This month, a new crop of college students enters university. If you're among them, no doubt you sweated and endured to pass your final exams, and felt a flush of pride when you got the paper admitting you to university. The Chinese examination system, where everything depends on one final set of exams, is a model used by several other Asian countries, such as Korea and Japan.It's generally seen as placing far too much stress on high school students, however, and not evaluating their character and skills outside a narrow knowledge base. So what's the admissions process like in other countries? What do European and American students have to go through?

本月,一批大學(xué)新生走進(jìn)了大學(xué)。如果你是其中一員,那你肯定已經(jīng)吃苦流汗通過了最終考試,在拿到大學(xué)錄取通知書時(shí)感到一陣由衷的自豪。中國的考試體制是終考一錘定音,這種體制也為韓國和日本等多個(gè)亞洲國家所采用。然而,人們普遍認(rèn)為這帶給高中生的壓力太大,考察的知識(shí)面狹窄,而且沒有評(píng)估其人格和技能。那其他國家的大學(xué)是如何錄取的呢?歐洲和美國的學(xué)生需要經(jīng)歷什么呢?

Getting In!

金榜題名!

America has a confusing and complicated admissions system for university, and students can take a wide variety of courses and tests to qualify. A student's high school grades matter, of course, especially if they're received special honors like valedictorian (the highest scoring student in a class, who gives the graduation speech) but so does their placement on the SAT Reasoning Test – a general intelligence test. (1000+ is an average score on the SAT, 1200+ a good score, 1400+ an excellent score; it's a weirdly marked exam.) Advanced Placement courses – equivalent to a first year college course, and taken by students in their last years of high school – are also important. Competition for the top tier of universities is extremely tough, and extracurricular factors are considered very important; high school students looking to get into an Ivy League school often volunteer for charity work, travel abroad, and work on musical or dramatic projects, hoping to impress the admissions board. Top universities also normally conduct an interview to evaluate students personally.

美國大學(xué)的錄取體制混亂而復(fù)雜,學(xué)生可選擇多種課程,參加多種考試來達(dá)到錄取要求。學(xué)生的高中成績當(dāng)然很重要,尤其是如果他們獲得“致告別詞者”(由班上分?jǐn)?shù)最高的學(xué)生來發(fā)表畢業(yè)演說)等特別榮譽(yù),但美國大學(xué)也很重視學(xué)術(shù)能力評(píng)估考試推理測(cè)試,這是一種智力測(cè)試。(1000+是平均分?jǐn)?shù),1200+為良好,1400+為優(yōu)秀,該考試的計(jì)分很奇怪。)高三學(xué)生選的大學(xué)預(yù)修課程(相當(dāng)于大一課程)也很重要。頂級(jí)學(xué)府的競(jìng)爭異常激烈,因此課外因素就變得非常重要,想讀常春藤大學(xué)的高中生經(jīng)常主動(dòng)做義工,到國外旅行,參加音樂或表演活動(dòng),希望給招生負(fù)責(zé)人留下深刻印象。頂尖高校還組織面試,親自對(duì)學(xué)生進(jìn)行評(píng)估。

Britain is one of the few remaining developed nations where teenagers have the option to leave school at 16, after they take their GCSEs (General Certificates of Secondary Education.) Most people take 8-10 GCSEs, which are graded from F (a failure) to A* - you need at least a C in Maths and English to eventually enter tertiary education, though you can retake the exams later.It used to be quite common for people to leave at 16, especially those who planned to enter manual labor, factory work, or similar, but now only about a quarter of all teenagers do so, and they tend to have considerably lower earnings and job prospects in the future. Of those who stay to take their 'Advanced Levels (A-Levels)', most then go on to university. You normally do 2-5 A-Levels, depending on how much you and the school think you can manage, but nowadays you also do 'AS-Levels', which are half of an A-Level – this lets people cover more subjects. A-Levels are considered equivalent to the first year of a four-year college degree, which is one reason why most British university courses only take three years!

在發(fā)達(dá)國家中,英國是僅余的幾個(gè)青少年在16歲的時(shí)候可以選擇離開學(xué)校的國家之一,但前提是學(xué)生要拿到普通中等教育證書。大多數(shù)人參加8-10門課程的考試,最差成績?yōu)镕(不及格),最好為A*,要想最終上大學(xué)數(shù)學(xué)和英語成績至少要達(dá)到C,不過以后也可重考。以前16歲離開學(xué)校的現(xiàn)象很普遍,尤其是那些打算做手工活,進(jìn)工廠,或者從事類似工作的人,但現(xiàn)在只有約四分之一的青少年這樣做,而且他們今后的工資和工作前景都比較差。對(duì)于留下來參加高級(jí)水平考試的學(xué)生來說,大多數(shù)都會(huì)上大學(xué)。高級(jí)水平考試通常要考2-5門課程,具體要看你自己和學(xué)校認(rèn)為你能應(yīng)付多少,但現(xiàn)在你還要參加高級(jí)補(bǔ)充水平考試,它考察的科目是高級(jí)水平考試科目的一半,這樣就能覆蓋更多課程。高級(jí)水平考試相當(dāng)于四年大學(xué)教育的第一年,這也是為什么大多數(shù)英國大學(xué)只有三年的原因之一。

A-Levels are unusual in that a large percentage of the score is made up of coursework, not graded on the exam alone. The advantage of this is that it's closer to real life work, rather than the very artificial situation of exams. The disadvantage is that it makes cheating easier, especially in some private schools where the school is heavily invested in the students' success, and so gives them more help than the system allows! University admittance depends on A-Levels grades, interviews, and extracurricular work; to get into the two top universities, Oxford and Cambridge, you normally need not only first-class grades, but to endure a very rigorous and intellectual set of interviews.

高級(jí)水平考試特殊之處在于,分?jǐn)?shù)很大程度上是由作業(yè)組成,而非只是考試成績。它的好處在于貼近真實(shí),而非考試這種人為的情況。不足之處在于,它使抄襲變得更加容易,尤其是在一些私立學(xué)校,它們非常仰仗學(xué)生的成功,給學(xué)生提供的幫助已超過體制的允許范圍!大學(xué)錄取取決于高級(jí)水平考試成績、面試和課外作業(yè);要進(jìn)入牛津和劍橋這兩所頂級(jí)學(xué)府,你不僅要有一流的分?jǐn)?shù),還得通過一系列非常嚴(yán)格而有難度的面試。

The French system is another model widely copied throughout Europe. Between 16-19, students complete the baccalaureat course, choosing to specialize in either sciences, humanities, or social and economic sciences. Final scores are determined through a weighted system, whereby scores in certain subjects – such as philosophy and French literature in the humanities course, or mathematics and physics in the science course – count much more highly towards the final grade. The Germans have a similar system known as the abitur. University admittance largely depends on the grade you receive in these examinations, although the schools do take other factors into account. The Australian HSC (High School Certificate) is also built along these lines, although the grades within in are not fixed, but are graded relative to other students' performance. Under these systems, the most prestigious courses, such as medicine, generally require very high scores for admittance.

法國的體制又有所不同,并被許多歐洲國家采用。學(xué)生要在16-19歲之間完成中學(xué)結(jié)業(yè)證書課程,選擇理科、文科或社會(huì)與經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)作為自己的專業(yè)。最終的分?jǐn)?shù)通過加權(quán)系統(tǒng)來計(jì)算,各科的分?jǐn)?shù),比如文科中的哲學(xué)和語文,或者理科中的數(shù)學(xué)和物理,在最終成績里的比重較高。德國的高中畢業(yè)考試與此類似。大學(xué)錄取很大程度上取決于你這些考試的成績,不過學(xué)校也參考其他因素。澳大利亞的高中畢業(yè)證書考試也是如此,但是分?jǐn)?shù)不固定,要根據(jù)其他學(xué)生的表現(xiàn)來定。依照這些制度,醫(yī)學(xué)等最熱門的專業(yè)通常要求的分?jǐn)?shù)非常高。

Most universities worldwide also accept the international baccalaureate (or IB), an excellent international course designed to emphasize critical thinking and a global perspective. It's a broader course than most, and includes, unusually, a component where students have to work with local communities doing charity, education, or development work. A growing number of schools in the UK, US, and Europe offer the IB as an alternative.

全世界大多數(shù)大學(xué)也接受國際文憑大學(xué)預(yù)科課程,這是一套優(yōu)秀的國際課程,強(qiáng)調(diào)批判思維和國際視野。它比大多數(shù)課程都寬泛,通常學(xué)生還要在地方社區(qū)做慈善、教育或發(fā)展工作。英國、美國和歐洲有越來越多的學(xué)校提供國際文憑大學(xué)預(yù)科課程供學(xué)生選擇。

Who Pays?

學(xué)費(fèi)誰來掏?

America is, as usual, an exception among developed countries in having relatively little financial support for students in tertiary education. In most European countries, university – for local students – is either free or heavily subsidized. For instance, students in the UK pay three thousand pounds every year towards their tuition costs, about 25% of the total, and the rest is paid for by the government. Even these costs, though, aren't paid by every student; poorer families pay less, or nothing, depending on the income of the parents, and certain courses where the country badly needs graduates, such as teaching or nursing, are entirely free – in fact, if you already have a university degree, the state will pay you to take the teacher training course!

美國仍是一貫地不同于其他發(fā)達(dá)國家,對(duì)大學(xué)生的資助相對(duì)較少。在大多數(shù)歐洲國家,本國學(xué)生念大學(xué)要么是免費(fèi),要么會(huì)得到大筆的資助。比如,英國學(xué)生每年只需交3000英鎊的學(xué)費(fèi),這相當(dāng)于總金額的四分之一,其他則由政府承擔(dān)。即使這部分錢也不是每個(gè)學(xué)生都要交;根據(jù)其父母收入情況,家庭困難的學(xué)生交的少,或者不用交,一些國家急需畢業(yè)生的專業(yè)是完全免費(fèi)的,如教師和護(hù)士。其實(shí),如果你已經(jīng)擁有大學(xué)學(xué)歷,國家將資助你參加教師培訓(xùn)課程!

In America, students at state universities have some of their costs paid by the state government, but there is no public support for private universities – which include some of the most prestigious schools in the country! Generally speaking, the more famous the university, the heavier the tuition fees; costs range from $5000, at the very low end, to $35'000 or $40'000 a year. Combined with heavy living expenses, this makes university a crippling financial burden for many American families, who often start 'college funds' for their children as soon as they're born. It's normally possible to obtain 'student loans' to cover the costs, but this leaves new graduates with the burden of paying back these loans, often starting their working lives with $100'000 or more in debt. However, American universities, especially the top ones, are also normally richer, and so there are many, many more scholarships available to students. A really first-rate student can 'write their own ticket' - schools will compete to offer them generous scholarships! Because college sports are a huge deal in America, with a great deal of money involved, athletic scholarships are also common.

在美國,國立大學(xué)學(xué)生的學(xué)費(fèi)部分由政府承擔(dān),但私立大學(xué)沒有公共資助,包括國內(nèi)一些著名學(xué)府都沒有!一般來說,學(xué)校名氣越大,學(xué)費(fèi)就越高,學(xué)費(fèi)最低為每年5000美元,最高可達(dá)35000或40000美元。加上生活成本昂貴,大學(xué)成了許多美國家庭沉重的負(fù)擔(dān),孩子一出生家里就開始設(shè)立“大學(xué)基金”。一般來說可以通過“學(xué)生貸款”來解決學(xué)費(fèi),但這造成畢業(yè)生承受巨大的還貸壓力,他們剛開始工作時(shí)就已背負(fù)至少10萬美元的債務(wù)。不過美國的大學(xué),尤其是頂尖學(xué)府,一般都很有錢,所以會(huì)提供很多獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金。一名真正的優(yōu)秀學(xué)生能“自行決定”,會(huì)有好幾所大學(xué)爭著向其提供豐厚的獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金!由于在美國大學(xué)里體育很重要,牽涉大量資金,因此運(yùn)動(dòng)員獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金也很常見。

Even students in subsidized systems often emerge with a high level of student debt, however, if not as high as in the United States. British students typically come out with ten thousand pounds or so of debt, for example. Living costs can be steep for students, especially if you like to drink or party. Many students work part-time jobs to cover these costs; in the USA, the university itself will often employ students or help find work for them, but elsewhere this generally depends on the student's own initiative. Typical jobs include waiting tables, bartending, tutoring high school students, and, for the athletic, building work.

然而,即使有補(bǔ)貼,許多學(xué)生畢業(yè)后也是債臺(tái)高筑,只是沒美國那么高罷了。例如,英國大學(xué)生畢業(yè)時(shí)一般有1萬英鎊左右的債務(wù)。學(xué)生的生活成本也很高,尤其是如果你喜歡喝酒或參加聚會(huì)。許多學(xué)生都做兼職來負(fù)擔(dān)這些花費(fèi);在美國,大學(xué)經(jīng)常雇傭?qū)W生,或者幫助他們找工作,但在其他地方,這主要取決于學(xué)生自己的意愿。學(xué)生的兼職工作一般為餐廳服務(wù)員、酒吧服務(wù)員、高中生家教,對(duì)于體育特招生,則是健身教練。

What are the Best Schools?

最好的學(xué)校有哪些?

In the UK, Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest, and most famous, universities, and 'Oxbridge' graduates are unusually well represented in politics, finance, and academia as a whole. Other well-known universities include Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Durham, and St. Andrews. In the US, the top schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, and Columbia; a large number of these are in the Northeastern USA, where the first English colonies were. In France, the Parisian Universities are among the most famous. Confusingly, there are 13 different, and autonomous, universities in Paris! The most prestigious is 'Paris IV', more commonly known as 'the Sorbonne.' In German, Heidelberg, Munich, Bonn, Freiberg, and Goettingen are especially famous.

在英國,牛津和劍橋是歷史最悠久、名氣最大的大學(xué),“牛津與劍橋”的畢業(yè)生通常都是政治、金融和學(xué)術(shù)界的精英。其他著名學(xué)府有愛丁堡大學(xué)、倫敦大學(xué)、曼徹斯特大學(xué)、杜倫大學(xué)和圣安德魯斯大學(xué),等等。在美國,頂級(jí)學(xué)府有哈佛大學(xué)、耶魯大學(xué)、普林斯頓大學(xué)、斯坦福大學(xué)、伯克利大學(xué)、麻省理工學(xué)院和哥倫比亞大學(xué),許多都位于美國東北部,即首批英國殖民地的所在地。在法國,巴黎大學(xué)是最著名大學(xué)之一。但令人困惑的是,巴黎有13所獨(dú)立的大學(xué)!最有名的是“巴黎第四大學(xué)”,又稱“索邦大學(xué)”。在德國,海德堡大學(xué)、慕尼黑大學(xué)、波恩大學(xué)、弗賴貝格工業(yè)大學(xué)和哥廷根大學(xué)尤其知名。