课外活动对于美国大学录取的重要性
The Importance of Extracurricular Activities for Admission to American Colleges
课外活动对于美国大学录取的重要性
A high school student’s extracurricular activities are an extremely important component of his/her application for college. All American colleges, including public (state) institutions, check for an applicant’s non-course related activities. These include school sponsored clubs and academic competitions, school or community sponsored sports, other community activities or volunteer work, church sponsored charitable events, ethnic and cultural activities, family events, talent competitions, and interests in traditional arts or crafts.
课外活动是一个高中生大学申请中一项极为重要的组成部分。所有的美国高校，包括公立（州立）大学，都会审核申请者的非课程相关的活动。这里面包括学校所举办的俱乐部和学术竞赛、学校和社区所举办的体育比赛、别的一些社区活动或者志愿者工作、教堂所举办的慈善活动、族裔和文化活动、家庭活动、才艺比赛以及在传统艺术或者手艺上的兴趣爱好。
Schools wish to see the extent to which a student is rooted in his/her community. They use the list of extracurricular activities as a measurement of the student’s civic engagement. For this reason, many schools value the student’s volunteer work over his/her academic activities (but not over academic achievement). For example, a student who organizes a restoration project of storm damaged homes would be more highly regarded than one who wins the chess championship, assuming they have equal GPAs. Of course, the student who simply participates in a coat drive will not have an advantage over the student who wins a talent competition. Schools favor students who use their resources to create innovative methods of fundraising and problem solving on a grand scale. They value the student who identifies a social concern and then offers a unique solution, using drive and dedication to implement the plan and effect lasting change.
学校希望看到学生们涉猎过哪些活动。他们利用学生所填写的课外活动列表衡量一个学生的社会参与度。因此，比起学生的学术活动（非学术成果）来，许多学校更看重学生的志愿经历。例如，在取得相同绩点的情况下，一个组织了修复风暴受损房屋项目的学生会比一个赢得国际象棋冠军的学生更受赞誉。当然，一个只是简单地参与了捐冬衣活动的学生并不会比一个获得才艺比赛冠军的学生更具优势。学校更喜欢那些懂得利用自身资源去创造资金募集和大规模解决问题的创新方案的学生。他们欣赏那些能够发现社会隐忧并提出独一无二的解决办法，同时利用宣传、募捐等运动和奉献精神去实施这个计划并引起长久性改变的学生。
The admissions staff checks for the applicant’s athletic involvement as well. Competitive sports are considered an indicator of discipline and drive. Team sports are also valued for their collaborative element. Team work and team spirit in sports might help prepare a student for collaborative work on projects in college and beyond. An applicant’s athletic achievement, while it is highly regarded by the admissions staff, does not necessarily offer the student an advantage over one who has a higher GPA. However, if a student has achieved merit on the national or international level, he/she may be recruited by a coach and then will often have an advantage over the student with a slightly higher GPA. Many parents consider this unfair; however, most colleges, including the Ivy Leagues seem to practice this.
录取官还会审核申请者的体育运动参与表现。竞技体育被视为纪律性和奋斗精神的标志。团队运动也因为所包含的合作元素而备受重视。团队合作和体育运动中的团队精神可以帮助学生提前适应项目中的团队协作，无论是大学里还是社会中的。尽管一个申请者的运动成绩会受到录取官的高度认可，但并不意味着他一定会比一个拥有更高绩点的学生更具优势。然而，如果一个学生能够达到国家级甚至国际级的优异水平，那么他可能会被一个教练录取，这样，通常就比一个绩点稍高的学生更具有优势了。很多父母认为这是不公平的，但是，大多数高校，包括常春藤联盟在内都是如此。
Colleges also favor the student with an unusual talent or a unique family history. The admissions staff will regard the creative mind as an indicator of innovative problem-solving skills. They single out students with exceptional talent in music, theatre, dance, or fine art. The staff will also recognize a student’s commitment to his/her heritage if that student developed an expertise in a traditional art or craft. They are especially interested in those who wish to sustain a dying art, rediscover a lost tradition, or bring to light was has been forgotten or suppressed for political reasons. For example, in the early nineteen eighties, one Chinese-American student who applied and was later admitted to an Ivy League university, wrote of her plans to choose a major in Chinese literature and languages in order to translate her grandfather’s poetry from Chinese into English. Colleges favor those who are aware of the richness of ethnic traditions, whether it is lace making in France, woodcarvings in Nigeria, or boat-making in Greece. The student who has made substantial effort in this area demonstrates a love for family and community as well a commitment to his/her ethnicity. Such a student is regarded as one who is able to use his/her resources well.
高校也偏爱那些拥有一项非凡才能的学生或者是家庭背景独一无二的学生。录取官会认为创造性思维能彰显出创新的问题解决技巧。他们挑选出那些在音乐、戏剧、舞蹈以及绘画、雕塑等方面具有卓越才能的学生。如果学生在一项传统艺术或者手艺上具有专长，录取官也会认可他在这一方面的传承。他们对那些希望能够维护一项濒危的艺术，重新发掘一项消失的传统，或者是让那些被遗忘的或是由于政治原因被打压的传统重见天日的学生格外感兴趣。例如，在上个世纪八十年代初，一个最终被常春藤学校录取的美籍华裔申请者在她的计划中写道要选择汉语言文学这个专业，目的是要将她祖父的诗作从中文翻译成英文。不管是法国制造的蕾丝也好，尼日利亚的木雕也好，还是希腊的造船也罢，高校欣赏那些能够意识到民族传统的丰富内涵的学生。在这一领域作出巨大努力的学生证明了他对家庭和社会的热爱，同样也是对他的种族特点的承认。这样的学生会被认为是能够充分利用自己的资源的。
Not all extracurricular activities are considered equal. Colleges do not focus on those with unusual experiences that are coincidental or simply a matter of practicality. For example, a student who learned to cook because his/her parents owned a restaurant would not have an advantage over any other applicant. The admissions staff is not impressed with the student who simply follows the passions (or orders) of his/her parents. They also do not favor those who were given special privileges. A family excursion abroad may indicate that the student has had direct experience of a foreign culture, but that does not necessarily mean the student has a profoundly new perspective of the world. In fact, colleges are eager to avoid favoring students from wealthy homes who can afford fancy vacations. Rather, they want to know how much drive and dedication the applicant made on his/her own towards global awareness. For example, an American student who participates in an expensive summer camp in Europe may not have an advantage over the student who studies Native American folklore in his/her home state. Admissions officers are most impressed with the student who invests in an unusual experience, sacrificing leisure time for the sake of creating something of lasting social impact. The applicant should show a keen love and dedication to the world around him/her. It is therefore essential that the student include any award, recognition, internship and other public acknowledgement of his/her effort to enrich the his/her life.
高校并非对所有的课外活动都一视同仁。高校并不关注那些巧合导致不寻常经历或者仅仅具有实用意义的活动。比方说，一个学生因为他的父母开了一家餐厅而学习烹饪并不会比别的申请者更有优势。那些只是简单地跟随父母的主观愿望（或者命令）的学生并不会给录取官留下深刻印象。他们也不喜欢那些被给予了特权的学生。一个家庭出国旅行也许能够表明这个学生对外国文化有直接的接触，但不一定表示这个学生就会对这个世界有着深刻的新的观点。事实上，学校不太喜欢那些仅仅显示自己家庭富裕能支付得起梦幻假期的学生，他们更想了解的是申请者能够为改变世界付出多少精力和做出什么样的贡献。比如说，一个参加了昂贵的欧洲夏令营的美国学生并不会比一个在家乡的州进行本地美国民俗研究的学生更有优势。录取官对那些为了创造能产生持久的社会影响的东西而牺牲自己空闲时间，专注于一项不寻常的经历的学生留下最深刻的印象。相比那些只是用各种奖项、表彰、实习经历以及其他证书来丰富自己生活的学生，申请者更重要的应该是展现出自己对周围世界的热爱和奉献。
American colleges and universities are interested in understanding the individual apart from the student’s academic success. An applicant can generate interest in his/her application by highlighting his/her unique abilities, unusual circumstances, or creativity. Schools value students who are well-rounded and civic-minded. They want to create a diverse campus community where students can enrich one another. For this reason they favor those who nurture their talents or focus on noble goals through sustained effort. They further believe such students will continue to work towards humanitarian goals beyond their college years. Ultimately, they wish to invest in those students who will contribute to the world in a meaningful way.
美国的学院和大学倾向于理解一个学生本人，而非这个学生的学术成就。申请者可以在申请文书中强调他独一无二的能力、不寻常的环境和创造力来引起录取官对他的兴趣。学校欣赏多才多艺的和具有公民意识的学生。他们想要打造一个多元化的校园，从而让学生可以互相丰富对方。因此，他们喜欢那些懂得培养自己才能的，或者崇高的目标而不懈努力的学生。他们深信这样的学生在离开大学后也会继续为人类社会的进步而努力。归根结底，他们希望在那些将会为世界做出有意义贡献的学生身上投资。