如何才能不虚度大学时光呢？

何航

Some say college is wasted on the young. So many of us look back at our own college years and realize what we could have done differently to make the most of them. While we can’t go back, we certainly can offer our sons and daughters our best advice to help them make the right choices in college. Hopefully, they will have fewer regrets than we do. Following are five guidelines parents can share with their college-bound kids to put the whole experience in perspective.
有些人说大学时光浪费了青春年华。我们中很多人在回顾自己的大学生活时，才意识到自己可以用另外一种方式更好地来度过大学时光。虽然时光不会倒流，但我们可以为自己的儿子或女儿提供最好的建议，让他们在大学中能做出正确的决定。希望他们以后的遗憾会比我们的少。父母可以和上大学的孩子们进行分享下面的这五条建议，让他们知道这些经验。
Education is your first priority
教育是你最该优先考虑的事情
As soon as you arrive on campus, there will be competing interests. Feel free to check them out but always remember that you are there first and foremost for your education. Go to class prepared and on time. Be engaged during class. Make sure your professor knows you and realizes that you care.
只要你进入了校园，就会有各种各样的利益竞争。你可以随意去进行这些活动，但是要记住，你来大学的首要目的是为了接受教育。上课前先做好准备并按时到达课堂。参与到课堂的活动中，确保教授们认识你并知道你在乎这些课程。


Be responsible
要有责任感
There are many layers of responsibility. Do what you say you will do and, if you can’t, own up to it early and communicate clearly. But being responsible isn’t just about meeting your commitments; it is also about taking care of you, your body, and your friends. For example, more than 1800 college students die annually from alcohol-related injuries. Look out for yourself and other people. Make moderate, sensible decisions so you aren’t reeling from the consequences later.
责任感有很多层面。如果你承诺了做某件事，就要做。如果你做不到，早点儿坦白承认并和他人有效地沟通。但是有责任感并不只是实现承诺；有责任感也包括照顾好自己、自己的身体和朋友。例如，每年有1800多名大学生死于和酒精相关的伤害，这就是不负责任。要照顾好自己和他人。做出温和而理性的决策，这样以后就不会去担心后果。
Take the opportunity
抓住机遇
Incredible opportunities will present themselves: studying abroad, interning at a unique place, trying new things. Don’t let fear prevent you from taking advantage of them. There may never be so much time or as many resources devoted to your betterment again in your life. Say yes to opportunities that will help you grow.
你将会遇到很多让你无法相信的机遇：出国留学、在特别的地方实习、尝试新的事物等。不要因害怕而放弃这些机遇。以后你的生活中可能再也没有这么多的时光或这么多的资源能让你变得更优秀了。接受那些能帮助你成长的机遇吧。
Find and be a mentor
找到并成为别人的良师益友
Some of the best lessons available to us can come outside of the classroom in the form of a mentor. One of the most powerful growth opportunities is being a mentor. Early on, find someone on campus who you feel can help you grow and develop a relationship with him or her. Also find someone for you to mentor. You will reinforce and enrich your own learning experience by teaching someone else.
一些对我们而言最重要的课程，并不是在教室中学到的，而是来自那些良师益友。而对个人而言，最有利的成长机遇之一是成为别人的良师益友。刚开始时，在校园里找一个你觉得能帮助自己成长的人，和他或她建立起良好的关系。也找一个你能帮助的人。通过教导别人，你会加强并丰富自己的学习经历。
Get the job done
完成学业，拿到学位
It is natural to occasionally feel you want to quit, when it makes more sense to you to go find a full-time job. Resist that urge. As Jocelyn Negron-Rios, a mother of two, who is currently completing her degree, advises, “No matter how difficult it seems, keep at it because however insurmountable it feels now multiply that by 10,000 and that is how it feels when you are in your thirties with a full-time job and a family and are trying to pursue a degree.”
偶尔有想退出的感觉这很自然，当你想去找一份全职工作时这种感觉就更强了。要拒绝这种冲动。乔斯·林古龙里奥斯是两个孩子的母亲，目前她正在攻读学位。她建议，“无论看起来有多难，一定要坚持下来。因为虽然现在看起来这些困难无法克服，但是当你30岁的时候，有着一份全职的工作，有着一个家庭需要供养，那时再去努力攻读学位，那种感觉会是你现在感觉的一万倍。”