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サマースクール
アメリカの大学生は長期の夏休みにさまざまな活動をして過ごします。しかし、ビザの関係で働けない留学生や、単位の取得が卒業に間に合わなかった学生たちは、サマースクールで勉強します。そこには普段の学期中にはない、のんびりした雰囲気があるようです。
Summer School
By MASAKO YAMADA
Summer vacation is long at American colleges, and many students take advantage of their free time to pursue activities that they couldn't do during the school year. Although R&R (rest and relaxation) is certainly a worthwhile pursuit for some students, most of the undergraduates I have met are working during the summer. They work at menial jobs, simply earning money for rent and tuition; competitive, high-status internships that may lead to competitive, high-status jobs upon graduation; and low-paying but crucial academic research jobs that are necessary for students who want to enter graduate school in the sciences.
The Boston University campus does not have the same level of student energy during the summer that it has during the school year. During most of the year, students crowd Commonwealth Avenue, the main street of the BU campus (and also one of the main streets of the city of Boston), but traffic is much lighter during the summer. This is undoubtedly because students aren't dodging the cars and the T all the time. The T runs much faster during the summer, partly because the students aren't cutting across the tracks and partly because it doesn't take as long for them to board and exit the cars.
Some undergraduates, however, study on campus during the summer. Rather than take on campus jobs or do campus research, they take regular classes, just as they do during the school year. Although the relative number of students in summer school is small, there are many reasons why they take summer classes.
Since getting a job is the normal thing to do for most undergraduates during the summer, summer school students usually have unusual reasons for taking courses. Some of them want to finish their degrees early and try to get extra credits during the summer. Others, who have failed to fulfill all of their requirements before graduation, scramble to finish their degrees late. Some international students take courses during the summer because their visas don't allow them to work and they don't want to waste their time doing nothing. Some students wish to try out a course or two at another college. Some are high-school students or working adults who want to challenge themselves with college courses.
Although the pace of summer school courses is very fast — all the material of a school year semester is covered in half the time — there is a relaxed air about summer school courses. This is undoubtedly in part because the summer weather inspires a laid-back feeling, but it's also probably because summer school students have to face fewer miscellaneous responsibilities (unless they work simultaneously, which some do).
Students obviously don't earn any money or job experience by going to summer school, but since financial aid often cannot be applied to summer school courses, they also have to have the resources to pay all fees outright. Many students can't afford this luxury, especially at private schools.
Some of my graduate student friends are TFs (teaching fellows) during the summer. TFs hold discussion sessions, lead labs and grade papers and exams. Summer TF positions are in high demand because they pay almost twice as much as normal TF positions.
One of my TF friends even told me that his teaching schedule is more relaxed than it is during the year. Since he is studying for his general exams, he is grateful to be able to work in summer mode. However, he also mentioned that it's a bit frustrating to teach a class of students who are in summer mode as well. It's paradoxical to want, simultaneously, a low-key summer and a challenging one. But it looks like that's what both the summer school students and those who teach them want.
Summer vacation is long at American colleges, and many students take advantage of their free time to pursue activities that they couldn't do during the school year. Although R&R (rest and relaxation) is certainly a worthwhile pursuit for some students, most of the undergraduates I have met are working during the summer. They work at menial jobs, simply earning money for rent and tuition; competitive, high-status internships that may lead to competitive, high-status jobs upon graduation; and low-paying but crucial academic research jobs that are necessary for students who want to enter graduate school in the sciences.
The Boston University campus does not have the same level of student energy during the summer that it has during the school year. During most of the year, students crowd Commonwealth Avenue, the main street of the BU campus (and also one of the main streets of the city of Boston), but traffic is much lighter during the summer. This is undoubtedly because students aren't dodging the cars and the T all the time. The T runs much faster during the summer, partly because the students aren't cutting across the tracks and partly because it doesn't take as long for them to board and exit the cars.
Some undergraduates, however, study on campus during the summer. Rather than take on campus jobs or do campus research, they take regular classes, just as they do during the school year. Although the relative number of students in summer school is small, there are many reasons why they take summer classes.
Since getting a job is the normal thing to do for most undergraduates during the summer, summer school students usually have unusual reasons for taking courses. Some of them want to finish their degrees early and try to get extra credits during the summer. Others, who have failed to fulfill all of their requirements before graduation, scramble to finish their degrees late. Some international students take courses during the summer because their visas don't allow them to work and they don't want to waste their time doing nothing. Some students wish to try out a course or two at another college. Some are high-school students or working adults who want to challenge themselves with college courses.
Although the pace of summer school courses is very fast — all the material of a school year semester is covered in half the time — there is a relaxed air about summer school courses. This is undoubtedly in part because the summer weather inspires a laid-back feeling, but it's also probably because summer school students have to face fewer miscellaneous responsibilities (unless they work simultaneously, which some do).
Students obviously don't earn any money or job experience by going to summer school, but since financial aid often cannot be applied to summer school courses, they also have to have the resources to pay all fees outright. Many students can't afford this luxury, especially at private schools.
Some of my graduate student friends are TFs (teaching fellows) during the summer. TFs hold discussion sessions, lead labs and grade papers and exams. Summer TF positions are in high demand because they pay almost twice as much as normal TF positions.
One of my TF friends even told me that his teaching schedule is more relaxed than it is during the year. Since he is studying for his general exams, he is grateful to be able to work in summer mode. However, he also mentioned that it's a bit frustrating to teach a class of students who are in summer mode as well. It's paradoxical to want, simultaneously, a low-key summer and a challenging one. But it looks like that's what both the summer school students and those who teach them want.
Shukan ST: July 10, 1998
(C) All rights reserved
- take advantage of 〜 to 〜
- 〜 を利用して 〜 する
- pursue activities
- さまざまな活動を行なう
- rest and relaxation
- 休息とリラックス
- worthwhile pursuit
- する価値のあること
- undergraduates
- 学部生
- menial jobs
- 単純労働
- rent
- 家賃
- tuition
- 学費
- competitive
- 競争の激しい
- high-status
- 地位の高い
- internships
- 企業研修
- upon graduation
- 卒業の時点で
- low-paying
- 給料の安い
- crucial
- 大切な
- academic research
- 学術研究
- graduate school
- 大学院
- crowd
- 群がる
- traffic is much lighter
- 交通量はいつもよりずっと少ない
- aren't dodging 〜 and 〜
- 〜 や 〜 を縫って歩いていない
- T
- ボストンの地下鉄 T
- all the time
- いつも
- aren't cutting across the tracks
- 線路を横切らない
- board and exit
- 乗り降りする
- relative
- 相対的な
- degrees
- 学位
- credits
- 単位
- fulfill
- 満たす
- requirements
- 卒業必要単位
- scramble to 〜
- 急いで 〜 する
- try out 〜
- 〜 を受けてみる
- semester
- 学期
- is covered
- 網羅されている
- inspires a laid-back feeling
- のんびりした気持ちにさせる
- have to face fewer miscellaneous responsibilities
- さまざまな責任をそれほど負わずにすむ
- simultaneously
- 同時に
- obviously
- 明らかに
- financial aid
- 金銭面での援助
- cannot be applied to 〜
- 〜 には適用されない
- resources
- 資金源
- fees
- 授業料
- outright
- 全部
- can't afford 〜
- 〜 の余裕がない
- luxury
- ぜいたく
- teaching fellows
- 教職を兼ねるという条件付きで奨学金を受給されている大学院生
- lead labs
- 実験を指導する
- grade papers and exams
- レポートや試験を採点する
- are in high demand
- 人気がある
- general exams
- 総合テスト
- is grateful to 〜
- 〜 でありがたく思う
- frustrating
- イライラする
- It's paradoxical to want 〜 and 〜
- 〜 と 〜 を希望するのはつじつまが合わない
- low-key
- のんびりした