第十三部分：针对学生和应届毕业生的问题(1～2问)

        问：为什么你没有取得更好的成绩？?

　　答：学校对于我来说是一段精彩的人生经历。我实在喜欢新思想、专心学习、留心听课。我从来都不相信在考试前一晚死记硬背以争取高分或通宵达旦以完成一篇毕业论文是最明智的做法。我确信自己就像许多争取好成绩的学生一样学习刻苦。

　　如果已经进入面试阶段，适当的做法就是使自己符合这个职位的基本标准，包括教育方面的要求。在这里，面试官往往试图判断应聘者处理困境的能力。千万不要辩护或推卸责任，这是非常重要的。相反，尝试从正面的角度来回答这个问题——例如，集中于你学到的东西和所付出的额外努力，这样做要比只集中在成绩上好得多。???

　　Q:Why weren?t your grades better?

　　A:School was a wonderful experience for me. I really enjoyed learning new ideas, I studied consistently, and I was attentive¹ in class. But I never believed in cramming² before the night of an exam just to get a higher grade or staying up all night to finish a term paper. I really believe I learned just as much as many students who went for the grades.??

　　问：为什么你当初决定主修历史呢？?

　　答：这是个艰难的抉择，因为我也对管理学、国际关系学和经济学感兴趣。但是，学习历史让我可以把三者结合起来，特别是通过对经济史的研究。另外，我知道我系的几位教授知识非常渊博，极具影响力。

　　证明你有充分的、合理的理由选择你的专业。如果你不能为自己的专业选择辩护，面试官就可能怀疑你对职业选择的考虑是否充分。你还要肯定选择专业的理由跟你的职业选择相符合。比如，如果你应聘银行经理职位，就不能说你是个英语专业的学生，因为你喜欢文学和写作。??

　　Q:Why did you decide to major in history?

　　A:It was a difficult chocice because I was also attracted to government, international relations, and economics. But the study of history allowed me to combine all three, especially by focusing on economic history. What?s more, I found several of the professors in the department to be exceptionally knowledgeable³ and stimulating⁴.

        第十三部分：针对学生和应届毕业生的问题(3～4问)

        问：你是否发现某一课程特别有挑战性？?

　　答：最初，我被去年的那门《化学入门》彻底难倒了。无论我怎样努力学，似乎都毫无进展。开始的3次知识竞赛我还失败了。于是，我尝试另辟蹊径，我不再独自埋头苦干了，而是请来一位主修化学的朋友帮忙。同时，课后我向教授请教。我发现，多花点时间做实验是非常关键的。最后，这一科我考了个B?+，并且完全理解了学习内容。另外我懂得了一个道理：进入一个新的学科领域，有时需要新的途径而不仅仅是努力学习，同时别人的帮助也可能是个决定性因素。

　　面试官想要看看你怎样应付困境。须证明你不会在困难面前畏缩，并且你会格外努力以迎接挑战。??

　　Q:Was there a course that you found particularly challenging?

　　A:Initially I was completely overwhelmed by the introductory chemistry course that I took last year. No matter how hard I studied, I seemed to be getting nowhere. I failed the first three quizzes. So I tried a new approach. Instead of just studying by myself, I asked a friend who?s a chemistry major to help me with my studies. I also began seeking help from the professor after class. And I found that more time spent in the lab was critical. I ended up with a B?plus in the course and thought I achieved a solid understanding of the material. More than that, I learned that tackling a new field of study sometimes requires a new approach, not just hard work, and that the help of others can be crucial! 　　??

　　问：你为什么不多参加课外活动呢？?

　　答：我必须把更多的时间花在学习上。我来自小镇上的一所高中，虽然考试拿了很多个A，但是这并不意味着我有很好的基础可以应付大学课程。因此，我学习非常努力。不过，我也挤出时间去了解这个城市和结交新朋友，周末时也会去参加一些非正式的社交活动。 　　

　　面试官也许担心，如果你对户外活动的兴趣不浓，你可能最终把自己弄得精疲力尽。雇主们喜欢那些全面发展、对户外活动有兴趣的应聘者。如果你在大学里不曾参加过正式的课外活动，你仍然有必要谈谈你的爱好，就像你参加过的一些非正规的阅读或锻炼等活动。例如，你可以谈谈你热衷于跑步，即使你没有参加大学的长跑队。?

　　对于那些以往的事业只局限于某一职业或产业的人来说，工作经验确实不成问题。你们有丰富的工作经验——但它们都与你现在的工作目标无关。没关系！别再三强调你的工作历史，必须强调的是你所学会的并对你现在应聘的工作有帮助的技能。例如，假设你以前从事房地产工作，在业余时间里你喜欢参加马拉松比赛。最近，你了解到一家运动鞋生产商的市场推广部有一空缺职位。你需要做的是强调雇主正在寻找的而你又拥有的技能。你不仅有很好的推销经验，而且熟悉这家公司的售销地区。这两者是很有效的结合！???

　　Q:Why didn?t you participate more in extracurricular?activities?

　　A:I wanted to give as much effort as possible to my studies. I came from a high school in a very small town, where I received a lot of As, but this didn't prepare me very well for college. So I studied very hard. I have, however, found time to explore the city and make new friends, and I do socialize informally on weekends.