯繫校方。在申請學校時，問問高中指導員尋求其他建議和指導。
6. You can afford to go to college.
你可以供自己上大學。
If you make the assumption that you cannot afford college based on the sticker price of tuition, you will miss out. It is difficult to talk about money, but if you investigate all the options and ask for help and advice, you will find affordable choices.
因爲學費，你就做出自己上不了大學的假設，那你就會錯過上大學的機會。談錢就會觸到難處，但如果你對所有的可能都做了調查，然後尋求幫助和建議，你會找到上大學的機會。
Online resources, as well as financial aid workshops sponsored by high schools in local communities, are widely available to get you started. College and university financial aid Web sites offer useful information and links as well. Investigate early and ask for help.
在線資源和當地社區高中贊助的經濟援助，都將助你起步。院校的經濟援助網站也提供了有用的信息和鏈接。早日調查，尋求幫助。
7. You don’t have to go to college right away, and it’s never too late.
你不必現在就去上大學，它永遠不會遲。
There is no such thing as the perfect time to start college. Some students benefit from a year off to work, study or travel, and these experiences allow them to be better, more engaged students.
沒有種說法說上大學有一個最好的時間。有些學生在工作、學習或旅遊完一年後才受益大學教育，這段時間的經歷讓他們成爲更傑出、參與度更高的學生。
Some students choose to apply to college and gain admission and then defer their entrance, while others wait to apply until after they have had an alternative experience.
有些學生申請讀大學，獲得入學資格，然後他們延遲了入學時間。而另一些人則會在他們有了一段經歷後才提交大學入學申請。
Either way, admissions officers will be anxious to learn about your experience during your time off, and they'll ask you to write about it as part of your admissions process.
不管哪一種，招生辦工作人員都在期待你休學時的經歷，他們會要求你把它寫下來作爲你入學材料的一部分。
High-school and college admission counselors can provide resources for investigating alternatives that may be right for you. You could apply for an internship, study abroad, or participate in a community service project.
高中的和大學的入學顧問可以爲你提供調查適合你的其它院校的資源。你可以申請實習、海外留學，或是參與到社區服務項目裏去。
8. The most important factor in choosing a college is fit.
選大學時一個最重要的因素是要適合。
Choosing a college because your friends are going there or because of where it ranks on a list does not take into account who you are and who you will become. College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won. Finding a good fit requires time and thoughtfulness.
因爲你的朋友去那裏上大學或是因爲這所大學的排名靠前就選了這所學校，這樣做沒有考慮到兩個方面：你是什麼樣的人，和你將來要成爲怎麼樣的人。上大學像是做配對，而不是贏大獎。找到一所適合的大學需要時間和深思。
Visiting college Web sites and learning about what events take place, who visits as guest speakers, and how to get in touch with current students and faculty is a good way to supplement a campus visit — or to decide if you want to spend the time and money on a visit.
登錄學院網站了解發生了什麼事，有哪些人作爲訪問學者到過學校，如何與在校學生和老師取得聯繫是校園參觀以外的另一種好方式，或者是決定你是否要花時間和金錢去學校參觀一番的好方法。
Check a school's Web site to find the admissions officer assigned to your region of the country. Send them an e-mail to ask about getting in touch with students from your area or identifying a few with interests similar to yours.
登錄學校網站，找到分管你所在區域的招生辦。給他們發送一封郵件以便聯繫到與你來自同一地方的學生，或是幾個和你興趣相投的學生。
When you visit, try to build in time to sit in on classes, eat in the dining hall and hang around in the student center or other high-traffic areas. That will help you imagine yourself as part of the community.
當你參觀學校的時候，儘量讓自己有時間進教室坐一坐，在餐廳吃吃飯，在學生活動中心或其它人羣聚集的地方走一走。這樣你能把自己想象成是校園裏的一員。
Talk to a few students and ask if they would make the same college choice if they had to do it again. Go back to the first item in this list as you consider the information you’ve collected about the colleges. You will have great options!
和一些學生聊一聊，問問他們，如果再有一次選大學的機會，他們還會選擇同樣的大學嗎？當你認爲自己收集到了關於這所大學的信息，回到這張列表的第一項。你會做出很好的選擇！
