原文：Choosing to attend a university thousands of miles away from home is a big decision, and with big decisions come a lot of changes. As an international student who came to the U.S. three years ago, I had expected that there would be some things to adjust to, but there were also some others that I wasn't counting on. Here is what I wish I had known about the U.S. university system before I'd headed for the States.
译文：选择一个离家千里之远的大学上学实在是一个蛮大的决定，而这么一个大的决定也会给你的生活带来许多变化。三年前我初来美国留学时已经做好了适应新环境的准备，但是也有些变化和需要适应的事情是我之前没有想到的。下面就是我总结的希望在来美国之前我能了解的事。希望可以帮到即将来美国留学的你们。
原文：Attending college is like having a full-time job. One big mistake a lot of prospective freshmen make is thinking that university is similar to high school, and that it will be very easy. Unfortunately, that is not exactly the case. Being a university student is analogous to having a full-time job. Most university students in the U.S. live on campus, in dorms provided by the university. This means that students eat, sleep, socialize, study and hang out all at the same place: campus.
译文：上大学就跟做一份全职工作一样。许多大学新生总会犯的一个比较大的错误就是认为大学跟高中差不多，应该蛮轻松的。但事实上，事情可不是这样的。上大学就和做一份全职工作一样，美国大部分的大学生都住学校宿舍，他们吃、住、睡、社交活动、包括学习和休闲时间都在同一个地方：校园。
原文：Most things going on in a student’s life – academics, extracurricular activities, social life – will likely be related to university life. In fact, during certain periods of the semester, such as midterms or final exams, university life might even feel like more than a full-time job. College in the U.S. is more than just taking classes; most of the work university students do will actually be outside of the classroom, such as working on assignments, group study or research. Sometimes, the amount of time a student devotes to university work will be more than 40 hours a week.
译文：学生的生活—上课、课外活动、社交生活都跟大学生活有关。事实上，在每个学期的一些特殊时期，比如其中或期末考试时，大学生活比全职工作更甚。在美国，大学并不只是上课，其实大部分学生需要做的事都是在教师外完成的，比如说你的作业、小组学习或研究工作。有时候你每周得花40个小时以上的时间完成大学里的事情。
原文： Extracurricular activities are important. One of the things I found very surprising about university life in the U.S. is that it’s not all about academics. It’s not a requirement, but many students are very active on campus, and that definitely has a lot of perks. Not only will you learn new skills and gain experience in new things, but being heavily involved in at least one extracurricular activity is also a meaningful way to expand your network and forge lifelong friendships.
It is also important to note, however, that extracurricular activities require time commitment and dedication too. Therefore, it would not be the wisest decision either to be involved in too many activities. Make sure to not overwhelm yourself, and remember that academics should come first.
译文：课外活动都非常重要。在美国，令我感到非常惊讶的事情并不都是关于学业的。在美国的大学里，虽然没有明确的要求，但是学生在学校里都非常活跃。这并不是仅仅说你需要学习一项新的技能或者有一番什么新的历练，更重要的是你至少要全身心地投入到至少一项课外活动中，这样可以帮助你扩展你的人际关系网，也能祝你交到一生的挚友。
然而，这里必须提醒一下，这些课外活动一定是需要花时间和精力的，因此，不宜参加太多课外活动。你要确保不能让自己花过多时间和精力在这些活动上，毕竟学业还是应该摆在第一位。
原文：You don’t need to decide your major right away. The education system varies from country to country, and some international students are not very aware of that. I come from a country where everyone has to decide what they want to major in right at the beginning of university – but as a lot of people have realized, it’s very difficult to know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you’re only 18.
I found it quite surprising that here in the U.S., it’s perfectly fine to not know what you want to study yet. In most universities, students are not required to declare a major until the end of sophomore year. Of course, there are always people who already know what they want to study, and that is great – but if you aren't sure, that’s also all right. One of the advantages of education in the U.S. is the emphasis on exploration of different fields, which is not something that is offered around the world.
译文：你不必立马决定你的专业。不同国家的教育系统自然也不同，但许多留学生都没意识到这个问题。我的国家里每个学生在大学入学时就选好了专业—但事实上，对于一个仅仅18岁的学生来说，要决定自己以后想干什么绝对不是一件简单的事。
在美国，这件让人感到惊讶，即使你不知道自己该学什么，也不用着急。大部分的学校里，你可以到学期末再最后确定自己的专业。当然，也有许多学生明确知道自己想学什么专业，那也很好，如果你不确定，那也没关系。美国教育系统的一个优势就是强调探索不同的领域，这是许多其他国家所没有的。
原文：American social life is very different. A big part of the U.S. college experience is your social life, and I found the social aspect quite a culture shock. In general, Americans are very open and friendly to other people. It’s perfectly normal for people to strike up a conversation at a bus stop or at the grocery store.
Some universities might have a pretty big party scene, and although some Hollywood movies make it seem like everyone loves to party, that’s not quite true. Not everyone parties every Friday night – and that’s perfectly fine as well.
I had also expected students to wear slightly more formal attire for classes, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of people wearing flip-flops and shorts to class in May, when it starts to get hot where I attend college. Of course, this varies a lot from university to university, and it’s always better to overdress.
译文：美国的社交生活很不一样。美国大学生活的很大一部分就是社交生活，而我发现，在这一方面，他们的文化给了我很大的冲击。美国人对人都非常开放且友好，在公交车上或者杂货店里跟陌生人攀谈再正常不过了。
有些学校可能会有一些很棒的派对季，在好莱坞电影里，似乎所有人都喜欢派对，但事实可不是这样。不是每个人一到周五晚上就开排队的。
我以为，上课的时候大家都会穿得正式一点，但我却惊讶地发现许多学生在五月份的时候穿着人字拖和短裤来上课。当然这个不同学校的情况也不一样，还是穿得讲究一点会更好。
原文：Professors are very, very important. It’s generally a good idea to take at least one small class in your first year. In a smaller course, it’s a lot easier to forge meaningful relationships with professors. Some of the people you meet at university can be very important and influential mentors.
It is especially important to know someone in your field closely, as he or she will be able to provide you guidance in your specific area of focus, and even offer reference letters when you need them.
译文：教授非常非常重要。在留学第一年的时候，至少选一门小班课程，在小班里更容易与教授建立好关系。你在学校里见到的人很可能就是非常重要的或者是很有影响力的导师。
多了解你的专业里的一些教授非常重要，因为他或她可能能够在你所关注的领域里给你一些指导，甚至当你需要的时候，他们能够给你写推荐性。
原文：There are jobs available on campus. Working on campus, especially at something that really interests you or is related to your academic field, is a great way to get to know other people – and at the same time, get paid for it. A lot of universities have teaching assistantships as well as research opportunities, and they are definitely worth checking out.
译文：校园里有工作可以做。在校园里找份工作，尤其是找份让你感兴趣的或者与你所学专业领域相关的工作，是结交人非常好的方法，当然你还能赚点钱。许多大学都会给学生提供如教学助理或者研究助理等机会，这些工作还是蛮值得尝试一下的。
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