AEE 第5集：美国大学值得如此高昂的学费吗？

这是《All Ears English》播客的第五期。

This is an All Ears English Podcast episode five.

在美国上大学，值这个价吗？

Is college in The US worth the price?

欢迎收听《All Ears English》播客，在这里，你将真正听到地道的英语对话，提升商务和生活中的英语流利度。

Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast where you'll finally get real native English conversation and fluency for business and life.

我们相信，学英语的关键在于交流，而不是完美。

We believe in connection, not perfection when it comes to learning English.

接下来是你们的主持人——英语冒险家琳赛·麦马洪，和纽约电台女孩米歇尔·卡普兰，她们从波士顿和纽约市为大家带来本期节目。

Now here are your hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl coming to you from Boston and New York City, USA.

美国大学的学费一直在持续上涨。

The price of college in The United States just keeps going up.

这真的值得吗？

Is it worth it?

今天，琳赛和米歇尔分享了她们的看法，帮你判断如果考虑出国留学，该怎么做出最适合自己的选择。

Today, Lindsay and Michelle shared their opinions so that you can make the best decision for yourself if you are thinking about studying abroad.

你脑子里还在把母语翻译成英语吗？

Are you still translating from your native language into English in your head?

是不是总分不清各种时态？

Are you always getting confused between the different grammar tenses?

咱们来弄清楚你最需要改进的地方。

Let's figure out what you need to work on.

去 allearsenglish.com/fluencyscore 做个五分钟的测试，看看你现在的英语水平。

Find your current English level with our five minute quiz at allearsenglish.com/fluencyscore.

嗨，米歇尔。

Hey, Michelle.

最近怎么样？

How's it going?

有什么事吗？

What's going on?

嗨，林赛。

Hey, Lindsay.

挺好。

Good.

你怎么样？

How are you?

天哪。

Oh my god.

能回来和你一起录节目，我太兴奋了。

I'm excited to be back on the mic recording with you.

我们每次做这个节目都特别开心。

We always have fun on this show.

这才是最重要的。

That's what it's all about.

对吧？

Right?

当然了。

Definitely.

当然了。

Definitely.

这真的很有趣。

It's a fun I

我知道。

know.

我们刚才在聊，几年前咱们都还在上学。

So we were just talking about, you know, a few years ago, we were both we were in school.

我去读了研究生。

I went to graduate school.

我去上了大学。

I went to college.

你也是。

You did too.

今天先快速问个问题。

Here's the question for today, real quick.

你觉得现在在美国上大学，值这个价吗？

Do you think that at this point, college in The US is worth the price?

大学真的挺贵的。

College is really expensive.

我觉得吧，这中间有种社会压力。

I think I think there is a social pressure.

对。

Mhmm.

我觉得上大学还是有好处的，至少简历上看起来很重要。

And I think it's worth it in the sense of like, see it as an as very important on a resume.

哦。

Oh.

但从性价比来说，它真的每一分钱都值得吗？

Do I actually think dollar for dollar, it's always worth the price?

这个我也不太确定。

Like, do I'm not sure.

你觉得呢？

What do you think?

说得对，米歇尔。

Good point, Michelle.

你说得没错。

You're right.

社会上有一种观念，觉得简历上必须要有学士学位。

So there's this societal thing that says you have to have a bachelor's degree on your resume.

不。

No.

从性价比来看，我真的不觉得值。

Dollar for dollar, I really don't think so.

我觉得我们现在在美国为大学支付的很多钱，其实买的是整个体验。

I think a lot of what we're paying for in The US right now for college is the experience.

就像18岁离开家，开始独立成年，但在大学校园里，你其实还没真正成年。

It's like this whole leave the home at 18 and break out as an adult, but you're not really an adult on a college campus.

对吧？

Right?

你住在食堂吃饭。

You're eating in a dining hall.

你住在宿舍里。

You're living in a dorm.

这算是个过渡阶段。

Kind of an in between step.

所以我觉得，我们付的钱其实是为这个从孩子到成人的过渡阶段买单，还觉得这是成长的必经之路。

So I think we're paying for that in between step between childhood and adulthood, and we think it's a rite of passage.

但要是单论教育本身呢，Michelle，你觉得大学里真正学到的知识值不值？

But the education itself, Michelle, what do you think about if it's just the education, like, what you learned in college?

这里说的只是本科阶段。

This is just talking about undergraduate.

研究生的事儿咱们改天再聊。

We can talk another day about graduate school.

是的。

Yeah.

我同意你的看法。

I I agree with you.

我觉得大学教会我的更多是怎么做一个真正的人。

I think it's a lot just learning about, like, how to be a person.

是的。

Yeah.

当我回想我的课程，我主修戏剧，确实挺喜欢的，各方面都还不错。

Like, I I when I think about my classes, and I I studied theater, and, you know, I I I enjoyed it and everything.

但我也不确定。

But I I don't know.

我觉得研究生阶段反而更有用。

I feel like grad school was more useful.

明白了。

Okay.

挺有意思的。

Interesting.

所以更贴近你现在做的事，因为你

So more applicable to what you're doing now, because you

是啊，没错。

Well, yeah.

而且我还稍微转了下行。

I mean, and I also did like a slight a bit of a career change.

所以很明显，虽然换了方向，但我本质上还是个搞表演的人

So like, obviously, like, to my but but in the same sense, like, I am a theatrical person

你和那些

You and those

这些技能在做播客时也用得上。

skills apply to what I am doing on the podcast.

确实派得上用场。

They apply to Oh, yeah.

教学。

Teaching.

这些技能用处可大了。

They apply to a lot.

所以我不能说那些课白上了，说实话，真的特别值得。

So I can't I can't say that it was, like I mean, it's definitely, like, worth it, like, the classes that I had.

说到戏剧专业，大家都知道这行赚不了多少钱。

As far as, like, you know, theater major, like, it's not, like, known for, like, making a lot of money.

是的。

Yeah.

没错。

No.

当然了。

For sure.

关键是你最终成了什么样的人。

So it all is who you become.

我是说，我同意。

I mean, I agree.

你在节目里的声音特别棒。

You have a great voice on the show.

谢谢。

Thank you.

其中一部分来自你的教育背景，不过我想确认一下，我们的听众清楚我们说的是本科阶段吧？

And some of that came from your education, your But undergraduate I just wanna make sure our listeners know what we're talking about.

对吧？

Right?

现在美国私立大学一年的平均学费是多少，米歇尔，你猜得到吗？

You know, right now right now, the average cost for the school year at a private college in The US was can you guess it, Michelle?

你能猜出私立大学的平均学费是多少吗？

Can you guess how much it costs, the average cost for a private university?

就是私立学校的费用。

For private?

是的

Yeah.

大概四万美元左右吗？

Is it around 40,000?

是的

Yeah.

是41411美元。

It's 41,411.

对于本州居民来说，公立大学的费用便宜多了。

For a state college for in state residents, it's a lot cheaper.

只要一万一千美元。

It's 11,000.

但如果你是外州学生上公立大学，那就是两万六千美元。

But if you're going to a state school and you're coming from out of state, it's 26,000.

这些数字可都不小。

So these are big numbers.

对吧？

Right?

而且有些学校的学费

And some of them are all

高到

the way to the

它们的费用非常高。

They're huge.

贵得

Mean,

是的。

yeah.

我的意思是，我觉得总体来说

I mean, I do think that overall

如果问我这个问题，而且只能回答是或不是，值不值得？

I think if you're asking me, and I can only give a yes or no answer, is it worth it or not?

我会说值得。

I would say yes.

对。

Yeah.

你觉得呢？

What would you say?

是的，我觉得还是值得的。

Yeah, think it's still worth it.

这不过是你原本就该达到的基本标准。

It's still just a baseline you expected.

我的意思是，我们在All Ears English招人的时候，就会看这一点，至少本科学历是基本门槛。

I mean, when we hire at All Ears English to build our team, we look for that, at least that undergraduate It's a baseline.

你至少得有这个才能勉强过关。

You just, you need it just to get by.

这是其中一项

It's one of

这些条件。

those things.

对。

Yeah.

我觉得对我们的听众来说，我的建议是，有学历固然好，但光有还不够。

I also think my advice for our listeners would be, it's good, but it's not enough.

对吧？

Right?

先把学位拿到手。

Get it.

拿到本科学历，但之后还要去学一门有高价值的技能。

Get your bachelor's, but then get trained in something of high value.

如果你能进入计算机软件领域，比如成为软件工程师，那就尽快专精于某个高价值的方向。

If you can go into computer software, software engineers, something that's very, like, high value of become a specialist in something as quickly as you can.

这就是我的看法。

That's what I would say.

我觉得我们的教育体系总说要成为通才，掌握各种技能。

I think our education system says become a generalist, get all these skills.

是的。

Yeah.

但很快之后，就要转向掌握一项难以获得的高价值专长。

But very soon after, become a specialist in a highly valued skill that's not easy to acquire.

这就是我的建议。

That's what I would say.

但你也会听到一些故事，比如很多人退学了，马克·扎克伯格不就是退学的吗？

But then there you know, you hear these stories of, you know, a lot of, like, you know, people who have dropped out of I mean, didn't Mark Zuckerberg drop out

当然了。

of Oh, for sure.

但我觉得，没错。

But I think yeah.

我们崇拜的、认可的，就是这种故事，心里想：天啊，这才是梦想。

So that's, like, what we that's our what we worship, what we we recognize, and we say, oh, man, that's the dream.

但我认为这只是个例外。

I think that's the exception, though.

比尔·盖茨，对吧？

Bill Gates, Right?

这些人都属于天才级别。

And These guys, they were like geniuses.

人家是自己创造了公司。

They invented a company.

他们运气也真好。

They got lucky.

赶上了好时候。

Right time.

对吧？

Right?

靠的是创新。

Innovation.

所以我觉得这并不是普遍情况。

So I don't think that's the rule.

是的。

Yeah.

不对。

No.

我同意你的看法。

I I agree with you.

但确实也有一些职业，不需要大学文凭也能赚不少钱。我觉得大家也该认识到，上大学并不总是最佳选择。

But then there are also certain, like, trades that you can be in without a college degree that can make you a So lot of I think it also, like, we like, people should recognize that, like, college may not always be, like, the right thing.

没错。

Like Yeah.

咱们得坦诚面对这一点。

Think, you know, we have to be honest about that.

如果你做别的事能赚更多，而且你也喜欢，那确实，那就可以作为基本考量了。

Like, if if you could make more money doing something else and you like it, like, yeah, it is kind of the baseline.

我觉得我们确实得承认，不是每条路都适合每个人。

I think that we do need to recognize that not everything is right for every person.

说实话，我觉得这种以学历为标准的做法挺让人遗憾的。别人没上过大学，就被看不起，可人家赚的钱可能比你多得多。

And I'm kind of sorry that it's the baseline, actually, I don't think that it's right if other people are you know, looked at like, oh, you're like, you know, you didn't get a college degree, and it's like, well, but they could be making more money than you.

是的。

Yeah.

我现在确实觉得得有学位才行，但你说得对，米歇尔。

I mean, I think that might be true right now that you need that degree, but I think you're right, Michelle.

我觉得以后趋势会变，那种通识教育、文科类的学位，可能会慢慢变得没那么重要了。

I think things are gonna start to move in the direction that this general college degree, the the, what do you call it, liberal arts degree, is gonna become a little obsolete.

因为学费实在太高了，根本负担不起。

It's just gonna become unaffordable.

对。

Yeah.

没错。

Yeah.

你懂的。

You know?

所以未来会更注重培养新技能，通过在线学习来提升。

So then it's gonna be about specializing in new skills for the future, learning online.

对吧？

Right?

未来十年到十五年，会有太多令人兴奋的变化。

There's so much cool stuff that's gonna happen in the next ten or fifteen years.

我真期待看到那一天。

I can't wait to see it.

当然。

Definitely.

当然。

Definitely.

是的。

Yeah.

说得真好，琳赛。

Good stuff, Lindsay.

说得真好。

Good stuff.

我还得确保我们的听众都知道。

And I got I wanna make sure our listeners know.

朋友们，记得订阅。

Guys, hit subscribe.

关注这个播客。

Hit follow on this podcast.

如果你刚找到我们，可别错过下一期。

Because if you've just found us, you don't wanna miss our next episode.

我们接下来会推出很多期内容。

We've got tons of we're gonna have tons of episodes here.

一起来踏上这段追求连接、而非完美的旅程吧。

So join us on this journey to connection, not perfection.

对吧，米歇尔？

Right, Michelle?

所谓‘连接而非完美’，这到底是什么意思？

What does that mean, connection, not perfection?

因为说实话，这含义太深了，简单说就是，我特别理解，很多人总忍不住盯着词汇表、盯着课本，特别紧张，生怕出错。

Because, well, I mean, wow, it means so much, but basically is you want to you know, there's so many times I know it's tempting to stare at that vocabulary list, stare at that textbook, and, you know, to really focus on those things and get really nervous about it.

一旦犯了错，就特别焦虑、沮丧。

And get really nervous and upset if you make a mistake.

是的。

Yes.

但这恰恰不是All Ears English想提倡的。

But that's not what All Ears English is here for.

我们的理念完全不同。

We are we have a different mindset.

我们首先看重的是人与人之间的真正交流。

We have this mindset of we're focusing first on the connection.

对的。

Mhmm.

你不需要完美，也能建立联系。

And you don't have to be perfect to make those connections.

难道这不正是关键所在吗——建立联系？

And isn't that what it's all about to make the connections?

你不需要完美。

You don't have to be perfect.

当然，我们希望你能表现得好。

Obviously, we wanna be good.

我们会陪着你一路前行，给你提供很多实用的方法。

We're gonna you know, we're along this journey, we will be helping you, giving you lots of tools.

但核心就是建立联系。

But the main idea is to connect.

没错。

Exactly.

这是人与人之间的连接，米歇尔。

It's human connection, Michelle.

说得太好了。

So well said.

我觉得今天这一部分可以到这里结束了。

I think we can finish that off today for this one.

谢谢你陪我们一起。

Thanks for hanging out.

好的。

Alright.

琳赛，再见。

Lindsay, bye.

保重。

Take care.

再见。

Bye.

感谢收听《All Ears English》。

Thanks for listening to All Ears English.

如果你相信连接胜过完美，那就去你常用的播客平台关注我们，别错过任何一期。

And if you believe in connection, not perfection, follow our show wherever you listen to podcasts to make sure you don't miss anything.

下次见。

See you next time.