How to Be Cool at College?

How to Be Cool at College?

Going to college? Lucky you! You’ll have a great time and a lot of fun on the way. Yet your education is also very serious business. To a large extent, you will be on your own.  True, there will be many people ready to help you, but you will often have to take the first step in whatever you choose to do. Most of you have decided on a career. Even though some of you may change your minds later, you will have to set goals and work hard for them step by step until you graduate.

上大学了？你真幸运！上了大学你将很快活，有很多乐趣。但你的学习也是件严肃的事。在很大程度上，你将靠自己。的确，会有很多人帮助你，但是无论你决定做什么，你常常得自己走出第一步。你们中多数人已经决定了自己将来要从事什么职业。即使有些人以后可能会改变主意，你仍然要确定目标，并且一步一步为之努力奋斗，直到毕业。

As a teacher, I always tell my students to work hard and keep up from day one. You should also think about taking other subjects. For a rich full life of college, you should make the most of the opportunities at hand.

作为老师，我总是告诫我的学生从第一天开始就努力奋斗、积极向上。你也应该想想选修其他科目。想要大学生活过得充实、丰富，你就应该充分利用眼前的机会。

I hope you have understood this by now: Going to college means a lot more than getting a grade. You know you have a debt to many people. They have worked hard to make these opportunities open for you. Please, don’t let them down! Study hard and learn more.

我希望到现在你已理解了这一点，即上大学远非仅仅得到一个分数这么简单。你要感谢很多人，是他们努力为你创造了这些机会。请别让他们失望。努力钻研，好好学习。

You should also consider this: Are you going to take a course to really learn something or are you going to take it only to have it on your record? I have heard far too many students tell me that they are doing a course to get a certificate for a better chance of “getting a job”. Sadly, this is not a good reason to learn anything. Why?

你也应该考虑这个问题：你选修一门课程是为了真正学点什么呢，还是只为了成绩单上有这门课程的成绩？我已听到太多的学生告诉我，他们选修一门课是为了一个文凭，以便有更好的“谋得工作”的机会。不幸的是，这不是个好的学习理由。为什么呢？

Well, firstly, you may not get a job even if you do a course that is likely to get you one. Secondly,  you are cheating yourself. If you don’t have a real understanding and liking of your course, you may begin to feel very unhappy. You know it will be very difficult for you to respect yourself unless you are proud of your work. The truly happy person is one who is proud of his work and honest with himself. This is true of a worker, doctor, teacher, or whatever.

嗯，首先，即使你选修的课程可能帮助你谋得一份工作，你也未必能得到这份工作。其次，你在欺骗你自己。如果你不真正理解和喜欢你的课程，你就可能开始感到非常不愉快。要知道，除非你为自己的工作感到骄傲，否则你很难尊重自己。真正幸福的人是一个为自己的工作感到骄傲的人。这对工人、医生、教师或其他无论谁来说都一样。

So, as you begin your college career, make up your mind to learn as much as possible.

因此，在开始你的大学生涯时，请下定决心好好学习吧。