由于时间对我来说是稀缺资源,我觉得,与其利用大多数时间学习数学,牺牲其它课程成绩,不如在每门课程上平等分配时间,从而取得更好的成绩.然而,现在我发现,要想进入一家英国顶尖大学学习经济学,必须拿到数学A级.我做出的决定正确吗?如果不正确,你能替我向牛津大学(Oxford)美言几句吗?
Tom,Co.Durham
汤姆,来自达勒姆郡Answer亲爱的汤姆：Dear Tom,
我不确定你希望我评估哪项决定：是没有寻求建议就选好了高中水平考试课程的决定,还是没有数学天赋还要攻读数学类课程的决定.两个决定看起来都不明智.你的推论建立在纯概念的基础之上,没有任何对现实世界的了解在某种意义上,倒是成为一名经济学家的理想准备工作.
I am not sure which decision you wish me to evaluate:the decision to pick your A-levels without decent advice,or the decision to pursue a mathematical subject with no mathematical talent.Neither looks smart.You have theorised on the basis of neat concepts without any real-world knowledge – in some ways,ideal preparation to be an economist.
然而你仍然有可能得到不错的结果.经济心理学家艾普•迪克特赫斯(Ap Dijksterhuis)已经研究了人们是如何做出复杂决定的.在一次试验中,他要求人们进行复杂的假设选择,一部分人得到大量时间来集中精力思考,同时他会去分散其他人的注意力,然后突然让他们进行选择.他发现,在无意识状态下做出的复杂决定似乎结果最好.
Yet this could yet work out well for you.Ap Dijksterhuis,an economic psychologist,has studied how people make complex decisions.In one experiment he gave people fiddly hypothetical choices,giving some plenty of time to concentrate,while he distracted others before suddenly asking them to choose.He found that such complex decisions seem to be best made subconsciously.
Choosing a course to study at university is a decision with many variables.You have all but closed off economics without even thinking about it.Perhaps that's for the best.Studying economics without maths is like studying literature when you can't read without moving your lips – not impossible,but difficult.
至于牛津大学,你总是可以试一试.我的几位同学在没学数学的情况下攻读了哲学、政治学和经济学.其中至少有一个人目前自称为经济学家. 由于时间对我来说是稀缺资源,我觉得,与其利用大多数时间学习数学,牺牲其它课程成绩,不如在每门课程上平等分配时间,从而取得更好的成绩.然而,现在我发现,要想进入一家英国顶尖大学学习经济学,必须拿到数学A级.我做出的决定正确吗?如果不正确,你能替我向牛津大学(Oxford)美言几句吗?
Tom,Co.Durham
汤姆,来自达勒姆郡Answer亲爱的汤姆：Dear Tom,
我不确定你希望我评估哪项决定：是没有寻求建议就选好了高中水平考试课程的决定,还是没有数学天赋还要攻读数学类课程的决定.两个决定看起来都不明智.你的推论建立在纯概念的基础之上,没有任何对现实世界的了解在某种意义上,倒是成为一名经济学家的理想准备工作.
I am not sure which decision you wish me to evaluate:the decision to pick your A-levels without decent advice,or the decision to pursue a mathematical subject with no mathematical talent.Neither looks smart.You have theorised on the basis of neat concepts without any real-world knowledge – in some ways,ideal preparation to be an economist.
然而你仍然有可能得到不错的结果.经济心理学家艾普•迪克特赫斯(Ap Dijksterhuis)已经研究了人们是如何做出复杂决定的.在一次试验中,他要求人们进行复杂的假设选择,一部分人得到大量时间来集中精力思考,同时他会去分散其他人的注意力,然后突然让他们进行选择.他发现,在无意识状态下做出的复杂决定似乎结果最好.
Yet this could yet work out well for you.Ap Dijksterhuis,an economic psychologist,has studied how people make complex decisions.In one experiment he gave people fiddly hypothetical choices,giving some plenty of time to concentrate,while he distracted others before suddenly asking them to choose.He found that such complex decisions seem to be best made subconsciously.
Choosing a course to study at university is a decision with many variables.You have all but closed off economics without even thinking about it.Perhaps that's for the best.Studying economics without maths is like studying literature when you can't read without moving your lips – not impossible,but difficult.
至于牛津大学,你总是可以试一试.我的几位同学在没学数学的情况下攻读了哲学、政治学和经济学.其中至少有一个人目前自称为经济学家.