評論
打印
How to Assess a Graduate School
如何評估選擇研究生院校
Good morning, everyone.
大家早上好。
I guess some of you may have already started thinking about further study overseas after graduation.
我猜你們中的一些人可能已經開始考慮畢業后出國深造了。
But few people would thoroughly consider all of the aspects of a graduate school before application.
但是，很少有人會在申請研究生之前仔細考慮研究生院校的方方面面。
The criteria I am going to talk about today can help spur your thinking about choosing a proper school.
我今天要談的標準可以幫助你思考如何選擇一所合適的學校。
Of course, the most important criteria will depend upon your specific needs.
當然，最重要的標準將視你的具體需求而決定。
But, there are also several general criteria to follow.
但是，也有幾個普遍的標準需要遵循。
First guideline is reputation.
第一條準則是聲譽。
Is the graduate school considered one of the best graduate schools in the country?
這所研究生院校被認為是全國最好的研究生院校之一嗎？
Is it highly regarded in your chosen specialty?
這所學校的你選擇的專業受到的評價高嗎？
In most cases, people would like to observe the various school rankings, but my suggestion is that the school rankings should not be considered definitely.
在大多數情況下，人們都喜歡注意各種學校排名，但我的建議是，不應該完全參照學校排名。
Rankings are useful as a very rough guide to the reputation and quality of different programs.
排名是有用的，可以非常粗略地反映不同課程的聲譽和質量。
Most people take them, um, far too seriously when considering where to apply.
大多數人在考慮申請哪所學校的時候過于認真。
But you will have to bear in mind that the schools differ a lot in their programs, goals and atmospheres.
但你必須記住，各學校在課程、目標和氛圍上有很大區別。
Even with almost the same ranking, one school will offer more related courses than another one.
即使排名幾乎相同，一所學校也可能比另一所學校提供更多的相關課程。
The second. The second criterion lies in location of the school.
第二。第二個準則就是學校的位置。
OK. Why do we need to consider location of the school?
好的。為什么我們需要考慮學校的位置？
Let me give you some reasons.
我來給你一些理由。
Which part of the country you would prefer to be in for three years determines the cost of your study.
你更喜歡在這個國家的哪個地方待三年，這決定了你的學習費用。
Living in a big city is exciting with a lot of varieties, but it should also be expensive.
生活在大城市令人興奮，有各種各樣的事物，但它的費用也很高昂。
A medium-sized city located in a scenic spot can be charming but not exciting.
位于風景名勝區的中等城市可能很迷人，但并不令人興奮。
So do not ignore the fact that you are about to spend two or three years of your life in the graduate school you choose.
因此，不要忽略這樣一個事實：你生命中的兩三年時間都將在你選擇的這所研究生院校中度過。
Try to spend it somewhere you will appreciate.
盡量在你喜歡的地方度過這幾年。
And the location of a school helps determine its social environment.
學校的位置決定了它的社會環境。
Schools in large cities tend not to foster the degree of social bonding among classmates that schools in small towns do, largely due to the lack of other entertainment options in the latter.
大城市的學校往往不會像小城鎮的學校那樣培養同學之間的社交關系，這在很大程度上是因為小城鎮的學校缺乏其他娛樂選擇。
The third thing to consider is safety.
第三件要考慮的事情是安全。
Related to a location issue is the question of safety.
與位置問題相關的是安全問題。
Be sure that the school environment is and feels safe. In assessing safety, make sure you see the school and its environment where students spend their time and do not assume, uh, that would appear safe at noon will also be safe at midnight.
確保學校環境是安全的，并且讓人感覺安全。在評估安全的時候，確保你看到了學生們生活學習的學校和環境，不要去假設，中午看起來安全的地方，午夜也是安全的。
Discuss the matter with school officials and also discuss your concerns with students who are already studying there, most like you.
與校方人員討論這件事，并與已經在那里學習的學生（他們和你最相似）聊聊你的擔憂。
Now the next factor to consider is school facilities and housing.
現在要考慮的下一個因素是學校設施和住房。
Check to be sure that the library and computer facilities are top-notch.
檢查一下，確保圖書館和計算機設備都是一流的。
In particular, note whether they are comfortable for long-hour work efforts.
尤其要注意，長時間使用這些設施是否是舒適的。
Housing can be a major concern, especially in your first year.
住房可能是一個主要的問題，特別是在你的入學的第一年。
Look at the school dorms and apartments, but also examine the price and availability of off-campus housing.
看看學校的宿舍和公寓，但也要查一查是否能在校外居住，以及它的價格。
Note what transportation options you will have and also their safety implications.
注意一下你能選擇的交通方式，以及它們對安全可能造成什么影響。
Finally, mission is a major factor as well.
最后，使命也是一個重要因素。
Schools vary in the extent to which they wish to educate their graduate students.
各學校培養研究生的愿景各不相同。
There might be differences between programs that require students to be generalists and those that train specialists.
要求學生成為多面手的項目和培養專家的項目之間可能存在差異。
These differences can have a major effect upon your fit with the program and the students who have chosen to attend it.
這些差異會對你是否適合這個項目以及選擇參加的學生產生重大影響。
Okay. Today we have discussed some general principles on how to choose a graduate school.
好了。今天我們討論了一些關于如何選擇研究生院校的普遍原則。
I hope the information will be useful to you when you apply for graduate schools.
我希望這些信息能對你申請研究生院校有幫助。
