The college search doesn't have to begin and end with the Ivies and the name brand schools. There are many schools out there to choose from — some known and some less known, all worthy of your attention.
选学校不必非要在常春藤联合会名牌大学和知名院校中进行挑选。还有很多院校可供选择——知名的和不怎么知名的，它们都值得你的关注。

Here's some advice for trying to find the school that works for you.
当你要选一所适合自己的学校时，这里有一些建议可以供你参考。

1. Start with who you are and why you are going.
以你的性格和你为什么上大学为出发点。

You need to examine yourself and your reasons for going to college before you start your search. Why, really, are you going? What are your abilities and strengths? What are your weaknesses? What do you want out of life — something tangible or intangible?
在开始选大学前，你需要问问自己，找找上大学的理由。你到底是因为什么去上大学？你的能力和优势是什么？你的弱点是什么？生活中那些看得见的和看不见的，你想从中得到什么？

Are you socially self-sufficient or do you need warm, familial support? Talk with your family, friends and high-school counselors as you ask these questions. The people who know you best can help you the most with these important issues.
你能独立生活还是需要热心的家庭援助？问自己这些问题的时候，可以和家人、朋友及高中指导员谈谈。最了解你的人能在这些重要问题上给予你最大的帮助。

2. Size matters: Your college does not have to be bigger than your high school.
规模问题：你的大学不需要比你的高中大。

Most good liberal arts colleges have a population of fewer than 4,000 for a reason; college is a time to explore, and a smaller community is more conducive to internal exploration.
大多数优秀的文科类院校的在校学生人数少于4000，这是因为大学是让人发挥探索精神的阶段，小型的团体环境更有助于自我探索。

It is not the number of people, but the people themselves and the kind of community in which you will learn that really matters. Many large universities have established honors colleges within the larger university for these same reasons.
真正在乎的不是人数，而是学生本身和你在哪种校园环境里学习。出于同样的原因，很多大院校之间建立起了荣誉学院。

3. A name-brand college will not guarantee your success.
读名牌大学无法保证你的成功

Think about the people in your life who are happy and successful and find out where (and if) they went to college. Ask the same about famous people.
看看你生活中那些快乐的成功人士，问问他们在哪里上的大学（如果他们上过大学）。也可以问问名人同样的问题。

You will likely find that success in life has less to do with the choice of college than with the experiences and opportunities encountered while in college, coupled with personal qualities and traits.
你将会发现生命中的成功与院校的选择关联甚少，关联更多的是在大学里的经历和机遇，再加上个人能力和特点。

Employers and graduate schools are looking for outstanding skills and experience, not college pedigree. As you search for colleges, ask about student outcomes; you will find many colleges that outperform the Ivies and "name brands," even though you may have never heard of them!
雇主和研究生院在寻求杰出的技能和经验，而不是毕业院校。当你在选院校时，问问学生的成果，你将发现很多院校要胜过常春藤联合会名牌大学和知名院校，虽然有些大学你从来都没听过。

4. You don’t need to pick a major to pick a college.
你不必为了专业去选院校。

Very few high-school students have enough information or experience to choose a major. You need the variety and depth of college coursework to determine your interest and aptitude.
只有少数高中生才拥有足够的信息和经验去选择一个专业。你需要根据大学培养计划的多样性和课程深度来决定你的兴趣和能力培养。

Most college students change their minds two or three times before they settle on a major, and they can still graduate in four years!
很多大学生在他们选定一门专业前会有两到三次的转专业，而且他们依旧可以如期毕业！

Being undecided is a good thing and will leave you open to more academic experiences.
没有选定专业是件好事，它会留给你更多的学术空间。

5. Don’t be scared by the stories.
不要被人言吓到

If you only pay attention to the headlines, you might start to believe that no one is getting in anywhere! The truth is that the majority of the colleges and universities in this country admit more students than they reject.
如果你只关注新闻标题，你可能就会认为每个人都要无处可去了！事实上，大多数院校录取的学生要比拒收的学生多。

If you're worried about your chances of getting admitted — and you're willing to investigate beyond the very narrow band of highly selective colleges — you'll find that you have many options that will lead to a great fit for you.
如果你担心自己的入学（你愿意去调查的知名院校，虽然希望渺茫），你会发现你有很多让你受益匪浅的选择。

Be informed about your academic profile and compare it to the profile of the most recently admitted and enrolled class for the colleges you are investigating.
了解掌握自己的成绩，与你在研究的大学最近入学注册的大多数学生们做个比较。

Check the college admission Web site for this information and contact them if you can’t find it. Ask your high-school counselor for additional advice and guidance as it applies to your school.
登录大学招生网站找一找这方面的信息，如果你找不到它们的话，联系校方。在申请学校时，问问高中指导员寻求其他建议和指导。

6. You can afford to go to college.
你可以供自己上大学。

If you make the assumption that you cannot afford college based on the sticker price of tuition, you will miss out. It is difficult to talk about money, but if you investigate all the options and ask for help and advice, you will find affordable choices.
因为学费，你就做出自己上不了大学的假设，那你就会错过上大学的机会。谈钱就会触到难处，但如果你对所有的可能都做了调查，然后寻求帮助和建议，你会找到上大学的机会。

Online resources, as well as financial aid workshops sponsored by high schools in local communities, are widely available to get you started. College and university financial aid Web sites offer useful information and links as well. Investigate early and ask for help.
在线资源和当地社区高中赞助的经济援助，都将助你起步。院校的经济援助网站也提供了有用的信息和链接。早日调查，寻求帮助。

7. You don’t have to go to college right away, and it’s never too late.
你不必现在就去上大学，它永远不会迟。

There is no such thing as the perfect time to start college. Some students benefit from a year off to work, study or travel, and these experiences allow them to be better, more engaged students.
没有种说法说上大学有一个最好的时间。有些学生在工作、学习或旅游完一年后才受益大学教育，这段时间的经历让他们成为更杰出、参与度更高的学生。

Some students choose to apply to college and gain admission and then defer their entrance, while others wait to apply until after they have had an alternative experience.
有些学生申请读大学，获得入学资格，然后他们延迟了入学时间。而另一些人则会在他们有了一段经历后才提交大学入学申请。

Either way, admissions officers will be anxious to learn about your experience during your time off, and they'll ask you to write about it as part of your admissions process. 
不管哪一种，招生办工作人员都在期待你休学时的经历，他们会要求你把它写下来作为你入学材料的一部分。

High-school and college admission counselors can provide resources for investigating alternatives that may be right for you. You could apply for an internship, study abroad, or participate in a community service project.
高中的和大学的入学顾问可以为你提供调查适合你的其它院校的资源。你可以申请实习、海外留学，或是参与到社区服务项目里去。

8. The most important factor in choosing a college is fit.
选大学时一个最重要的因素是要适合。

Choosing a college because your friends are going there or because of where it ranks on a list does not take into account who you are and who you will become. College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won. Finding a good fit requires time and thoughtfulness.
因为你的朋友去那里上大学或是因为这所大学的排名靠前就选了这所学校，这样做没有考虑到两个方面：你是什么样的人，和你将来要成为怎么样的人。上大学像是做配对，而不是赢大奖。找到一所适合的大学需要时间和深思。

Visiting college Web sites and learning about what events take place, who visits as guest speakers, and how to get in touch with current students and faculty is a good way to supplement a campus visit — or to decide if you want to spend the time and money on a visit.
登录学院网站了解发生了什么事，有哪些人作为访问学者到过学校，如何与在校学生和老师取得联系是校园参观以外的另一种好方式，或者是决定你是否要花时间和金钱去学校参观一番的好方法。

Check a school's Web site to find the admissions officer assigned to your region of the country. Send them an e-mail to ask about getting in touch with students from your area or identifying a few with interests similar to yours.
登录学校网站，找到分管你所在区域的招生办。给他们发送一封邮件以便联系到与你来自同一地方的学生，或是几个和你兴趣相投的学生。

When you visit, try to build in time to sit in on classes, eat in the dining hall and hang around in the student center or other high-traffic areas. That will help you imagine yourself as part of the community. 
当你参观学校的时候，尽量让自己有时间进教室坐一坐，在餐厅吃吃饭，在学生活动中心或其它人群聚集的地方走一走。这样你能把自己想象成是校园里的一员。

Talk to a few students and ask if they would make the same college choice if they had to do it again. Go back to the first item in this list as you consider the information you’ve collected about the colleges. You will have great options!
和一些学生聊一聊，问问他们，如果再有一次选大学的机会，他们还会选择同样的大学吗？当你认为自己收集到了关于这所大学的信息，回到这张列表的第一项。你会做出很好的选择！