Name: 波士頓與Beyond：帶你深入瞭解 Northeastern University (與 Salmaan Faraaz)！ (Boston and Beyond: Insights on Northeastern University with Salmaan Faraaz)
Uploaded: 2026-01-20T17:50:31.000Z
Duration: 19 min 39 s

Welcome back to another episode of Breaking Boundaries, the world's premier podcast for international students, or at least in the top 150.

歡迎回到 Breaking Boundaries 的最新一集，這是全球首屈一指的國際學生播客，至少在前 150 名內。

I'm John Clark with the TOEFL program and my distinguished guest today is Salman Faraz, the director of recruitment for Northeastern University in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa.

我是 TOEFL 專案的 John Clark，今天非常榮幸邀請到美國東北大學南亞、東南亞、中東、非洲地區的招募總監 Salman Faraz。

Salman, that I captured all that's correct.

I'm going to start broad and then we'll work down to the institutional level.

我會先從大方向開始，然後再深入到學校層級。

Northeastern has 20,000 international students and scholars from nearly 150 countries.

美國東北大學有來自將近 150 個國家、20,000 名的國際學生和學者。

所以這是一個規模龐大的營運。

But let me ask you first, beyond Northeastern, why study in the US I think one of the most important reasons would be about the global opportunities out there.

不過，我先問你一個問題，除了美國東北大學之外，為什麼要在美國讀書？我認為最重要的原因之一，就是那裡的全球機會。

You know, speaking about America as a landscape as, as as a place for opportunities, having so many big cities, having industry around.

你知道，說到美國這個地方，作為一個充滿機會的地方，有這麼多大城市，周圍有產業。

So at the end of the day, I mean, when you look at students coming into the US they're looking at a quality education factor, but

所以說到底，當你看學生來到美國時，他們看重的是優質的教育，但是

at the same time they're also looking at actually getting into, you know, getting some practical experience.

同時他們也在尋找實際獲得一些實務經驗。

And Northeastern has actually built on similar principles, which we call it the experiential learning.

而美國東北大學其實也是建立在類似的原則上，我們稱之為體驗式學習。

So we would love students to come in, you know, look at the theoretical aspect in the classes, but

所以我們很希望學生進來，你知道，在課堂上看看理論的部分，但是

at the same time are able to work, able to do, say, co ops internships in the US and also experience, you know, applying the theoretical knowledge into practical experience.

同時也能夠工作，能夠做，比如說，在美國實習或合作，也能體驗，你知道，將理論知識應用到實務經驗中。

So I think that opportunity is, is, is widely available in America.

所以我想這個機會，在美國是非常普遍的。

And that's one of the key aspects, I would say.

And Northeastern in particular is located in the heart of Boston.

而美國東北大學特別坐落在波士頓的中心。

If you stand on any street corner in Boston and throw a stone, you're likely to hit a Nobel Prize winner or some genius who has, who has cracked some scientific code.

如果你站在波士頓的任何街角隨便丟一顆石頭，你很可能會砸到一位諾貝爾獎得主，或是某個破解了科學密碼的天才。

And so the availability of experiential learning opportunities in Boston, I imagine, is vast.

所以我想，波士頓的體驗式學習機會肯定非常多。

I mean, Northeastern has been in Boston for more than 100 years now.

我是說，美國東北大學在波士頓已經有超過一百年的歷史了。

If you look at the history, 1898 is when the university started.

如果看看歷史，這所大學創立於1898年。

Back in the day, we started off as a school which was specialized in a few programs in engineering, and

當年，我們最初是一所專注於工程領域幾個學程的學校，

then eventually also learned the experiential model in 1909, that's when we actually started the model with about four companies on board and we've come a long way from there.

然後在1909年也學會了體驗式學習模式，那時候我們引進了這個模式，有大約四家公司參與，從那時起我們就走得很遠了。

And now Boston obviously is a city which is so vibrant, is housed to some of the top universities in the world.

而現在的波士頓顯然是一個充滿活力的城市，匯集了世界上一些頂尖的大學。

So I think the entire community out there is so young and actually is pretty much a learning Community, I would say.

所以我覺得那裡的整個社群都非常年輕，而且我會說，基本上是一個學習社群。

But also speaking about other campuses, like Northeastern has grown in the last two decades to various other campuses.

不過說到其他校區，像是美國東北大學在過去二十年裡，也擴展到了其他好幾個校區。

So in the US we have not just Boston, but

about 11 campuses out there where students can actually go and study.

還有大約十一個校區，學生們可以實際去那裡學習。

And apart from the US we also have expanded to other countries like Canada and the uk.

除了美國之外，我們也拓展到加拿大和英國等其他國家。

In Canada, we have two campuses in Toronto and Vancouver and also in the uk.

在加拿大，我們在多倫多和溫哥華有兩個校區，在英國也有。

So I think Northeastern as a whole, we also offer the global experience, the global network of campuses where students can actually study where they actually wish to.

所以我覺得美國東北大學整體來說，也提供了全球化的體驗，全球化的校區網絡，讓學生們可以實際去他們想去的地方學習。

It's funny, I was going to praise Northeastern for its geographic honesty.

很有趣，我本來想稱讚美國東北大學的地理名稱很實在。

A lot of schools have geographic directional names, but it's confusing Northeastern.

很多學校都有地理方向的名稱，但美國東北大學有點讓人困惑。

If you look at a map of the US it's truly in the northeastern corner, but

如果你看美國地圖，它確實是在東北角，但

it sounds like you have campuses worldwide.

聽起來你們好像有遍佈全球的校區。

And so it's many, many opportunities abound.

所以這代表了許許多多的機會。

And on a personal note, I know that you also studied as an international student in the US you went to a more geographically confusing school, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which is not in Indiana but in Pennsylvania.

而且說到個人經驗，我知道你也是在美國以國際學生的身份唸書，你唸了一所地理位置比較讓人困惑的學校，印第安納大學，它不在印第安納州，而是在賓夕法尼亞州。

Going back to your own experience, what was your experience like journeying to the US As a student?

回到你自己的經驗，你剛到美國求學時，你的旅程經驗是怎麼樣的呢？

I mean, some of the things, I mean, obviously as a kid being brought up in India, it was always a dream to actually go out there and study in one of the countries which is so advanced and also kind of getting that experience of actually studying abroad.

我的意思是，有些事情，我的意思是，很明顯地，從小在印度長大，能夠到那樣一個先進的國家唸書，並獲得留學的經驗，一直都是我的夢想。

And for me, I think the experience in the US was more so, also about academic differences, which could be, say, I think the education is quite more practical compared to what I studied in India and also with the opportunities I got actually after graduating or even while graduating and doing these internships.

對我來說，我覺得在美國的經驗，更多的是學術上的差異，我想，跟我在印度唸書相比，這裡的教育更為實際，而且還有我在畢業後或甚至在學期間，實習所獲得的機會。

And also the experience of actually meeting people from various parts of the world, because I believe, I think we are living in a global world today and it's important to connect with people from all over.

還有就是認識來自世界各地的人們的經驗，因為我相信，我認為我們現在生活在全球化的世界裡，與來自各地的人們建立連結非常重要。

So in my class I actually met people from, from, from Africa, from, from East Asia, from the Middle East.

所以我在班上認識了來自非洲、東亞、中東的人。

So I was actually exposed to different cultures that also gave me that confidence to kind of work with people from all over the world.

所以我接觸到了不同的文化，這也給了我信心，能夠與來自世界各地的人們共事。

And I actually, on a long note, I would say in my career I was able to deal with people better because I understood what, what the expectations were like, how the communication would work.

而且我其實，總的來說，我會說在我職涯中，我更能與人相處，因為我瞭解他們的期望是什麼，溝通會如何進行。

I think all of that really connected the dots and I think my decision to, to study abroad was actually a really good one.

我覺得這一切都讓事情變得更清楚，而且我認為我出國留學的決定，其實是很棒的。

Yeah, I, I like that you mentioned the social components.

In my experience at both undergraduate and graduate level, I loved my international student friends and I often learned more from them than inside the classroom.

以我大學和研究所的經驗來說，我非常喜歡我的國際學生朋友們，而且我常常從他們身上學到的比在教室裡學到的還多。

But you mentioned something interesting, this idea of the practicality of the education here.

但你提到了一個很有趣的點，就是這裡教育的實用性。

Could you dive into that a little bit more for those that are bound for the US what was different about the classroom experience in your eyes?

對於即將前往美國的人，你能不能多談一點，在你眼中教室裡的學習經驗有什麼不同？

So one of the things was about the way the classrooms were set up.

所以其中一個是關於教室的設置方式。

That's one of the first things I noticed.

There was a cohort and our students can actually come into the class which are designed.

有一個班級，我們的學生其實可以進來上課，這些課程是設計好的。

You can pick up your teachers, you can pick up your courses and then you come in.

你可以選擇你的老師，選擇你的課程，然後再進來。

The flexibility of the curriculum and the flexibility of choosing your professors.

課程的彈性以及選擇教授的彈性。

That's the number one thing which I loved about.

You're going to be working with their research, which is going on.

你會參與他們正在進行的研究。

So that was the first aspect which really excited me.

所以這是我第一個覺得很興奮的面向。

The second thing was about how we could actually attend the lectures.

第二點是關於我們實際上要怎麼去上課。

And for every one hour of lecture, I remember going back to library and at least studying for four hours, which meant that there's so many things you gotta figure out yourself and actually dive into it.

我記得每上一小時的課，我就會回圖書館至少念四小時，這代表有很多東西需要自己去摸索，然後深入研究。

The curiosity which the professors kind of built in the class, which was amazing, I mean, unlikely.

教授們在課堂上激發的好奇心，真的很棒，前所未見。

Back home in India, we used to see it was more of a coursework oriented study where it was more of like subjects, a lot of information given and then expect it to be remembered.

在印度老家，我們以前看到的是比較偏向課程導向的學習，比較像是給很多科目、很多資訊，然後期待我們記住。

Whereas here it was more of doing more research by yourself.

但這裡更像是要自己多做研究。

The second thing was also about the office hours which.

Which really made sense to kind of go back and find the faculty and meet them and ask their doubts, which you had with them.

這真的很有意義，可以回去找教授們，跟他們見面，問他們的問題，你遇到的疑難雜症。

So which gave you more liberty and time to even go back, do the research for those four hours and then even when you have doubts, come back to the professor and kind of clarify those things.

所以這讓你更有彈性，也有更多時間回去，花那四小時做研究，然後即使有疑問，也能回來找教授，釐清那些問題。

So I really love the part and also the grading system is amazing, wherein it's just not about a test, which you do at the end, but

所以我真的很喜歡這部分，而且評分制度也很棒，它不只是關於最後的考試，

moresoever about how much work you put in.

There was also the group work and we used to work in groups and do projects, mini projects that also kind of really helped us build friendships between the peers.

還有小組作業，我們會分組一起做專案，像是小型專案，這也真的幫助我們建立同學之間的友誼。

So all these aspects kind of really were very different from how it is back home.

所以這些方面都跟我們在國內的學習方式很不一樣。

And then I love the experience of studying there.

我也很喜歡在那裡讀書的經驗。

I want to highlight one thing you mentioned.

我想特別強調你剛才提到的一點。

One mistake I made in college early on was not taking those faculty office hours seriously.

我大學初期犯的一個錯誤，就是沒有認真利用教授的辦公時間。

我覺得那樣會造成他們的困擾。

But as my classes grew smaller and more specialized, I Learned junior year that they're there to help.

但隨著我的課程越來越小班制、越來越專精，我在大三時學到，他們其實是來幫忙的。

And that's my piece of unsolicited advice to students, is early on, take advantage of those faculty office hours.

這是我給學生的無償建議：早期就要好好把握教授的辦公時間。

The other thing that echoed with me is your note on no one takes attendance.

另一件讓我很受啟發的是你提到沒有人點名。

And most of the international students that I interact with are very ambitious, very organized, but

而我接觸到的國際學生大多都很有企圖心、很有條理，

that can be kind of unnerving or on mooring to have the freedom.

但擁有這種自由有時候會讓人有點不安或不知所措。

You said flexibility, but you really do have a lot of freedom with class selection and attendance.

你說有彈性，但其實在選課和出席方面，你們確實有很大的自由。

Many international students, you mentioned that you have a very diverse student body this year, more than 800 students from Africa.

很多國際學生，你提到今年有非常多元的學生群體，有超過八百位來自非洲的學生。

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波士頓與Beyond：帶你深入瞭解 Northeastern University (與 Salmaan Faraaz)！ (Boston and Beyond: Insights on Northeastern University with Salmaan Faraaz)

absolutely

opportunity

vast

experience