The college search doesn't have to begin and end with the Ivies and the name brand schools. There are many schools out there to choose from — some known and some less known, all worthy of your attention.
選學(xué)校不必非要在常春藤聯(lián)合會(huì)名牌大學(xué)和知名院校中進(jìn)行挑選。還有很多院?？晒┻x擇——知名的和不怎么知名的，它們都值得你的關(guān)注。

Here's some advice for trying to find the school that works for you.
當(dāng)你要選一所適合自己的學(xué)校時(shí)，這里有一些建議可以供你參考。

1. Start with who you are and why you are going.
以你的性格和你為什么上大學(xué)為出發(fā)點(diǎn)。

You need to examine yourself and your reasons for going to college before you start your search. Why, really, are you going? What are your abilities and strengths? What are your weaknesses? What do you want out of life — something tangible or intangible?
在開(kāi)始選大學(xué)前，你需要問(wèn)問(wèn)自己，找找上大學(xué)的理由。你到底是因?yàn)槭裁慈ド洗髮W(xué)？你的能力和優(yōu)勢(shì)是什么？你的弱點(diǎn)是什么？生活中那些看得見(jiàn)的和看不見(jiàn)的，你想從中得到什么？

Are you socially self-sufficient or do you need warm, familial support? Talk with your family, friends and high-school counselors as you ask these questions. The people who know you best can help you the most with these important issues.
你能獨(dú)立生活還是需要熱心的家庭援助？問(wèn)自己這些問(wèn)題的時(shí)候，可以和家人、朋友及高中指導(dǎo)員談?wù)?。最了解你的人能在這些重要問(wèn)題上給予你最大的幫助。

2. Size matters: Your college does not have to be bigger than your high school.
規(guī)模問(wèn)題：你的大學(xué)不需要比你的高中大。

Most good liberal arts colleges have a population of fewer than 4,000 for a reason; college is a time to explore, and a smaller community is more conducive to internal exploration.
大多數(shù)優(yōu)秀的文科類院校的在校學(xué)生人數(shù)少于4000，這是因?yàn)榇髮W(xué)是讓人發(fā)揮探索精神的階段，小型的團(tuán)體環(huán)境更有助于自我探索。

It is not the number of people, but the people themselves and the kind of community in which you will learn that really matters. Many large universities have established honors colleges within the larger university for these same reasons.
真正在乎的不是人數(shù)，而是學(xué)生本身和你在哪種校園環(huán)境里學(xué)習(xí)。出于同樣的原因，很多大院校之間建立起了榮譽(yù)學(xué)院。

3. A name-brand college will not guarantee your success.
讀名牌大學(xué)無(wú)法保證你的成功

Think about the people in your life who are happy and successful and find out where (and if) they went to college. Ask the same about famous people.
看看你生活中那些快樂(lè)的成功人士，問(wèn)問(wèn)他們?cè)谀睦锷系拇髮W(xué)（如果他們上過(guò)大學(xué)）。也可以問(wèn)問(wèn)名人同樣的問(wèn)題。

You will likely find that success in life has less to do with the choice of college than with the experiences and opportunities encountered while in college, coupled with personal qualities and traits.
你將會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)生命中的成功與院校的選擇關(guān)聯(lián)甚少，關(guān)聯(lián)更多的是在大學(xué)里的經(jīng)歷和機(jī)遇，再加上個(gè)人能力和特點(diǎn)。

Employers and graduate schools are looking for outstanding skills and experience, not college pedigree. As you search for colleges, ask about student outcomes; you will find many colleges that outperform the Ivies and "name brands," even though you may have never heard of them!
雇主和研究生院在尋求杰出的技能和經(jīng)驗(yàn)，而不是畢業(yè)院校。當(dāng)你在選院校時(shí)，問(wèn)問(wèn)學(xué)生的成果，你將發(fā)現(xiàn)很多院校要?jiǎng)龠^(guò)常春藤聯(lián)合會(huì)名牌大學(xué)和知名院校，雖然有些大學(xué)你從來(lái)都沒(méi)聽(tīng)過(guò)。

4. You don’t need to pick a major to pick a college.
你不必為了專業(yè)去選院校。

Very few high-school students have enough information or experience to choose a major. You need the variety and depth of college coursework to determine your interest and aptitude.
只有少數(shù)高中生才擁有足夠的信息和經(jīng)驗(yàn)去選擇一個(gè)專業(yè)。你需要根據(jù)大學(xué)培養(yǎng)計(jì)劃的多樣性和課程深度來(lái)決定你的興趣和能力培養(yǎng)。

Most college students change their minds two or three times before they settle on a major, and they can still graduate in four years!
很多大學(xué)生在他們選定一門(mén)專業(yè)前會(huì)有兩到三次的轉(zhuǎn)專業(yè)，而且他們依舊可以如期畢業(yè)！

Being undecided is a good thing and will leave you open to more academic experiences.
沒(méi)有選定專業(yè)是件好事，它會(huì)留給你更多的學(xué)術(shù)空間。

5. Don’t be scared by the stories.
不要被人言嚇到

If you only pay attention to the headlines, you might start to believe that no one is getting in anywhere! The truth is that the majority of the colleges and universities in this country admit more students than they reject.
如果你只關(guān)注新聞標(biāo)題，你可能就會(huì)認(rèn)為每個(gè)人都要無(wú)處可去了！事實(shí)上，大多數(shù)院校錄取的學(xué)生要比拒收的學(xué)生多。

If you're worried about your chances of getting admitted — and you're willing to investigate beyond the very narrow band of highly selective colleges — you'll find that you have many options that will lead to a great fit for you.
如果你擔(dān)心自己的入學(xué)（你愿意去調(diào)查的知名院校，雖然希望渺茫），你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)你有很多讓你受益匪淺的選擇。

Be informed about your academic profile and compare it to the profile of the most recently admitted and enrolled class for the colleges you are investigating.
了解掌握自己的成績(jī)，與你在研究的大學(xué)最近入學(xué)注冊(cè)的大多數(shù)學(xué)生們做個(gè)比較。

Check the college admission Web site for this information and contact them if you can’t find it. Ask your high-school counselor for additional advice and guidance as it applies to your school.
登錄大學(xué)招生網(wǎng)站找一找這方面的信息，如果你找不到它們的話，聯(lián)系校方。在申請(qǐng)學(xué)校時(shí)，問(wèn)問(wèn)高中指導(dǎo)員尋求其他建議和指導(dǎo)。

6. You can afford to go to college.
你可以供自己上大學(xué)。

If you make the assumption that you cannot afford college based on the sticker price of tuition, you will miss out. It is difficult to talk about money, but if you investigate all the options and ask for help and advice, you will find affordable choices.
因?yàn)閷W(xué)費(fèi)，你就做出自己上不了大學(xué)的假設(shè)，那你就會(huì)錯(cuò)過(guò)上大學(xué)的機(jī)會(huì)。談錢就會(huì)觸到難處，但如果你對(duì)所有的可能都做了調(diào)查，然后尋求幫助和建議，你會(huì)找到上大學(xué)的機(jī)會(huì)。

Online resources, as well as financial aid workshops sponsored by high schools in local communities, are widely available to get you started. College and university financial aid Web sites offer useful information and links as well. Investigate early and ask for help.
在線資源和當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)高中贊助的經(jīng)濟(jì)援助，都將助你起步。院校的經(jīng)濟(jì)援助網(wǎng)站也提供了有用的信息和鏈接。早日調(diào)查，尋求幫助。

7. You don’t have to go to college right away, and it’s never too late.
你不必現(xiàn)在就去上大學(xué)，它永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)遲。

There is no such thing as the perfect time to start college. Some students benefit from a year off to work, study or travel, and these experiences allow them to be better, more engaged students.
沒(méi)有種說(shuō)法說(shuō)上大學(xué)有一個(gè)最好的時(shí)間。有些學(xué)生在工作、學(xué)習(xí)或旅游完一年后才受益大學(xué)教育，這段時(shí)間的經(jīng)歷讓他們成為更杰出、參與度更高的學(xué)生。

Some students choose to apply to college and gain admission and then defer their entrance, while others wait to apply until after they have had an alternative experience.
有些學(xué)生申請(qǐng)讀大學(xué)，獲得入學(xué)資格，然后他們延遲了入學(xué)時(shí)間。而另一些人則會(huì)在他們有了一段經(jīng)歷后才提交大學(xué)入學(xué)申請(qǐng)。

Either way, admissions officers will be anxious to learn about your experience during your time off, and they'll ask you to write about it as part of your admissions process.?
不管哪一種，招生辦工作人員都在期待你休學(xué)時(shí)的經(jīng)歷，他們會(huì)要求你把它寫(xiě)下來(lái)作為你入學(xué)材料的一部分。

High-school and college admission counselors can provide resources for investigating alternatives that may be right for you. You could apply for an internship, study abroad, or participate in a community service project.
高中的和大學(xué)的入學(xué)顧問(wèn)可以為你提供調(diào)查適合你的其它院校的資源。你可以申請(qǐng)實(shí)習(xí)、海外留學(xué)，或是參與到社區(qū)服務(wù)項(xiàng)目里去。

8. The most important factor in choosing a college is fit.
選大學(xué)時(shí)一個(gè)最重要的因素是要適合。

Choosing a college because your friends are going there or because of where it ranks on a list does not take into account who you are and who you will become. College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won. Finding a good fit requires time and thoughtfulness.
因?yàn)槟愕呐笥讶ツ抢锷洗髮W(xué)或是因?yàn)檫@所大學(xué)的排名靠前就選了這所學(xué)校，這樣做沒(méi)有考慮到兩個(gè)方面：你是什么樣的人，和你將來(lái)要成為怎么樣的人。上大學(xué)像是做配對(duì)，而不是贏大獎(jiǎng)。找到一所適合的大學(xué)需要時(shí)間和深思。

Visiting college Web sites and learning about what events take place, who visits as guest speakers, and how to get in touch with current students and faculty is a good way to supplement a campus visit — or to decide if you want to spend the time and money on a visit.
登錄學(xué)院網(wǎng)站了解發(fā)生了什么事，有哪些人作為訪問(wèn)學(xué)者到過(guò)學(xué)校，如何與在校學(xué)生和老師取得聯(lián)系是校園參觀以外的另一種好方式，或者是決定你是否要花時(shí)間和金錢去學(xué)校參觀一番的好方法。

Check a school's Web site to find the admissions officer assigned to your region of the country. Send them an e-mail to ask about getting in touch with students from your area or identifying a few with interests similar to yours.
登錄學(xué)校網(wǎng)站，找到分管你所在區(qū)域的招生辦。給他們發(fā)送一封郵件以便聯(lián)系到與你來(lái)自同一地方的學(xué)生，或是幾個(gè)和你興趣相投的學(xué)生。

When you visit, try to build in time to sit in on classes, eat in the dining hall and hang around in the student center or other high-traffic areas. That will help you imagine yourself as part of the community.?
當(dāng)你參觀學(xué)校的時(shí)候，盡量讓自己有時(shí)間進(jìn)教室坐一坐，在餐廳吃吃飯，在學(xué)生活動(dòng)中心或其它人群聚集的地方走一走。這樣你能把自己想象成是校園里的一員。

Talk to a few students and ask if they would make the same college choice if they had to do it again. Go back to the first item in this list as you consider the information you’ve collected about the colleges. You will have great options!
和一些學(xué)生聊一聊，問(wèn)問(wèn)他們，如果再有一次選大學(xué)的機(jī)會(huì)，他們還會(huì)選擇同樣的大學(xué)嗎？當(dāng)你認(rèn)為自己收集到了關(guān)于這所大學(xué)的信息，回到這張列表的第一項(xiàng)。你會(huì)做出很好的選擇！?