EducationUSA顾问贝伦·罗夫莱斯（左）2019年9月在厄瓜多尔VITO电视台。(© Luis Gorotiza)

如果你最终有机会到美国高校留学，应尽量多做实习，并且给上司和同事留下良好的印象。你在实习中一道共事的人将对你未来找到工作有帮助。

这是美国教育机构EducationUSA在厄瓜多尔瓜亚基尔（Guayaquil）的学术顾问贝伦·罗夫莱斯(Belén Robles)的亲身体会。

26岁的罗夫莱斯于2015年5月9日从美国印第安纳州埃文斯维尔大学（University of Evansville）毕业，获得商学经济专业主科和政治学副科学位。两天之后，她成为瓜亚基尔的EducationUSA中心学术顾问，指导学生如何申请到美国留学并在学业上取得成功。

罗夫莱斯表示，她当初选择到美国留学是因为她希望获得良好的教育，将来回国为社区服务。

她说，“我曾想当厄瓜多尔总统，所以要尽力充分准备，因为我觉得政治是带来改变的途径”。如今，她已经不再向往进入总统府，但这不意味她放弃了帮助他人的志向。

罗夫莱斯在埃文斯维尔大学非常开心，接触到来自非洲、中东和南美洲其他国家的学生。她说，这就好像不离校园而周游全球一样。

罗夫莱斯在到埃文斯维尔大学读书前，参观过美国的一所公立高中和大学，因此对美国的教育体系有所了解。现在，在获得了更多经验和知识后，她希望为有兴趣到美国读书的学生提供指导：

1. 充分利用美国高校让学生灵活选课的机会，选修一些本专业以外的课程，让自己全面发展，并且在确定主攻方向前，探索不同的领域。“你可以[在不同的领域]实习——你可以发现什么是你的最大兴趣所在。”

2. 结识你的教授。如果你的成绩下滑或者缺课，教授很可能理解你是因为一些个人情况——例如思念家人，从而为你找帮助，而不是惩罚你。“他们知道你是个好学生，正在遇到一些困难。”

3. 参加校内体育活动，去健身房，或者修健身课。在饭厅尤其要克制想尽情大吃的欲望。“如果你饮食不好，身体就会受影响，就不会有充分的精力学习。”

希望到美国留学的学生，可以在EducationUSA网站获得相关信息。

本文由自由撰稿人Lenore T. Adkins撰写。

Tips from an expert: Navigating a U.S. university

If you wind up going to college in the United States, do as many internships as possible and be sure to leave a good impression on your bosses and coworkers.

Those are the people who can lead you to a future job, says Belén Robles, an academic adviser for EducationUSA in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Robles, 26, knows what she’s talking about.

On May 9, 2015, she graduated from the University of Evansville in Indiana with a degree in business and economics and a minor in political science. Two days later, she became an academic adviser at the EducationUSA center in Guayaquil, where she offers students guidance in how to apply to and succeed at U.S. colleges and universities.

Robles says she opted for an American university because she wanted a good education that would allow her to contribute to her community in Ecuador.

“I wanted to be Ecuador’s president at that point,” she says, “so I wanted to prepare as much as I should, because I thought politics was a way to make a change.” She no longer has her eye on Carondelet Palace, but that doesn’t mean she has lost her ambition to help others.

Robles reveled in the University of Evansville, where she met students from Africa, the Middle East and other parts of South America. She says it was like traveling the world without leaving school.

Before enrolling at the University of Evansville, Robles had visited a public high school and a university in the United States, so she was somewhat familiar with the education system. Now she has more experience and expertise, and she offers these tips to students who are curious about study in the U.S.:

1. Take advantage of the fact that American universities give you the flexibility to take courses beyond your major, making you a more well-rounded person and allowing you to try several academic areas before settling on a major field of study. “You can practice [in different fields] — you can really find your passion.”

2. Get to know your professors. If your grades slip or if you stop showing up for class, the professor can probably tell you’re dealing with a personal issue — homesickness, for example — and get you the help you need without penalizing you. “They know you’re a good student and that you’re going through something.”

3. Stay healthy. Play intramural sports, go to the gym or take fitness classes. Especially, resist the temptation to eat everything in sight at the dining halls. “If you don’t eat well, that’s going to affect your body, and you’re not going to be awake enough to study,” Robles says.

Students who want to study in the U.S. can find resources at EducationUSA.

This article was written by freelance writer Lenore T. Adkins.