入读美国TOP级大学是一种怎样的体验？出国留学，你会遇到哪些挑战？本期，成都市锦江区嘉祥外国语高级中学-高中国际课程班目前就读于加州大学欧文分校（University of California, Irvine，简称UCI，2019USNews美国大学综合排名33）的Bob同学分享他在UCI的就读经历。

What’s the experience to study in a TOP university in the US ? What challenges do you meet when you study abroad? Today, JXFLS-IHSD invites Bob, an alumnus, who is studying at the UC Irvine shares his experience.

美国加州温度适宜，四季如春。欧文市，则是一座比较新的城市，治安良好，环境优美，路面干净整洁，且仅距洛杉矶一个小时的车程。入读美国TOP级大学是一种怎样的体验？出国留学，你会遇到哪些挑战？本期，嘉祥高中国际课程班目前就读于加州大学欧文分校（University of California, Irvine，简称UCI，2019USNews美国大学综合排名33）的Bob同学分享他在UCI的就读经历。

The weather of California is comfortable. Irvine City is a new city with security, beautiful environment, and it is only an hour's drive from Los Angeles.

欧文的天气仅比成都冷一点点，因为位处沙漠，所以终年少雨。但又因为靠近海岸，却不会觉得干燥，很适合生活。

It is only a little colder than Chengdu. Because the desert climate, it is little raining all year round in Irvine. But it is close to the ocean, so it is not dry but very suitable for life.

加州大学欧文分校位于欧文市，学校离海边约20分钟的车程，离各个plaza也是只用10分钟左右，学校旁也有target等超市和餐厅，可以在周末去补足短缺的必需品。

The UCI is located in Irvine. The school is about 20 minutes drive from the coast. It is only about 10 minutes away from each plaza. There are also supermarkets and restaurants next to the school. We can make up for the shortage of essentials on weekends.

走进UCI课堂

Learn about UCI

加州系统的大学都是学季制，每个学季只有十周，时间短，节奏快。教授不会确认每一个学生是否有认真学习且学懂知识，只能靠自己自主努力学习，主动提问，以此来争取更高的GPA。

The system of University of California utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. There are ten weeks in each quarter, so the time is short with fast pace. The professors will not confirm whether each student has serious get the knowledge. We can only work hard, ask questions actively and solve doubts to fight for a higher GPA.

我认为UCI的所有课程节奏都偏快。因为前一天lecture里教授向我们引入并阐述的知识点，就会在后一天的discussion里复习到。每周都会举行quiz，类似于初中时的周考。而一个学期共十周，就有两个midterm（期中考）一个final（期末考）。越是接近final week，大家在路上的步速彷佛也加快了，也鲜少有时间在饭桌上闲聊了，甚至还会有人抱着电脑吃饭。

I think the courses advance quickly, because the knowledge which is mentioned in the lecture will be reviewed in the discussion of the next day. Quiz is held every week, similar to the weekly exam in my junior high school. For a total of ten weeks in a quarter, there are two mid-term exams and one final exam. On the final week, everyone on the road seems to be faster, and there is little time to chat at the dinner time, and even someone will hold a computer when they eat.

对于UCI的教学条件，值得一提的是，有部分课程会用到i-clicker作为上课回答问题和统计出勤的工具。

For the UCI teaching conditions, it is worth mentioning that some courses would use i-clicker as a tool for the students to answer questions and count attendance.

i-clicker

课堂无线即时答题器。上课时，老师会在屏幕上打出题目和选择项，学生用i-cliker选择答案，然后屏幕上会出现大家选择结果的统计数据。

我所学的是数学专业，而这学期授课的数学教授不仅颜值高，他还总会在同学们举手提问 “question”的时候耐心解答。之前在国内时，听说外国的教授一个比一个严苛，但是我的这位教授即便有人上课前后吹手风琴，他也会等他吹完再诙谐地开个玩笑开始上课。

I am in the major of mathematics, and the professor who taught mathematics this quarter is handsome, and he is patiently when the students raise their hands to ask questions. When I was in China , I heard that foreign professors were more serious, but my professor, even if someone had an accordion before or after class, would wait for him to blow up and then jokingly start the class.

学校会设置年级对应的阅读和写作科目作为大学生们的必修课之一，以此来保证每个学生的英语读写水平。即使课程里要求的文章繁多，但针对大一新生不会太难，慢慢适应，就好了。而且，随着阅读、写作的积累，在之后的大学三年里就不会太担心出现“读不懂”这样的难题了。因此，只需安排好学习时间就好。

The courses of English reading and writing are set for ensuring that the English reading and writing is not the problem to the students. Even if there are so many articles need to be read in the course, it is not too difficult for a freshman. Moreover, with the accumulation of English reading and writing, in the next three years, you will not need to worry about the reading and writing. You just need to arrange your study time.

遇到的挑战

Challenges

其实最大的挑战就在于平时的时间规划。

In fact, the biggest challenge is time planning.

说着简单，却是需要从课程的时间选择，到课余生活的管理，都必须自己料理好的。比如你是个早上会偶尔睡懒觉的人，就尽量不要选择早8点的课；又比如你需要每天下午去参加足球活动，那就得把每天下午的时间段空出来。越是到了期末，你就可能需要舍弃掉一些活动来好好复习巩固这学期的内容。

It is necessary to manage your course and after-school life. For example, if you are a person who getting up late occasionally in the morning, and you’d better not try to choose a class of 8 o'clock in the morning; if you want to go to play football every afternoon, you have to vacate the afternoon when you choose your courses. When you are in the end of the quarter, you may need to abandon some activities to review and consolidate the content.

通常在期末，学校也会开启下个学期的选课窗口，所以还需要为下一个学期的课程和时间安排提前做好规划，再抢课。

Usually at the end of the quarter, the school will also open the next quarter’s elective of courese, so you need to plan ahead.

给学弟学妹的建议

Suggestions

加州算是比较包容的一个州了，也没有比较奇葩的法规。但是美国的警察都是出勤迅速，荷枪实弹的，和他们交谈或者被他们问话都需是特别注意的。

California folks are inclusive and there are no strange regulations. However, in the United States , because the American police have good execution, and they are armed with guns, you need to pay special attention to talking to them or being asked questions.

在礼仪方面，要注意控制自己的音量，遵守社交场合女士优先的规则，男生会主动给女生开门之类的。在学校宿舍和餐厅，要特别注意美国敏锐的烟雾警报器。

In terms of etiquette, you should pay attention to controlling your own volume, and follow the rules of women's priority in social occasions. Boys will take the initiative to open the door for girls. In school dorms and restaurants, pay special attention to the US 's keen smoke alarms.

对于GPA，那并不是能一蹴而就的。读大学后，没有人告诉你要做什么，只有自己不断巩固，自己去经常查看邮箱，查看计划本，不要遗漏任何一个小作业、小项目。有了好的成绩，在申请校外实习或者面试工作的时候，才能有拿得出手的分数或者等级来说明你的学习能力和你的学习深度。

GPA scores need long-term accumulation, and there is no one telling you what you need to do. You can only rely on yourself, you can continue to consolidate the knowledge, and you can check the mailbox frequently, check the plan, and don't miss any small arrangement or small projects. With good results, when you apply for an internship, you can have a score or grade to show your learning ability and the depth of study.

还有，一定要背单词！我曾经托福冲刺的时候狠背了半个月的单词，托福直接提升了一个水平。如果你不好好背单词，出国后也要天天查单词，所以不如好好地背单词！

Also, you need to memorize English vocabularies well! I used to memorize English vocabularies in half of month when I prepare the TOEFL, and it is delightful that the TOEFL score improved a grade. If you don’t have a big accumulation of vocabularies, you should check the words every day after going abroad, so it's better to memorize English vocabularies!

最后想说，申请学校只是个过程，在这个过程中，你努力去考好每一次考试，仔细雕刻每一篇文书，不要让后来的自己后悔就好，而不用太偏执于梦校离自己到底有多远。

Finally, I want to say that applying for a school is a process. In this process, you should try to take each exam seriously, prepare your application materials. Don't make yourself regret, keep going, and you can do it!