大学第一年
文摘
2024-06-10 10:20
加拿大
妹妹放假已近一个月，几天后又要回到学校开始一份暑期工作。我请她对自己第一年的大学生活做个总结，她很乐意完成我给她的“家庭作业”——因为她确实有很多感受并且愿意分享。甚至于某天她在健身房忽然有了新想法，临时中断锻炼匆匆开车回家，趁想法还没有溜走坐在电脑前记录下来。写作是一件挺有意义的事，尤其在如今社交媒体泛滥的时代，碎片化的信息铺天盖地，表达也变得支离破碎。写作可以迫使你静下心来仔细思考：逻辑关系是否正确、文字选择是否恰当。大学生活和高中很是不同，孩子有更多的自由支配时间，身边也不会有老师和父母时刻盯着你。我认为这是孩子走向独立的重要一步。作为父母也要放手，在安全的前提下任凭孩子自己去探索，哪怕有时候会碰得鼻青脸肿。因为从法律上而言她们也是成年人了。我也很不理解为啥孩子都上大学、甚至研究生了还有各种各样的家长群。我是两个孩子上大学都没有加入任何家长群了。下面是她用英文写的内容。和前一篇类似，机翻后对中文内容稍作调整，同时也保留了原文。Everything I thought about after my first year at college!I never wanted to attend
Wellesley. Why? It was my sister’s undergraduate alma mater. I was familiar
with the elite liberal arts college: I recognized its sterling academic
reputation and lauded female network. I, naturally, included it in my list of
20 highly selective post-secondary institutions (an aggressive move that made
any college counsellor antsy). However, if Wellesley was the top choice for
someone with a polar personality from mine, I reasoned that it would not be the
right fit for me. Call it the younger sibling syndrome, but I was determined to
forge my own path, a path no less spectacular than my sister’s by any measure.
Fate disagreed: I received disappointing (and anticlimactic) college decisions
and the ultimate options of attending McGill Desautels, UBC Sauder, or
Wellesley. Envisioning a future in the United States, I inevitably accepted
Wellesley’s offer. As someone with heavy reservations about my new college
life, what’s my verdict after completing my first year? My reflection may burst
romanticizations of college life one might have construed. However, I believe
experiential advice from peers is one of the most valuable resources in college
(your first tip of the day!). So here’s a brutally honest & unfiltered
review of my first year at Wellesley College 🫡🤗.我从来都不想去上Wellesley学院。为什么？因为那是我姐姐的本科母校。我熟悉这所精英文理学院：我认识到它卓越的学术声誉和备受赞誉的女性网络。（申请时）我自然而然地把它列入了我 20 所高竞争性大学申请名单（这一大胆举动让任何大学辅导员都感到不安）。然而如果说Wellesley学院是像我这样性格两极分化的人的首选，我却认为它不适合我。可以说这是“弟弟妹妹综合症”，我决心开辟自己的道路、一条无论如何都不逊于我姐姐的道路。可是命运不同意：我收到了令人失望（和虎头蛇尾）的大学录取决定，最终是在McGill大学Desautels商学院、UBC 尚德商学院和Wellesley学院之中选择。因为希望在美国发展，我不可避免地接受了Wellesley学院的录取。作为一个对新大学生活有强烈保留的人，完成第一年后我的结论是什么？我的反思可能会打破人们对大学生活的浪漫想象。但是，我相信同龄人的经验和建议是大学里最宝贵的资源之一（这是你今天获得的第一个建议！）。所以，这是我在Wellesley学院第一年的坦率和未经过滤的回顾🫡🤗。Disclaimer: This is a highly
personal account of my experience at Wellesley, which is quite different from a
‘typical’ American university; it is a historically women’s liberal arts
college on the outskirts of the Boston Area. Every school has a different
personality which will heavily affect your college experience. I can literally
write another essay on this topic lol. However, a lot of the life lessons are
universal and applicable to any post-secondary experience.免责声明：这是对我在Wellesley学院的经历非常个人的记录，这所学院与“典型的”美国大学非常不同；它是一所历史悠久的女子文理学院，位于波士顿郊区。每所学校都有不同的特色，这将严重影响你的大学经历。我真的可以就这个话题写另一篇文章哈哈。然而，很多人生教训都是普遍的，适用于任何高等教育经历。
The first semester of college
was the most disorienting period of my life. Before then, my life was marked by
consistency: I had lived in the same city since I was six and went to the same
private school for seven years. Thus, I was always surrounded by familiarity —
similar people in a sheltered bubble. Going to college was a drastic shift from
homogeneity. With that, came a slew of challenges and grievances.大学的第一个学期是我一生中最迷茫的时期。在此之前，我的生活一直很稳定：我从六岁起就住在同一个城市，在同一所私立学校上学七年。因此，我身边总是围绕着熟悉的人——一群生活在一个受保护的泡泡中的相似的人。上大学让我的生活发生了巨大的转变。随之而来的是一系列的挑战和不满。Naively, I thought I would be
immune to homesickness. I’ve always considered myself to have an independent
personality. I’m most at ease operating with my own goals, plans, and schedule.
I was never the kid who texts and calls their parents every hour, updating them
on even the most trivial developments. I loved the freedom of going wherever I
wanted, whenever I wanted, doing whatever I wanted, with whomever I wanted
(including solo adventures with myself). Thus, it was a little embarrassing
when I bawled my eyes out for a week after being left to my new life at
Wellesley. In the summer quiet of the campus and the naked impersonality of my
dorm, I marinated in a sense of loss. I was grateful for the exciting bustle of
orientation. The incessant bombardment of events and people preoccupied my
thoughts. But even then, I was merely distracted from the emptiness. At home, I
could be alone but never lonely. At college, I was lonely but never alone.我天真地以为我会对“想家”免疫。我一直认为自己性格独立。我最擅长的是按照自己的目标、计划和时间安排行事。我从来都不是那种每小时给父母发短信和打电话，告诉他们哪怕是最琐碎的事情进展的孩子。我喜欢自由地在任何我想去的时间、去任何我想去的地方、和任何我想和的人一起（包括独自冒险）、做任何我想做的事情。因此，当我在Wellesley开始新生活后，哭了一周，这有点尴尬。在校园夏日的宁静和宿舍赤裸裸的冷漠中，我沉浸在一种失落感中。我很感激迎新会令人兴奋的喧嚣。不断涌来的事件和人占据了我的思绪。但即便如此，我也只是从空虚中分心了。在家里，我可以一个人，但永远不会孤独。在大学里，我很孤独，但也永远不会孤独。Little details reminded me that
I was in an alien environment. Wellesley campus is comparable to Stanley Park
with a couple more buildings scattered throughout. During the warmer months,
its grounds brim with life. No other campus can compare with Wellesley’s
natural beauty. However, stick season and the ensuing winter turned it into a
barren tundra. As someone with seasonal depression, I desperately missed the
evergreens of the Pacific Northwest. Every time I crossed the Charles River, I
missed my daily view of the Pacific Ocean from my bedroom window. I missed the
crisp mountain air perfumed with the fresh scent of pines and hemlocks. There
were also cultural differences. I am often perplexed and amused by Americans’
boisterous patriotism. Furthermore, I found a divide between the East and West
Coast — the West being more relaxed and diverse. Vancouver was unparalleled in
its selections of Asian food so I found Boston’s offerings lacking. The school
dining hall was nothing compared to the intricate dishes my mother prepared
each night at home. All of the little things snowballed into a yearning to be
home. My roommate can attest that I said “I want to go home” at least a hundred
times that semester. Reflecting on my feelings of displacement, I concluded that
it boiled down to a sense of comfort and security. I had left my nest with no
means to return to it. Although my safety net still existed, I now had farther
to fall.一些小细节让我意识到自己身处一个陌生的环境。Wellesley的校园可以与Stanley公园相媲美，校园内散落着几栋建筑。在温暖的月份，校园里生机勃勃。没有其他校园能与Wellesley的自然美景相比。然而，寒冷和随后的冬天使它变成了荒芜的苔原。作为一个患有“季节性抑郁症”的人，我非常想念西北太平洋沿岸的常青树。每次我穿过查尔斯河，我都会怀念每天从卧室窗户看到的太平洋景色。我想念清新的山间空气，空气中弥漫着松树和铁杉的清新气味。还有文化差异。我常常对美国人热情洋溢的爱国主义感到困惑和好笑。此外，我发现东海岸和西海岸之间存在分歧——西海岸更加轻松和多样化。温哥华的亚洲美食选择无与伦比，所以我觉得波士顿的亚洲美食贫乏。学校食堂与我母亲每晚在家准备的精致菜肴相比根本不值一提。所有这些小事积少成多、让我渴望回家。我的室友可以证明，那个学期我至少说了一百次“我想回家”。反思我的流离失所感，我得出结论，这归结为一种舒适和安全感。我离开了我的窝，没有办法再回去了。虽然我的安全网仍然存在，但现在我跌得更远了。Unfortunately, there is no
prevention or cure for homesickness. You either get it or you don’t, and you
just suffer through it. The first term is a transition period: you might feel
like you’ve left some pieces of yourself at home while others pieces are
speeding away into a new reality. You will collect yourself once more with
time, even becoming a more resilient version of who you were. In the meantime,
make yourself busy. Even though it's only a distraction from the grief of
leaving the known, it buys you time to orient yourself. The unfamiliar will
eventually turn into the familiar. Strangers will become good friends. Slowly
but surely, you will weave yourself a new safety net closer to where you fly.
Coming into college, a senior once told me Boston would eventually feel like
home. I remember feeling incredulous and dubious, sure that Boston could never
replace Vancouver. As a rising sophomore, I can attest the same to any incoming
freshman. No matter its shortcomings, college will become like a dingy and
chaotic second home.不幸的是，思乡之情无法预防或治愈。要么想念家乡，要么不想念家乡，你只能忍受它。第一个学期是一个过渡期：你可能会觉得自己的某些部分留在了家乡，而其他部分则飞速地消失在新的现实中。随着时间的推移，你会再次振作起来，甚至成为比以前更坚韧的自己。与此同时，让自己忙碌起来。即使这只是一种分散你对离开熟悉环境的注意力的方式，它也为你赢得了适应的时间。陌生最终会变成熟悉的；陌生人会成为好朋友。慢慢地，但肯定的是，你会在离你飞行的更近的地方为自己编织出一个新的安全网。刚进学校时，一位大四学姐曾告诉我：波士顿最终会让我感觉像家一样。我记得当时感到难以置信和怀疑，确信波士顿永远无法取代温哥华。现在作为一名即将升入大二的学生，我可以向任何即将入学的大一新生证明这一点。无论大学有什么缺点，它都会变成肮脏混乱的第二个家。I was a little overkill in high school: I filled my days with
extracurriculars and ran on a 7 AM - 7 PM school schedule. Going into college,
I thought about all the spare time I would have. Two 1.5-hour classes a day
will leave me with plenty of time for relaxation and fun, right? Not quite…
While it’s true that I spend significantly less time in the classroom, I spend
more time working. Course content was slightly more difficult, but immeasurably
denser. I also now had to take care of myself. Gone were the days when laundry
appeared magically folded in my closet. In college, I had to budget my day
around the 3 hours my laundry needed to be washed, dried, and folded. I nearly
lost my mind traversing back and forth to AT&T and being held on hour-long
calls to solve a phone plan crisis. I spent 3 hours filing federal taxes just
to earn back 4 dollars because I was petrified of the IRS. Simple tasks to
‘live’ take up real estate in your thoughts and time.我在高中时把自己安排的有点太满：我每天都参加课外活动，几乎都是 7 AM到 7 PM的时间表。进入大学，我考虑过我所有的课余时间。每天两节 1.5 小时的课会让我有足够的时间放松和娱乐，对吗？不完全是……虽然我确实在课堂上花费的时间少了很多，但我花在学习上的时间更多了。课程内容（比高中）稍微难一点，但密集程度却无可估量。我现在还必须自己照顾自己。洗好的衣服神奇地出现在我的衣柜里的日子已经一去不复返了。在大学里，我必须某一天安排3小时左右洗衣、烘干和叠衣服。（刚开学不久），为了解决手机计划的麻烦，来回往返于 AT&T 和长达一小时的电话等待几乎让我失去了理智。（报税季节）我花了 3 个小时申报联邦税，只为取回 4 美元的退税，因为我害怕国税局......简单的“生活”任务就占用了你许多的思想和时间。College becomes ten times more unbearable when you fall sick;
trust me, you will get sick a lot. It is a canon event. What do you expect
mingling with hundreds of teenagers whose poor hygiene skills would make the
WHO scared? I fell prey to the infamous ‘frat flu’ in mid-October and continued
to have various types of infections (respiratory, stomach, ear, eye 🤠) until the end of the fall
semester. In college, you must be self-reliant even at your most vulnerable. It
can be exhausting and stressful to balance all of your responsibilities when
your body is in such a frail state. For me, nurturing my health meant
sacrificing my social life. I spent my time outside of class (because you still
gotta go to class) nestled in bed sipping on concoctions of flu medicines. It
was miserable. I’m not going to sugarcoat the reality that college will really
suck sometimes. Unfortunately, it comes hand-in-hand with the unhinged fun of
the college life. I advise any incoming first-year student to invest in some
health essentials: buy a bottle of hand sanitizer, flu medicine (Advil,
Tylenol, Theraflu, etc.), a kettle and filter to purify lead-tasting water, and
supplements (vitamins, melatonin) because college dining is lacking in
nutrients. On the bright side, your body also adapts to the college grime! You
become more immune to the monthly virus strains that migrate through campus. In
fact, I didn’t fall sick despite going to exponentially more social functions
in the spring semester. Don’t let a fear of illness prevent you from living
life to the fullest.当你生病时，大学生活会变得更加难以忍受；相信我，你会经常生病。这是一个必然发生事件。与数百名卫生习惯差到让世界卫生组织都感到害怕的青少年混在一起，你还能指望什么？我在 10 月中旬感染了臭名昭著的“派对流感”，并一直持续各种类型的感染（呼吸道、胃、耳朵、眼睛🤠），直到第一学期结束。在大学里，即使在最脆弱的时候你也必须自力更生。当你的身体处于如此虚弱的状态时，平衡所有的责任会让人筋疲力尽和压力重重。对我来说，维持健康意味着牺牲我的社交生活。课外时间（因为你还得去上课）我都躺在床上喝着各种流感药物。这太痛苦了。大学生活有时真的很糟糕，我不想粉饰这个现实。不幸的是，“糟糕”与大学生活的疯狂乐趣相伴而生。我建议任何即将入学的大一新生都购买一些健康必需品：买一瓶洗手液、流感药（Advil、Tylenol、Theraflu等）、一个水壶和过滤器来净化有铅味的水，以及膳食补充剂（维生素、褪黑激素），因为大学餐厅缺乏营养。从好的方面来看，你的身体也会适应大学的污垢！你会对校园里每月传播的病毒株产生更强的免疫力。事实上，尽管在第二学期参加了成倍增加的社交活动，但我并没有生病。不要让对疾病的恐惧阻止你充分享受生活。My sister once described
college as “a degradation in life quality”. As a high school student, my only
responsibility was to have a stellar academic and extracurricular resume. As a
college student, I needed to do the same while maintaining my physical and
mental health, living quality, and social life. You can’t do all of it
perfectly, and it’s okay! College life is not meant to be comfortable. I
accepted its uncouth nature and balanced out the mundane burdens with exciting
events to look forward to.我姐姐曾将大学描述为“生活质量的下降”。作为一名高中生，我唯一的责任就是拥有一份出色的学业和课外简历。作为一名大学生，我需要做同样的事情，同时保持身心健康、生活质量和社交生活。你不可能做到完美，但没关系！大学生活并不意味着舒适。我接受了它粗野的本质，用“期待”来平衡日常的负担。Personally, Wellesley can sometimes be a little suffocating or
overbearing. I have to actively break its multi-faceted separation from the
rest of the world. This is an opinion, not a fact, formulated by someone who
loves to frolic in the city and be involved.就我个人而言，Wellesley有时会让人感到有些憋闷或专横。我必须积极地打破它与其他地方的多方面的隔离。这是一个观点，而不是事实，它是由一个（像我这样）喜欢在城市里嬉戏的人提出的。Geographically, Wellesley is
less central to Boston than its other post-secondary institutions. It is a
30-minute drive to Cambridge or Boston, but closer to an hour's bus ride
through the Locomotion. This makes leaving campus slightly tedious. However, I
find it necessary to leave campus quite often as Wellesley is not a social hub.
For example, there are few (good) parties thrown on Wellesley’s campus, so
students ride out to Cambridge to engage with MIT or Harvard’s events. Catching
the 1 AM bus home is an extra concern that partygoers must think about as
nobody wants to pay the $50+ Uber fee. Sometimes I simply miss the bustle of
city life and want to study in Cambridge or Boston. The combined two hours of
unproductive travelling time hinders me from going out whenever the itch
occurs.从地理位置上看，Wellesley学院与波士顿其他大学的距离并不那么近。从这里开车到剑桥或波士顿需要 30 分钟，但乘坐 Locomotion 巴士（运营于Wellesley、MIT、波士顿市中心间的穿梭巴士）则需要近一小时。这使得离开校园变得有些乏味。但是我发现经常离开校园是必要的，因为Wellesley学院并不是一个社交中心。例如，Wellesley很少举办（不错的）派对，因此学生们会乘车去剑桥参加MIT或哈佛大学的活动。赶凌晨 1 点的巴士回校是派对爱好者必须考虑的额外问题，因为没有人愿意支付 50 多美元的 Uber 费用。有时我只是怀念城市生活的喧嚣，所以想去剑桥或波士顿学习。加起来两个小时的无用旅行时间让我在想出门的时候都不太愿意出去。Like many higher education
institutions, Wellesley is extremely liberal. This is no surprise due to the
school’s generous admissions policy toward underrepresented demographics
(low-income, first-generation, LGBTQ+, etc.). While conservative and moderate
students are present, they are far less outspoken than their left-wing
counterparts. The campus becomes an echo chamber of a singular, radically
progressive, voice. Those with differing opinions become too afraid to speak up
because it would mean social suicide. Wellesley then becomes an ideological
bubble.和许多大学一样，Wellesley学院也非常自由（在这里的liberal是“左倾”的好听说法）。这并不奇怪，因为学校对代表性不足的人群（低收入、第一代大学生、LGBTQ+ 等）的招生政策很慷慨。虽然也有保守派和温和派学生，但他们远不如左翼学生直言不讳。校园变成了一个回音室，只听到一种独特的、激进的进步声音。持不同意见的人不敢说话，因为这意味着社会自杀。Wellesley学院因此变成了一个意识形态泡泡。Finally, attending a LAC
naturally boxes you in. They aren’t well-known due to their small student
populations. I have had many monologues about how I “go to a small LAC near
Boston that Hilary Clinton went to”. I find it frustrating having to put myself
on the map to the average Joe or a snobby Ivy Leaguer. There’s simply a duality
to the recognition of my alma mater. Those who know about Wellesley will afford
you much respect. Those who don’t might chalk it up to be a community college.
Thankfully, those familiar with Wellesley are often the people who matter most.
I’ve found that recruiters from national corporations, grad/med/law school
admissions, and people from the region will all recognize the brand-name value
of Wellesley.最后，就读一所文理学院自然会让你在象牙塔里。由于学生人数少，文理学院并不出名。我曾多次自言自语说我“就读于波士顿附近的一所小型文理学院，希拉里·克林顿就读于此”。我发现，要让普通人在常春藤盟校的地图上了解这一点很不容易，这让我很沮丧。我的母校的知名度有两面性：了解Wellesley的人会非常尊重你；不了解的人可能会认为它是一所社区学院。值得庆幸的是，熟悉Wellesley的人往往是最重要的人。我发现来自全国性公司的招聘人员、研究生/医学院/法学院招生人员以及来自波士顿地区的人都会认识到Wellesley的品牌价值。This subpoint of ‘the Wellesley
Bubble’ is simply to say that I have to actively put myself out there —
physically, ideologically, and reputationally — in pursuit of my ideal college
life.“Wellesley泡泡”的这个小点，简单来说就是我必须积极地投入其中——在身体上、意识形态上和声誉上——以追求我理想的大学生活。Ultimately, I definitely
struggled in aspects of my first year of college. Through this first section,
I’ve identified the flaws, how they hinder my life, and my
solutions/compromises/consolations. These three reservations are relevant to my
first-year experience at Wellesley. Others with different personalities may not
have the same issues. For example, my elder sister was an introvert and
homebody. She adored the peace Wellesley offered and didn’t leave campus often.
She despised social functions and didn’t get sick as
often as I did. On the other hand, these complaints aren’t unique to Wellesley
either. Everyone can experience homesickness no matter their post-secondary
institution. Everyone will experience a transition to adulthood to some degree.
There are plenty of schools that are far more remote than Wellesley, and almost
every elite post-secondary is extremely liberal. Thus, I’m not trying to paint
my school as an absolute hellhole. There are plenty of quirks that I am
incredibly grateful for (and that I’ll address in the second half of the
essay!). I’m only trying to provide the raw truth of college life that can shed
insight into overlooked aspects.最终，我确实在大学第一年的一些方面遇到了困难。通过这些经历，我对困难有了了解，并知道它们会如何阻碍我的生活，以及我可以采取的解决方案/妥协方法/自我安慰方法。前面写的这三个方面与我在Wellesley第一年经历有关。其他性格不同的人可能不会遇到同样的问题。例如，我的姐姐是一个内向的“宅女”。她喜欢Wellesley提供的宁静，不经常离开校园。她不喜欢社交活动，也不像我那样经常生病。另一方面，这些抱怨也不是Wellesley所独有的。无论在哪所大学，每个人都会想家、每个人都会在某种程度上经历成年的过渡。有很多学校比Wellesley更偏远，几乎每所精英高等院校都是极其自由（左倾）的。因此，我并不是想把我的学校描绘成一个绝对的地狱。有很多独特性让我非常感激（我将在文章的后半部分讨论这些独特性！）。
It’s not that the negatives of the fall semester ceased to
exist in the spring semester, or that the positives of the spring semester were
unavailable in the fall. Rather, I became more accustomed to the imperfect
nature of college life. In my second semester, I learned to incorporate
elements I wanted in college. It became easier to focus on the positives which
overshadowed the negatives.这并不是说第一学期的负面因素在第二学期就消失了，也不是说第二学期的积极因素在第一学期不存在。相反，我变得更加适应大学生活的不完美。在第二学期，我学会了融入我想要的大学元素。我更容易专注于积极因素，而这些积极因素会掩盖消极因素。I believe it imperative to
address a critical but often misunderstood topic: liberal arts colleges.
Post-secondary schools in the USA are categorized as National Universities or
Liberal Arts Colleges. National Universities contain multiple colleges other
than their undergraduate programs, including law, medicine, and business
schools. LACs only have undergraduate programs and have small student bodies.
While National Universities pride themselves on research, LACs are focused on
undergraduate education. At an LAC, students are taught to be well-rounded
critical thinkers as opposed to specialized in a particular field (e.g.
engineering or nursing). LACs are less known to the average Joe due to their
smaller student populations.我认为必须讨论一个关键但经常被误解的话题：文理学院。美国的高等院校分为国家级大学或文理学院。国家级大学除了本科课程外，还包含多个学院，包括法学院、医学院和商学院。文理学院只有本科课程，学生人数较少。国家级大学以研究为主，而文理学院则专注于本科教育。在文理学院，学生被教导成为全面批判性思考者，而不是某一特定领域专业人员（例如工程或护理）。由于学生人数较少，普通人对文理学院的了解较少。A liberal arts program is not
equivalent to a liberal arts college. I’ve explained the quirks of LACs to
students at elite national universities (Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton) and
have been rebuked with “But our undergraduate college boasts a liberal arts
curriculum as well”. While it is true that some National Universities emulate
the liberal arts teaching philosophy, they are still wildly different from a
true Liberal Arts College. For example, Harvard’s introductory Economics class
is a 600-student lecture while the equivalent classes at Wellesley are capped
at 30 students. At National Universities, you have limited access to professors
(as they are more research-oriented) and receive supplementary help from
graduate teaching assistants. At LACs, your professors are always at your
disposal. More undergraduate research opportunities are available at LACs than
at National Universities. While the latter is more research-oriented, jobs
prefer graduate students over undergraduates. Top LACs curate a very particular
type of student — academically driven, inquisitive, and hardworking. Everyone
is there to receive a top-notch education, as opposed to how many National
Universities must also nurture competitive student-athletes. Thus, liberal arts
colleges go far beyond what a ‘liberal arts curriculum’ describes.文科课程并不等同于文理学院。我曾向顶尖国家大学（哈佛、达特茅斯、普林斯顿）的学生解释过文理学院的特点，但他们反驳道：“但我们的本科院校也拥有文科课程。”虽然有些国家大学确实效仿了文理教学理念，但它们与真正的文理学院仍然有很大不同。例如，哈佛的入门经济学课程有 600 名学生参加，而Wellesley学院的同等课程最多只有 30 名学生。在国家级大学，你接触教授的机会有限（因为他们更注重研究），主要是得到研究生助教的帮助。在文理学院，你的教授随时为你服务。文理学院比国家大学有更多的本科研究机会。虽然后者更注重研究，但（国家级大学的研究工作）更喜欢研究生而不是本科生。顶尖文理学院培养的是一类非常特殊的学生——学术驱动、好奇心强、勤奋。每个人都可以接受一流的教育，而不像许多国家级大学还必须培养具有竞争力的学生运动员。因此，文理学院远远超出了“文理课程”所描述的范围。With that said, I truly enjoy learning at Wellesley. Coming
from a small high school, I thrived on interactions with my teachers and
classmates. Wellesley was a natural transition to learning at a university
level. I adore that my classes will
never have more than 25 students; professors are more personable during
lectures, and you become more familiar with your peers. Our tenured teaching
staff are also fantastic. They are insanely knowledgeable about their field of
study. More importantly, they prioritize helping students succeed above all
else. I remember vividly asking my ECON 103 (Intro to Probability &
Statistics) professor about what econ courses to take given my last encounter
with the subject was in grade 10 of high school (AP Micro & Macro). On the
spot, she quelled my worries and suggested some course paths. Days later, she
surprised me with a more in-depth list of class combinations that may jog my
memory about the economic concepts I learned so long ago. I was touched that
she mulled over my question for so long and cared about my concerns. Thus, I am
consistently awed by the calibre and heart of most of my professors. Because of
their passion as educators, it is even widely acknowledged that some
departments at Wellesley (including economics) are stronger than their
counterparts at Harvard.话到这里，我真的很享受在Wellesley学习。我来自一所小型高中，与老师和同学的互动让我受益匪浅。Wellesley是我进入大学学习的自然过渡。我喜欢我的班级学生人数永远不会超过 25 人；教授在讲课时更加亲切，你会与同学更加熟悉。我们的终身教职员工也很棒，他们对自己的研究领域了如指掌。更重要的是，他们把帮助学生取得成功放在首位。我清楚地记得，我曾问我的 ECON 103（概率与统计学入门）教授，鉴于我最后一次接触这门学科是在高中 10 年级（AP 微观与宏观），我应该选修哪些经济学课程。她当场打消了我的担忧，并建议了一些课程路径。几天后，她给了我一份更详细的课程组合清单，这可能会让我回想起很久以前学到的经济学概念。我很感动，她对我的问题思考了这么久，并且关心我的担忧。Our liberal arts structure and diligent professors cultivate a
high academic standard on campus. Historically, Wellesley has practiced ‘grade
deflation’, making it no easy feat to earn an ‘A’. Most students work hard to
maintain a work-life balance, but it is no rare occurrence that a student would
opt to finish the next paper over heading to frat row.我们的文理学院的教育结构和勤奋的教授培养了校园的高学术标准。从历史上看，Wellesley学院一直实行“分数缩水”制度，因此获得“A”并非易事。大多数学生努力保持学习与生活的平衡，但学生选择完成下一篇论文而不是去派对也并不罕见。This is cliché to say, but one of the best aspects of
Wellesley is the people. The smaller student body fosters a close-knit
siblinghood built on trust and respect. The college preaches the ‘Honor Code’ —
rules of conduct that students must abide by. The administration and the
student body trust that Wellesley students will act with integrity, so students
are afforded much freedom. Students are comfortable leaving their belongings
unattended for prolonged periods. We can take self-scheduled exams in any classroom
of our choosing without supervision. One of the perks of going to a women’s
college is that it is comfortable; students feel safe, physically and mentally.
The biggest threat on campus is probably the temperamental geese. I frequently
trek from the Science Center (east campus) to Beebe Hall (west campus) at
midnight with the freezing temperature as my biggest concern. Moreover, living
in an environment without male judgement is surprisingly freeing. Your peers
don’t care about how sloppy or refined you dress, or how demure or brashly you
act. Generally, Wellesley students are exceedingly friendly, supportive, and
open. I am always stopped by a quick chat or a wave from a familiar face.虽然这么说有些老套，但Wellesley最好的方面之一就是这里的人。学生人数较少，因此培养了建立在信任和尊重基础上的紧密姐妹情谊。学院推行“荣誉准则”——学生必须遵守的行为准则。管理层和学生团体相信Wellesley的学生会诚实行事，因此学生享有很大的自由。学生可以放心地长时间不看管自己的物品。我们可以在自己选择的任何教室参加自定时间地点的考试，无需监督。就读女子学院的好处之一是舒适；学生在身体和精神上都感到安全。校园里最大的威胁可能是喜怒无常的鹅。我经常在午夜从科学中心（东校区）跋涉到宿舍（西校区），最担心的是寒冷的气温。此外，生活在没有男性评判的环境中令人惊讶地自由。你的同龄人不在乎你穿得多么邋遢或精致，也不在乎你举止多么端庄或傲慢。总体而言，韦尔斯利学院的学生都非常友好、乐于助人且开朗。我总会遇到熟悉的人，和我快速聊聊天或挥挥手。It is far easier to get involved at a LAC like Wellesley than
at larger universities. While there is an application process for popular
student organizations, students don’t have to fight tooth and claw to secure
coffee chats. Upperclassmen are happy to take first-years under their wing
through big-little arrangements. After graduation, the system of support
between Wellesley alumni festers in the strongest women’s network in the
country在Wellesley这样的文理学院中，参与活动比在大型大学中容易得多。虽然受欢迎的学生组织需要申请，但学生不必费尽心机争取咖啡聊天的机会。高年级学生很乐意通过大大小小的安排来照顾新生。毕业后，Wellesley校友之间的支持体系在全国最强大的女性网络中不断壮大。3. Location: Boston is a College
Town on SteroidsI might sound contradictory as
I complained about Wellesley’s relative isolation previously. Objectively,
Wellesley is situated in a Goldilocks location. The campus itself is serene and
picturesque, ideal for quiet studying. The town of Wellesley is a 15-minute
walk away and offers the essentials in a Stars Hollow-esque aesthetic. If
students crave city life, Cambridge and Boston are a 40-minute drive away. We
can easily access the most vibrant college city in America. With institutions
like BU, BC, Northeastern, Harvard, and MIT (etc.) within reach, I often go
‘shopping’ for events from other schools. To make up for Wellesley’s lack of a
sporting scene, I go to Boston University’s hockey games or the infamous
Harvard v. Yale football game. On weekends, my friends and I go to MIT frat
parties. To meet more companies in the tech industry, Wellesley students can go
to MIT career fairs. As a Wellesley student, I have a more diverse catalogue of
events and opportunities than if I went to a larger university. I have had to
learn how to find my own fun.我之前抱怨过Wellesley学院相对偏僻，这听起来可能有些矛盾。客观地说，Wellesley学院位于一个黄金位置。校园本身宁静而美丽，非常适合安静地学习。Wellesley镇距离学校有 15 分钟的步行路程，是一座Stars Hollow式的美丽小镇。（Stars Hollow 是康涅狄格州的一个虚构小镇，出现在电视节目《吉尔摩女孩》和 Netflix 迷你剧《吉尔摩女孩：生命中的一年》中。这是主角罗蕾莱·吉尔摩和她的女儿罗里·吉尔摩居住的小镇。Stars Hollow 被描述为一个联系紧密的社区，距离哈特福德州议会大厦约三十分钟路程。译注）如果学生渴望城市生活，剑桥和波士顿距离学校有 40 分钟的车程，可以轻松到达美国最具活力的大学城。波士顿大学、波士顿学院、东北大学、哈佛大学和MIT等学校近在咫尺，我经常去“逛逛”其他学校的活动。为了弥补Wellesley学院所缺乏的体育活动，我会去观看波士顿大学的曲棍球比赛，或者臭名昭著的哈佛大学对耶鲁大学的橄榄球比赛。周末，我和我的朋友们会去参加MIT的派对。为了结识更多科技行业的公司，Wellesley学院的学生可以参加MIT的招聘会。作为Wellesley学院的学生，我拥有比就读一所大型的大学更加多样化的活动和机会。我必须学会如何找到自己的乐趣。
Main Takeaway: College Life is
What You Make of ItEach school will have its quirks and personality. As a
student, you hope you find your ‘best fit’, where your own personality matches
that of your post-secondary institution. However, you can still create a
close-to-ideal college life even if they don’t match. Do I think Wellesley
College is everything I dreamed of at a university and is my perfect match?
Definitely not. Many negative aspects still irk me. However, I have identified
what type of college life I want and emulated it as much as possible. I can be
an academic weapon and still have a social life, even if I have to put in more
effort to travel and find fun. Ultimately, how much you enjoy college is
dependent on you.每所学校都有自己的特点和个性。作为一名学生，你希望找到“最适合”你的学校，即你自己的个性与你的大专院校相匹配。然而，即使它们不匹配，你仍然可以创造一个接近理想的大学生活。我是否认为Wellesley学院是我梦寐以求的大学、是我的完美选择呢？绝对不是。许多负面方面仍然让我恼火。然而，我已经确定了我想要什么样的大学生活，并尽可能地模仿它。我可以成为一个学术武器，同时仍然拥有社交生活，即使我必须付出更多努力去旅行和寻找乐趣。最终，你能享受多少大学生活取决于你自己。* What are the different
personalities of universities? You only know once you come into contact with
their student bodies. An essay for another time.* 大学的不同性格是什么？只有当你接触到学生群体时，你才会知道。下次再写一篇文章。* Wellesley also has worse
amenities than some national universities because its facilities are older and
less renovated (I’ve visited NYU, MIT, and Harvard dorms before). In my
opinion, because liberal arts colleges are smaller, they don’t invest as much
in drastic changes like state-of-the-art resources. However, Wellesley’s dining
is apparently slightly better than the average American post-secondary
institution.* 韦尔斯利学院的设施也比一些国家级大学差，因为它的设施比较旧，装修也不够（我以前去过纽约大学、MIT和哈佛大学的宿舍）。在我看来，由于文理学院规模较小，它们不会在最先进的资源等重大变革上投入太多。然而，Wellesley学院的餐饮显然比一般美国大学略好一些。* What is it like going to an
all girls school? Men? Also an essay for another time.* 上女子学校是什么感觉？男生？下次再写一篇文章。
