第1639期:Getting ready for university

You’ve studied hard, you’ve got the grades and now you’re off to university! This is the journey that many students are taking, but how prepared are they to leave home, stand on their own two feet and be self-sufficient? One study, carried out by the Higher Education Policy Institute and Unite Students in 2017, suggested that as well as being excited and nervous, many students are deeply ill-informed about what to expect.

你努力学习了，你取得了成绩，现在你要去上大学了！这是许多学生正在经历的旅程，但他们准备好离开家，两脚站立并自给自足了吗？高等教育政策研究所和团结学生在 2017 年进行的一项研究表明，除了兴奋和紧张之外，许多学生对预期会发生什么知之甚少。

Of course, flying the nest to go to university is the opportunity of a lifetime, but to make the most of it needs some preparation before you arrive. This means learning life skills such as cooking and cleaning. You’ll no longer be able to rely on Mum and Dad to feed you or clear up after you, so try to learn how to make some staple dishes that are quick and easy to prepare. Graduate Peter Rogers told the BBC: “I didn’t really have anything other than rudimentary cookery skills before I went to university and found learning to cook was reasonably enjoyable.” Other things to do while at home is to practise some of those household chores, like operating the washing machine or ironing your clothes!

当然，飞巢上大学是一生难得的机会，但要充分利用它，还需要在抵达前做一些准备。这意味着学习生活技能，例如烹饪和清洁。您将无法再依靠妈妈和爸爸来喂您或收拾东西，因此请尝试学习如何制作一些快速且易于准备的主食。毕业生彼得罗杰斯告诉英国广播公司：“在我上大学之前，我除了基本的烹饪技能外没有其他任何东西，我发现学习烹饪是相当愉快的。”在家时要做的其他事情是练习一些家务，例如操作洗衣机或熨烫衣服！

These domestic skills will come in useful because students will probably be living with others such as in a flat share or shared campus-based accommodation. This will also require taking responsibility for managing their finances because, apart from tuition fees, accommodation is likely to be the biggest cost for students living away from home. However, the Higher Education Policy Institute and Unite Students study found only about half of the would-be students surveyed identified rent as the biggest expense and concluded that this suggests more should be done to help in the transition between school and university.

这些家庭技能将派上用场，因为学生可能会与其他人一起生活，例如合租或共享校园住宿。这还需要承担管理财务的责任，因为除了学费之外，住宿可能是离家出走的学生最大的成本。然而，高等教育政策研究所和 Unite Students 的研究发现，只有大约一半的接受调查的准学生认为房租是最大的开支，并得出结论认为，这表明应该做更多的工作来帮助学校和大学之间的过渡。

New students are going to have to be sociable as well – not just relying on old friends at home. Going to university requires meeting new people and making new friends. This often begins in Freshers’ Week although journalism student Emmeke Megannety warns that: “People starting uni need to remember that the people you meet in your first week will not necessarily be your friends for life.” But whatever your expectations, it’s good to be prepared for the time of your life.

新学生也必须善于交际——而不仅仅是依靠家里的老朋友。上大学需要结识新朋友并结交新朋友。这通常从新生周开始，尽管新闻系学生 Emmeke Megannety 警告说：“刚开始上大学的人需要记住，你在第一周遇到的人不一定是你一生的朋友。”但无论你有什么期望，为你的人生做好准备是件好事。

词汇表

stand on one’s own two feet 独立自主
self-sufficient 自立的，自给自足的
ill-informed 了解有限
fly the nest “离巢”（指离开父母，独立生活）
opportunity of a lifetime 难得的机会
preparation 准备
life skills 生活技能
staple 主要的
rudimentary 基本的
household chores 家务活
flat share 合租公寓
campus （大学）校园，校内
accommodation 住宿
take responsibility 承担责任
finances 财务
tuition fees 学费
rent 租金，房租
transition 过渡
sociable 善于社交的
Freshers’ Week 新生周
time of your life 非常美好的时光