It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations. ” I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.
那是四月温暖的一天，一个硕大的信封从我梦想中的唯一一所大学寄来。我撕开了包裹，我的眼睛盯着“祝贺”这个词，我笑得如此开心。
Then I looked at my financial package.
然后我看了看我的钱包。
The cost of Dream School’s tuition, room and board was around $ 40,000- an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.
梦想学校的学费，食宿费大约是4万美元——一个不可能的数目！我怎么能负担得起呢？当其他三所优秀大学为我免学费时，我有什么好的理由去梦想学校呢？我的其他选择是一些可靠的好学校，即使它们没有我的第一选择那么出名。
In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.
在我看来，上我梦想中的大学是实现我成为世界级作家梦想的唯一途径。我父母理解我的感受，他们告诉我，即使经济上有问题，我也可以去任何我最向往的地方。但由于我对钱总是很在意，我不知道该怎么办。
One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was to smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.
春天的一个晚上，一所学校为我提供了一次免除学费的信息咨询晚宴。考虑到父母的经济困难，我决定骑车45分钟去参加。起初，我计划做的只是礼貌地微笑，吃免费的食物，静静地倾听。但我感到惊喜。
At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.
在晚宴上，大学校长谈到了校园里精彩的活动，包括客座演讲和社交聚会。他还明确表示，今后所有活动都将提供免费食品。他继续讲述教授、班级规模、活动和校园体育赛事情况。在他讲话时，我开始意识到，这所学校虽然不如我的第一选择好，但对我来说可能是最好的。它看起来很小，但有很多伟大的项目。这似乎很有挑战性，但也很体贴他人。
As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.
当校长结束演讲时，我们礼貌地鼓掌并推回椅子。当我走出大门时，舒心的感觉涌上心头。那天晚上看着校园，我意识到我将在那里度过接下来的四年。
In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream” university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.
老实说，我的大学不如我的“梦想”大学出名。然而，对我来说，这是正确的选择。
