哈佛學姐的大一新生指南來了！

又到了九月開學季，一大批懷揣著夢想的新生即將在美麗(li) 的校園中，開啟他們(men) 繽紛多彩的大學生活。

對於(yu) 留學生來說，這將是他們(men) 開啟在國外陌生環境生活的第一步，麵對不熟悉的國度和來自不同地方的同學們(men) ，大一新生該如何規劃安排自己的生活呢？

機構青年導師、哈佛學姐Charissa S.將和大家分享自己留學切身經曆，幫助各位大一新生更好融入留學生活，開啟自己豐(feng) 富多彩的大學時光。

A Short Guide to Surviving Freshman Year

One of the greatest challenges I faced starting freshman year at Harvard University was understanding the significance of self-care. While this may sound strange, concerns that never existed for me back in high school such as making time to eat meals, putting casual hang-outs on the calendar, and memorizing walking distance times suddenly became one of the most important aspects of time management. Furthermore, there were also the infamous challenges that all freshmen are warned about: “freshman fifteen” and the “freshman flu” . In this article, I will discuss a few of the major self-care challenges that all freshmen face in their transition from high school to college as well as possible solutions to navigate these obstacles.

在剛進入哈佛大學時，我作為(wei) 一年級新生麵臨(lin) 的最大挑戰之一是理解自我照顧的重要性。雖然這聽起來可能很奇怪，但這是我在高中時從(cong) 未考慮過的問題，比如抽出時間吃飯、在日曆上安排休閑活動、記住步行距離等，但這些事情在上大學之後，突然之間成為(wei) 了我時間管理中最重要的內(nei) 容之一。此外，對大一新生來說，還要麵對臭名昭著的挑戰，所有新生都被警告:“freshman fifteen”（指新生發胖的現象）和“freshman flu”（指新生感染流感的現象）。在這篇文章中，我將討論新生在從(cong) 高中到大學的過渡過程中，可能需要麵臨(lin) 包括自我照顧等一些主要的挑戰，以及應對這些挑戰的解決(jue) 方案。

Back in high school, I got used to the set classes times where there would be short breaks and lunch as well as having my schedule made for me based on classes I was interested in. However, starting college opened a whole new perspective on scheduling especially when you are in charge of every single step of the process on your own. This includes choosing classes that don’t overlap or finding out what are your required classes, but most importantly making a schedule that allows you to have proper rest, time for food, and free time.

在高中的時候，我習(xi) 慣了固定的上課時間，我們(men) 有短暫的休息和午餐，以及根據我興(xing) 趣所在而製定的時間表。然而，開始上大學讓我對日程安排有了全新的看法，尤其是當自己需要負責整個(ge) 時間規劃過程的每一步時，其中包括要自己篩選出上課時間不相衝(chong) 突的課程，以及判斷課程是否滿足自己的學業(ye) 要求，但最重要的是製定一個(ge) 平衡有度的時間表，能讓自己有適當的休息時間，吃飯時間和放鬆時間。

A common mistake that I noticed many freshmen did starting in the fall semester was overcommitment. Starting college is always a novel once in a lifetime experience that has endless opportunities and exciting activities. Students are bombarded with countless clubs, extracurriculars, organizations, and social activities the moment they arrive on campus. Like most college students, I wanted to try and do everything that interested me in order to make the most out of my “college experience” (or so I thought).

我注意到，許多新生從(cong) 秋季學期開始就犯了一個(ge) 常見的錯誤，那就是過度投入。上大學是一生一次的新奇經曆，那裏有無盡的機會(hui) 和令人興(xing) 奮的活動。可以說，學生們(men) 一進入校園就被無數的俱樂(le) 部、課外活動、組織和社會(hui) 活動包圍。像大多數大學生一樣，我剛開始也是想嚐試做所有我感興(xing) 趣的事情，以便最大限度地充實我的“大學時光”(至少我是這樣認為(wei) 的)。

The issue with trying to join as many extracurriculars/activities as possible on top of having to balance classes and a social life and sleep is that at the end of the day something is going to have to get less attention or maybe all of them. Unlike the invincible mentality of today’s youth, there is only a certain amount of time in the day and if students are not receiving the essential needs (sleeping 7+ hours, eating meals) they will underperform and have to cut out a lot of the activities they wanted to participate in.

於(yu) 是，在平衡課程、社交生活和睡眠的同時，我盡可能多地參加各種課外活動，但這樣做的問題是，在一天結束的時候，有些事情沒有得到我足夠的重視，甚至有些被我忽視。當時的我和現在不一樣，一天之中花在活動上的精力有限，如果我沒有得到基本的需求(睡7個(ge) 多小時，吃飯)，那麽(me) 我一整天精神都不會(hui) 很好，表現也不佳，這會(hui) 致使我不得不放棄很多想參加的活動。

However, an even greater issue of overcommitment is the sacrifice of health: both mental and physical. Usually around early fall where freshmen are adjusting to college life and around midterm/exam periods is when most students get sick. Some call this the “freshman flu” which is caused by lack of sleep, unbalanced meal habits, and a lack of self-care. Being sick will only add to the stresses of school and can greatly deteriorate mental health from frustration and challenges of getting behind.

除此之外，過度投入另一個(ge) 更大的問題是犧牲了健康，包括自己的精神和身體(ti) 。大多數情況下，新生在適應大學生活的初始，以及期中考試期間，很多學生都會(hui) 生病。有些人稱這個(ge) 現象為(wei) “新生流感”，其實這是學生由睡眠不足、飲食習(xi) 慣不平衡和缺乏自我照顧引起的。對學生來說，如果因為(wei) 生病導致課程落後，隻會(hui) 讓學生增加自己的心理壓力。

Therefore, one of the greatest practices to avoid overcommitment is to understand the true meaning of what it means to say no. Prioritization and understanding your limits will greatly help you in choosing an appropriate course schedule, amount of extracurriculars to participate in, and having a social life while still maintaining a balance of healthy self-care. However, turning down opportunities as a freshman doesn’t mean turning it down forever. Once you have become adjusted to the major transition into college life and have a great understanding of yourself, then you can continue your pursuits in a healthy and productive manner.

Another major challenge that most freshmen experience at the start of college is adjusting to dorm life. As I mentioned before, sickness is very common among freshmen and this is especially because of living habits in the dorm.

因此，避免過度投入的最佳做法之一就是學會(hui) 說“不”。優(you) 先考慮並了解自己的極限，在極限範圍內(nei) 選擇合適自己的課程和課外活動，這樣可以讓自己在保持健康同時擁有豐(feng) 富的社交生活。當然，作為(wei) 大一新生拒絕並不意味著永遠放棄一些活動和課程的機會(hui) 。一旦適應了大學生活的節奏，對自己有了很好的了解，那麽(me) 就可以以一種健康而有效的方式重新參與(yu) 自己有興(xing) 趣的課程和活動。

另外，大多數新生的另一個(ge) 挑戰是適應宿舍生活。正如我之前提到的，生病在新生中很常見，很多時候，這是因為(wei) 還沒有適應宿舍生活。

Growing up, I never had a roommate and was accustomed to my own living conditions such as the time I went to sleep or woke up, the amount of noise or light in my room, or how neat I kept my room. At the start of my freshman year I had two roommates who both had vastly different schedules and living habits than me. This was a challenge because we would have to walk past each other while someone was sleeping or try and do homework with minimal lights on to not disturb each other. Furthermore, I have heard many stories about difficult roommates that are not used to cleaning up after themselves or being considerate of each other. Because of this, it is very important to lay out clear rules and expectations at the beginning of the year and have someone such as a proctor/R or staff that lives in the dorm hold this accountable in case something happens. These rules could include topics such as who takes out the trash each week, when the quiet times are at night, if it’s okay to play music, etc. When rules become ambiguous is when I’ve seen the most challenging situations between roommates because they both have differing opinions on living habits. Thus, at the end of the day, it is most important to create a living situation that is clean and allows for an appropriate amount of sleep in order to minimize the spread of sickness.

就我自己來說，從(cong) 小到大，我都沒有過室友，我習(xi) 慣自己一個(ge) 人的生活，我有固定的睡覺和起床的時間，對房間噪音的大小或光線的強弱也有自己習(xi) 慣，同時，房間的整潔程度我也有自己的要求。但大一開始的時候，我有了兩(liang) 個(ge) 室友，他們(men) 的作息時間和生活習(xi) 慣和我大不相同。對我來說宿舍生活是一個(ge) 挑戰，因為(wei) 有時候，我必須在別人睡覺的時候從(cong) 對方旁邊經過，或者開著最小的燈做作業(ye) ，以免打擾對方。

此外，我還聽過很多難以與(yu) 室友相處的故事，這些故事中很多人不僅(jin) 不習(xi) 慣自己打掃衛生，也不習(xi) 慣室友之間互相體(ti) 諒。正因為(wei) 如此，在最開始的時候，製定明確的宿舍規則是非常重要的，而且可以讓管理員或住在宿舍的工作人員等人從(cong) 旁協助宿舍規則，以防室友之間發生任何衝(chong) 突。這些宿舍規則可以包括如每周由誰倒垃圾，晚上什麽(me) 時候需要保持安靜，是否可以在宿舍播放音樂(le) 等等。當規則製定得不清楚時，室友之間就會(hui) 因為(wei) 生活習(xi) 慣的不同而產(chan) 生矛盾，這會(hui) 影響宿舍中每一個(ge) 人。因此，在一天結束的時候，最舒服的是可以回到一個(ge) 擁有幹淨生活環境的宿舍，每個(ge) 人都可以有適當的睡眠，而且這樣的宿舍環境還能盡量減少疾病的傳(chuan) 播。

Overall, I hope that freshmen are able to make the most of their experience and have a smooth transition between high school and college with the emphasis of self-care. Ultimately, the majority of learning will happen through first-hand experience, but I hope to minimize the amount of obstacles with my two main pieces of advice: learn how to prioritize and try your best to create a healthy living environment in your dorm. Being able to take care of yourself is the first step towards a successful school experience and will only enforce positive habits later in life.

總的來說，我希望新生能夠充分利用他們(men) 的大學時光，在注重自我照顧的情況下，順利地從(cong) 高中過渡到大學。當然，大學的學習(xi) 時光和活動時光都是需要通過自己親(qin) 身體(ti) 驗來實現的，希望我前麵提到的兩(liang) 個(ge) 主要建議可以最大限度地幫助新生們(men) 減少適應大學生活的困難：學會(hui) 如何在自己的極限內(nei) 合理安排課程和課外活動，並盡自己所能在宿舍裏創造一個(ge) 健康的生活環境。能夠照顧好自己是成功邁向大學時光的第一步，這些建議會(hui) 在以後的生活中會(hui) 幫助你養(yang) 成積極的習(xi) 慣。

赴美留學小Tips

對留學生活有正確的期待

學習(xi) 才是留學最重要的目標，但除了學習(xi) ，還有很多來自生活方麵的壓力，要做好思想準備。要學會(hui) 利用留學生活中多元文化的影響，吸取需要的知識，優(you) 勢互補。

養(yang) 成預習(xi) 和提問的習(xi) 慣

提前預習(xi) 能更好地理解課程內(nei) 容，並且可以找到自己需要著重聽講的部分。遇到問題一定要大膽地向教授提問，教授不僅(jin) 不會(hui) 覺得煩，還會(hui) 覺得你很重視這堂課程。

慎重選課

美國大學的選課一定要慎重，課程的難度、自己的課業(ye) 時間安排和規劃，教授的考核方式是否非常嚴(yan) 格等等因素都需要加以考察。

學會(hui) 求助

學會(hui) 向學姐、學長或者老師求助，不管是校園文化、課程設置、教授選擇、校園生活、俱樂(le) 部、社交生活等等均可向他們(men) 谘詢了解。

勇於(yu) 表達

美國大學的課堂有很多需要小組討論或者個(ge) 人闡述、個(ge) 人展示等環節，所以要敢於(yu) 表達自己，勇於(yu) 發表自己的想法和看法。

照顧好自己