The Facts of Campus Life 校园生活的实情

杰茜卡·金

Goodbye parents， hello freedom！ It’s time to make that big transition to college. But before you start celebrating， prepare yourself for the issues that might spring up when dealing with campus life.

Freshman year of college means moving to a strange environment. You have to juggle1 roommates， new friends， and clubs， not to mention getting to class on time and making the passing grade. There are a few common issues that most freshmen have to address.

Roommates

If there’s one thing students are the most anxious about， it’s meeting their new roommate. Contact your roommate via e-mail or Facebook before you even set foot on campus. You’ll be able to find out likes， dislikes， or even what he or she plans to bring for the room in the fall. It will be helpful to have someone on campus that you’ve already talked with—even if it means just going to the first few freshman social events together.

Not everyone is going to get along with their roommate. We’ve all heard horror stories， like the guy who never showers or the girl who parties at 4：00 a.m. on a Tuesday. It may take longer for you to get to know someone， and that’s okay！ You don’t have to be your roommate’s BFF2; you just need to be cordial and respectful. If you find that you have completely different personalities， look at it as a learning opportunity.

Search for common ground to bond over. “One of my original roommates and I didn’t get along at first，” says Michael Nadeau， a 2005 graduate of Ramapo College in Mahwah， New Jersey. “He was a total right-wing conservative; I was a bleeding-heart3 liberal. We had a lot of arguments at first， but then we got along when we just decided to talk football instead. Eight years later， I’m going to be one of the groomsmen at his wedding.”

It’s a good idea to sit down and have a one-on-one talk at the beginning of the year and set down some ground rules. You should discuss things like music， sleeping schedules， and study habits. And remember—be open to compromise！

Finally， if the issues start to pile up and you find yourself not able to work it out， find a person to help you. Resident assistants and advisors are there to mediate and guide you. Don’t turn to a room reassignment right away—part of the college experience is learning to tackle tough issues！

The freshman 15

Everyone’s heard of the alleged 15 pounds freshmen gain when they move onto campus， and many college students worry about falling out of shape.

Now， more than ever， dining halls are offering healthier foods. Most schools have a sandwich or home-style meal option as well （like roast chicken and vegetables）. It’s all about making the right choices and never overdoing it.

Exercise is essential to avoid the freshman 15， as well. To get in motion， you can join a club or intramural4 sport， go to the gym （it’s free at most schools！）， or just take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk to class instead of taking the bus.

Scheduling time

In college， there’s certainly going to be a lot for you to do—between classes， clubs， and the social scene， your schedule will be full！

The best thing to keep in mind is that you are not going to make it to every club meeting， party， or night out. Sometimes you need to stay in and study or write that paper. There are going to be plenty of nights to hang out with friends， but it will be hard to bring a failing grade up to a passing one.

To make sure you have enough time to study， gather all the syllabi you get from teachers in your first classes. Create a calendar by compiling a comprehensive list of every paper， test， and presentation you have to complete for the semester. Once your studies are mapped out5， it’s easy to find the times when you know you’ll have to buckle down6， or the times when you have a little more freedom.

When you figure out which clubs and sports teams you want to join， find out what their meeting/practice schedules are like. Pick and choose a few clubs you want to focus on and make them your priority. Once you’re comfortable with your schedule， you can try to add a few more things， one at a time.

If you get a little overwhelmed， go to your professors and ask for an extension （don’t do this too often， or they won’t grant you one！） or talk to a club advisor and let them know what’s going on. Everyone gets a little behind once in a while， so most advisors and professors are understanding.

Common dorm woes

There is a general lack of privacy when you’re living on campus. Freshman dorms mostly have communal bathrooms， so if you’re modest， bring a bathrobe to cover up while you’re walking down the hall. But don’t be surprised if others are simply covered in a towel. You might have to live with the opposite sex on the same floor， which is becoming more and more popular at schools like the University of Maryland in College Park， who even have gender-neutral housing in which any students can live together， regardless of sex. Conversely， you might have to deal with the fact that the opposite sex isn’t allowed on your floor after certain hours. Just remember that each university and each person has a different idea about what is appropriate. If something truly makes you uncomfortable， mention it to an RA so they can rectify the situation. Otherwise， try to roll with the punches7. It makes handling problems a lot less stressful.

Many students struggle with their newfound freedom （or occasional lack thereof） in dorm life. Mom and Dad are not there to make sure you stay out of trouble. You will have autonomy that most students don’t experience while they’re under their parents’ watchful gaze. You will most likely have the opportunity to party， sleep in， skip classes， and stay out late. Though many students take advantage of the lack of restrictions， consider the impact of your actions on your grades， health， and reputation. Just try to make good decisions.

Living on campus is supposed to prepare you for the “real world，” and the four years spent at college will be the fastest of your life. You won’t have your mom to do your laundry or dad to fix the light bulb （tip： bring light bulbs to campus so you don’t have to wait for maintenance to turn your lights on）. This is an exciting step towards independence. You’ll have a lot more responsibility for yourself， and if you handle it well， you’ll have a wonderful college experience.                                     ■

爸妈再见，自由你好！该迈出走向大学的重要一步了。但在开始庆祝之前，请做好准备，应对校园生活中可能出现的一些问题。

上大学的第一年，你将迁入一个陌生的环境。你需要同时处理好与室友和新朋友之间的关系、安排好俱乐部的活动，不必说还要准时上课、拿到合格的成绩。以下是大多数大学新生都要应对的几个问题。

室友

如果说学生们对哪件事最焦虑，那就是跟他们的新室友见面了。在进入校园之前通过电子邮箱或者脸书跟室友取得联系，你将了解到对方喜欢什么、不喜欢什么，甚至可以知道他/她准备在秋季带什么东西入住。在校园里有这么一个已经跟你聊过天的人会很有用——即使你们只是一起参加几个新生社交活动。

并非所有人都能和室友融洽相处。我们都听说过一些可怕的故事，比如某男生从不洗澡，或者某女生周二凌晨四点还在开派对。也许你需要花更长时间才能了解某个人，这完全没问题。你不一定和室友成为挚友，只要亲切有礼就好。如果发现你们个性截然不同，就把相处当作一次学习的机会吧。

寻找你和室友之间的共同点，拉近彼此的距离。“刚开始，我和我最早的室友之一处得并不好。”迈克尔·纳多说，他2005年从位于新泽西州莫沃市的拉马波学院毕业。“他是一个彻头彻尾的右翼保守派，我却是一个善心泛滥的自由派。开始我们老是吵架，不过后来我们决定改聊足球，相处就很愉快了。八年过去了，我马上要在他的婚礼上做伴郎了。”

在学年之初坐下来，一对一地聊一聊，立下一些基本规矩，是个不错的主意。你们应该谈一谈诸如音乐播放、作息制度和学习习惯等问题，记住，要懂得妥协！

最后，如果问题开始堆积，你发现自己无法解决，就该找一个人来帮助你。宿舍助理和辅导员可以帮忙调解并给你提建议。不要直接要求重新分配寝室，大学生活的一部分就是要学习解决棘手的问题！

“新生增重15磅”

人们都听说大一新生进校后体重会增加15磅，许多大学生担心自己的身材会走样。

现如今，食堂提供的食物比以往任何时候都更加健康，大多数学校有三明治或者类似家庭烹饪的食物（例如烤鸡和蔬菜）可供选择。需要做的只是做出正确的选择，以及不要矫枉过正。

为了避免“新生增重15磅”，体育锻炼也很重要。要想动起来，可以加入体育俱乐部、参加校内体育活动、去健身房（大多数学校的健身房都是免费的！），也可以不坐电梯而爬楼梯、不坐校车而走去上课。

时间安排

在大学里，你一定有很多事可以做。要上课，要参加俱乐部活动，还要社交，日程会满满当当。

最该记住的一条是，你无法参加每一次俱乐部活动、每一场派对、每一趟夜游寻乐。有时你需要留下来学习或者写论文。晚上和朋友一起出去玩的机会还会有很多，但把不及格的分数拉回及格线可就难了。

为了保证足够的学习时间，你应该把每门课老师第一节课下发的课程提纲收集起来，综合本学期必须完成的每一篇论文、每一场考试和每一次口头报告，列出一个总纲，做成一份日程表。等你把学习任务都安排好之后，就很容易知道什么时候需要全力以赴，什么时候又可以稍微自由一点。

找到你想参加的俱乐部或者运动队之后，弄清楚活动或训练的时间安排。选择几个你想专注其中的俱乐部，把它们作为优先考虑项。等到适应了自己的时间表之后，可以再试着加上几件事，一件一件来。

如果感觉有些忙不过来，去找你的教授，请求宽限一些时间（不能太频繁，否则他们就该不答应了！），或者和俱乐部辅导员聊一聊，让他们了解自己的状况。每个人都会在某些时候稍有落后，所以多数辅导员和老师都能理解。

宿舍生活的常见问题

住校生活总的来说缺乏隐私。大多数新生宿舍使用公用浴室，所以如果你比较矜持，带上浴袍去洗澡，走在走廊里的时候可以裹上。不过如果别人只裹着一条毛巾，不要感到惊讶。你也许得和异性住同一层楼——在马里兰大学帕克分校等学校，这种安排现在越来越流行了。该校甚至有不分性别的宿舍，任何学生——不论性别——都可以住在一起。与之相反，你也可能需要面对如下状况：异性过了某个钟点就不许留在你住的楼层了。记住，对于什么是“合适”，每所大学、每个人各有不同的看法。如果什么事真的让你觉得不舒服，就告诉宿舍管理员，他们可以出面协调。不然的话，就试着自我调整，这将大大减轻你在处理问题时面对的压力。

在宿舍生活中，许多学生很难适应他们新获得的自由（以及偶尔缺失自由的情况）。爸爸妈妈不会再待在身边、确保你不惹麻烦。你将拥有大多数学生在爸妈严密监视下从未体会过的自主权，你很可能有机会参加派对、大睡懒觉、翘课、晚归。尽管许多学生会利用约束不多这一点，但还是想想你的举动对于成绩、健康和你的名声会有什么影响吧，试着作出正确的决定。

人们一般认为住校生活是为了帮助你为“真实世界”做好准备，而大学阶段的四年也将是你一生中过得最快的时间。没有妈妈帮你洗衣服、爸爸帮你修灯泡（一个小诀窍：带几个灯泡去学校，就不用等维修人员了），这是通往独立生活的令人兴奋的一步。你将为自己承担更多的责任，如果处理得当，你将度过一段美好的大学时光。                          □

（譯者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手）