准留学生申请院校之前一定要做好备选名单

　当考虑要申请美国的哪一所学校时，首先你要考虑选择一些你最喜欢的学院。要记得在美国“学院（collge）”如“大学（university）”一样有实力并有着很高排名。而事实上，许多学院是强于大学的。所以不要让“学院”或“大学”的字面意义左右你的选择。
　　When thinking of where you are going to apply to colleges in America, think first of choosing many favorite colleges. Remember that an American “college” is as strong and high ranking as a “university” in the USA.  In fact, many colleges are stronger than universities, so don’t let the word “college” or “university” make a difference in your choices.

　　一定要明白除非学校已选择你，否则你是无法选择学校的。在高三的10月和11月，你建立了一份可选择的选项列表，它们将在4月揭晓。你必须在得到offer的学校中而不是在已申请的学校中做出选择。考虑申请哪所学校意味着申请一系列的学校，而非仅仅考虑你所听说过的学校。

　　You also must understand that you cannot choose your college until the college has chosen you.  In October and November of Senior 3, you are establishing options for the choices you will hear about in April. You must choose where you are going from where you get in, not from where you applied. Thinking about where you are going to apply also means applying to a range of schools, not just the few that you have heard of.

　　具体情况是怎么样的？到了即将申请的时候，如何了解更多的美国院校而列出最后的清单呢？如何找到最适合自己的院校呢？许多事项需要考虑：选择规模大的还是小的，职业培训学院还是文理学院，传统的还是开放的，私立还是公立的，在东部还是西部。

　　What’s Out There? How can you learn about more of America’s colleges for your final list where you will apply? How do you find the best match—the best college for you?  Big or small, preprofessional or liberal arts, conservative or liberal, private or public, East or West—there are many things to consider.

　　想要做出一份好的清单，了解具体情况是十分重要的。那意味着要从多种途径收集信息。大家很容易轻信别人：“有人说科罗拉多大学规模太小了，有人说伯克利大学规模太大，有人说莱斯大学天气太热，还有人说卡尔顿大学天气太冷“。萝卜白菜各有所爱，没有一所学校能令所有人满意，哪怕是它来自常春藤。

　　Checking out what’s out there is essential for making a good college list.  That means collecting  information from many sources.  It’s easy to believe what others say, “Someone told me that Colorado College is too small, someone told me that Berkley is too big, someone told me that Rice is too hot, that Carleton is too cold, someone told me.” Every college has something for someone. Every college is wonderful for someone.There is no college that is wonderful for everyone. Not even Ivy!

　　那些听过名字的学校不一定适合于你，而那些没有听过名字的也不代表你不会喜欢那里。要了解自己，许多学校会带给你快乐的生活。那意味着找到与你实力相当的同学并有你需要和想要的教育水平的学校。那里应该人才辈出并有着优美的校园环境。

　　Just because you have heard the name of a college does not mean it will be a good place for you. Just because you have not heard the name of a college does not mean that you will not like it. Knowing you as you know yourself, there are many colleges where you will be happy. That means fitting in with the other students, finding the level of education you need and want, being productive, and feeling good on campus.

　　仔细研究旨在找到一些理想的学校。当然在你心中对一些院校已有所偏好，但做些研究会为你带来更多的可能性和选择性。一个研究学校的快捷方式便是使用电脑来个虚拟的游览。如果想找留学生招生专员，直接给招生专员发邮件便可。不要道听途说，自己查出事实。留学生招生专员会告诉你所有实情。

　　Researching the colleges means finding several colleges where you really want to go.  Of course you will want to go to some colleges more than others, but your research will open your eyes to new possibilities and options.  One quick way to research the colleges is to take a virtual tour of the college on your computer.   If you look for the international admissions officer on the site, email directly to that person in admissions.  Don’t depend upon what others tell you is best.  Check out the facts from the source, the international admissions officer knows the true story.

　　这里提供两个可以查找学校的网址，你可以在这两个网站上找到上百所学校的信息。如果找到看上去颇适合自己的学校，就去找到他们的官网了解更多详情。首先找到20所可以继续了解的学校，然后决定最后的10所来申请。这里为网上查找学校信息提出3条建议：查找以下3所也许没听说过但很了不起的学校以便了解不熟悉的地方：美国大学，巴德学院以及科罗拉多矿业大学

　　Here are two good college tour Websites to get you started.  Check out the hundreds of colleges on these two Websites.  When you find one that sounds like a place you would like to be, check out their Website and learn more.  On your first look, choose 20 colleges to learn more about from other resources, and then choose ten for your final list of applications. Here are three suggestions to get started on your Internet college tours.   In order to learn about places that you don’t know, check out these three terrific colleges that you　may not have heard of:  American University, Bard College, and Colorado School of Mines.  Here are the best Websites to take your first college tours on your own computer:

最好的网上查找学校的网站

　　1. www.campustours.com

　　2. www.youniversitytv.com                                 

　  may not have heard of:  American University, Bard College, and Colorado School of Mines.  Here are the best Websites to take your first college tours on your own computer:

　　1. www.campustours.com   

　　2. www.youniversitytv.com