美国留学经验之谈 新生常犯的四个错误
新的环境，新的生活，初来乍到，留学生活的开始总会遇上一点小麻烦，做什么难免都会有点手忙脚乱。如何节省留学开支?如何选到更好的课程?如何更好地开始你的留学新生活?这里小编从外网扒了一点点资料，给大家总结一些“老人们”的经验之谈。
When I first came to my school, I spent nearly $300 on textbooks, because this was what I always did at home. Later on, I realized that I could get them somewhere else, for a much cheaper price.Some of my international student friends did not take course registration seriously, and then ended up being miserable for months.
新学期开始，刚到学校，我就花了300美元买齐了需要的课本，因为在我的国家，新学期的第一件事就是买课本。可是，后来我才知道，其实在其他的地方买这些书的价格更便宜。我的一些留学生朋友没有认真对待课程注册，然后接下来的几个月都在痛苦中度过。
Many international students start their college careers in the U.S. without having any prior knowledge of how everything is going to be. As a result, they may experience a lot of wishing they had done things differently if they'd only better known what to expect. If international students were to know what mistakes they were supposed to avoid in the beginning, they would have a much easier transition into college.
大部分的留学生在开始他们的异国大学课业前，没有对即将开始的生活提前做了解。结果，直到他们可能经历了很多不堪之后才后悔当初没有提前做功课。如果留学生们一开始提前对他们可能会犯的某些错误有个预设，他们的大学新生活会进行得更顺利。
Here are a few tips to help you stay out of some common mistakes that international freshmen usually make:
这里列举几个小贴士，希望可以帮到各位留学新生避免一些常见错误：
Mistake 1: Buying All Your Textbooks From the Bookstore
Textbooks from the bookstore are new, nice and clean. Some may even be wrapped in a fancy plastic box that makes them look so appealing.
However, you should try to buy as few textbooks from the bookstore as possible. Since those books are new, they are always sold at their original price, which can sometimes be between $100 and $300 per book. And you are not going to need just one book. These are no doubt much higher prices than textbooks sold in other countries.
The best way to do limit your expenses is to research or email your professor beforehand about which texts are going to be used in the course. From there, you can either borrow old books from the library or rent them online for a much better deal. For some international students, converting $100 to $300 to their currency will give a very scary number. Thus, it is important to invest your money in the right place.
The only case that you should consider getting textbooks from the bookstore is if you are uncertain about whether you will stay in a class or drop out of it. Normally, the college bookstore would allow you to return books within two weeks with full refund. Otherwise, it won't hurt to get to know someone in class and borrow their textbooks for the first few classes.
常犯错误一 所有的课本都在书店里买
一般书店里的课本更新、更好、更干净。有些可能还包装精美，看起来更有吸引力。
然而，你应该尽可能少地从书店买课本。即便那些书都是崭新的，价格也是正常售价，一般每本在100美元到300美元之间。但是，你要知道你需要的书不止一本，无疑，这些书的价格比其他国家贵得多。
节省开支最好的方法便是先查一下，或者给你的教授发邮件提前问一下哪些课本是这个课程需要用到的课本。然后你可以去图书馆借到相关书本，或者从网上租借，这样更划算。毕竟，将100美元到300美元兑换成人民币，还是一个蛮吓人的数字。因此，把钱花在正确的地方很重要。
有一种情况你可以考虑从书店买课本，那就是你不确定你是否会上这个课程还是可能会退出这个课。一般情况下，只要是两周以内，书店是可以全额退书的。另外，刚开始的几节课，你也可以跟同上这个课程的同学借用一下课本。
Mistake 2: Missing Course Registration
At a U.S. college, the course registration process is one moment you never want to miss. Do research by asking your friends or seniors about the courses that you would like to take, learning about the professors who might interest you and thinking about the subjects that might fulfill your academic requirements and try your best to get into the classes that you want.
Missing registration can put you into a very unpleasant situation, whether it is being assigned a professor you do not like, or an extremely hard class that will last for about four months of your life.
For those looking forward to internships, choosing courses will have to be even more deliberate. Not only will you need to find a good professor to help your overall understanding of the class and your GPA, you will also need to get your foot into some good sections very early, as getting an internship can be a competition between you and other people.
常犯错误二 错过了课程注册
在美国的大学里，课程注册阶段绝对是你最不想错过的事情。通过询问你的朋友或者相关课程高年级的同学，对你想选的课程做一些调查，研究一下教授会不会对你有兴趣、课程能不能满足你的学术需求，尽你最大的努力选到你想要的课。
错过了课程注册，你可能会陷入很不好的境地。如果错过了，接下来的几个月可能会很痛苦，你可能会被分派给一个你不喜欢的教授，或者学习一个非常难的课程。
对那些寻求实习机会的学生来说，选课就要更加深思熟虑。你不仅得找一个能够帮你全面认识课程、并能让你取得的好的学业成绩的好教授，你还得尽早接触相关模块，这样在与其他的学生的竞争中，你才会有优势。
Mistake 3. Only Making Friends With Freshmen or Other International Students
It is understandable that you want to stay in your comfort zone by hanging out with your classmates or other international students. However, it is best to always befriend some upperclassmen, as they are generally more mature and responsible individuals.
Spending time with those older than you will bring you a much broader perspective and academic experience. Moreover, when they graduate and go out to work in the corporate world, you will already have established a good network of people to connect with.
常犯错误三 只跟新生或者其他留学生交朋友
你想跟你的同学或者留学生厮混，呆在自己的舒适圈里，这可以理解。但是，你最好能多与高年级的学生打交道，因为他们普遍更成熟、更有责任心。
跟那些比你年长的人打交道能让你的事业更宽阔，也能让你的接触的学术问题更多。而且，当他们毕业后参加了工作，你已经建立好了一个良好的人际关系网。
Mistake 4. Being Under- or Overinvolved
Balance is everything in U.S. college life. Some international students find themselves joining so many clubs and organizations on campus that they can hardly have their work done. Others refuse to participate in any school activities and choose to stay home and spend time with their computer instead.
Neither of those is going to benefit you in the long run. To find the balance in your college lifestyle besides going to classes every day, you should get to know yourself by doing a lot of activities and picking out what best interests you. This way, you will be academically and socially successful in a foreign environment.
常犯错误四 课外活动过少或过多
在美国的大学生活，平衡很重要。有些留学生参加了许多的社团组织，每天都是做不完的事情。也有些人拒绝参加任何学校活动，只是自己呆着上上网。
从长远来看，上面两种方式都不可取。平衡课余生活，你应该多参加一些活动，然后找到自己最感兴趣的事。这样，你才能在这这片国外的土地取得学业与社会生活共赢的成功。