麻省理工学院MIT寄语申请者

引言

几年前，在新浪博客上读到这篇文章，当时女儿正在申请美国大学。在那些迷茫漆黑的时光里，这篇文章就像一盏灯，带给我们一束光亮。今天整理编辑了浮生悠然在新浪博客上的这篇文章，希望也给正在申请季的您带来一束光亮。

昨天，我无意中在网上漫游，偶然进入了美国著名的麻省理工学院（MIT）的网站。我好奇地在本科生录取页面浏览，结果，被学校网站上的两段话，感动得，心潮澎湃不已。

悠然非常认同，学校的这种教育，选拔，和指导理念。悠然在博客里，几乎从来不转载文章，但今天，觉得有必要在此节选，并翻译一部份，以供自己和众多或没机会看到，或不谙英文的朋友们参考，学习或者至少了解，存在这样一种方式，它能让我们的孩子成长为独特的，优异的，体贴的，完整的人。

Recommended High School Preparation（建议在高中做好的准备）

When we admit a class of students to MIT, it’s as if we’re choosing a1,000-person team to climb a very interesting, fairly rugged mountain – together.We obviously want people who have the training, stamina and passion for the climb. At the same time, we want each to add something useful or intriguing to the team, from a wonderful temperament or sense of humor, to compelling personal experiences, to a wide range of individual gifts, talents, interestsand achievements. We are emphatically not looking for a batch of identical perfect climbers; we are looking for a richly varied team of capable people who will support, surprise and inspire each other.

当我们MIT要招收一个班的学生，就像我们要选1000个人，组成一个登山队，一起去攀登一座有趣又崎岖的山。我们显然需要队员有相当的登山训练，耐力和激情。同时，我们也希望每个人都能给这个队伍，带来一些有用的，引人入胜的东西，可以是良好的性情，或者幽默感，还是丰富的个人经历，乃至各种各样的个人天赋，才能，兴趣和成就。我们强调的，不是一帮一模一样的完美的登山者。我们要找的，是一群各不相同的能人，以便使他们能够互相支持，惊喜和鼓舞。

Preparing yourself for MIT, then, means doing two things:

（准备申请来MIT，那么，意味着你要做两件事）：

1. making sure you’re ready to do the work, and （确保你准备好要努力，和）

2. taking the time to really explore things that interest you, both inside and outside of school. （花时间确实去探索使你产生兴趣的事情，不论在校内，还是在校外。）

Academics（学习）

A strong academic foundation in high school both improves your odds of getting into MIT and will help you make the most of the Institute when you’re here. Overall, you should try to take the most stimulating courses available to you.

（高中阶段坚实的学习基础，无疑让你进入MIT的机会增加，并能使你进入大学后更充分地学习。总的来说，你应该选择对你最具挑战性的课程。）

编者注：这一栏有些内容不适用于国内的环境，在此略去。如欲知详情，请查阅MIT网站。

Extracurricular Activities（课外活动）

Some students feel so much pressure to get into the “right”college that they want to make sure they do everything “right” – even do the “right” extracurricular activities. Fortunately, the only right answer is to do what’s right for you – not what you think is right for us.

（有些学生感到很大压力，为了进“对”大学，他们想确保做“对”每一件事情，甚至要做“对”课外活动。可幸的是，唯一正确的答案是，做对你自己合适的事情 – 而不是你认为对我们胃口的事情。）

Choose your activities because they really delight, intrigue and challenge you, not because you think they’ll look impressive on your application. Go out of your way to find projects, activities and experiences that stimulate your creativity and leadership, that connect you with peers and adults who bring out your best, that please you so much you don’t mind the work involved. Some students find room for many activities; others prefer to concentrate on just a few. Either way, the test for any extracurricular should be whether it makes you happy – whether it feels right for you.

（选择你的活动，因为它真的让你高兴，让你着迷和构成挑战，而不要因为你觉得它们会让你的大学申请材料看起来更令人难忘。不厌其烦地，去寻找能够提升你的创造力和领导力的；能使你融入对你有益的朋友和成人的；能让你乐此不疲的，项目，活动和经历。有些学生选择很多活动，而有的喜欢集中地做某几个。没关系，课外活动的目的是要看，它是否让你得到了快乐 – 你是否感觉它对你合适。）

By the same token, some applicants struggle to turn themselves into clones of the “ideal” MIT student – you know, the one who gets triple 800s on the SAT. Fortunately, cloning is still for sheep. What we really want to see on your application is you being you – pursuing the things you love, growing,changing, taking risks, learning from your mistakes, all in your own distinctive way. College is not a costume party; you’re not supposed to comedressed as someone else. Instead, college is an intense, irreplaceable four-year opportunity to become more yourself than you’ve ever been. What you need to show us is that you’re ready to try.

（出于同样原因，有的申请者拼命把自己克隆成“理想的”MIT学生的模样，就像，你知道，有的学生SAT每门课都考800满分。可幸的是，克隆仅限于羊。而我们在你的申请上，希望看到的是，你就做你自己，追求你热爱的事物，成长，改变，敢冒险，能从错误中学习，都以你自己独特的方式。大学，不是一场化妆舞会，你不应该把自己装扮成跟别人一样。相反，大学是四年紧张的，不可替代的机会，让你比任何时候都更成为你自己。你要做的，就只是让我们看到，你准备好了，去尝试）。

MIT的网站，我看到这里，已经感概万千了。心想，这是多好的培养人才的理念啊？做你自己，忠实于你自己，就算考不上MIT又有什么关系呢？

接下来看到的一段，是学校写给考生的。它教给孩子，理解父母，帮助父母。在孩子申请大学的过程中，父母也需要帮助吗？是的，很多时候，由于我们太多关注孩子，而忽视了自己。但自己的情绪不稳，是会给孩子造成负面影响的。我们也需要孩子来帮助我们。

这一段，让我心里感到温暖。这一段，学校在帮助我们，帮助自己的孩子。我心想，我的孩子考不考MIT都没有关系，考不考得上也不那么重要，但如果他能学会如此细微地体谅父母，学会如此从容地面对人生，学会如此坦白地不耻下问，我就会非常地宽慰，这不也就是成功么？

让我们一起来看看吧。 

Helping Your Parents Through This Process（在申请过程中，帮助你的父母）

For parents, sending a child off to college is a big deal. That can be especially true if you’re a first or an only child. Your parent(s) may feel lots of different things, and sometimes conflicting things at the same time.High hopes for you. Pride and a fierce determination that you go to a”good enough” school. Anxiety about your happiness and safety. Nervousness about what they see as a very big step for you. Grief that you are unmistakably growing up. Uncertainty about how to pay the tuition. Inadequacy, if they feel they can’t help you with the admissions process. Frustration, because they can’t control the outcome for you. An intense desire to help you – coupled witha desire not to interfere too much (as you can imagine, this can be aparticularly hard pair of feelings to juggle). If you’re applying to schools ofthe caliber of MIT, they may be worried that you won’t get in – and equally worried that you will.

（对于父母来说，送孩子上大学，是件大事。如果你是家里的老大或者独生子，就更是如此。你父母可能突然间会心乱如麻。对你期望过高。骄傲地坚持你定要上一所“够好”的大学。为你的兴奋和安全焦虑。为你的人生如此重要的一步紧张。担心你会走弯路。不确定能否负担你的学费。为了帮不上你的忙而不安。因为不能控制结果而困惑。一方面拼命想帮你的忙，却又觉得不该干涉你太多 – 你能想象，这样的感觉非常矛盾。如果，你申请了像MIT这样著名的大学，他们担心你万一考不上怎么办？但就算你考上了，他们也还是一样地会担心。）

Some parents cope with their feelings by paying a lot of attention to the college search process, others by being totally hands-off. Most come down somewhere in between. No matter how your parents respond, your relationship can be bumpy from ti
me to time. Here are a few ideas that can help:

（对于这样的感觉，有的父母会过多地关注，有的会干脆撒手不管，而大多数会介于两者之间。但不管你父母怎样做，你和父母的关系，可能时时都会遭遇一些不顺。这里就有一些主意，帮你帮助你的父母。）

Take charge of the process（在申请中掌握主动）

When you apply to college, you take a critical step toward adulthood.

For your long-term self-confidence and satisfaction, it’s tremendously

important that you “own” the process. (And after all, you’re the one

actually going to college.) Taking ownership doesn’t mean you have to

have all the answers; it does mean that your parents should not be the

ones making the decisions or doing the work. Be clear about  this in your

own mind,and make it clear to your parents.

（当你申请大学时，是你迈向成年人的关键一步。为了你自己的长远自信和满意，你自己掌握申请过程，至关重要。毕竟，上大学的人是你。你掌握主动，并不是你必须对所有的问题都有答案，也不意味着父母不应该做决定或者参与。你自己心里要时刻清楚这一点，并且清楚地向你的父母表明。）

 

Speak up（言语沟通）

If you would like more help and support from your parents, or less, or

a different kind, dare to talk with them about it. Try letting them know

that you understand how they’re feeling, and then asking them to make

a change.Your parents can be incredibly helpful in sorting through your

college choices. Most likely, no one knows you better or cares more about

how the world treats you. But it really helps to face the process as a

unified team, with shared expectations.

（如果你希望父母帮忙更多，或更少，换个方式，要敢于向父母表达。试图让他们了解你的感受，然后请求他们做出改变。你的父母会对你选择大学有很大的帮助，因为，没人比他们更了解你，更关心你了。但是，作为一个共同的团队，报有同样的期望，来面对申请，更加有利。）

 

Split up the tasks（分配任务）

If you and your parents are having a hard time striking the right balance

between hands-on and hands-off, one practical tactic is to choose a few

specificitems on your long list of pre-college tasks and assign them

to your parents. Of course, the big, substantive jobs should all go to

you – things like deciding on your final list of schools, writing your

essays,making calls to the admissions office, scheduling your interview.

But there are plenty of other roles for your parents, if they’re

interested.Some likely tasks include planning college tours, keeping

track of application deadlines, investigating financial aid options and

comparing particular academic programs at various schools. If you split

the jobs between you, your parents know what you want them to do (and

what you don’t). They can also feel confident that you have agreed to

take on the rest.

（如果你和你父母一时很难决定众多的事物中孰轻孰重，很现实的一个策略是，从你申请大学的必做事项中，选出几个具体的，分配给你的父母去做。当然，大的重大决定，比如，最终选定的学校，写论文，致电招生处，安排面试时间，等等，还必须靠你自己来做。但父母也有很多事可做，包括计划大学参观，记着学校申请的截止日期，调查奖学金的选择，比较各个学校的课程等等。如果你们之间分配了工作，你父母就会知道你希望他们做什么，和不做什么。他们也会感到更加自信，因为你自己会决定其他事项。

 

Seek other people’s perspectives（请教他人观点）

If you want more help and advice than your parents or guidance counselor

can offer,for whatever reason, try turning to other adults around you

who have been to college, including family friends, relatives or other

teachers at your school. As you explore colleges you might be interested

in, you mayalso find it helpful to talk to graduates who live in your

area or share your interests.

（不管因为什么原因，如果你觉得除了父母和学校辅导员的意见外，你还需要更多的帮助或意见的话，你可以向曾经上过大学的身边其他成年人请教，包括，亲，朋，师，长。在你研究有兴趣的学校时，问问从那所学校毕业的，跟你有相同志趣爱好的学生，也会有所帮助。）

朋友们，不管咱们的孩子上不上大学，去哪个国家，上哪所大学，我个人觉得，这里的见解或许都有参考价值。

祝愿所有的家长，都能如愿以偿；祝愿所有的孩子，都能考上自己心仪的大学，成为对社会有用的人才，并且拥有长久的，真正的快乐。