Engineering students are (47) to be examples of practicality and rationality, but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any (48) students with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, famous reputation and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that’’s not what I did.
I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科) university that doesn’’t even offer a (49) in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with (50) and a value system to guide me in my career. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by interacting with people who weren’’t studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a sensible choice. They told me I was wise and (51) beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.
I headed off to college sure I was going to have a (n) (52) over those students who went to engineering "factories" where they didn’’t care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: (53) genius and sensitive humanist (人文学者) all in one.
Now I’’m not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideals crashed into reality, as all noble ideals eventually do. After three years of (54) to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile (协调) engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.
The (55) that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don’’t mix as easily as I assumed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways; together they (56) to confuse. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.
WORD BANK
A) advantage B) struggling C) flexibility D) mature E) technical
F) reality G) electrical H) reputation I) major J) assumed
K) supposed L) sensitive M) sensible N) balance O) threaten