When it comes to picking the right college, Michelle Obama’s No. 1 guideline is: you do you.
谈到如何选择正确的大学时，米歇尔·奥巴马的第一宗旨是：做你自己。
In a new interview in the latest issue of Seventeen magazine, on newsstands April 19, the first lady shares the college advice she’s given her daughters, Sasha, 14,and Malia, 17, with young women and men across the country.
在最新的一期《十七岁》杂志（4月19日即将发行）的访谈中，这位美国第一夫人与美国的年青人分享了她给女儿的择校意见。奥巴马夫妇目前育有两女，小女儿萨莎（Sasha），今年14岁，大女儿玛丽亚（Malia），今年17岁。
"The one thing I’ve been telling my daughters is that I don’t want them to choose a name," she says. "I don’t want them to think, ’Oh I should go to these top schools.’ We live in a country where there are thousands of amazing universities. So, the question is: What’s going to work for you?"
“一直以来，我告诉她们的一件事就是：不要根据学校的名气做决定，”她说。“我不希望她们这么想，‘噢，我应该去那些顶级学府。’我们国家好学校到处都是。所以，唯一的问题就是：你将来要做什么？”
She would know. Despite doubts from her high school counselors, the first lady attended Princeton University, graduating cum laude in 1985, and went on to earn a degree from Harvard Law School in 1988.
她自己就很清楚。即便当时高中学校顾问对她的选择有所怀疑，第一夫人还是去了普林斯顿大学，并于1985年以一级荣誉毕业，1988年在哈佛大学法学院取得法律博士学位。
"When it was time for me to apply to colleges there were some counselors who said, ’Maybe, with Princeton, you’re reaching a little high,’ " she recalls. "And I thought, ’You really don’t think I can do it?’ "
“当我申请学校的时候，有一些顾问就说，‘普林斯顿对你来说可能目标过高了，’”她回忆道。“我心里想着，‘你们真的认为我做不到吗？’”
"But here’s what I did: I decided to ignore the doubters. I plunged ahead and I got in. I went on to Harvard Law School and every step of the way I used those doubting voices as motivation."
“但是我是这样做的：我决定忽视这些顾问们的怀疑。我勇往直前，成功地进入了普林斯顿大学，后来又去了哈佛大学法学院。一路走来的每一步，这些怀疑之声都是我前进的动力。”
President Obama has given similar advice to his eldest daughter, Malia, who will begin college in the fall. (The 17-year-old’s choice of school is still unknown.)
美国总统奥巴马也曾给今年秋季即将进入大学的大女儿Malia同样的建议。（但是这个17岁的女孩究竟选择了哪个学校尚不清楚。）
"One piece of advice that I’ve given her is not to stress too much about having to get into one particular college," Obama previously said. "There are a lot of good colleges and universities out there, and it’s important, I think, for everybody here to understand you can find a college or university that gives you a great education.
“我给她的一条建议就是不要太过于执着名校，”奥巴马之前说。“美国好大学有很多。我认为，对于每个人来说，重要的是要选择一所能给你提供优质教育的学校。”
"Just because it’s not some name-brand, famous, fancy school doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get a great education there. So one is, lower the stress levels in terms of just having to get into one particular school."
“不要看重一个学校的牌子。去了名校并不意味着你就能受到良好的教育。因此，我的建议就是：不要过分执着于名校。”
