原文：Picking a major was one of the most difficult, yet exciting, decisions I had to make in college. As aninternational student, I found this process particularly unfamiliar since the major system in China is completely different. At home,in the process of picking the schools you apply to, you essentially have already picked a major. Most U.S. colleges don't require you to declare a major until sophomore year. The great thing about this is that it gives you some time to explore different academic subjects before you make a decision. It can be a difficult decision to make, and it's a big one that is likely to shape your future. Below are some tips that might help you navigate through the major system in U.S. colleges.
譯文：在美國(guó)上大學(xué)，選專業(yè)是一件既困難又令人激動(dòng)的一件事，選課的過(guò)程跟中國(guó)專業(yè)體系和選擇方式完全不一樣。在中國(guó)，你在填寫(xiě)學(xué)校志愿的時(shí)候就相當(dāng)于已經(jīng)選擇好了專業(yè)，而美國(guó)的大學(xué)并不要求你馬上做出決定，你可以等到大二學(xué)年的時(shí)候再選定專業(yè)。這樣做的好處就是在做出決定之前，你有時(shí)間和機(jī)會(huì)嘗試不同的領(lǐng)域?qū)I(yè)，選出最合適的。而選專業(yè)這個(gè)重大而有困難的決定明顯會(huì)對(duì)你未來(lái)造成影響。下面幾條建議或許可以幫助你了解美國(guó)大學(xué)的專業(yè)體系，更好地做出選擇。
原文：Spend your freshman year researching subjects that interest you: Take as many courses in as many different departments as you can. This is not just a great way to fulfill your elective requirements, but also a great way to find out which major will be best suited for you.
You might already know what you want to major in, but don't be set on that decision until you know about all your options. I was very sure that I would become an economics major, but ended up in the math department. I absolutely loved the way math was taught at Colorado College. It included small classes, many interactions between students and professors, ample research opportunities and I got along famously with everyone in the department.
I never would have made the decision to become a math major without taking calculus out of curiosity during my freshman year. Do the same thing, and you might be pleasantly surprised at what you are good at, or what gets you excited.
譯文：大學(xué)第一年多研究一些自己感興趣的學(xué)科：盡量選擇多一點(diǎn)課程，且要從不同的類型考慮出發(fā)。這不僅可以滿足你選修課的需求，也能讓你找出最適合自己的專業(yè)。
或許你已經(jīng)大概知道自己想選哪個(gè)專業(yè)了，但別急著先定下來(lái)，等你了解了你選擇的所有課程之后再做決定也不遲。我之前也非常確定自己會(huì)選擇經(jīng)濟(jì)類專業(yè)，但最后卻選了數(shù)學(xué)。我非常喜歡科羅拉多學(xué)院的數(shù)學(xué)教學(xué)方式。那是小班授課，學(xué)生和教授會(huì)有很多的互動(dòng)，在那里我得到了很多研究機(jī)會(huì)，同時(shí)與班上的同學(xué)相處也非常融洽。
如果不是大一的時(shí)候我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己對(duì)微積分非常感興趣，我最后也不會(huì)選擇數(shù)學(xué)專業(yè)。你也可以這樣試試，或許你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己喜歡什么、擅長(zhǎng)哪一科目，或者哪個(gè)專業(yè)更讓你興奮。
原文：Talk to your academic adviser, professors and upperclassmen: Academic staff members have a good understanding of the majors offered by the school, the requirements for each major and of you as a student. They will be able to give you some valuable information that might not be clear to you from the departments' website or from a class syllabus.
For example, I found out from talking to some professors that I could do a joint thesis that fulfilled both an economics and a math major. I learned from talking to an upperclassman that many economics students spend a semester at a university in Sweden that had a joint program with our school.
譯文：跟你的學(xué)業(yè)顧問(wèn)、教授或者高年級(jí)的學(xué)生聊一聊：一般，學(xué)術(shù)人員對(duì)學(xué)校所開(kāi)的專業(yè)都非常了解，他們知道每個(gè)專業(yè)有什么要求，而你的條件又是否合適該專業(yè)?；蛟S他們能給你一些非常有價(jià)值的信息與建議，解答你有所疑惑的地方，而這些你也可以去學(xué)院網(wǎng)站或班級(jí)課程大綱上了解。
比如，我跟一些教授聊過(guò)之后我發(fā)現(xiàn)我可以選一個(gè)經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)與數(shù)學(xué)相結(jié)合的專業(yè)。而后來(lái)我跟一個(gè)高年級(jí)學(xué)生聊天才知道我們學(xué)校許多經(jīng)濟(jì)系的學(xué)生會(huì)花一個(gè)學(xué)期的時(shí)間去瑞典的一個(gè)大學(xué)，那里跟我們學(xué)校有共同聯(lián)合項(xiàng)目可選。
原文：Map out which classes you will need to take and when: The sooner you have a plan to fulfill your major, the better. This will help you avoid any surprises – you don't want to show up in a class only to be turned away because you haven't taken a prerequisite course.
Additionally, when you have a roadmap of classes, you can build in additional time to take other classes not in your major, have a minor or a second major or study abroad.
譯文：標(biāo)記好哪些課程是你要去的，什么時(shí)候要去：越快制定一個(gè)專業(yè)計(jì)劃越好，這樣可以幫你避免意外，如果你不想去上哪個(gè)課了，直接不去就是了，因?yàn)槟銢](méi)有選它作預(yù)休課程。
另外，如果你有一張課程計(jì)劃表，那么在你有時(shí)間的時(shí)候就可以去參加一些非本專業(yè)的課，這樣你就能有個(gè)第二專業(yè)了。
原文：Another International Student Counsel post recommended picking a major that you love, not one that you think will get you a high-paying job. I could not agree more.
Remember that even though this is an important decision that might affect the outcome of your life, many people end up with a job outside of their majors. College is time to learn the skills that will prepare you for life, such as thinking critically, writing a research paper, giving a presentation and making lifelong connections. Almost any major will teach you these things as long as you are willing and open to learning.
If you really absolutely need to major in biology and become a doctor like your mom had hoped, then you still have the option of having a minor or another major in a subject you enjoy. Good luck!
譯文：留學(xué)生顧問(wèn)會(huì)建議學(xué)生選擇自己喜歡的專業(yè)而不是選一個(gè)你認(rèn)為以后可能會(huì)拿高薪的專業(yè)，我非常贊同這一點(diǎn)。
記住，即便選擇專業(yè)是個(gè)非常重要的決定，可能會(huì)影響你以后的收入，但事實(shí)上許多人后來(lái)會(huì)從事自己專業(yè)以外的工作。大學(xué)是你學(xué)會(huì)生活技能，為以后生活做準(zhǔn)備的一個(gè)階段，比如批判思維、寫(xiě)研究論文、做報(bào)告這些都終身受用。幾乎所有的專業(yè)都會(huì)教會(huì)你這些事情，前提是你愿意敞開(kāi)學(xué)。
如果你媽媽想讓你成為一名醫(yī)生，你一定得學(xué)生物學(xué)專業(yè)，但你仍然可以選擇一個(gè)自己喜歡的第二專業(yè)。
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