作者：Matt Johnson智梦上海外籍顾问，普林斯顿大学心理学博士
翻译：Tracy
I think Princeton’s personality can be described as being in a constant internal tension.This constant tension allows Princeton to constantly re-evaluate itself, openitself to constructive criticism, and to (albeit sometimes slowly) adjust tochanging tides.
我认为普林斯顿大学的个性可以被描述为处于一种持续的内部张力中。这种持续的紧张感可以让普林时常重新评估自己，去接受建设性的批判，也去适应变化的趋势（虽然这个过程有时候比较缓慢）。
The push and pull is between being progressive and extremely conservative and traditional. On the one hand, Princeton has a proudhistory and it strives to maintain this greatness by retaining many of theselongstanding traditions. The PrincetonReunion party (the largest alumni reunion in the country) has been a practicefor over 200 years, and still is enjoyed by alumni of all ages. But on the other hand, Princeton has,throughout its history, come to realize that many of its practices should bejettisoned, and constantly strives (at least in certain areas) to be aprogressive force. For a school olderthan America itself, Princeton has had to evolve socially in much in the sameway as America has. It wasn’t until 1947that the first African American was admitted to Princeton, and it wasn’t until1969 that Princeton admitted its first woman. Now however, diversity is a paramount feature of the university and itscurrently the most diverse school among the Ivy Leagues.
在普林有一种“推拉效应（push and pull）”，这种“推拉”介于自由前卫和极度传统保守之间。一方面，普林有其骄傲的历史，普林也一直通过沿承那些悠久传统来保持它的伟大和独特。像普林校友重聚会（是美国国内最大的校友重聚会），已经有两百多年的历史了，至今仍然被各个年龄层的校友所喜爱。但是另一方面，随着历史的发展，普林也意识到应该丢弃一些陈规和教条，并努力（至少在一些特定的领域）成为进步的推动力。对于一个建校史比美国历史还要长的大学来说，普林不得不随着历史的发展而适时变化，这过程就像美国历史本身的发展一样。直到1947年普林才首次录取非裔美国学生，1969年才有第一位女性学生进入普林。然而现在，多样性是最大学最重要的特征，普林也是现在常春藤大学中最多样化的学校。
The discussionbelow will review both “sides” of the Princeton personality, and how it shapesthe overall Princeton experience.
下面的讨论将会覆盖普林个性的两面，并且会谈到普林个性的两面如何塑造在普林学习和生活的体验。
Progressive Side. In certain ways, the feel of the university is very progressive –students are allowed to have lots of responsibility in guiding and developingtheir own education and experience at Princeton. For example, if a student has a great ideaand is sufficiently motivated, they can find campus support (in the form of amore accommodating class schedule, funding etc.) in order to bring it tofruition. For example, I heard of a student (junior)who had ideas to research a specific fungus found only in Africa. She talked with the dean of the biologydepartment who saw promise in the project, and she applied for funding througha specific endowment for undergraduate biological research in Africa. She ended up spending an entire semester inAfrica – her trip was fully funded, and her classroom requirements for thatsemester were waived. These types ofexperiences are not uncommon.
进步的方面：在一些特定方面，普林给人的感觉是非常进步的——学校允许学生有更多的自主性来主导自己在普林的教育和经历。比如说，如果一个学生有一个很棒的想法，并且有足够的积极性去执行，他们可以在上课时间的调整、资金等方面获得学院支持。我听说过一个大三的学生想研究一种只能在非洲找到的菌类，她和生物系的系主任讨论之后获得了系主任的支持，后来她申请到了一个专门资助本科生在非洲进行生物研究的资金。结果她一整个学期都待在非洲—她的差旅费被报销，她那个学期必须待在课堂的要求也被免掉。在普林，这样的经历并不罕见。
Students aregiven a great deal of freedom socially as well. The social life at Princeton, as any student will tell you, is dominatedby “The Street”. This is ProspectStreet: about a half mile long road adjacent to campus, which is peppered with10 large, old Victorian houses (essentially mansions) called “eatingclubs”. For all intents and purposesthese are essentially co-ed fraternity/sorority houses - on top of throwinglarge parties and events, also have kitchens and cooking staff to cook for itsmembers. Since Princeton, the town, doesnot offer much entertainment, The Street is the epicenter for all thingsnightlife. What makes The Street really unique isthat, while its conveniently located nextto campus, its technically not part of campus at all – so rules like nodrinking (and especially no underage drinking) are not enforced. The administration essentially turns a blindeye to all of the debauchery,essentially saying, “We know you guys work extremely hard, so let off somesteam and have some fun – just not too much fun”. The administration, to a large extent, truststhe students to police themselves.
学生在社交方面也被给予很大的自由。普林的社交生活，就像任何一个普林的学生会告诉你的一样，被“那条街”主导。那条街就是“希望街”。临近校园大概有半英里长的路，被10栋又大又古老的维多利亚风格的房子布满。这些房子被称为“吃喝俱乐部”。这些房子主要由兄弟会和姐妹会的成员使用，除了举办大的派对和活动外，这些房子也有厨房和相应的工作人员为兄弟会和姐妹会的成员料理饮食。因为普林斯顿这个镇（普林斯顿镇和普林斯顿大学同名）没有太多娱乐活动，所以“希望街”基本是所有夜生活的中心。真正让这条街与众不同的是，虽然它就坐落在校园旁边，但是严格意义上讲，它并不属于校园的一部分——所以像不准喝酒这样的规定（特别是未成年喝酒）在这条街上不会被强制执行。学校的管理部门其实对街上的灯红酒绿睁一只眼闭一只眼，他们一般会说：“我们知道你们学习非常努力，所以稍微放松下、玩的开心点——只是不要玩得太开心”。学校的管理部门，在很大程度上，相信学生会管理好自己。
The traditional side. On the other hand, Princeton loves its traditions and is in many waysvery old-fashioned. While it has been realized that some‘traditions’ (such as the tradition of having a white, male student body) are untenable, there are manythings about Princeton which will likely never change. For example, The Princeton honor code, largely intactfrom its original inception, is still a dominant feature of the undergraduateacademic experience. Among other things,it states that no faculty or graduate assistants can be in the room whilestudents take an exam. The exam ispassed out, students are told to begin, and then the professor and all teachingassistants must leave the room until it is time to pick up the exam. Students are (supposedly)prevented from cheating since all undergraduates sign an honor code stating notonly that they won’t cheat, but that they will report cheating toadministrators if they see it. Mostfaculty and graduate assistants dislike the practice, and while most studentsseem pretty indifferent to it, there is good reason to believe that thepractice actually leads to more cheating as opposed to less. But despite all of this, the practicecontinues year after year, since its “tradition”; an inexorable part of Princeton. There are many other examples of unpopularpractices which are retained merely by recourse to “tradition”, but most ofthem are pretty trivial compared to the honor code, such as the staunchly held practiceof self-officiated (no referees) intermural games.
传统的方面：在另一方面，普林斯顿喜爱他们的传统并且在很多方面非常“守旧”。虽然在一些方面，普林知道自己的传统站不住脚（比如学生群体仅仅由男性的白人群体组成），但是普林的很多其他传统好像永远都不会改变。比如普林的荣誉准则，普林今天的荣誉准则几乎完整地延续了最初的样式，并且至今在本科的学术中仍占主导地位。学校申明，当学生参加考试的时候教职工和研究助理必须离开考场；分发试卷，学生被告知可以开始答题，然后教授和其他的教学助理必须离开考场直到考试结束。即使没有老师，学生们（至少在理论上）也被认为不会作弊，因为所有的学生都签了荣誉准则。荣誉准则规定学生自己不作弊，不仅如此，如果他们发现别人作弊，他们还有义务向管理部门举报。然而，大多数的教职工和教学助理并不喜欢这个做法，很多学生对荣誉准则的签署好像也不以为然。事实上有很好的理由相信这个惯例实际上导致很多的作弊，而不是更少。尽管如此，这个做法年复一年的延续了下来，因为这是普林的传统——属于普林不可撼动的一部分。普林还有很多其他这种不受欢迎的惯例被保持下来，理由仅仅是因为这是传统的一部分。但是和荣誉准则相比，这些惯例显得不那么重要，比如在校内比赛中自选裁判（而没有推荐人）的做法。
Princeton has one of the most prideful alumni classes – whether one graduated in 2012 or1922, chances are the person absolutely loved their undergraduateexperience. Furthermore, the alumni baseis extremely well connected as well, and I think a key reason for that is the fact that theirexperiences at Princeton (even 70 years apart) still shared many of the samefeatures. In order to help along thisconnection, some traditions (albeit borderline archaic) must be retained beyond their naturalexpiration date. Despitethis, Princeton learns well from (some of) its mistakes, and as a result,strives to be a progressive leader in all domains of the undergraduateexperience: socially, academically, and politically. Its this connection to thepast, while retaining a penchantfor trailblazingthat makes Princeton such a unique place.
普林斯顿有最骄傲的校友群——这些校友无论是毕业于2012还是1922年，都绝对热爱和怀念他们的大学经历。此外，各界校友间也有极其紧密的联系，我想一个主要的原因是，他们在普林有跨时代的共同体验（也许其中有70年的间隔）。同时，为了巩固这样的联系，有些传统必须被保留下来，尽管有的时候这些传统已经超过了自身的保质期。除了传统方面，普林斯顿也从它的错误中学习，结果就是，普林努力成为引领本科各个领域前进的领导者：无论是在社交生活、学术还是政治方面。正是这种与过去的联系和对未来保持开拓进取的态度使普林成为一个独特的地方。
文中生词：
Debauchery: excessive indulgence in sensualpleasures; intemperance道德败坏;淫荡;放荡;淫逸
Untenable:incapable of being defended, as anargument, thesis, etc.; indefensible. 站不住脚的
Staunchly:坚定地；忠实地
1) Firm or steadfast in principle, adherence,loyalty, etc., as a person: a staunch Republican; a staunch friend.
2) Characterizedby firmness, steadfastness, or loyalty: He delivered a staunch defense of thegovernment.
3) Strong; substantial: a staunch little hut inthe woods.
4) Imperviousto water or other liquids; watertight: a staunch vessel.
Archaic:古代的； 过时的，陈旧的； 古体的； 古色古香的
1) Marked by the characteristics of anearlier period; antiquated: an archaic manner; an archaic notion.
2) primitive; ancient; old: an archaicform of animal life.
Penchant:（强烈的）倾向，爱好，嗜好
a stronginclination, taste, or liking for something: a penchant for outdoor sports.
Traibalizing: 开拓性；开路先锋的
【智梦简介】
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