VOA慢速英语--高校招生:寻求超越大牌学校

College Admissions: Looking Beyond Big Name Schools

When students around the word think about higher education in the United States, a few images are likely to appear in their minds.

They probably see beautiful old buildings, libraries full of books and open grassy¹ spaces where students relax or walk to class.

A list of famous names probably comes to mind as well; Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University. The list sometimes stops after just five or six schools.

But, there are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. Why do only a handful of them gain so much attention?

One reason is history. Schools like Harvard and Yale have existed for hundreds of years so people have been hearing about them for hundreds of years. Another reason is reputation. Some of the best-known schools, including Harvard and Yale, are part of a small group called the Ivy² League. These private American colleges and universities have long been thought to be among the best in the world.

John Gaines says such schools earned their reputations. Gaines is the director of undergraduate admissions at Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. While not part of the Ivy League, Vanderbilt is widely seen as a top American school.

Gaines says, for generations, schools like Vanderbilt have produced important leaders and thinkers. But he admits that these famous schools are far from the only places that offer an excellent education.

The top schools in America are also extremely difficult to win admission to.

For example, about 39,500 undergraduates applied³ for admission to Harvard for the 2017 school year. The university accepted just a little over 2,000. In 2016, Vanderbilt accepted fewer than 3,500 of the more than 32,000 students who applied.

Gaines suggests every student should consider other possibilities in the face of such competition. He says they should look at schools with fewer international applicants⁴ or those seeking a more diverse student body. Gaines says applicants who are a little different than most can be especially appealing.

“The truth of the matter is the very best known places in the United States, have admit rates that are really, very small,” he told VOA. “We’re hyper selective in many ways. And so, the international applicant⁵ or the American…who is broadening⁶ their search…may, in some real way, be enhancing⁷ their chance for admission.”

Gaines says there are many sources for information on the different types of colleges and universities in the U.S. The U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review are some of the most popular sources of this sort of information. The two groups rank and review schools using many kinds of measures.

But Gaines says students should make use of the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. He also suggests the non-profit organization the College Board’s Big Future website. Both services are free, and they let students search for schools based on qualities like location, cost, size, and kind of programs offered. The College Scorecard even lists graduation rates and the average amount of money students make after they graduate.

Ryan Ricciardi says looking for information beyond just a ranking can be extremely useful for students. Ricciardi is an admissions official at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Bowdoin is a private college with about 1,800 total students. The school accepted about 14 percent of its applicants for 2017.

School rankings are decided⁸ using information like average scores of common tests and size of investments. So Ricciardi argues that more detailed⁹ information that directly relates to a student’s individual needs is much more useful.

“Rankings don’t tell the full picture,” she told VOA. “They don’t talk about the experience that students have…They don’t talk about the research opportunities that are available...They don’t talk about the work that professors are doing and publishing…They just give you data. And that data is really important and interesting. But it’s just data. It’s not the food that you’re going to eat…the professor that’s going to teach your class.”

Ricciardi and Gaines both say that students should start their exploration by asking themselves several questions: Do they prefer small classes or big ones? Are close, personal relationships with their professors important to them? Do they want to be in a small town or a big city? The answers will help them narrow the field of possibilities.

Ricciardi also says that parents should also understand and accept that not everyone can or will get into a “big name” university. But, she says many successful people received great educations from lesser¹⁰ known schools.

“The CEOs of all of these companies, the chief researchers, the doctors that are saving lives, they didn’t all go to…the number one university,” she said. “They all got a lot out of their education no matter where they went. It’s how they’ve invested in it as individuals and what they’ve gotten out of it that they’re using to make the world a better place.”

I’m Pete Musto.

And I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

relax – v. to spend time resting or doing something enjoyable especially after you have been doing work

reputation – n. the common opinion that people have about someone or something

undergraduate – adj. related to students at a college or university who has not yet earned a degree

applied – v. asked formally for something, such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan, usually in writing

diverse – adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other

hyper – adj. excessively or extremely

selective – adj. careful to choose only the best people or things

enhancing – v. increasing or improving something

location – n. a place or position

graduation – n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university

opportunities – n. amounts of time or situations in which something can be done

data – n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

1 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

2 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

3 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

4 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

5 applicant   

n.申请人，求职者，请求者

参考例句：

• He was the hundredth applicant for the job. 他是第100个申请这项工作的人。
• In my estimation, the applicant is well qualified for this job. 据我看, 这位应征者完全具备这项工作的条件。

6 broadening   

加宽

参考例句：

• Traveling with the bands was a broadening experience for the musicians, who were usually self- taught. 和这些乐队一起旅行使那些平素全靠自学的乐师们开阔了眼界。
• This variety of controls contributed to a broadening use of the toolbar. 这种控件变体扩展了工具栏的用途。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 enhancing   

v.提高( enhance的现在分词 )；增进；用计算机增强（照片等）；提高…的价值（或价格）；探溯语源，指示语源( etymologize的过去式和过去分词 )；增进；用计算机增强（照片等）；提高…的价值（或价格）

参考例句：

• Nanomedicine isn't just about getting fid of the bad--it's about enhancing the good. 纳米医学不只是为了摆脱医学弊病，还在于提高它的优越之处。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• We have been enhancing, but cannot be pleased with oneself. 我们一直在提高，但不能沾沾自喜。 来自互联网

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

10 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。