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简介：如果清华大学向你抛来了橄榄枝，你会不会有种受宠若惊的感觉？在国外，很多精英学校就是通过给一些普通学生“抛橄榄枝”来获得人气的。等激动了一圈过会，发现原来自己根本考不上，有谁还会继续兴奋下去呢？于是一位“被骗”的学生愤然写了这么一篇文章，怒斥这些牛校随便勾搭他们。
Dear Amanda,
[1] As the Dean of Yale College, I write to congratulate you on your academic success and to introduce you to Yale’s diverse opportunities and communities…. As you consider your college options, I hope that Yale remains among your top prospects.
Dean (大学的) 学院院长; 系主任
例：She was dean of the University of Washington's Graduate School.
她曾任华盛顿大学研究生院的院长。
congratulate on 祝贺
Congratulate on your success in the competition.
恭喜你比赛获得成功。
diverse 各种各样的
例：My interests are very diverse.
我的兴趣非常广泛。
prospect 前景，展望
例：Travelling alone around the world is an exciting prospect.
只身环游世界是个令人兴奋的设想。
[2] This is part of an e-mail I received from the prestigious Ivy League university this September. I admit, it made me feel pretty special, having Yale, one of the best universities in the world, court me, a fairly average high school senior from New Jersey.
prestigious 有声望的
例：It's one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
它是该国最有声望的学校之一。
Ivy League 常春藤联盟
court 讨好，奉承
例：He has been courting her for the last three months.
在过去的三个月中他一直在向她示好。
But why me?
[3] My grades are nothing to brag about, and I didn’t qualify for the National Merit Competition. I haven’t led a team sport, conducted scientific research or been in all-state band. My mom might tell me I’m brilliant, but I’m not even in the top quartile at my public high school (though admittedly, that quartile is jam-packed with overachievers, and ranges from 3.9 to 4.54).
brag about 吹嘘，炫耀
例：Tom constantly brags about how well he plays table tennis.
汤姆老是吹嘘他的乒乓球打得多好。
quartile 四分位数；四分点
overachievers 成绩超过预料的学生
[4] Naturally, I went to Google. I learned that each year, Yale courts not only me but roughly 79,999 other prospective students (down from 240,000 in 2005) for its class of 1,300. For the class of 2018, Yale rejected 93.7 percent of its applicants.
roughly 粗糙地；概略地
例：They all left at roughly the same time.
他们都是大约在同一时间离开的。
[5] Immediately, that grandiose vision of me, strolling through New Haven in a bulldog sweater, conversing about important intellectual matters with my esteemed peers and professors, was halted by an abrupt reality check.
grandiose 华而不实的
例：The sad truth is that not one of Tim's grandiose plans has even begun.
可悲的是，蒂姆那些华而不实的计划没有一项付诸实施。
stroll 散步，漫步
例：He strolled along the beach along.
他独自一人在海滩上闲荡。
bulldog 牛头犬
converse 交谈
例：We conversed for a long while on the phone.
我们在电话里聊了老半天。
esteemed 受尊敬的
例：The old professor was greatly loved and esteemed.
这位老教授受到大家的爱戴和尊敬。
halt 使停住; 停住
例：They halted at a short distance from the house.
他们停在离房子不远处。
abrupt 骤然的，唐突的
例：Excuse me for my abrupt question.
请原谅我这个唐突的问题。
[6] I’m not alone. Each year, colleges reach out to thousands of students with fancy brochures and solicitous e-mails, inviting them to apply. They contact many more students than they’ll accept, buying names for less than 50 cents a pop from places like the College Board, which has data on students’ PSAT or SAT range, self-reported GPA, ethnicity, religion and potential major. (Students must opt in before their data is shared).
reach out 伸出(手等)；伸手拿
例：We should be confident enough to reach out to them.
所以我们要有足够的自信，去和他们接触。
brochure 小册子
例：travel brochures.
旅游小册子。
solicitous 挂念的
例：He was so solicitous of his guests.
他是如此挂念自己的客人们。
[7] Here’s why: Colleges want prestige, and a high ranking on the infamous U.S. News and World Report lists. One way to get it? Low acceptance rates, which come from lots of applications.
prestige 威望，声望
例：His prestige has been raised greatly since he was promoted to the president of the university.
自从他升为大学校长以后，他的声望大大提高。
infamous 声名狼藉的
例：He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.
他因为他的反女权主义姿态而臭名昭著。
[8] How to get lots of kids to apply? Swarm them with enough love and attention and eventually, some will succumb to the appealing notion that they’re good enough for top college X, Y or Z. (It’s working. According to Bloomberg, the number of high school graduates dropped 2.2 percent between 2008 and 2011. But college application numbers are soaring.)
swarm 充满，(地方)被挤满
例：The beach swarms with children.
海滩上到处是孩子们。
succumb (向诱惑、压力) 屈服
例：Don't succumb to the temptation to have just one cigarette.
不要屈服于只抽一支烟的诱惑。
[9] Then, a big chunk of them are rejected.
[10] This, I assume, is how I ended up hearing from Yale, even though I have approximately zero percent chance of getting in. According to the College Board, 95 percent of Yale’s enrolled students were in the top decile of their high school; 100 percent were in the top quartile.
chunk 相当大的量
例：I have already written a fair chunk of the article.
我已经写出了文章的大部分。
decile 十分相；十分位数
[11] Colleges defend their outreach, arguing that they’re reaching students who might otherwise never apply. According to William Fitzsimmons, dean of Harvard admissions, “There are so many students out there in the world who might not automatically think about Harvard as a place to go…. The odds of reaching the top of anything are not good, but is that a reason not to try?”
[12] These colleges argue that the best low-income students don’t apply to the most competitive schools because they haven’t heard of them, don’t have an ally to guide them through the application process, or don’t realize that most top schools offer extensive need-based financial aid.
ally 盟友
例：He is a close ally of the president.
他是总统的一位亲密盟友。
[13] But these kids don’t need pamphlets and false hope. They need experienced guidance counselors who can help them through the complicated process.
[14] The majority of the students that Fitzsimmons is talking about don’t consider Harvard because they’re not academically qualified. It’s like telling a slow runner with no chance at the Olympics to “train, train, train.”
pamphlet 小册子
例：a pamphlet about smoking.
一本关于吸烟的小册子。
counselor 顾问，咨询师
例：Talk to your school counselor if you are still at school.
如果你还在上学，你也可以和学校辅导员谈一谈。
qualified 有资格的; 有文凭的
例：Are you qualified for this job?
你有资格担任这项工作吗？
[15] One last example: When I was a sophomore in high school, the University of Chicago started sending me brochures and e-mails about how I should:
[16] “discover all the extracurricular opportunities that the University of Chicago has to offer and consider becoming part of our talented, motivated, and involved community. Whether it’s fighting zombies or giving back to the community, at UChicago there’s not just something to do every day — there’s something you want to do.”
[17] As a naive high school sophomore, I felt pretty special having all of this attention from such a great school.
extracurricular 课外的
例：Each child had participated in extracurricular activities at school.
每个孩子都参加了学校的课外活动。
naive 天真的,幼稚的
例：This is a naive argument.
这是个天真的论点。
[18] Going into sophomore year, however, I had a weighted 2.9 GPA. I scored 110 out of 160 on the math and critical reading sections of the PSAT, equal to an 1100 on those sections of the SAT.
critical 批判性的
例：We need to become critical readers.
我们需要成为批判性的阅读者。
equal to 等于，与...相等
例：Helen is quite equal to Jack in brains.
在智力方面海伦和杰克完全不相上下。
[19] For the class of 2016, UChicago’s middle 50 percent of test scores for math and critical reading were in the range of 1440 to 1540. And for last year, only 1 percent of enrolled first-year students had GPA’s between 3.00 to 3.24 (there’s no data for the 2.50 to 2.99 category). Though my GPA has thankfully gone up (as has my SAT score), I was not nearly qualified when UChicago started courting me.
[20] Even now, it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll get in. No students were taken below the top quartile for the class of 2018, and altogether 91 percent of its applicants were rejected that cycle. Nice try, but I’d rather apply at places that I actually have a chance at getting into.
[21] So Yale, UChicago (and Brown and Cornell and Dartmouth and Columbia), stop giving me a false sense of hope.
[22] UChicago did send me an unsolicited fee waiver a while back though, and did extend its Early Action deadline just for me. Maybe the university really does want me?
waiver 弃权者，弃权证书
例：a waiver of constitutional rights.
一位放弃宪法权利者。
词汇
Dean (大学的) 学院院长; 系主任
congratulate on 祝贺
diverse 各种各样的
prospect 前景，展望
prestigious 有声望的
Ivy League 常春藤联盟
court 讨好，奉承
brag about 吹嘘，炫耀
quartile 四分位数；四分点
overachievers 成绩超过预料的学生
roughly 粗糙地；概略地
grandiose 华而不实的
stroll 散步，漫步
bulldog 牛头犬
converse 交谈
esteemed 受尊敬的
halt 使停住; 停住
abrupt 骤然的，唐突的
reach out 伸出(手等)；伸手拿
brochure 小册子
solicitous 挂念的
prestige 威望，声望
infamous 声名狼藉的
swarm 充满，(地方)被挤满
succumb (向诱惑、压力) 屈服
chunk 相当大的量
decile 十分相；十分位数
ally 盟友
pamphlet 小册子
counselor 顾问，咨询师
qualified 有资格的; 有文凭的
extracurricular 课外的
naive 天真的,幼稚的
critical 批判性的
equal to 等于，与...相等
waiver 弃权者，弃权证书
重点句子
1. I admit, it made me feel pretty special, having Yale, one of the best universities in the world, court me, a fairly average high school senior from New Jersey.
我承认，这确实让我觉得自己还挺特殊的，能够被耶鲁这种国际知名的学校所青睐，要知道我可只是新泽西的一名普通的高三学生而已。
2. Immediately, that grandiose vision of me, strolling through New Haven in a bulldog sweater, conversing about important intellectual matters with my esteemed peers and professors, was halted by an abrupt reality check.
我穿着公牛头图案的毛衣，漫步在纽黑文，和骄傲的同学、教授指点江山。但这种浮夸情景马上就在现实面前按下了停止键。
3. Here’s why: Colleges want prestige, and a high ranking on the infamous U.S. News and World Report lists.
这就是原因：这些大学都希望有声望，并且在没那么讨喜的美国新闻及世界报道的列表里名列前茅。
4. Swarm them with enough love and attention and eventually, some will succumb to the appealing notion that they’re good enough for top college X, Y or Z.
要让他们感受到足够的爱和关心，一些学生最终就会被忽悠得相信他们真的足够好，能够考上X,Y,Z这些名校。
5. The odds of reaching the top of anything are not good, but is that a reason not to try?
获得任何顶尖资源的几率都没那么高，但是这难道就成为了我们放弃的理由吗？
6. But these kids don’t need pamphlets and false hope. They need experienced guidance counselors who can help them through the complicated process.
这些孩子们需要的不是什么小册子或者虚假的希望。他们真正需要的是有经验的顾问，能够在他们因复杂的申请程序挠头时，帮他们一把。
7. I scored 110 out of 160 on the math and critical reading sections of the PSAT, equal to an 1100 on those sections of the SAT.
我在PSAT中考数学和批判阅读模块时，只得到了110分（满分160），这相当于SAT对应模块里面的1100分数。
8. Nice try, but I’d rather apply at places that I actually have a chance at getting into.
干得漂亮，但是我还是准备换个地儿，找一个真正有机会被录取的大学申请一下。
链接：
简介：如果清华大学向你抛来了橄榄枝，你会不会有种受宠若惊的感觉？在国外，很多精英学校就是通过给一些普通学生“抛橄榄枝”来获得人气的。等激动了一圈过会，发现原来自己根本考不上，有谁还会继续兴奋下去呢？于是一位“被骗”的学生愤然写了这么一篇文章，怒斥这些牛校随便勾搭他们。
Dear Amanda,
[1] As the Dean of Yale College, I write to congratulate you on your academic success and to introduce you to Yale’s diverse opportunities and communities…. As you consider your college options, I hope that Yale remains among your top prospects.
[2] This is part of an e-mail I received from the prestigious Ivy League university this September. I admit, it made me feel pretty special, having Yale, one of the best universities in the world, court me, a fairly average high school senior from New Jersey.
But why me?
[3] My grades are nothing to brag about, and I didn’t qualify for the National Merit Competition. I haven’t led a team sport, conducted scientific research or been in all-state band. My mom might tell me I’m brilliant, but I’m not even in the top quartile at my public high school (though admittedly, that quartile is jam-packed with overachievers, and ranges from 3.9 to 4.54).
[4] Naturally, I went to Google. I learned that each year, Yale courts not only me but roughly 79,999 other prospective students (down from 240,000 in 2005) for its class of 1,300. For the class of 2018, Yale rejected 93.7 percent of its applicants.
[5] Immediately, that grandiose vision of me, strolling through New Haven in a bulldog sweater, conversing about important intellectual matters with my esteemed peers and professors, was halted by an abrupt reality check.
[6] I’m not alone. Each year, colleges reach out to thousands of students with fancy brochures and solicitous e-mails, inviting them to apply. They contact many more students than they’ll accept, buying names for less than 50 cents a pop from places like the College Board, which has data on students’ PSAT or SAT range, self-reported GPA, ethnicity, religion and potential major. (Students must opt in before their data is shared).
[7] Here’s why: Colleges want prestige, and a high ranking on the infamous U.S. News and World Report lists. One way to get it? Low acceptance rates, which come from lots of applications.
[8] How to get lots of kids to apply? Swarm them with enough love and attention and eventually, some will succumb to the appealing notion that they’re good enough for top college X, Y or Z. (It’s working. According to Bloomberg, the number of high school graduates dropped 2.2 percent between 2008 and 2011. But college application numbers are soaring.)
[9] Then, a big chunk of them are rejected.
[10] This, I assume, is how I ended up hearing from Yale, even though I have approximately zero percent chance of getting in. According to the College Board, 95 percent of Yale’s enrolled students were in the top decile of their high school; 100 percent were in the top quartile.
[11] Colleges defend their outreach, arguing that they’re reaching students who might otherwise never apply. According to William Fitzsimmons, dean of Harvard admissions, “There are so many students out there in the world who might not automatically think about Harvard as a place to go…. The odds of reaching the top of anything are not good, but is that a reason not to try?”
[12] These colleges argue that the best low-income students don’t apply to the most competitive schools because they haven’t heard of them, don’t have an ally to guide them through the application process, or don’t realize that most top schools offer extensive need-based financial aid.
[13] But these kids don’t need pamphlets and false hope. They need experienced guidance counselors who can help them through the complicated process.
[14] The majority of the students that Fitzsimmons is talking about don’t consider Harvard because they’re not academically qualified. It’s like telling a slow runner with no chance at the Olympics to “train, train, train.”
[15] One last example: When I was a sophomore in high school, the University of Chicago started sending me brochures and e-mails about how I should:
[16] “discover all the extracurricular opportunities that the University of Chicago has to offer and consider becoming part of our talented, motivated, and involved community. Whether it’s fighting zombies or giving back to the community, at UChicago there’s not just something to do every day — there’s something you want to do.”
[17] As a naive high school sophomore, I felt pretty special having all of this attention from such a great school.
[18] Going into sophomore year, however, I had a weighted 2.9 GPA. I scored 110 out of 160 on the math and critical reading sections of the PSAT, equal to an 1100 on those sections of the SAT.
[19] For the class of 2016, UChicago’s middle 50 percent of test scores for math and critical reading were in the range of 1440 to 1540. And for last year, only 1 percent of enrolled first-year students had GPA’s between 3.00 to 3.24 (there’s no data for the 2.50 to 2.99 category). Though my GPA has thankfully gone up (as has my SAT score), I was not nearly qualified when UChicago started courting me.
[20] Even now, it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll get in. No students were taken below the top quartile for the class of 2018, and altogether 91 percent of its applicants were rejected that cycle. Nice try, but I’d rather apply at places that I actually have a chance at getting into.
[21] So Yale, UChicago (and Brown and Cornell and Dartmouth and Columbia), stop giving me a false sense of hope.
[22] UChicago did send me an unsolicited fee waiver a while back though, and did extend its Early Action deadline just for me. Maybe the university really does want me?