调查显示，半数的美国人对自己的大学教育选择之一表示后悔。他们大多数会在选择自己喜欢的专业和能赚大钱的专业之间摇摆，结果最终选择了自己不太喜欢的专业。除此之外，影响调查结果的因素还包括专业类型、院校性质和对专业领域的了解。
VOA慢速：Many Americans Regret Their College Choices
多数美国人后悔自己的大学选择
燕山大学 刘立军 宋葳 编写
◆TRANSCRIPT
A majority of Americans say they would change their choice of college, degree or field of study, if they could do it over again.
Gallup, an American research-based company, and the Strada Education Network reported in June that 51 percent of Americans regret one of their college education choices.
The study also found that 36 percent of Americans said they would change their major if they could. Twenty-eight percent of Americans said they would choose a different college or university. And 12 percent said they would choose a different degree program.
Precious A Smith is the Deputy Director for the Center for Academic Excellence at Howard University. Smith does not want people to think that 51 percent of American college graduates are unhappy with what they are currently doing.
She says the students "might have just made different choices if they had different information at the time they were picking a major or picking an institution to graduate from."
Students often end up choosing between a career that will make them happy and a career that will make a lot of money, she says. Many students therefore end up picking a major that they are not very satisfied with.
Beth Davis is a graduate of the University of Maryland. She says, "I went to college because everybody else was going to college."
Davis says her degree in history and English has nothing to do with her current job. She never took a business class in college but she now runs a successful construction business. She believes that on the job training may be a better option for many people.
"The things that I am interested in, I always would have learned about anyway. I didn't need a college degree to do that," she says.
STEM and technical students have fewer regrets
The poll found that there were two groups of students that were more satisfied with their educational decisions. One included students who completed trade, technical or work-related study programs. And the other included students who specialized in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, an area known in American education as STEM.
The poll also found that individuals with higher student loan debt are more likely to say they would change at least one educational decision.
Smith of Howard University says that some former students "probably didn't realize how much that loan debt was going to affect their current lifestyle."
She advises students to be flexible with their career goals. She says students need to understand that "your career goal at the end of high school and your career goal at the end of college are going to look a little bit different."
Ashley Riley is a developmental specialist at Early Intervention, a service that works with children who have developmental delays.
Riley wishes that she had more information about other majors and career options when she attended college.
Riley said it was her current job at Early Intervention that, in her words, "opened my eyes up to all of these other majors that I have never really been exposed to in my college career."
If she could go back to college again, Riley said she would have majored in occupational therapy or speech therapy instead of education and psychology.
The poll also showed that a person's desire to change their educational decisions is related to the kind of college or university they attended.
About half of students at public or state universities, which receive government money, would change at least one of their educational decisions. The number is higher for private and for-profit schools.
The research was part of a three-year study to help colleges and students complete education with a purpose.
The researchers collected information from June 29, 2016 through March 26, 2017. They spoke by telephone with over 89,000 people throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia.
I'm Mario Ritter.
And I'm Olivia Liu.
Adapted from 许多美国人后悔自己的大学选择
◆VOCABULARY
1. poll n. ( also opinion poll) the process of questioning people who are representative of a larger group in order to get information about the general opinion 民意测验；民意调查。例如：
○to carry out/conduct a poll进行民意测验
○A recent poll suggests some surprising changes in public opinion. 最近的调查反映民意有了出人意料的变化。
2. flexible adj. (approving) able to change to suit new conditions or situations 能适应新情况的；灵活的；可变动的。例如：
○a more flexible approach更灵活的方法
○flexible working hours弹性工作时间
○Our plans need to be flexible enough to cater for the needs of everyone. 我们的计划必须能够变通，以满足每个人的需要。
○You need to be more flexible and imaginative in your approach. 你的方法必须更加灵活，更富有想象力。
3. occupational therapy n. the work of an occupational therapist 职业疗法
4. speech therapy n. special treatment to help people who have problems in speaking clearly, for example in pronouncing particular sounds 言语治疗；言语矫治
◆QUESTIONS
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and check (?) the true or () false statements.
1. A majority of Americans say they would change their choice of college, degree and field of study, if they could do it over again.
2. The study shows that 51 percent of Americans regret one of their college education choices.
3. The study also found that 36 percent of Americans said they would change their major if they could. Twenty-eight percent of Americans said they would choose a different college or university. And 15 percent said they would choose a different degree program.
4. Precious A Smith does not want people to think that 51 percent of American college graduates are unhappy with what they are currently doing.
5. Davis says her degree in history and Engineer has nothing to do with her current job.
6. The poll found that STEM and technical students have fewer regrets.
7. The poll also found that individuals with higher student loan debt are more likely to say they would change at least two educational decision.
8. Smith of Howard University advises students to be flexible with their career goals.
9. Riley wishes that she had more information about other majors and career options when she attended high school.
10. If she could go back to college again, Riley said she would have majored in occupational therapy or speech therapy instead of education and psychology.
11. About half of students at public or state universities, which receive government money, would change at least one of their educational decisions. The number is lower for private and for-profit schools.
12. The researchers collected information by telephone with over 89,000 people throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia.
◆KEY
×1. A majority of Americans say they would change their choice of college, degree and field of study, if they could do it over again. (and 修改为or)
√2. The study shows that 51 percent of Americans regret one of their college education choices.
×3. The study also found that 36 percent of Americans said they would change their major if they could. Twenty-eight percent of Americans said they would choose a different college or university. And 15 percent said they would choose a different degree program. (15修改为12)
√4. Precious A Smith does not want people to think that 51 percent of American college graduates are unhappy with what they are currently doing.
×5. Davis says her degree in history and Engineering has nothing to do with her current job. (Engineering 修改为English)
√6. The poll found that STEM and technical students have fewer regrets.
×7. The poll also found that individuals with higher student loan debt are more likely to say they would change at least two educational decision. (two修改为one)
√8. Smith of Howard University advises students to be flexible with their career goals.
×9. Riley wishes that she had more information about other majors and career options when she attended high school. (high school 修改为college)
√10. If she could go back to college again, Riley said she would have majored in occupational therapy or speech therapy instead of education and psychology.
×11. About half of students at public or state universities, which receive government money, would change at least one of their educational decisions. The number is lower for private and for-profit schools. (lower 修改为higher)
√12. The researchers collected information by telephone with over 89,000 people throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia.