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U.S. business schools have spent years courting international students. Now that they've arrived─more than a third of M.B.A. students at many top schools hail from overseas─the institutions are struggling to keep up with their diverse demands.
多年来，美国各大商学院一直在努力拉拢国际学生。很多学生被招揽了过来──许多顶尖商学院的MBA学生中有三分之一以上都来自海外──如今各学院又开始竭力满足这些学生多种多样的需求。
It's a daunting task: Some international students have never participated in a classroom discussion, while others may have outsize expectations about job opportunities in the U.S.
这是一项令人生畏的工作：有些国际学生从未参与过课堂讨论，还有一些学生则可能对美国的工作机会抱有超高期望。
Many schools already invest heavily in preterm orientation programs for international students, which can include help with a housing search, opening a local bank account or obtaining a cellphone. Some match foreign students with faculty mentors to tackle homesickness and offer academic advice throughout their time on campus.
许多商学院已对面向国际学生的开学前适应项目予以大量投入，其中包括帮助学生找房子、开设一个本地银行账户、获取一部手机，等等。有些商学院还为外籍学生安排教员担任导师，帮助他们处理想家的问题，并在他们整个在校期间提供学术方面的指导。
But some students may need more time to adjust. Ivan Kerbel, former director of the career development office at Yale School of Management, is betting that a three-week pre-orientation preparation program can minimize the burden placed on school administrators and help students get settled just a little earlier.
但有些学生可能需要更长的适应时间。曾担任耶鲁管理学院(Yale School of Management)职业发展处主任的伊万?科贝尔(Ivan Kerbel)正在筹备一个为期三周的适应项目前的预备计划，他认为这一计划能够将学校行政管理者承受的负担减到最轻，能帮助国际学生提前一些适应下来。
'Even if there's boot-camp training at Marine Corps orientation, you don't want to arrive having never done a push-up,' says Mr. Kerbel.
科贝尔说：“尽管海军陆战队的适应项目中有新兵训练营，但是你总不想到那儿之前连俯卧撑都没做过一个吧。”
Starting in July, Mr. Kerbel's new company, Practice LLC, will offer courses in five areas: academic preparation, career development, language and cultural orientation, software and library research skills and personal performance.
从今年7月份开始，科贝尔新成立的公司Practice LLC将为MBA新生提供五个方面的课程，分别是：学业准备、职业发展、语言与文化适应、软件与图书馆资料检索技能，个人绩效。
The Practice M.B.A. classes, which will meet at the University of Washington in Seattle, are open to international students and those with nonbusiness backgrounds. Students are expected to sign up for at least three of those five subjects, with a price tag of $1,580 per course.
Practice提供的这些课程将在西雅图的华盛顿大学(University of Washington)推出，面向国际学生以及无商科背景的学生。每名学生最少要申请其中三个方面的课程，每门课程的收费为1,580美元。
Jasmine He, a second-year M.B.A. student at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business, says she would have liked more than just a few days to adjust, as she struggled to join in classroom exchanges and conduct small talk with recruiters.
Jasmine He是达特茅斯学院(Dartmouth College)塔克商学院(Tuck School of Business)的MBA二年级生，她说她当初就没指望自己在短短几天时间内就能适应下来，因为她在参与课堂交流以及与招聘者闲聊时都有些吃力。
Professional networking is of particular concern for many foreign nationals.
此外，职业社交圈也是许多外籍学生特别关心的事情。
During orientation, Tuck's career-services office advises international students on which companies might hire visa-dependent students, and provides pointers on happy hour mingling and the importance of a firm handshake.
在适应项目期间，塔克商学院的就业服务处会告知学生哪些企业会聘请需要工作签证的学生并提供相关建议，告诉他们在欢乐时光中如何与人交际的点子，跟学生说明坚定有力地与人握手的重要性。
Ms. He, who lived exclusively in China before starting at Tuck the fall of 2011, found a preterm sailing trip with other domestic and international students useful for practicing English and learning cultural quirks, but she said 'one week is definitely not enough.' She didn't attend the optional five-day session for students without prior experience in North America.
在2011年秋季开始到塔克商学院读MBA之前，He一直生活在中国。她去参加了一个有美国学生及国际学生参与的开学前航海旅行，它对锻炼英语和学习文化习俗有帮助，但是她觉得一周的时间显然还不够。她没有参加过可选修的针对以前无北美生活经验的学生开设的五天课程。
Not all students need the extra help. While an increasing share of students hold foreign passports, many also have prior school or work experience in the U.S. And schools are beefing up their foundational courses in finance and operations to bring nontraditional students up to speed, too.
不是所有学生都需要额外帮助。虽然越来越多的学生持有的是外国护照，但其中许多人以前就有在美国学习或工作的经验。此外，各商学院也在加强他们的金融及管理方面的基础课程以使非常规学生赶上进度。
As a result, Mr. Kerbel's venture caters to a relatively small portion of the M.B.A. population. But he says he's not concerned, since many business students are keen for a competitive advantage.
如此看来，科贝尔的企业只迎合了较少一部分MBA学生的需求。不过他表示他并不为此担忧，因为有许多MBA学生迫切希望提高自己的竞争优势。
Attendance at Columbia Business School's daylong, optional orientation for international students suggests he is right. Though many foreign students have studied or worked in the U.S., about 90% still show up for the dedicated programming, says Megan Carley, senior associate dean of student life.
从哥伦比亚商学院(Columbia Business School)面向国际学生的时间为一整天的可选适应项目的出勤率看来，他的看法是对的。该学院负责学生生活事务的高级副院长梅根?卡利(Megan Carley)称，尽管许多外籍学生曾在美国学习或工作，仍然有90%左右的学生参加了这个项目。
Duke University's Fuqua School of Business also sees significant demand for its three-week language and culture primer. That school, where 40% of the daytime M.B.A. class is international, hosts 80 to 100 foreign students each July to help them refresh their English communication skills and prepare for life in North Carolina. The language program costs students an additional $4,065─slightly less than three courses at Practice M.B.A.
杜克大学(Duke University)福库商学院(Fuqua School of Business)为期三周的语言与文化初级课程需求量也非常地大。该商学院40%的全日制班学生为国际学生，学院每年7月集合80名至100名国际学生帮助他们提高英语沟通技能并为接下来在北卡罗来纳的生活做好准备。语言项目另外收取4,065美元学费，比Practice的三门课程的费用略低一些。
'We don't want them to fail for lack of a few days' attention, or a few weeks' attention, on the front end,' says Russ Morgan, associate dean for the daytime M.B.A.
福库商学院负责全日制MBA班的副院长拉斯?摩根(Russ Morgan)说：“我们不希望看到他们因为错过这几天或是几星期时间的帮助而在起跑线上就落后了。”
