西方大學(xué)的三學(xué)期制適合我們嗎？

You may have already heard about the trimester system in Western universities.

你或許聽說過西方大學(xué)的三學(xué)期學(xué)制。

For example, in the UK, an academic year is usually divided into three semesters2, each made up of 10 weeks – the autumn semester1 (October to December), the spring semester (January to March) and the summer semester (April to June).

以英國為例，一學(xué)年通常被分為三個學(xué)期，每學(xué)期時(shí)長為10周——分別是秋季學(xué)期(10月-12月)、春季學(xué)期(1月-3月)以及夏季學(xué)期(4月-6月)。

This system is believed to bring more flexibility3 when scheduling classes, internships and personal projects.

這一學(xué)制被普遍認(rèn)為增加了安排課程、實(shí)習(xí)和個人項(xiàng)目上的靈活性。

Now China is introducing the system to its own students.

現(xiàn)在，中國也在逐步引進(jìn)這種學(xué)制。

In fact, nearly half of the country’s Project 985 universities have already added the third semester into their academic timetables.

事實(shí)上，將近半數(shù)的985高校已經(jīng)在校歷上增加了第三學(xué)期。

But our trimester system is a little bit different from that in the West.

但我們的三學(xué)期制和西方略有不同。

Take China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) as an example, which has started toimplement4 the new schedule from this month.

以中國政法大學(xué)為例，從本月起，中國政法大學(xué)開始實(shí)施新學(xué)制。

Its academic year will now be divided into the autumn semester (September to January), the spring semester (February to July) and the summer semester (July).

一學(xué)年將會被分為秋季學(xué)期(9月至次年1月)，春季學(xué)期(次年2月至7月)以及夏季學(xué)期(次年7月)。

Lu Chunlong, director of the dean’s office at CUPL, told The Beijing News that during summer terms students would be able to take classes in other subjects. They are also encouraged to join courses in the form of social practice and internships.

中國政法大學(xué)教務(wù)處處長盧春龍?jiān)诮邮堋缎戮﹫?bào)》采訪時(shí)表示，在夏季學(xué)期中，學(xué)生可以選修其他專業(yè)的課程，同時(shí)也鼓勵同學(xué)們參加社會實(shí)踐以及實(shí)習(xí)形式的相關(guān)學(xué)習(xí)活動。

It’s hoped that this new method will expose students to a broader and more diverse5 academic environment and help them to get their career plans on track.

希望這種新方法能令學(xué)生們接觸到更廣闊、更多元的學(xué)術(shù)環(huán)境，幫助他們的職業(yè)規(guī)劃走上正軌。

However, some students worry that summer term courses are too condensed6, pointing out that they would have to attend classes every day without having time to digest what they’velearned7.

然而，一些學(xué)生卻擔(dān)心，夏季學(xué)期排課過于密集。他們需要每天上課，卻沒有時(shí)間來消化學(xué)過的知識。

This is why Lu suggests that students don’t overdo8 it during summer.

這也是盧春龍并不建議學(xué)生們在夏季學(xué)期選過多課程的原因。

One course is the best, two tops, she advises.

一門課最好了，頂多兩門， 她建議道。

But no matter the changes in academic schedules, it’s how you plan your studies that really matters.

但不論學(xué)制如何變化，如何規(guī)劃好自身的學(xué)習(xí)才是最重要的事。

Xiong Bingqi, vice-president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said in an interview with Beijing News, What’s important is not how the academic year is divided, but how the studying contents are distributed among each term.

21世紀(jì)教育研究院副院長熊丙奇在《新京報(bào)》的一次采訪中談道，學(xué)年如何劃分并不重要，真正重要的是如何分配好每學(xué)期的學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容。