By George Forsythe1) 譯 / 朱甄雯

親愛(ài)的大一新生們，告別了令人窒息的高三，跨入了夢(mèng)寐以求的大學(xué)，從此學(xué)習(xí)和生活都由自己做主，想必你一定感到如釋重負(fù)又興奮不已。但且慢，進(jìn)了大學(xué)并不等于給未來(lái)上了保險(xiǎn)。對(duì)于每一個(gè)正青春的你而言，要想不辜負(fù)自己，不枉費(fèi)青春，不放過(guò)人生最寶貴的四年所能提供的所有機(jī)會(huì)和可能性，你必須從現(xiàn)在就開(kāi)始思考：我要怎么從大一開(kāi)始充實(shí)地度過(guò)這四年？也許，下面這位校長(zhǎng)寫(xiě)給自己剛上大一的兒子的一封信能為你提供些許答案。

Dear Gavin （and all incoming freshmen），

Congratulations on the start of your college career！ I know how excited you must be about your achievements to date2）， as well as this chance to begin the next phase of your life. As a college president， I want to pass along a few words of wisdom as you begin your college careers.

I want to begin by dispelling a few misconceptions about college. I know you just graduated from a challenging high school with a strong college prep program. You are certainly well-prepared. That said， you cant expect to coast3） on your high school work ethic and succeed in college. Higher education requires more diligence and focus than high school. Here are some tips：

★ Dont be fooled by the schedule. Two or three classes a day would appear to leave free time to do your own thing. Actually， your professors will expect you to use that open time to study vigorously. Meetings， study groups， and assignments will dominate this “free time.” Be prepared.

★ Dont expect to get all your homework done in a few hours each night. College work requires you to spend more time on task than you did in high school. However， the hours at the library or study lounge will pay off in success.

★ Avoid the misconception that class attendance is optional and all that matters is the final grade. You may find that professors dont take attendance. You might be inclined to think they wont notice if youre not present. Trust me—your attendance will have a direct impact on your learning. Go to class， sit in front， take good notes， and participate in class discussions. Its your education， so make the most of it.

★ Finally， many new college students think that an education is simply about acquiring as much knowledge as possible， and its the professors job to provide the answers. Not true. An education is based on learning how to think critically about a wide range of topics， and then putting those ideas into action.

Now that Ive addressed some misconceptions， lets focus on the learning opportunities：

Own Your Education

An education is about making your life more meaningful， and its your job to “make the meaning.” Learning is an active endeavor. Your professors are there to help you， and they actually care about what you think and do. Respect your professors and yourself through active learning and participation.

Professors will expect you to learn the material before you come to class. Your time in class will be devoted to in-depth exploration. You will critique， test， and apply ideas. It takes a while to get used to this switch， but this is how you learn to become a self-directed， lifelong learner. You are extremely bright， but in college， you cant get by on natural talents alone. You have to do the work， seek additional help from professors and learning specialists4）， and schedule your time wisely. If you do， youll still have time for co-curricular activities and leisure time.

You have to be disciplined. Dont expect an academic counselor or professor to monitor your progress， like in high school.

Beyond the Classroom

You are going to meet people from diverse backgrounds. You might meet people who wont agree with your views on politics or religion， and I encourage you to suspend judgment and be open to new and different ideas. Dont be afraid to respectfully ask questions about other students backgrounds. You will find that getting to know a person unlike yourself not only helps you strengthen your own values， it also allows you to appreciate and enjoy that very difference.

While you and your roommate will probably get along just fine， roommate conflicts are a natural part of going to college. Try to work them out on your own. If you cant， get help from your resident hall advisors. Challenges with roommates or classmates actually provide excellent practice in conflict resolution， a vital lifelong skill. Above all， be kind and practice the Golden Rule5）.

Family and Independence

It will be an emotional time when you say goodbye to your family. These emotions are good. They demonstrate the bonds of love that you have for one another. Part of that love includes your parents letting you take flight. I encourage you to become engaged in campus life. Make the campus your new community. This is your chance to write the next chapter of your life as a young adult.

Try to keep your family informed. Dont be afraid to share your successes and struggles； both are natural. You are an independent young person， so you wont need to rely on your parents when you encounter difficulties. We all have the confidence you can handle the challenges， but were also here for advice if （and when） you need it.

Remember： you are ready for this next step in your lifes journey. Go make the most of it.

With all my love，

Pop

親愛(ài)的加文（以及所有的準(zhǔn)大一新生們），

祝賀你即將開(kāi)始大學(xué)生涯！我知道你一定對(duì)自己迄今為止所取得的成績(jī)感到很激動(dòng)，對(duì)能得到這樣的機(jī)會(huì)步入人生新的階段感到很興奮。在你開(kāi)始大學(xué)生涯之際，作為一名大學(xué)校長(zhǎng)，我有一些道理想要告訴你。

我首先想要消除人們對(duì)大學(xué)的一些誤解。我知道你剛從充滿(mǎn)挑戰(zhàn)的中學(xué)畢業(yè)，也讀完了出色的大學(xué)預(yù)科課程。你肯定對(duì)上大學(xué)做好了充分準(zhǔn)備。但即便如此，你也不要以為靠著讀中學(xué)的學(xué)習(xí)態(tài)度就能不費(fèi)吹灰之力地在大學(xué)里取得好成績(jī)。與讀中學(xué)相比，大學(xué)需要你更勤奮、更專(zhuān)注。以下是我的一些建議：

★不要被課表忽悠了。每天只有兩三節(jié)課，這看似給你留出了自由的時(shí)間可以去做自己的事情。而實(shí)際上，你的教授們是希望你能利用好這些空余時(shí)間去積極地學(xué)習(xí)。會(huì)議、學(xué)習(xí)小組、各門(mén)作業(yè)——這些將占據(jù)你的“空余”時(shí)間。對(duì)此你要做好準(zhǔn)備。

★不要指望每晚花幾個(gè)小時(shí)就能完成你所有的作業(yè)。大學(xué)作業(yè)需要你投入比高中時(shí)更多的時(shí)間去完成。不過(guò)，你花在圖書(shū)館或自習(xí)室里的時(shí)間都會(huì)給你帶來(lái)成功的回報(bào)。

★避免以下認(rèn)識(shí)誤區(qū)：上課是否出勤是可以選擇的，唯一重要的是期末成績(jī)?；蛟S你發(fā)現(xiàn)教授們并不點(diǎn)名，你也許傾向于認(rèn)為如果你不出勤，教授們也不會(huì)察覺(jué)。但請(qǐng)相信我，你的出勤率將直接影響到你的學(xué)業(yè)。去上課，坐在前排，做好筆記，參與課堂討論——這是你的教育，所以要最大限度地利用好它。

★最后，很多大學(xué)新生認(rèn)為，接受教育只是意味著獲得盡可能多的知識(shí)，而教授的職責(zé)就是為學(xué)生提供答案。這個(gè)想法是不對(duì)的。教育所基于的理念首先是學(xué)習(xí)如何對(duì)范圍廣泛的話(huà)題進(jìn)行批判性思考，然后再將那些想法付諸實(shí)踐。

既然我已經(jīng)指出了一些誤解，接著我們來(lái)著重談?wù)剬W(xué)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)。

主宰自己的教育

教育的目的是讓你的人生變得更有意義，而創(chuàng)造意義的任務(wù)需要由你來(lái)完成。學(xué)習(xí)是一種積極主動(dòng)的努力。教授們只是在那里幫助你，他們實(shí)際上關(guān)心的是你的想法和行為。主動(dòng)學(xué)習(xí)，積極參與——這既是對(duì)教授們的尊重，也是對(duì)你自己的尊重。

教授們希望你在上課之前了解學(xué)習(xí)資料。你在課堂上的時(shí)間將用于深入的探究。你將評(píng)判、檢驗(yàn)和運(yùn)用各類(lèi)觀點(diǎn)。你需要一段時(shí)間去適應(yīng)這種學(xué)習(xí)方式的轉(zhuǎn)變，不過(guò)這會(huì)讓你學(xué)會(huì)如何成為一名自主的終身學(xué)習(xí)者。你非常聰明，但在大學(xué)里光靠天分是行不通的。你必須完成作業(yè)，從教授和學(xué)習(xí)輔導(dǎo)員那里尋求額外的幫助，合理規(guī)劃自己的時(shí)間。如果你照做的話(huà)，你還會(huì)有時(shí)間去參加課外活動(dòng)和享受娛樂(lè)休閑。

你必須懂得自律。不要指望像中學(xué)那樣會(huì)有輔導(dǎo)員或老師來(lái)監(jiān)督你的進(jìn)步。

把握課堂之外

你將遇到各種各樣不同背景的人。你可能會(huì)遇到政治或宗教觀點(diǎn)與你相左的人，對(duì)此我鼓勵(lì)你先不要急于作出判斷，而是對(duì)不同的新觀點(diǎn)保持開(kāi)放的態(tài)度。要勇于恭敬地詢(xún)問(wèn)其他同學(xué)的背景情況。你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，去了解一個(gè)和你不同的人不僅會(huì)幫助你堅(jiān)定你的價(jià)值觀，也會(huì)讓你理解和欣賞你們之間的差異。

也許你和室友會(huì)相處得不錯(cuò)，但室友之間的摩擦是大學(xué)生活里很正常的一部分。試著靠自己去解決矛盾。如果實(shí)在無(wú)法解決，你可以向宿舍管理員求助。事實(shí)上，與室友或同學(xué)之間的沖突為你提供了一個(gè)絕佳的實(shí)踐機(jī)會(huì)，讓你學(xué)會(huì)如何解決分歧——這可是終生受用的一個(gè)重要技能。不過(guò)，最重要的是對(duì)人友善，學(xué)會(huì)運(yùn)用與人相處的黃金法則。

平衡親情與獨(dú)立的關(guān)系

與家人告別時(shí)，你難免會(huì)有情緒波動(dòng)。有這些情緒是好事，它們體現(xiàn)著你與家人之間愛(ài)的紐帶。父母放手讓你展翅高飛也是這種愛(ài)的一種體現(xiàn)。我鼓勵(lì)你積極融入到大學(xué)生活中，讓大學(xué)成為你生活的一個(gè)新圈子。這是你作為年紀(jì)尚輕的成年人書(shū)寫(xiě)人生新篇章的機(jī)會(huì)。

有事要盡量告知家人。不要害怕與家人分享自己的成功與艱辛，這些都是再正常不過(guò)的事情。你已經(jīng)是一位獨(dú)立的年輕人，所以當(dāng)你遇到困難時(shí)，你不需要依賴(lài)父母幫你解決。我們都相信你有能力去應(yīng)對(duì)各種挑戰(zhàn)，但如果（或當(dāng)）你需要幫助時(shí)，我們也隨時(shí)準(zhǔn)備著給你建議。

記?。耗阋褱?zhǔn)備好開(kāi)始你人生的下一段旅程。去好好享受它吧！

深?lèi)?ài)你的爸爸