如何选择大学专业？

最近，高考成绩都出来了。不少人开始在纠结着高考志愿填报，怎么选大学，怎么选专业？

今日无瓜，我们一起来看看外刊给了哪些建议。

无注释原文：

What Should I Major In? How To Choose A College Major

Forbes

Oct 7, 2021

Choosing a major is one of the biggest decisions a high school or college student is asked to make. And it’s one that many wish they could redo—61% of college grads would change their major if they could go back, according to one survey.

But not everyone has a case of buyer’s remorse after graduation. Here are the most important factors to take into account before choosing a major, and how to pick the right college once you’ve decided what to study.

◐ How to Determine the Major That’s Best for You

1. Consider Your Skills

Start by making a list of your strengths and interests. Once you’re done, ask your close friends and family members what they would say about you. Sometimes it takes a third party to remind us of the talents and skills we take for granted.

Include any topics that you’ve always been interested in but never fully pursued. You should also include activities that you used to be good at but haven’t done in a while. Lastly, consider taking a career quiz, like this one from The Princeton Review.

2. Research Potential Careers

Once you’ve made a list of your interests and passions, look at what jobs fit those passions. For example, if you’re interested in music, you can work as a music teacher, club promoter or find a job at a music-related nonprofit.

After making a list of potential careers, consider shadowing people in those jobs so you can understand what it’s really like to work there. Seeing how real people work can give you a better sense of whether you’re actually interested. If shadowing someone isn’t an option, contact people via email or LinkedIn and set up a phone call to ask them questions directly.

3. Estimate Future Earnings

The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks career growth for most jobs. Visit the site and select the occupation groups that interest you. From there, you can see which jobs are available in each field.

Once you have a list of jobs you’re interested in, you can use the site to see which jobs have a positive growth rate and earnings that fit your desired lifestyle. While future earnings shouldn’t be your only motivator for a certain career, it is an important factor to consider. Knowing this information can help you decide how much is wise to invest in your secondary education.

Also, consider what you want your life to look like after college. If you hope to live in a major city, travel extensively or start a family, for example, you’ll need a job that pays you enough to afford those things.

4. Decide How Much Time You Can Dedicate to School

Not every major is created equal. Some programs, like pre-med, require substantially more work than others. Consider how much time you can commit to your training and how dedicated of a student you want to be.

Also research any advanced degrees you’ll need after college to get to work in your desired field. If you need to pursue a professional or master’s degree to reach your career goals, account for the extra time and money that will require before you make a final decision on your bachelor degree major.

◐ Find the Right Colleges for Your Major

Now that you’ve picked a major, it’s time to find the best colleges for that program. Here’s how to narrow your list down:

1. Look at Rankings

You can easily find general college rankings online with simple searches. You can often filter these schools based on state, setting, school size and more.

You can also find specific rankings for degree programs like business, engineering and computer science. Publications tend to only include certain undergraduate programs, so you’ll likely have to do your own digging to find the best schools.

For example, if you’re interested in becoming a teacher, do a Google search for “best teaching programs” or “best teaching colleges.” Cross-reference the articles, write down the universities that appear most often and add them to your list.

Make sure to check the date of each publication; you don’t want to look at information from beyond the past five years. Programs can change quickly and you don’t want to choose a school that has since gone downhill.

2. Talk to Your High School Advisor

Your high school counselor or advisor may have suggestions on which colleges are most appropriate for what you’re interested in. They may also be able to match you with universities where you’ll have the best chance of being accepted.

For example, Stanford University has one of the top business programs in the country, but the application process is highly competitive—the school has an admittance rate of about 4%. Your advisor can help you decide how to choose schools that best fit your academic performance.

3. Find a College That Meets Multiple Interests

If you’re interested in several different disciplines, look for colleges that offer good programs for some or all of the options you’re considering. That way, if you switch your major to another alternative, you’ll still receive a quality education without needing to transfer schools.

For example, if you’re interested in studying Spanish and marketing, look for a school with a good language and business program. You may have to pick a school that’s less renowned in one area to find a school that has decent programs in both fields you’re interested in.

4. Consider the Cost

Some careers require additional degrees after you complete your bachelor’s program. If you’ll need an advanced degree, consider prioritizing an affordable school for your undergraduate degree. Try to minimize how much you borrow in student loans and make sure to apply for as many scholarships and grants as possible.

In-state public universities are often the least expensive option, and many of those colleges rank highly. But you shouldn’t discount private universities, especially if your family has a lower income. Many private schools have large scholarships or grant funds for students with financial need.

5. Be Flexible

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 33% of undergraduate students changed their major at least once. About 9% changed their major twice or more. Other data shows that more than half of students change their major at least once.

It’s normal to pick a major, go to college and discover you’re not as interested as you thought you would be. Keep an open mind and don’t force yourself to stick out the degree path you chose when you were a high school senior. You’ll likely spend about a third of your life at work, so don’t force yourself to stay with a major you don’t enjoy.

- ◆ -

注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应

含注释全文：

What Should I Major In? How To Choose A College Major

Forbes

Choosing a major is one of the biggest decisions a high school or college student is asked to make. And it’s one that many wish they could redo—61% of college grads would change their major if they could go back, according to one survey.

选择专业是高中或大学学生被要求做出的最大决定之一。许多人希望他们能重做这个决定——一项调查显示，61%的大学毕业生表示如果能回去，会换专业。

表示“重做；再做”，英文解释为“to do something again”举个🌰：

These new measurements mean that I'll have to redo the calculations.

这些新的尺寸意味着我将不得不重新进行计算。

But not everyone has a case of buyer’s remorse after graduation. Here are the most important factors to take into account before choosing a major, and how to pick the right college once you’ve decided what to study.

但是，并不是每个人在毕业后都会后悔。以下是在选择专业之前需要考虑的最重要的因素，以及一旦你决定学什么专业如何选择合适的大学。

buyer's remorse / buyers' remorse表示“买家懊悔，事后悔恨”，英文解释为“a feeling of regret (= a wish that you had not done something) after making a choice or decision”举个🌰：

Maybe some voters are experiencing buyers' remorse.

也许有的选民正在为自己当初的决定懊恼不已。

◐ How to Determine the Major That’s Best for You 如何确定最适合你的专业

1. Consider Your Skills 考虑你的技能

Start by making a list of your strengths and interests. Once you’re done, ask your close friends and family members what they would say about you. Sometimes it takes a third party to remind us of the talents and skills we take for granted.

首先列出你的优势和兴趣。完成了，问问你的密友和家人，他们会怎么评价你。有时需要第三方来提醒我们那些我们认为理所当然的天赋和技能。

表示“认为…是理所当然的”，英文解释为“to believe something to be the truth without even thinking about it”举个🌰：

I didn't realize that she hadn't been to college - I suppose I just took it for granted.

我不知道她没上大学——我只是想当然地认为她上过了。

Include any topics that you’ve always been interested in but never fully pursued. You should also include activities that you used to be good at but haven’t done in a while. Lastly, consider taking a career quiz, like this one from The Princeton Review.

包括任何你一直感兴趣但从未完全追求的主题。你还应该包括你曾经擅长但有一段时间没有做过的活动。最后，考虑做一个职业测验，比如《普林斯顿评论》（The Princeton Review）的这个测验。

2. Research Potential Careers 研究潜在职业

Once you’ve made a list of your interests and passions, look at what jobs fit those passions. For example, if you’re interested in music, you can work as a music teacher, club promoter or find a job at a music-related nonprofit.

一旦你列出了你的兴趣和爱好清单，看看什么工作适合这些爱好。例如，如果你对音乐感兴趣，你可以担任音乐教师、俱乐部筹办人或在与音乐有关的非营利机构找一份工作。

表示“（艺术演出或体育比赛的）筹办人，发起者，赞助者”，英文解释为“a person or company that organizes or provides money for an artistic performance or a sporting event”；

表示“倡导者；支持者”，英文解释为“a person who tries to persuade others about the value or importance of sth”

After making a list of potential careers, consider shadowing people in those jobs so you can understand what it’s really like to work there. Seeing how real people work can give you a better sense of whether you’re actually interested. If shadowing someone isn’t an option, contact people via email or LinkedIn and set up a phone call to ask them questions directly.

列出潜在的职业清单后，考虑跟随从事这些工作的人实地学习，以便你能了解在那里工作的真实情况。看看实实在在的从业者是如何工作的，可以让你更好地了解自己是否真的感兴趣。如果做不到实地学习，可以通过电子邮件或LinkedIn与人联系，并打电话直接向他们提问。

1）作形容词，表示“（用于主要反对党的要员的头衔中）影子的”，英文解释为“used in the title of important politicians in the main opposition party (= the party not in government)”如：the Shadow Foreign Secretary 影子外交大臣。

📍英国国防大臣被骗了文中出现，The shadow Home Office minister, Holly Lynch, said: “For individuals to be able to fraudulently gain access to two of the most senior government ministers with responsibilities for our national defence is worrying. 影子内阁的内务大臣霍利·林奇（Holly Lynch）说：“对于个人能够以欺诈手段获得与两位负责我们国防的最高级政府大臣取得联系，令人担忧。”

2）作动词，表示“（为了解某人的工作而）跟随见习”，英文解释为“to follow someone else while they are at work in order to learn about that person's job”举个🌰：

Your first week in the job will be spent shadowing one of our more experienced employees.

你工作的第一周将是跟随我们其中一位经验丰富的雇员学习。

3. Estimate Future Earnings 估计未来收入

The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks career growth for most jobs. Visit the site and select the occupation groups that interest you. From there, you can see which jobs are available in each field.

美国劳工统计局（The Bureau of Labor Statistics）跟踪调查了大多数工作的职业发展。访问该网站，选择你感兴趣的职业群体。从那里，你可以看到每个领域有哪些工作。

Once you have a list of jobs you’re interested in, you can use the site to see which jobs have a positive growth rate and earnings that fit your desired lifestyle. While future earnings shouldn’t be your only motivator for a certain career, it is an important factor to consider. Knowing this information can help you decide how much is wise to invest in your secondary education.

一旦你有了一份你感兴趣的工作清单，你就可以利用该网站查看哪些工作有积极的增长率，以及符合你期望的生活方式的收入。虽然未来的收入不应该是你从事某种职业的唯一动力，但它是一个重要的考虑因素。了解这些信息可以帮助你决定在中学教育中投资多少钱是明智的。

Also, consider what you want your life to look like after college. If you hope to live in a major city, travel extensively or start a family, for example, you’ll need a job that pays you enough to afford those things.

另外，考虑你希望大学毕业后的生活是什么样子的。例如，如果你希望生活在一个大城市，到处旅行或者成家，你就需要一份能给你足够报酬的工作来负担这些东西。

4. Decide How Much Time You Can Dedicate to School 决定你能在学校投入多少时间

Not every major is created equal. Some programs, like pre-med, require substantially more work than others. Consider how much time you can commit to your training and how dedicated of a student you want to be.

不是每个专业都是同等的。有些课程项目，如医学预科，需要比其他项目多得多的工作。考虑你能为你的培训投入多少时间，以及你想成为一个多么专注的学生。

表示“医学预科（课程）”，英文解释为“a course or set of classes that students take in preparation for medical school；a student who is taking classes in preparation for medical school”

表示“在很大程度上”，英文解释为“to a large degree”举个🌰：

The new rules will substantially change how we do things.

新规则会在很大程度上改变我们的行事方式。

Also research any advanced degrees you’ll need after college to get to work in your desired field. If you need to pursue a professional or master’s degree to reach your career goals, account for the extra time and money that will require before you make a final decision on your bachelor degree major.

还要研究你在大学毕业后需要的任何高级学位，以便在你期望的领域工作。如果你需要攻读一个专业或硕士学位来实现你的职业目标，在最终确定你的学士学位专业之前，要考虑到这需要的额外时间和金钱。

表示“硕士学位”，英文解释为“an advanced college or university degree”。

表示“学士学位”，英文解释为“a first degree at college or university”

◐ Find the Right Colleges for Your Major 找到适合你的专业的大学

Now that you’ve picked a major, it’s time to find the best colleges for that program. Here’s how to narrow your list down:

现在你已经选择了一个专业，现在是时候为该专业找到最好的大学了。下面是如何缩小你的大学清单：

1. Look at Rankings 看排名

You can easily find general college rankings online with simple searches. You can often filter these schools based on state, setting, school size and more.

通过简单的搜索，你可以很容易地在网上找到综合大学排名。你通常可以根据州、环境、学校规模等来过滤这些学校。

作动词，表示“过滤”，英文解释为“to remove solids from liquids or gases, or to remove particular types of light, using special equipment”举个🌰：

The water is filtered to remove any impurities.

这种水经过滤以去除杂质。

作名词：

1）表示“筛选（过滤）程序”，英文解释为“a program that stops certain types of electronic information, email, etc. being sent to a computer.”

2）表示“滤器；过滤器”，英文解释为“a device containing paper, sand, chemicals, etc. that a liquid or gas is passed through in order to remove any materials that are not wanted”

3）此前在尴尬！视频会议忘关摄像头......文中介绍有公司主管在线会议时，误开滤镜特效，会议全程整个人变成土豆头🥔，就提到：she could not figure out how to remove the filter. 主管一直搞不清要怎么关掉滤镜。filter指的就是滤镜。

You can also find specific rankings for degree programs like business, engineering and computer science. Publications tend to only include certain undergraduate programs, so you’ll likely have to do your own digging to find the best schools.

你还可以找到具体的学位项目排名，如商业、工程和计算机科学。公开信息往往只包括某些本科项目，所以你可能需要自己挖掘，以找到最好的学校。

For example, if you’re interested in becoming a teacher, do a Google search for “best teaching programs” or “best teaching colleges.” Cross-reference the articles, write down the universities that appear most often and add them to your list.

例如，如果你对成为一名教师感兴趣，在谷歌上搜索“最佳教学项目”或“最佳教学学院”。互相参照这些文章，写下出现频率最高的大学，并将它们加入你的名单。

表示“互见，相互参照”，英文解释为“a note in a book that tells you to look somewhere else in the book for more information about something”

Make sure to check the date of each publication; you don’t want to look at information from beyond the past five years. Programs can change quickly and you don’t want to choose a school that has since gone downhill.

确保检查每处公开信息的日期；你不会想看到五年以前的信息。项目可能变化很快，你不会想选一所后来走下坡路的学校。

表示“走下坡路，每况愈下”，英文解释为“to gradually become worse”举个🌰：

After his wife died, his health started to go downhill.

自从妻子去世后，他的健康状况开始每况愈下。

2. Talk to Your High School Advisor 与你的高中班导师交谈

Your high school counselor or advisor may have suggestions on which colleges are most appropriate for what you’re interested in. They may also be able to match you with universities where you’ll have the best chance of being accepted.

你的高中辅导员或班导师可能有建议，告诉你哪些大学最适合你的兴趣。他们可能还能为你匹配你最有可能被录取的大学。

For example, Stanford University has one of the top business programs in the country, but the application process is highly competitive—the school has an admittance rate of about 4%. Your advisor can help you decide how to choose schools that best fit your academic performance.

例如，斯坦福大学（Stanford University）拥有全国最顶尖的商业项目之一，但申请过程竞争非常激烈--学校的录取率约为4%。你的班导师可以帮助你确定如何选择最适合你学业成绩的学校。

表示“准许进入；进入（权）”，英文解释为“permission to enter a place”举个🌰：

The sign read "Private - no admittance".

牌子上写着“私人住宅，禁止入内”。

3. Find a College That Meets Multiple Interests 寻找一所能满足多种兴趣的大学

If you’re interested in several different disciplines, look for colleges that offer good programs for some or all of the options you’re considering. That way, if you switch your major to another alternative, you’ll still receive a quality education without needing to transfer schools.

如果你对几个不同的学科感兴趣，寻找那些为你正在考虑的部分或全部选择提供良好课程项目的大学。这样，如果你把你的专业换成另一个选择，你仍然可以接受高质量的教育，而不需要转学。

For example, if you’re interested in studying Spanish and marketing, look for a school with a good language and business program. You may have to pick a school that’s less renowned in one area to find a school that has decent programs in both fields you’re interested in.

例如，如果你对学习西班牙语和市场营销感兴趣，请寻找一所拥有良好的语言和商业课程项目的学校。你可能不得不选择一所在某一领域不太知名的学校，以找到一所在你感兴趣的两个领域都有不错课程项目的学校。

表示“有名的；闻名的；受尊敬的”，英文解释为“famous and respected”举个🌰：

She is renowned for her patience.

她的耐心是出了名的。

表示“正派的；体面的，正经的；像样的，相当不错的”，英文解释为“socially acceptable or good”举个🌰：

Everyone should be entitled to a decent wage/standard of living.

人人都应该有权获得像样的工资/过上体面的生活。

4. Consider the Cost 考虑成本

Some careers require additional degrees after you complete your bachelor’s program. If you’ll need an advanced degree, consider prioritizing an affordable school for your undergraduate degree. Try to minimize how much you borrow in student loans and make sure to apply for as many scholarships and grants as possible.

有些职业在你完成本科课程后需要额外的学位。如果你需要一个高级学位，考虑优先选择一所负担得起的学校来获得你的本科学位。尽量减少你的学生贷款额度，并确保尽可能多地申请奖学金和助学金。

In-state public universities are often the least expensive option, and many of those colleges rank highly. But you shouldn’t discount private universities, especially if your family has a lower income. Many private schools have large scholarships or grant funds for students with financial need.

州内的公立大学通常是最便宜的选择，而且许多这些大学的排名都很高。但是，你不应该忽视私立大学，尤其是如果你的家庭收入较低。许多私立学校为有经济需要的学生提供大量奖学金或助学金。

表示“忽视，忽略，不理会”，英文解释为“to decide that something or someone is not worth considering or giving attention”举个🌰：

You shouldn't discount the possibility of him coming back.

你不应该排除他回来的可能性。

5. Be Flexible 要有灵活性

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 33% of undergraduate students changed their major at least once. About 9% changed their major twice or more. Other data shows that more than half of students change their major at least once.

根据美国教育部的数据，33%的本科生至少改变过一次专业。大约9%的人改变了他们的专业两次或更多。其他数据显示，超过一半的学生至少改变过一次专业。

It’s normal to pick a major, go to college and discover you’re not as interested as you thought you would be. Keep an open mind and don’t force yourself to stick out the degree path you chose when you were a high school senior. You’ll likely spend about a third of your life at work, so don’t force yourself to stay with a major you don’t enjoy.

选专业，上大学，发现自己并不像想象中的那样感兴趣，这很正常。保持开放的心态，不要强迫自己坚持你在高中毕业时选择的学位道路。你一生中可能有三分之一的时间是在工作中度过的，所以不要强迫自己留在一个你不喜欢的专业。

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