美國名校的錄取通知書，尤其是斯坦福大學的錄取通知書，為眾多家長和孩子夢寐以求。在美國大學申請季節到來之際，家長和孩子多數很緊張，不知如何下手。每個孩子都是一個個體，所以沒有一成不變的呆板模仿，但名校要尋找的特質是共同的。畢業於斯坦福大學英文系的Evan Brown老師，寫下他對斯坦福大學生特質的觀察和心得，給有志挑戰斯坦福的父母和孩子們一起分享。

      Profiles of typical Stanford students
      Any college or university is only as good as the people who call it home. As a graduate of Stanford University, I can say for sure that being surrounded by talented peers and esteemed professors is one of the most inspiring parts of the undergraduate experience.
      當學生把大學或是學院稱作“家”的時候，這些大學和學院才會與他們的學生一樣優秀。作為斯坦福的畢業生，我認為與優秀的同學以及令人尊敬的教授共同學習，是我本科大學生活中最令人振奮的經歷。
      So you might be wondering, what is the typical profile of a Stanford student? While it is impossible to boil us down to any particular "type", two qualities many Stanford students share are passion and innovative spirit. Below are some examples.
      也許你可能會想，斯坦福的學生都有什麼樣的特質呢? 其實很難能夠把我們斯坦福的學生歸納到一種類型。激情和創新精神可能是每個斯坦福學生所具備的兩個特質。下面是一些實例。
      Along with my acceptance letter, Stanford awarded me a scholarship to carry out an independent research project. I was interested in traveling abroad and studying language so I designed a project that allowed me to do research in Beijing. Stanford encourages students to pursue independent study and original research in areas of interest. Indeed, this is how Silicon Valley - the cradle of innovation for our state and even our nation - was built.
      被斯坦福錄取的同時，我還獲得了可以支持一項獨立研究項目所需的獎學金。我很喜歡出國旅遊以及學習語言，所以我設計了一個可以讓我在北京做研究的項目。斯坦福是鼓勵學生在各個領域進行獨立學習和研究。其實，這也是矽谷建立的初衷––它是我們州，甚至是國家創新的搖籃。
      With neighbors like Facebook, Google, and YouTube, Stanford campus teems with the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon       Valley. Since graduation, several other classmates have started new ventures ranging from website design companies, to mobile phone financial services, to documentaries, to television shows, and even fashion labels.
      斯坦福大學被facebook，Google以及Youtube的總部所圍繞，它也傳承了矽谷的創業精神。在畢業之際，很多同學已經開始了他們的創業之旅，包括網站設計公司、手機金融服務、紀錄片、電視節目甚至時尚品牌。
      Though it has been a full decade since I was a high school senior, I still remember the many pressures of high school and how easy it can be to lose focus on what’s really important. Some students get bogged down in maintaining high GPA, while others are good at so many things that identifying one passion seems hard.
      雖然我高中畢業10年了，我依舊記得高中的壓力以及失去重點的迷茫。有些學生一味追求平均成績，有些學生樣樣通卻無法專注於自己的熱情。
      Think about it this way: if you had $10,000 to do something amazing, what would you do? If you are stumped about your true life calling, answering this question might give you a clue. Certainly, Stanford looks for passionate, engaged individuals who will use their college education as a platform to follow their passions and make an impact on the world.
      請你換一種思維：如果你有一萬美金可以做很震撼的事情，你會做什麼？
      如果你無法聽見你內心的聲音，你對這個問題的答案可能會給你點思路。當然，斯坦福致力於尋找有激情的個人，這些人將用他們獲得的教育作為平臺來追尋他們的熱情，影響整個世界。

      Evan Brown（薛老師）
      溫哥華新東方英文學院/電話：604-889-4290