Unit 7 College Life
Useful Information
Students leave for college at age 17 or 18, many of them have never been away from home and their family. The transition to greater freedom and responsibility may be difficult for them, with no one to wake them up for breakfast or do their laundry, and fewer classes to attend but larger amounts of homework. Some students do not adjust successfully. In the ., where almost 70% of high school graduates enter college, only a minority of these actually graduate. Elsewhere, with fewer attending college, higher percentages may graduate.
College has many social attractions, some of which can be distractions. Sports, concerts, parties, and dormitory bull sessions (闲聊) can be very time consuming. The temptation to stay up too late at night or sleep too late in the morning is always present, so self-discipline is an important lesson to learn. In addition many students have part-time jobs, especially in the . where most students have cars and are expected to help their parents pay for tuition or college housing.
Students and their parents may disagree on how much time should be devoted to studying. But they usually agree that in addition to some learning and possibly some fun, one of the outcomes of a college education should be a good job. Students who have already worked at part-time jobs have an advantage in the job market, but this is not the only way to improve one’s chances. Many colleges have internships or co-op programs to give students practical experience in their future careers. Others have special classes where students can practice their application forms and letters, résumés, personal statements, and employment interviews. Most colleges have career counselors and either career days or career fairs where students can meet potential employers and learn about career alternatives. Recently many jobs have been listed
on the Internet, making it easier to match students with suitable opportunities and more important for students to acquire computer skills.
College can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it can also be very stressful. Making their own decisions can be very difficult for young people accustomed to parental supervision. When students make bad decisions, such as drinking too much beer or procrastinating in their studies, they are not always mature enough to admit or correct their mistakes. But having the freedom to make these mistakes, and the obligation to face their consequences, is part of the learning process. When older people look back on their student years, they usually view this as a happy period of life, even if it did not always feel that way at the time.
Parents, teachers, advisors, and counselors can help students move successfully from high school to college and from college to careers. But in the last analysis students must do most of this for themselves, with more help than we may realize from their friends and classmates. College students learn as much outside as inside the classroom, and most of this is not learned from adult authority figures. The peer group and the youthful popular culture are increasingly strong influences on today’s students. So parents and other potential role models should try to be aware of this, even if they don’t always appreciate the latest trends in casual clothing or pop music. College is a time of change, and the parents can learn almost as much from this as the students can. They too were once students, just as today’s students will one day be parents.
Part One PREPARATION
1. Talking about Your High-School Classmates
Sample:
I graduated from __________ High School, a key high school in __________ Province. Among the 50 students in my class, 48 are enrolled in universities, mostly national key universities. Three went to Peking University and two to Tsinghua University. The three who went to Peking University are majoring in Law, Philosophy and Physics respectively and the two who went to Tsinghua University are majoring in Computer Science and Information Science. In this university alone there are five of us, doing different majors; three of my former classmates are enrolled in normal universities, one in Beijing Normal University, one in South China Normal University and one in East China Normal University.
2. Talking about Your College Life—Expectations vs Reality
Sample :
1) Campus:
Expectations—large and beautiful campus with green grass everywhere and a large sports ground, where you can always see students busy and full of vitality.
Reality—Just as what I dreamed of – a huge campus with magnificent modern buildings, green trees, blooming flowers and a river flowing around.
—Contrary to what I expected, it’s an old campus, large though, with grey buildings like huge match-boxes, little grass, and a few big trees.
2) Classroom buildings:
Expectations—large new classrooms with modern facilities.
Reality—well equipped teaching buildings with multi-media facilities. —large old buildings, with a few classrooms well equipped with modern facilities.
3) Dormitories:
Expectations—crowded with little space for everyone.
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