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　　The 13 Biggest Mistakes in Picking a Major

　　对很多学生而言，选择专业可能是他们大学生涯所做的最为重要的学业决定。然而，它也充满了众多的错误，从错误的时间到错误的缘由。所以，这里学生在选择专业时所犯的最常见、代价最重的错误(我们还会拿出自己最好的建议来避免犯错)。

　　For many students, picking a major is the single biggest academic decision they'll have to make in their college career. It's also the one most fraught with mistakes, ranging from picking at the wrong time to picking for the wrong reasons. So, here's a baker's dozen of the most common—and most costly—mistakes students make in picking a major (and our best advice on how to avoid them)：

　　1。选择专业过早。在很多学校，学生很早就要求在大学第一年的入学介绍或是更早的时候做出专业选择。由你的导师——一位教授保证能够尽快拿到学位：所有的这些好处被吹嘘为只属于那些选择迅速选择专业的同学。但学院和高中不一样，在高中你所喜欢的课程可能和你在大学所选择的课程很不一样——而且会让人很失望。

　　我们的建议？至少在大学的前两年不要选择专业。

　　1. Picking a major too early. At many schools, students are under pressure to declare a major as part of first-year orientation or early in the first year. Guaranteed places in classes, an actual professor as your adviser, a quicker trip to a degree: All of these are benefits touted to students who pick early. But college is really different from high school, and subjects you liked in high school might well be a lot different—and a lot less pleasant—at the big U。

　　Our advice? Remain undeclared for at least the first two years of college。

　　2。在考虑所有的选择后做出选择。有些学校，尤其是大型的州立大学，可选的专业超过了100个。不要在考虑过所有你感兴趣的专业之前做出选择。不要因为你不是很清楚什么是免疫学专业(immunology)，古生物专业(paleobiology)，国际发展研究专业(international development studies)，民族音乐学(ethnomusicology)或是土木工程(civil engineering)(这些是加州大学洛杉矶分校的5个专业)，而排除这些专业。弄清楚！选择一门课程，或者至少是在系办公室或专业主页上寻求他们所提供的专业简介。

　　2. Picking a major before you've considered all the choices. At some schools, especially large state universities, there are more than 100 majors to choose from. Don't choose before you've considered all the options you're interested in. And don't be put off just because you don't quite know what immunology, paleobiology, international development studies, ethnomusicology, or civil engineering are (these five are from the UCLA list of majors). Find out. Take a course. Or at least stop by the departmental office or Web page and get a description of what they have to offer。

　　3. 在至少选修两门专业领域内的高阶课程前就做出选择。很容易只是因为很喜欢课程简介而选择某个专业。然而重要的是在选择专业之前，先看看高年级或高阶课程。很多领域，高年级的学习很具有挑战性，并且有时在思路、方法或是复杂性上与那些“灌了水”，为整个大学服务的课程介绍大相径庭。所以，在虚线上签名前，一定要选修不同教授的两门或三门课程，他们的课程编号很高(300，400，3000，4000或是别的什么)。

　　3. Picking a major before you've taken at least two advanced courses in the field. It's tempting to pick a major just on the basis of an intro course or two that you really liked. But it's important to take a sampling of upper division or advanced courses before committing to a major. In many fields, the work at that level is more challenging and also, sometimes, different in approach, methodology, or complexity than in the watered-down intro courses designed to service the university as a whole. So, before signing on the dotted line, take two or three courses, from different professors, that start with a high number (300, 400, 3000, 4000, or whatever it is at your school)。

　　4. 选择你有时并不擅长的专业。你可能会对此感到惊讶——总是会有一些学生选择自己并不擅长，或是没有能力修完的专业。经验法则(如果可行的话)：选择一个你拿A比B多的专业。

　　4. Picking a major in something you're not good at. As surprising as it might seem, there is a regular cadre of students who major in fields they aren't doing well in or don't have the skills for. Rule of thumb (if possible)： Pick a major in a field in which you're getting more A's than B's。

　　5。选择一个你不喜欢的专业。假设你需要修10到12门专业课程。你对这个专业的兴趣就是一个良好的开始。选择一个你真正感兴趣，有热情去读的专业。

　　还有的失误：选择专业为了取悦别人。不要仅仅因为家长，兄长，伙伴，配偶，密友或是你在twitter上看到某人认为某个专业是个极好选择的鼓动下而做出自己的选择。他们可不是每天早上7：30爬起来去上课的人(但是他们却会让你在上课期间为此气得要命)。

　　5. Picking a major in something you don't like. Given that you're going to have to take 10 or 12 courses in the major, it'd be a nice touch if you actually liked the field. Pick something that reflects your interests and true passions。

　　Extra Mistake: Picking a major to please someone else. Never pick a major just because your parent, older sibling, partner, spouse, best friend, or person you're following on Twitter thinks it'd be a bang-up idea to major in that. They're not the one who'll have to go to the 7:30 a.m. courses that are required for the major (though they will be the one you're steaming at as you sit through those courses)。

　　6。因为某个教授的魅力选择一个专业。专业不会要求你的学习、研究深度和教授一致，所以不要因为大牛教授的“引诱”，而选择了一个充满平庸教师、水平低下的系。

　　6. Picking a major because you are enthralled by one professor. A major is going to require you to study with a broad variety of professors, so don't let some cult professor lure you into a department full of mediocre teachers and bad scholars。

　　7. 选择一个专业只因为学校在这个研究方向上很强。如果你不喜欢那个专业方向，大学的专业实力也是毫无意义的。

　　7. Picking a major only because the school is strong in that field. The fact that the university has a national reputation in some field won't help you if you don't like that field。

　　8. 不要因为专业简单或是要求低而选择它。如果你学不到任何东西或是可以为所欲为，这个专业再好有什么用？！说得更多的了。

　　8. Picking a major because it's easy or has few requirements. What good is a major if you learn nothing or it lets you do whatever you want whenever you want? 'Nuff said。