College must make many students more productive workers. But at least some of the apparent value of a college degree, and maybe a lot of it, reflects the fact that employers can use it as a rough measure of job applicants' intelligence and willingness to work hard.
大學必須使許多學生成為更具生產力的工人。然而，在大學學位的表面價值中，至少有一些——甚至更多——能夠反映這樣一個事實：雇主們可以把它作為一個粗略標準，衡量求職者的聰明才智和積極肯干精神。

We could probably increase the number of high school seniors who are ready to go to college and likely to make it to graduation. But let's face it: college isn't for everyone, especially if it takes the form of four years of going to classes on a campus.
我們可能會增加愿意讀大學的高中生人數，他們也很可能成功讀到大學畢業。但我們必須直面一個問題：大學不是為所有人開設的，尤其是以在校園里上4年課這樣一種形式。

To talk about college this way may sound élitist. It may even sound philistine, since the purpose of a liberal-arts education is to produce well-rounded citizens rather than productive workers.
如此談論大學也許聽上去有點精英主義的味道。它甚至顯得庸俗不堪，因為文科教育的目的是造就全面發展的公民，而不是生產性的工人。