前言：虽然国内新冠疫情暂时得到缓解，但其他国家的状况却不容乐观，尤其是美国本土，居高不下的确诊数让人感到担忧。受到这些情况的影响，对于正在准备申请美国本科的学生和家长来说也是万分着急，不仅担心美国疫情的状况，还面临很多现实的问题，比如美国很多大学的夏校要么取消、要么改为线上项目，而国内学校也迟迟没有开学，学生也暂时不能出去参加课外活动。针对于这样的情况，学生和家长又该怎么办呢？
针对于此，美国范德宝大学的招生办主任在官网上发布了一封给家长们的信，针对目前的局势提出了一些思路。我们将信摘录于此，仅供各位家长和学生参考。
The chorus of the John Lennon song “Nobody Told Me” (Google it!) includes the refrain:
Nobody told me there’d be days like these, strange days indeed, strange days indeed.
披头士乐队写了一首“无人曾告诉我”的歌，其中的副歌部分：
“没有人曾告诉我人生中会有怪事发生”。
But even a talented bard like Lennon would’ve had trouble predicting the strange days we currently find ourselves living.
即使天赋卓绝，歌曲创作人列侬在歌词中表达着：人无法预测一生中何时会遇到怪事。
As higher education professionals dedicating our careers to helping students in the high school-to-college transition, we are, indeed, in strange days. The conventions we’ve created and honored for years are suddenly changing, shifting under our feet, and evolving as we each deal with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in our schools, our communities, and even in our own families.
作为专业的教育工作者，我们一直致力于帮助高中生进入大学生活。今年，我们的工作生活比较特别。之前开创并一直遵循的工作模式突然发生了变化，发展成了我们必须要面对处理新型冠状病毒流行病带给学校，社会和家庭的影响。
So,while these strange days may have us questioning, adjusting, and even scrapping time-honored traditions and ways of business, please know that – in admissions at Vanderbilt – the following values remain true:
因此，由于现在处于特殊时期，我们必须反思、调整甚至放弃过去的工作方式。值得注意的是，范德堡大学大学以下录取要求保持不变：
1. Context matters. There’s no doubtt hat high school transcripts for this year’s and future year’s applicants will look different. There will be pass/fail grades where there once were As and Bs.There will be tests untaken, chances to improve foregone, and letters of recommendation truncated. But as it always has been at Vanderbilt, contextdictates how we read files. And in unprecedented times, context will take onunprecedented importance. You have our pledge that as this crisis evolves, so too will our use of context in the admissions process. But it will never relinquish its central place in our evaluation of the files of your students.Holism has, and will remain, the byword of our admissions process.
背景依然重要。毫无疑问，今年申请者的高中成绩单看上去会有很多不同之处。很多本可以拿A或B的课程只能得到Pass甚至Fail的结果。有的学生未能及时参加考试，补考的机会也错过了，推荐信的内容也变少了。但是作为范德堡大学的招生官，我们一直关注学生的背景环境。特别是在这段史无前例的特殊时期内，背景环境对于我们来说更加值得关注。我们可以告诉大家，随着疫情危机的发展，我们审查学生背景的方式方法也在不断地变化。但是背景环境永远是审查申请者资料文件中最重要的内容。申请文件的整体性依然是我们工作时遵循的标准。
2.Community matters. Never has this been made more apparent than in the last two weeks as we watched our students leave campus, fail to return from spring break, or be placed in lockdown in their hometowns.Vanderbilt’s commitment to the ideals of residential education remains strongand undiminished. What this means in an era of pandemic remains to be seen.Just as you are finding ways to build community virtually, so is Vanderbilt. As it relates to the college search, this means new (and exciting) online technologies are being employed – stretching us beyond our comfort zones and forcing us to become as adept with technology as the digital natives we seek to attract to campus.
社区线上教育也很重要。过去的两周内，由于放春假，我们的学生离开了学校。因为疫情防控，他们不能返回校园并且部分学生在家进行隔离处理。范德堡大学提出了开展线上教学的想法。线上教学在疫情肆虐的时代背景下会造成何种改变依然有待观察。就如学生为社区的防疫做出贡献一般，范德堡大学也希望为社区贡献自己的一份力量。将线上教学与大学教育相结合，这意味着老师需要运用新型的在线教学科技。它意味着老师们必须放弃已经熟练使用多年的线下教学工具，转而去熟练掌握新型的线上教学模式。
3. Involvement matters. Sure – your applicant’s extracurricular charts will look different in coming years. No future applicant will have had the lead in the school musical in spring 2020.No one will be regional tennis champ in spring 2020; no one will have won an election for junior class officer in spring 2020. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be making impacts in the new environment. Some applicants will actually have time to play music, create, read for pleasure, or develop new and interesting hobbies. Some will find themselves with increasing family responsibilities or the need to undertake a part-time job. Regardless of the circumstances your students find themselves in, we’ll understand. It all goes back to context. How future applicants cope with this period of pandemic will certainly be a topic on which we will read many essays in the coming years.Reassure your students that we get it. We understand. And we can’t expect extracurricular activities grids to look the same in the near future.
参与度很重要。接下来的几年的申请者中，他们的课外活动也会与之前的学生有差异。他们之中将没有人在2020年的春天担任过大型乐队的指挥、获得过网球比赛的冠军或者成功竞选成为高三年级的学生代表。虽然在2020年的春天人们的活动受限，但是这并不意味他们就什么都不能做了。人们有大把时间，他们可以在家弹奏乐器、读有趣的书或者培养些新的兴趣爱好。有些人会意识到自己需要承担的家庭责任或者去找一份兼职工作。不管学生们处于怎样的环境中，我们都可以理解他们的行为。这又回到之前谈到的背景环境的议题。未来几年，申请者的文书中必然会提到当初他们是怎么应对疫情的。我们理解他们的行为，但是我们也不希望他们的课外活动千篇一律。
4.Connection matters. In this increasingly complex andever-evolving crisis, our commitment to be available to you and your studentsis as strong as ever. Through email, phone, and video conferencing, we pledgeto serve you with as much vigor as we ever have. Though our team is currently working remotely, you should feel free to call or email us if you have questions about our process. Encourage your student – and yes, even their parents – to call or email. We’ll give every answer we can, and if we don’t know the answer because of the constantly changing coronavirus landscape, we’ll seek it out or tell you we simply don’t know right now.
连接很重要。在持续变化并复杂化的疫情危机背景下，我们承诺会一直尽心服务你和你的学生。通过邮件、电话和视频会议，我们会积极热情地解决你们的难题。尽管我们现在是在家远程办公，你们仍然可以发邮件问我们任何问题。请鼓励你们的学生和学生家长打电话或者发邮件咨询。我们会知无不言，言无不尽。由于疫情时刻在变化，有的问题我们也不清楚情况。这种情况下，我们会找出问题的答案或者直接告诉大家我们目前不清楚状况。
Andfinally,
最后一点
5.We are all in this together. And that’s the irony of the current social distancing we are all practicing. Even in our physical separation, we are all connected – globally – by this unprecedented health crisis. And like all folks in isolation, we find ourselves taking stock,assessing our place, and figuring out a new way to move forward – for ourselves and for our students. This must be as true for you as it is for Vanderbilt. We are all looking for different ways to connect and to be as productive as we’ve been accustomed to being.
我们永远在一起。这与现在社会正在进行的隔离措施看起来有些讽刺。尽管我们的身体隔离了，全球人民却因这场空前绝后的健康危机而紧紧联系在一起。不止是被隔离的人们，所有人都在囤积物资、检测生活环境并且想方设法地度过难关继续生活。不只是为了我们自己也是为了我们的后人。范德堡大学也是这样积极共克时艰的。我们大家都想方设法地将人们紧紧联系在一起，保持之前习以为常的生活状态。
We look forward to a time when we can again welcome your students to campus, visit your schools, and attend conferences with you. In the meantime, we hope you’ll stay safe, wash your hands, and listen to some good jams. Lennon’s a greatplace to start!
我期待着大家可以自由活动那一天。到那时，我们会热情地欢迎你们并陪你们参观校园。现在，希望你们身体健康、勤洗手并保持身心愉悦。就从听约翰列侬的歌开始吧！
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