我叫李晓冉，女。出生于1987年3月27日。我是一名来自中国西安科技大学的学生。感谢中教国际CCIEE和西安科技大学给我这个机会，我有幸可以加入《1+2+1中美人才培养计划》这个项目，并且赴美国的Troy大学进行深造。至此以后，我在Troy大学学习了3年之久。我的专业在西安科技大学和Troy大学都是艺术设计（Art Design）。
刚到美国的时候，我们1+2+1的学生都是住在学校里的。那是一个只有两张床两张写字台的一个房间。我的舍友是一位美国学生，她在英语上给了我很多帮助，而且我感到十分幸运，能够很快的适应美国的环境。我认为和一个不同国家的同学做舍友比有同种母语的同学做舍友要好很多，交流很重要。一年以后我从学校里搬到了校外，和一位中国学生一起租了一间公寓。认为住在学校里与住在校外相比各有各的优点。住在学校了的话，平时去图书馆或者去学校的体育馆都很方便，可以交流的人比较多。而处在外面房租比较便宜，而且有自己个人的空间。去超市购买东西也较为方便。
因为我在中国没有参加英语托福的考试。所以在我到了Troy大学之后，我需要通过托福考试才可以上学术课程。但是那时，我英语能力不行。所以没有通过托福的考试。所以我进入了AEG的课堂。AEG是一个专门为外国学生准备的英语学习课程，分为听说读写四个单项。经过两个学期的努力，感觉语言水平明显提高，最终我通过了托福考试。我在英语的学习方面感触颇多，虽然我以前学习英语的时间实际上也不算少，但由于没有一种应用环境，也没有坚持学习应用，最后取得的效果很不明显；都是停留在应付考试的层面上，实际上是在做一些简单的重复低效率语言学习。到美国后与人交流还是比较困难。英语学习的目的应该是提高英语综合应用能力，是一个长期学习和应用的过程。我认为，AEG实际上并没有在英语的知识上给我提供很大的帮助，但是，在这段时间里，我所读的书，在课堂上说的听到的英语确实对我的帮助很大。当我上了专业课以后，我感觉到了AEG课的好处，它让我更加快速的融入到了这种学习的氛围，专业课基本上可以听懂了，老师同学之间的交流障碍也减少了许多，感觉上用英语交流比以前自如多了，今后我将继续努力。
我的专业课是艺术设计，选择这个专业的中国人在我们这届1+2+1和下届学生之中仅有我自己一人。在刚开始上专业课的时候我感觉到非常巨大的压力，老师讲课速度很快，课堂上记录的笔记都记不全。在作业问题上总是出现错误，成绩很低，让我一度恐惧害怕上课。专业课老师在了解了我的情况以后，在课堂上下都对我十分照顾，很多问题都是一遍又一遍的讲。在老师和我的努力下，我适应了这种专业课，并且在好多课上取得不错的成绩。
除此之外，我学的一些选修课也印象颇深。戏剧，地理，生物等等。戏剧课是个十分有趣的课程，老师讲课很有激情，还经常让同学上台表演戏剧
在培养学生自主能力上，两个国家也不相同。例如教材问题，刚开始上课时,我不知道去哪里领教材,询问过学长后,才知道每门课的课本都要100美元左右，像中国的词典，甚至还要大。基本上每年或隔2年就会更新换版。教材由自己在学校的书店或是网上自由选购，买新书或二手书都可以。而在中国的大学中,发放教材是一个形式，可能好多学生到学完一门课后连教材还从没看过。还有美国学校的教学设备好，资源共享，相应的上课信息、教材讲义、文化社会活动表、课程实习等信息都是通过网络系统可以查到。一些外来学者的讲座、讨论会一般都是免费面向全体学生开放。只要时间允许，每个学生都可自由参加与本专业相关的讨论会与讲座。学校图书馆提供的资源对每个学生也是资源共享的。
在美国大学里，学生上什么课完全是学生自己决定的，即通过选课的办法来完成你的学业，所以他们的班级概念是没有的，上这门课是和这些学生一起上，上那门课就是和另外一批学生一起上了。学生的个性可以得到充分的发挥。当然，所选的课程也不是完全没有约束的，你的专业必修课的学分是必须要完成的，否则就是学分满了，也不能毕业。而在中国，班级是很重要的，因为同一班级的学生基本上一样的课程，也是一起上课。
对比了两个大学的课程，发现中间的差异好大。在中国的大学一学期只有期中和期末考试。在美国的一学期中，考试很多。而且每次的考试都按百分比算进总分里面。每次的考试都要认真对待。
总而言之，在过去的两年中，我不仅学习了文化知识，还变得自信和独立了。我尝试了不依靠父母的生活。当我面对困难是我必须靠自己去克服。我也结交了不少朋友，我们分享快乐，互相帮助。我和同学一起去了奥兰多，纽约等一些美国的大城市。我们也一起去田纳西等地去欣赏美国的自然风景。
在美国的这两年,中教和各个学校的代表老师都陆续来考察学校,我们体会到中教和学校的关心，让我们做学生的觉得我们不是孤立无援的。
总体来说 “1+2+1”是一个很好的项目，为学生和学校提供接触美国甚至国际的机会，中教在其中起了至关重要的作用。以这个项目为很好的开端，中教可以开拓更多的领域让中国的教育可以国际化。
西安科技大学 李晓冉
2009年12月20日
My name is Xiaoran Li. I am female. I am born in March 27th1987. I’m a student from Xi’ An University of science and technology in China. Thanks to CCIEE and Xi’ An University of science and technology, I got a chance to join the “1+2+1” program and stand in Troy University in USA. I have been in Troy University for 3 years. My major is Art design both in China and USA.
At beginning I lived in the campus. It was only one room and two beds, two desks in it. I lived with an American student who already lived in that room for one year. He helped me a lot when I got USA at the beginning. Living with a student from different countries is much better than living with a student who has the same mother language. we can’t communicate with our mother language. So English is only way to talk with each other. So at these days living in campers helped me a lot in my oral English. It’s very interesting. I think living in campus is the best choice for student to study. Going to the library, writing center is very convenient. But living out of campus also got its advantages. Such as cheaper rent and more convenient life with a car. After one year, I moved out of campus, living with a Chinese friend. We both got a car. Owning a car got its advantages and disadvantage. Advantages is convenient
Because I did not take TOFEL test in China，when I arrived Troy University, I need to pass the TOFEL exam to get the permission to go to the academic classes. I was not very good at English. I didn’t pass the TOFEL exam. So I needed to attend the AEG classes. AEG is a group that prepared for international students to study English. After two semesters’ hard work, I felt my English skill got improved obviously. Finally I pass the TOFEL test. Actually, I spent a lot of real time in English studying. But didn’t use it often and there was no English environment. All these are just for a method to pass the English test. When I got US, these English I learned cannot help me commute with American very smoothly. In my opinion, the AEG classed are not improving my English knowledge so much, but during this period, the books I read, the English I talked and listened in the classes really helped me a lot. So after I took academic classes, I felt the benefit that I gained in AEG classes. It made me more quickly to enter the academic studying atmosphere.
My major is about art design. There was no one who got the same major as me. At the beginning, I am very stressed because the teachers speak so fast and I can not follow them, and I also have not enough time to write them down. I made many mistakes on my homework, and my grade was not very good. When the teachers knew my situation, they often speak to me again to make sure I understand them. In my and teachers’ effort, I was at last used to academic classes, and I got a good grade at last.
What’s more, some of the elective classes are impressive, for example,Drama, geography, biology. drama class is very interesting, the teacher’s lecture is very passionate, and he often asked students to present at class.
At the beginning of the semester, I was puzzled that where I could get the textbooks. After asking the other students, I found that the students should buy the text by themselves in the book store or on the web, either new or used. To my surprise, every textbook costs about 100 dollars. Basically, the professors will change the textbook edit every one or two years. However, in Chinese university, the professors hand out the textbooks to the students. Because of the form of the tests, maybe some students never read the textbook even after the course finished. Instead, in the US, the equipments are better; most of the resources are shared. Schedule information, text books information, and some social activities are shows on the internet. Some lecture are all face to public.
In the United States, students in the universities choose their own every course, which means students decide how to finish their gradation. So in universities, there is no sense of a class. You take this class with these classmates. But in the other class, your classmates are totally changed. Students’ individuality got widely built. Of course, there are some required courses need to be take. However, in china, a class is very important, like I’m a member of 2005-Computer. Students in the same class take the same courses at the same time.
I want to compare and contract the ways that teachers teaching and the ways to study in the two universities. In U.S., most professors use PowerPoint and other electrical facilities in the classes. They will send the teaching materials to us through email or the electrical blackboard. It is not a very common sense in China. The Chinese professors still like to writing on the blackboard.
In the past two years, I not only learned the knowledge, but also became more confident and independent. I tasted the life without my parents. I needed to face the troubles and made them by myself. I also made a lot of friends. We shared our happiness, helped each other. I never ever forget my 20th birthday in Troy. My friends hold a surprise party that day. After mid-night, they droved me to buy alcohol for celebrate.
During the past two many officers of CCIEE and the teachers form different school came to Troy, and through meeting them, we feel that we are not alone. I want to say thanks again.
“1+2+1” is a really good project; CCIEE did a good job to create a communicating bridge between the Chinese universities and American universities. I hope CCIEE can create more projects like this and more universities can join in these projects.
Xi’ An University of science and technology Xiaoran Li
December 20, 2009
