Some 「Do『s」，Some 「Don』ts」系列之怎樣讓你的海外學術之旅變得有價值、愉快和更有趣
前言
This series ofarticles will provide some "Do"s", some "Don"ts", andgeneral advice on how to make your academic journey abroad as rewarding,exciting, and fun as it can be.
募思教育將為你提供一系列關於「要做」和「不要做」的建議，使你的海外學術之旅變得有價值、愉快和更有趣。
正個文
01
I once knew ayoung American man, let"s call him Mike, who came to Chengdu for asemester-long study abroad experience. At that time, I myself had already been living in Chengdu for several years. So I am always interested to learn about other老外experiences in China. I asked Mike how his experience was going , and I was unimpressed with his feedback.
我曾經認識一個叫邁克的美國年輕人。他來成都交流學習了一個學期。當時我來成都已經很多年了，所以總是對其他「老外」在中國的經歷很感興趣。我問他在這裡過得怎麼樣，我以為會很棒，卻得到了令我很失望的反饋。
Mike was nothaving a good time. OK, this happens. However it was his reasons, or rather hisexcuses, that disappointed me. It seemed Mike had not given Chengdu achance. He had not given himself to the valuable experience of being in such a– for lack of a better term - foreign place. He told me that most days hestayed in his dorm room on his university campus and watched movies. He had not made any friends. He ONLY ate McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut. It seemed he had not done any of the work necessary to cultivate meaning and enjoyment in hisexperience. No wonder he wasn"t enjoying himself!
邁克在這裡過得並不是很愉快。我承認這種情況可能會發生，但他給我的理由或者說是「借口」讓我很失望。看起來邁克似乎並沒有給成都一個機會。他身在國外，卻沒有主動嘗試過任何有意義的經歷。他告訴我，大部分時間他都宅在寢室里看電影，也沒有交過任何新朋友。他每天只吃麥當勞、肯德基、必勝客這類美式快餐。他似乎沒有做過任何必要的努力來讓自己在國外的經歷變的有意義。難怪他不能享受自己在國外的生活。
Recently I readan article about a similar type of experience from a Chinese student, let"s call him David, who is studying in the United States. David laments that hiscampus is in a small, quiet town. He calls it "boring". This boring feeling contributes to his feeling of loneliness. It has even made him second-guesshis decision to study abroad in the first place. He feels like he is missingout on the hustle and bustle going on back home in China. I truly sympathize with David. It isn"t easy being far away from home, especially for the first time. But what a pity to be feeling so badly about what should be an incredible, enriching experience?
最近我讀了一篇文章，是關於一個在美國學習的中國學生大衛相似的經歷。他抱怨說自己的學校在一個又小又僻靜的小鎮里，他認為這個小鎮很無聊。而這種無聊的感覺讓他感到孤獨。他甚至開始懷疑自己當初來國外讀書的決定。他感覺自己很想念在中國忙碌而喧囂的生活。我真的很同情他。第一次離鄉背井並不容易，而本該美妙而豐富的體驗如今卻變得如此糟糕，真的是讓人心生遺憾。
I also wonder what opportunities David is taking to improve his situation. Does he, like Mike the American in Chengdu, just stay by himself all the time? Does he put in theextra effort to make friends, join clubs, attend sports matches, and generally engage with his community? Colleges and Universities that are located in smalltowns understand that their locations are perhaps not as "exciting"as bigger cities. For this reason, they spend A LOT of time, energy, andresources to providing students fun and engaging activities. If you are not having fun at college, something is wrong.
我也想知道大衛為改變自己的窘境而採取了哪些行動，付出了哪些努力。難道像在成都的美國人邁克一樣, 他也一直長期獨處嗎？他是否付出額外的努力去結交新朋友、加入俱樂部、參加體育比賽或加入社區的一些活動呢？位於小城鎮的大學很清楚他們的地理位置可能不像大城市那樣「令人興奮」。正因如此, 他們才花費了大量的時間、精力和資源為學生提供很多有趣和吸引人的活動。如果你上大學時沒有去盡情享受這些，那就是自己的問題了。
And it is true that not every university campus is located in a bustling hub like New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago. It is also true that small towns are not forevery one, just as big cities are not for everyone. But with some prior research and investigation, a campus" geographic location, demography, and local at mosphere would be very easy to discern. If you don"t like small towns, don"t go to a small town school. If you are tired of living in big cities, don"t goto school in Los Angeles. David"s situation could have possibly been avoided with some very basic research, and it could have saved him a lot of discomfort.
的確，並非每所大學都位於像紐約、洛杉磯和芝加哥這樣繁華的中心地帶。同樣的，小城鎮並不適合每個人，就像大城市並不適合每個人一樣。但是一些先前的研究和調查表明，一個校園的地理位置、人口數量和當地的風土人情都歷歷可辨。你若是不喜歡小鎮，就不要選擇一些坐落於小城鎮的學校。同樣的，你要是疲於大城市的喧囂，就不要去諸如洛杉磯這樣的學校。要是大衛先前做過一些基本的調研，他的問題本可以被避免，也不至於日子如此難過。
My point is this: you get out of life what you put into it. You have to do the work. When it comes to studying abroad, passing the tests and getting into your choice school is certainly an immense challenge (if you are already passed this point, congratulations! You should truly take pride in your accomplishment). But soon an entirely different type of work will begin. This work is not of the test taking variety. It is the work of soft-skills and social interaction, networking, taking risks, and building relationships. It is the effort you need to put forth to HAVE A GOOD TIME。。
我認為，你付出多少，生活就會回報你多少，所以你要努力改變和付出。就出國深造來說，通過標化考試，再申請到理想的學校，這些都是巨大的挑戰（如果你已經過了這一關，恭喜你！你該為自己取得的成就感到自豪）。不過你即將面臨一個全新的挑戰，這項挑戰無關於通過各種各樣的考試，而是關於各項軟技能、社交互動、人際關係，風險承擔和建立人脈的挑戰的。這就需要你付出相當的努力去換取你在國外愉快的生活。
I"m sure Mike and David are both nice guys. But if you are considering studying abroad, please do not be like them. Be as informed as possible of the type of environment you will be encountering in your experience abroad. And spend time, a lot of time, preparing yourself mentally and emotionally for the task of not just being there, but thriving there. It sounds cliché, but it truly is the chance of a life time!
我相信邁克和大衛在其他方面都是不錯的。但如果你也考慮去國外讀書，請千萬不要像他們一樣。儘可能多的了解你未來在國外生活的壞境。一定要花大量的時間，讓自己做好精神和情緒上的準備，讓自己不僅僅是在國外，而是要在國外適應並生活的更好。這些聽起來像是陳詞濫調，但它確實是你一生中難得的機會。
Check back next week for another look into how you can optimize the value and enjoyment of you education abroad.
請下周繼續關注，怎麼樣才能最優化海外學習的價值和樂趣。
At Moonshot Education, passing the tests is just the beginning. We push our students to fully own the decision-making process of furthering their education. Making empowered decisions is the order of the day. Together we explore not only the practical and procedural steps involved with taking education to the nextlevel, but how to best prepare the mind and heart for these potentially life-changing opportunities.
在募思教育，通過標化考試只是一個開始。我們鼓勵我們的學生全面掌控自己進一步學習的決策過程。引導學生自己做出最好的決定是我們最看重的事情。我們不僅共同探索將教育提升到更高水平所需要的實踐和程序步驟，還要探討如何為這些改變生活的潛在機會做好最萬全的思想和心靈上的準備。
募思教育Moonshot Education
是一家專註於留學教育諮詢和培訓的教育機構
2010年初創於美國洛杉磯，
2016年公司總部落戶於四川成都
我們為學生提供留學所需全面的教育諮詢服務，
包括留學諮詢、考試培訓、歷史文化文學橋樑程等
在我們看來，幫助學生實現留學夢想
正如一個具有挑戰的登月計劃
我們不僅要幫你到達目的地，
更重要的是幫你看到沿途最美的風景，
所以我們把公司命名為Moonshot
我們願意去挑戰瘋狂的想法或不大可能實現的項目，
讓我們一起向月球進發吧！
募思教育
諮詢電話：028-84701147
地址：成都市東大街紫東樓段35號明宇金融廣場2406
TAG:留美學說 |