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How to Assess a Graduate School
如何评估选择研究生院校
Good morning, everyone.
大家早上好。
I guess some of you may have already started thinking about further study overseas after graduation.
我猜你们中的一些人可能已经开始考虑毕业后出国深造了。
But few people would thoroughly consider all of the aspects of a graduate school before application.
但是，很少有人会在申请研究生之前仔细考虑研究生院校的方方面面。
The criteria I am going to talk about today can help spur your thinking about choosing a proper school.
我今天要谈的标准可以帮助你思考如何选择一所合适的学校。
Of course, the most important criteria will depend upon your specific needs.
当然，最重要的标准将视你的具体需求而决定。
But, there are also several general criteria to follow.
但是，也有几个普遍的标准需要遵循。
First guideline is reputation.
第一条准则是声誉。
Is the graduate school considered one of the best graduate schools in the country?
这所研究生院校被认为是全国最好的研究生院校之一吗？
Is it highly regarded in your chosen specialty?
这所学校的你选择的专业受到的评价高吗？
In most cases, people would like to observe the various school rankings, but my suggestion is that the school rankings should not be considered definitely.
在大多数情况下，人们都喜欢注意各种学校排名，但我的建议是，不应该完全参照学校排名。
Rankings are useful as a very rough guide to the reputation and quality of different programs.
排名是有用的，可以非常粗略地反映不同课程的声誉和质量。
Most people take them, um, far too seriously when considering where to apply.
大多数人在考虑申请哪所学校的时候过于认真。
But you will have to bear in mind that the schools differ a lot in their programs, goals and atmospheres.
但你必须记住，各学校在课程、目标和氛围上有很大区别。
Even with almost the same ranking, one school will offer more related courses than another one.
即使排名几乎相同，一所学校也可能比另一所学校提供更多的相关课程。
The second. The second criterion lies in location of the school.
第二。第二个准则就是学校的位置。
OK. Why do we need to consider location of the school?
好的。为什么我们需要考虑学校的位置？
Let me give you some reasons.
我来给你一些理由。
Which part of the country you would prefer to be in for three years determines the cost of your study.
你更喜欢在这个国家的哪个地方待三年，这决定了你的学习费用。
Living in a big city is exciting with a lot of varieties, but it should also be expensive.
生活在大城市令人兴奋，有各种各样的事物，但它的费用也很高昂。
A medium-sized city located in a scenic spot can be charming but not exciting.
位于风景名胜区的中等城市可能很迷人，但并不令人兴奋。
So do not ignore the fact that you are about to spend two or three years of your life in the graduate school you choose.
因此，不要忽略这样一个事实：你生命中的两三年时间都将在你选择的这所研究生院校中度过。
Try to spend it somewhere you will appreciate.
尽量在你喜欢的地方度过这几年。
And the location of a school helps determine its social environment.
学校的位置决定了它的社会环境。
Schools in large cities tend not to foster the degree of social bonding among classmates that schools in small towns do, largely due to the lack of other entertainment options in the latter.
大城市的学校往往不会像小城镇的学校那样培养同学之间的社交关系，这在很大程度上是因为小城镇的学校缺乏其他娱乐选择。
The third thing to consider is safety.
第三件要考虑的事情是安全。
Related to a location issue is the question of safety.
与位置问题相关的是安全问题。
Be sure that the school environment is and feels safe. In assessing safety, make sure you see the school and its environment where students spend their time and do not assume, uh, that would appear safe at noon will also be safe at midnight.
确保学校环境是安全的，并且让人感觉安全。在评估安全的时候，确保你看到了学生们生活学习的学校和环境，不要去假设，中午看起来安全的地方，午夜也是安全的。
Discuss the matter with school officials and also discuss your concerns with students who are already studying there, most like you.
与校方人员讨论这件事，并与已经在那里学习的学生（他们和你最相似）聊聊你的担忧。
Now the next factor to consider is school facilities and housing.
现在要考虑的下一个因素是学校设施和住房。
Check to be sure that the library and computer facilities are top-notch.
检查一下，确保图书馆和计算机设备都是一流的。
In particular, note whether they are comfortable for long-hour work efforts.
尤其要注意，长时间使用这些设施是否是舒适的。
Housing can be a major concern, especially in your first year.
住房可能是一个主要的问题，特别是在你的入学的第一年。
Look at the school dorms and apartments, but also examine the price and availability of off-campus housing.
看看学校的宿舍和公寓，但也要查一查是否能在校外居住，以及它的价格。
Note what transportation options you will have and also their safety implications.
注意一下你能选择的交通方式，以及它们对安全可能造成什么影响。
Finally, mission is a major factor as well.
最后，使命也是一个重要因素。
Schools vary in the extent to which they wish to educate their graduate students.
各学校培养研究生的愿景各不相同。
There might be differences between programs that require students to be generalists and those that train specialists.
要求学生成为多面手的项目和培养专家的项目之间可能存在差异。
These differences can have a major effect upon your fit with the program and the students who have chosen to attend it.
这些差异会对你是否适合这个项目以及选择参加的学生产生重大影响。
Okay. Today we have discussed some general principles on how to choose a graduate school.
好了。今天我们讨论了一些关于如何选择研究生院校的普遍原则。
I hope the information will be useful to you when you apply for graduate schools.
我希望这些信息能对你申请研究生院校有帮助。
