选择一个好专业意味着什么？哈佛学院的新生为什么不用选择专业

 
选择一个好专业意味着什么？哈佛学院的新生为什么不用选择专业
 
来听今天的讲解:
 
A: Han, Which major do you plan to choose?
 
韩，打算选什么专业啊？
 
B: I haven’t think about this question.
 
我还没想过这个问题。
 
A: Jesus! Don’t you worry about or even think about you future?
 
天啊，你从来没想过或担心过你的前途吗？
 
B: Yes，I do. I just don’t want to ask for trouble so early.
 
是的，我只是不想这么早就自寻烦恼。
 
A: Too early? Han, it's your second year in high school!
 
太早？梅梅，你现在已经是高二了！
 
B: So what? Give me a break. Don’t laugh at me.
 
那又怎样？得了，别取笑我了。
 
A: Don’t get angry. I was just kidding, to test your knowledge of Harvard University.
 
别生气，我只是开开玩笑，想试下你对哈佛大学的了解程度。
 
B: Did it sound like a joke?
 
这像开玩笑吗？
 
A: I apologize. But you have to confess that you don’t know Harvard at all.
 
我道歉，但是你不得不承认你对哈佛大学一无所知。
 
B: Not again. Does it have anything to do with Harvard?
 
又来了。这与哈佛大学有什么关系吗？
 
A: Yeah, of course it does. Aren’t you going to Harvard after graduation?
 
当然有关系了，你毕业后不是想去哈佛大学吗？
 
B: Sure.
 
是啊。
 
A: So you’re right not to think too much about your major too early.
 
因此你不想太早过多地考虑专业选择的问题是对的。
 
B: Don’t fool me. You know how important a major is? You know what a major mean? To a large extent，it'll determine your future life,.
 
别笑我了，你知道专业有多重要吗？你知道专业意味着什么吗？在很大程度上，专业会决定你未来的生活。
 
A: That’s right. A lot of students go to college because they believe that a good college or a good major will help them find a good job in the future.
 
很对。很多学生认为上个好大学或者选择一个好专业会帮他们在未来找个好工作。
 
B: Is it wrong to think so?
 
那么这么想，错了吗？
 
A: No. I said everyone has their own values. But to me, a good higher education aims to educate well-rounded individuals.
 
不是的，每个人都有自己的价值观，但是对我来说，一个好的高等教育的目标是要培育全面发展的人。
 
B: Aren’t we?
 
难道我们不是？
 
A: If you aim at pursuing a certain occupational target, then you’re not well-rounded.
 
如果你的目标是从事某一种职业，那么你就不是很全面了。
 
B: Make sense. I have so many interests and I don’t want to give up any of them. As a result, I can’t decide on my major.
 
有道理，我有许多兴趣，我不想放弃任何一个，所以我还没决定我要选什么专业。
 
A: Don’t worry. The freshmen don’t choose a major at Harvard College. They are only required to take Expository Writing, and may enroll any courses in which they are interested.
 
别担心，哈佛学院的新生不用选择专业。他们只要求新生学习说明文写作，学生可以根据自己的喜好选择所要学习的课程。
 
B: That’s great!
 
那太好了！
 
A: Besides, you can even change your major.
 
另外，你还可以换专业。
 
B: Couldn’t imagine that.
 
真是难以想象啊！
 
A: Harvard College offers us a liberal education. You do have a major, but it’s not so important as you thought, especially when you plan to go to graduate school.
 
哈佛学院提供了一个自由的教育环境，你可以选择一个专业，但是专业没有你想象中的那么重要，特别是如果你打算继续研究生学习的话。
 
B: Unbelievable.
 
难以置信。
 
A: The good graduate schools want flexible, adaptable minds, minds exposed to a broad range of knowledge and trained in rigorous critical thinking.
 
好的研究生院是希望学生有灵活和适应性强的头脑，能够掌握全面的知识，拥有良好的逻辑思考能力。
 
B: So I don’t have to get a bachelor degree m pre-law if I want to go to the Law School.
 
那就是说，如果我想进入法学院，我可以不用先拿到法学预科学位。
 
A: Yes.
 
是的。
 
B: Really? (Han Meimei lets out a sigh of relief). To be honest, I've been torn between American literature and law. Vm interested in literature, but I want to be a lawyer.
 
真的？（韩梅梅舒了一口气）说真的，我正在为选择美国文学，还是选择法律而左右为难呢。我喜欢文学，但是我又想成为一名律师。
 
A: You can major in literature first, and go to Law School for further education, like me.
 
你可以先选择文学专业，然后进人法学院读研究生，就像我一样。
 
B: You?
 
你？
 
A: I’m going to study physics and then go to Business School.
 
我会先学习物理，然后去读商学院。
 
B: Good idea!
 
好主意！
 
A: No matter how many your interests have, Harvard College will fulfill most of them. In addition to the major field of concentration, you can choose a secondary field which need not be related to the primary field.
 
无论有多少兴趣爱好，哈佛大学都能满足你所有的需求。除了一个主攻学习专业以外，你可以选择第二专业，但是这个第二专业无需和主攻专业相关。
 
B: We can choose as we wish.
 
我们可以根据自己的意愿来选择。
 
A: But we have to meet the minimal demand for a bachelor degree.
 
但我们需要达到学士学位的最低要求。
 
B: I like this kind of education. It treats students as humans rather than tools prepared for future walks.
 
我喜欢这样的教育方式，它把学生当成真正的人来培养，而不是把学生训练成未来工作所需要的工具。