Quora精選：在麻省理工上學是什麼感覺？

獲得100萬好評的回答@Shataakshi Dube：

My first semester at MIT was awesome - I was very motivated and got all A's, despite everything being pass/no record. I even got an A+ in differential equations. My second semester went pretty well, too, but I struggled very much in organic chemistry and ended up with a B. This was my first B ever, and though I was disappointed, I shook it off and tried to stay positive. I declared math as my major. I'm not even sure why I took organic chemistry, since I was interested in math.

在麻省理工的第一學期成績驕人，我學積極主動，我的所有學科成績都是A，沒有不過的科目。甚至在微積分方程我得了A+。第二學期也差不多，成績很好，除了有機化學我得了個B這點讓我有點揪心。那是我第一次得B我，所以不免有點失望，不過我還是擺脫陰影，保持積極。數學是我的專業，而且我的興趣也在數學，我也不確定爲什麼會選擇有機化學。

My parents were pressuring me to be a premed and become a doctor (like them) so I guess I was trying to appease them. But at the same time, I was desperately running away from them and their emotional abuse. I was very conflicted and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had always excelled in math and so I chose to pursue that. I didn't know it at the time, but my very sense of self-worth was based on the fact that I was good at math.

大概父母想要讓我成爲醫科預備生，然後像他們一樣成爲一個醫生，我爲了討他們的歡心才做出這樣的選擇。但同時，我又極度想擺脫他們情緒上的控制，我很矛盾，也不知道我將來要做什麼，我數學很棒，所以我選擇堅持下去，同時也因爲數學好，我有點自大，當時我沒有意識到這一點。

My third semester, I took 18.700 (Linear Algebra). I had never done higher-level math based on proofs before, and I ended up with a D. I didn't do that well in my other classes, either. I started skipping classes more and more, sleeping more and more. It seemed like all my friends were doing so well, getting all these internships and opportunities over the summers, while my parents made me fly home and stay with them every summer. The next semester I got 2 F's .

第三學期，我選擇了18.700（線性代數），我之前從來都沒有學過基於驗證的高等數學，這門課最後得了一個D，而且其他課業每況愈下。我開始不斷逃課，睡覺。我身邊的朋友都學得不錯，暑假都得到了實習的機會。而每次暑假我的父母都要我回去陪伴他們。之後的一個學期我得了兩個F。

My fifth semester, I realized that I was awful at higher-level math and so I switched my major to computer science. I had lost all confidence in myself. I attended a few classes at the beginning of the semester, but after the first midterms, I completely stopped. My only relief was the dance team I was on. I would sleep all day, muster up the courage to get out of bed and go to dance practice, pretend everything was okay at dinner with my friends, and then go back to sleep. As expected, I failed all of my classes and had to withdraw from MIT.

第五學期，我意識到我實在不適合讀高數，於是就換到了電腦科學專業，我徹底失去了信心。學期一開始我很少上課。到第一次期中，我徹底不學了。我就只去學校的舞蹈隊，我睡一整天，然後振作精神起牀去練跳舞，假裝啥事沒有和我的朋友一起吃晚飯，和我回去睡覺。不出所料，我的所有科目都掛了，只能輟學。

Sinced I was forced to withdraw, I had no choice but to tell my parents. Over winter break, I told them I didn't want to go back. My dad asked to see my grades, for the first time ever. I shakingly emailed him my transcript, then went to my room and hid behind my bed, prepared for the worst. Instead of yelling or hitting me, though, he just held me and cried. The next day, he took off from work and took me and my mom to a nearby, small liberal arts college (my older brother went there). We went to the admissions office and they literally *begged* them to help me. I felt completely numb.

被迫輟學以後，我只能告訴我的父母。寒假之前，我告訴他們我不想回去，爸爸第一次問我要了成績單。我戰戰兢兢地發給了他，然後回到我的房間，躲在牀後面，準備好迎接最壞的打算。他們沒有吼我，也沒有打我，只是抱着我哭。第二天爸爸請假帶着我和媽媽來到了附近一所小型的文理學院（我的哥哥在那裏讀過）。我們去了招生辦，父母懇請他們幫幫我。我當時徹底感覺麻木了。

Somehow, I was conditionally accepted, and I just had to do well my first semester. I took very basic classes on things I had mastered in high school. But I was burnt out, and I had lost all confidence in myself. Before my first biology test, I remember telling my mom I didn't think I could pass. I did pass, with flying colors. But I also fucked up. In my writing class, I could not complete a project on time, and I stopped showing up to class again. I finally talked to the professor, and he gave me an incomplete. The admissions office was not happy, and they told me this was my final chance. If I didn't shape up the next semester, they were kicking me out. They only let me take 5 credit hours.

不過我還是接受了，只要第一學期好好表現，我選修了在高中就已經掌握了的基礎課程。我感覺徹底失去了信心，身體被掏空。在我第一次生物考試之前，曾記得告訴媽媽，這門課我可能不會過。但是我還是過了，而且考的不錯。當我還是搞砸了，我的寫作課，我不能按時完成作業，而且也沒有去上課。最後去找教授談話，他給了我一個沒有完成的評分。招生辦就不高興了，他們警告我說這是我最後的機會，如果我下學期再不改正，就讓我滾蛋。他們只給我修5個學分。

I was angry at myself, and at them, but the low credit limit was actually a blessing in disguise. Since I had so much free time, I decided to join a biology lab with my professor from the first semester. And I LOVED it. I started doing research ~35 hours a week, and I realized - this is what I want to do! I want to be a scientist! I finally had a goal, and internal motivation, and I decided I would do my absolute best to make it come true. I kept working, day by day, on both school and research. It was hard, and it was humbling. My parents and I had a lot of emotions and anger to deal with. Through sheer determination, I made it.

我生自己的氣，也生學校的氣，殊不知最低學分也幫了我的大忙。因爲有了很多的空餘時間，所以在第一學期我就參加了教授的生物實驗室。發現我深深的愛上了生物。每週最多花35個小時做研究，發現這就是我想要做的，我想成爲一個科學家。我終於找到了我的目標和內在動機。而且我想要通過自己最大的努力將它實現。於是我每天都很努力，不管是在學校還是做研究。研究很難，而且感覺很微不足道。我的父母就應爲這個和我鬧情緒。通過不懈的努力，我做到了。

This past May, I graduated with highest honors, and now I am fortunate enough to have started my PhD in gh it ended up taking me 5 years to graduate from college, I can say now that failing out of MIT was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I realized that a person is NOT their grades. I realized how much my parents love me (and I never could have recovered without their support), and I think we finally understand each other. I finally discovered my passion in life, and now I get to put together my intense curiosity for biology with my love for math!

就在過去的5月，我成功畢業，而且獲得最好榮譽，有幸開始我的神經生物學博士學位研讀。花了5年的時間我從大學畢業，現在我可以說從麻省理工輟學是我生命中發生過的最好的事情。讓我懂得一個人最重要的不是成績。我體會到了父母的愛，要不是他們我也不會重新振作，最終我們互相諒解。我也找到生命中的熱愛，可以把我對於生物的好奇和對數學的喜愛相結合。

（翻譯：林潯鷗）