My son, who made the dean's list in his freshman year at ball state university in muncie, ind., called home a few weeks after starting his sophomore year as a psychology student.

"mom," he said excitely, "i have found the answer to surviving college! it isn't the grades that are so important, but the quality of what is learned and how it is applied to daily life. i'm lucky to be having these wonderful experiences!"

"and just what does this mean?" i asked.

"i'm flunking math," he replied.

我儿子是印第安那市曼西尔波州立大学的学生，大学一年级就上了系主任的名单。第二年他学心理学，刚几个星期他就给家里打了个电话。

“妈妈，”他激动地说：“我找到了如何在大学里生存下去的答案！重要的不是分数，而是具备将学到的知识应用于日常生活的素质。我很幸运地有了这种奇妙的经历。”

“你到底是什么意思？”我问道。

“我数学没及格。”他回答说。