Hi, PART 1 - regarding international studies I'm English and about to finish secondary school and begin my 'A' levels. I am interested in taking a degree at university after going to sixth form college and would be interested in going abroad to study either law or English, however I know nothing about this kind of opportunity. If you are an international student or know about this area of education I would like to know more about the process, which universities offer this type of course, what qualifications are required and any other information (including your personal opinion on international education). PART 2 - regarding the American Education System The second thing is, can someone please explain the American Education System? In England you go to infant school at 4 year of age, then on to junior school at 7, then to secondary school at 11 until you are 16 (G.C.S.E exams) . Then you have the choice to go to college at 16 for 2 years to do further education ('A' levels, etc) and after this you can apply to university if you want to in order to take a degree (which takes 2 - 5 years). I'm confused about the system in America because people keep mentioning college and graduation and graduate school!!!! Could someone please explain where you go to take different exams and at which age, etc. Thank you very much You can send any information to xqb49@dial.pipex.com Once again thanks for taking the time out to help me and good luck for the new year...whatever exams and qualifications you are taking!!!! Laura
Hello Laura! > PART 2 - regarding the American Education System > The second thing is, can someone please explain the American Education > System? In England you go to infant school at 4 year of age, then on to > junior school at 7, then to secondary school at 11 until you are 16 > (G.C.S.E > exams) . Then you have the choice to go to college at 16 for 2 years to do > further education ('A' levels, etc) and after this you can apply to > university if you want to in order to take a degree (which takes 2 - 5 > years). > I'm confused about the system in America because people keep mentioning > college and graduation and graduate school!!!! > Could someone please explain where you go to take different exams and at > which age, etc. > I'll do my best here to try to explain the American educational system - it's both simple and complicated :) Depending upon what state you live in, you go to school starting around age 5. The first year is "kindergarten." Then, after a year in kindergarten (which is typically only half-days, about 4 hours a day), you start "grade school." Also sometimes called "elementary school" or "primary school." This is most commonly from grade 1 through grade 6, but sometimes can be through grade 8 or 9. (Each "grade" is equal to a year.) Sometimes, grades 6-8 or 6-9 are at a "middle" school, or a "junior high school." Grades 9-12 are done at a "high school." All students in America are expected to complete kindergarten, then grades 1-12. Most high schools are setup for grades 9-12, but sometimes it's 10-12 or even 8-12, though rarely. Typically, grade 9 is your "freshman" year, 10 is "sophmore", 11 is "junior" and 12 is "senior." After you complete your 12th year, you "graduate" and receive a "high school diploma." Most states have laws that require you attend school at least until you are 16 years of age, but some states allow you to quit when you are 14 or 15 years old. There are no laws that I'm aware of that require you to complete your high school education, although not to do so would be detrimental to your earning abilities :) Generally, most students graduate high school when they are 17 or 18 years old. If for some reason you decide to quit high school, you can take a test known as the "General Equivalency Diploma." When you pass this test, you receive your "GED" - this is accepted by most employers and colleges exactly the same as a full high school diploma would have been. When you have graduated high school, you have the choice of going to college. Traditionally, "college" is a two-year school, often called "community college" or "junior college" where you study for either a Certificate in a specific area (usually taking 6 months to a year) or an "Associates" degree. Usually, you could go for an "Associates in Science" degree or an "Associates in Arts" degree. Generally, Associates in Science degrees prepare you for the working world immediately upon "graduation," and Associates in Arts degrees prepare you to finish a four-year program, and allow you to transfer to a full "university." Just like in high school, the first year is Freshman, second Sophomore, third Junior, and fourth, Senior year. University almost always means a four-year school where you pursue a Bachelors degree. Generally, a Bachelors degree takes four years. Since traditionally the first two years of studying for a Bachelors degree consists of taking classes in the liberal arts (math, science, history, humanities, english, and other required "core" courses), students often go to a "junior" college or a "community" college for the first two years and get their "associates" degree. They do this primarily because it's significantly less expensive than spending the first two years at a full University. The 3rd and 4th year of studying for a Bachelor's degree are spent studying your "major" - your area or field of study. For example, if you were a Computer Science major wanting to be a teacher, your 3rd and 4th year in college or university would be spent taking classes like Logic, Systems Analysis, C++ Language Programming, Flowcharting, etc. Over time, just to make things confusing, here in America we use the word "college" interchangably with the word "university." When someone says they are going to "college" it could mean they are going to a 2-year school or a 4-year school, but if they say they are going to "university" they are going to a 4-year school. The reason for this is pretty simple - it's easier to say "college" than "university", and saying "I'm going to university" sounds so pretentious :) When you "graduate" college with a Bachelors' degree, you have the option if you choose of pursing "graduate" studies - further education in your "major." This is done by very few students overall. Graduate school is confusing even to me :) When you are in graduate school, you may be pursuing your "Masters" degree, or your "Doctorate". I think their might be other levels - they all basically depend upon the amount of years you are spending in "Graduate" school and also your major. Master's degrees generally take about 2 years, and Doctorate degrees around 4 years, although this can vary drastically. When I first went to college, I was studying Nursing. I had two choices: I could have gone to Community college and after two years, received my "Associates" degree and been licensed as a "LPN" - Licensed Practical Nurse. Or I could have gone to University and after two years, receive my "BSN" - Bachelors in Science in Nursing, and been licensed as a "RN" - Registered Nurse. The biggest difference between the two was starting salaries were much higher for RN's than LPN's. After receiving my "BSN" if I chose, I could have gone to "graduate" school and pursued a "masters" degree in nursing, and earned even more money upon graduation. But, due to the high cost of education after high school in America, I was unable to finish any degree program, and to this day, am still trying to finish my degree - although my major has changed quite a few times :) Unlike in many other countries, college or university students in America can change their "major" pretty much at any time. You can enter college with intention of getting a Computer Science bachelors degree and then in your third year, change your major to Biology. You might end up in school for an extra year or two, however. You can also start college or university at ANY age. You do not have to be fresh out of high school, you can even be 65 years old if you want. You can also pursue more than one degree - for example, you might have graduated university when you were 22 years old with a Bachelors degree as a Nursing major, and then when you were 35, decide to "go back to school" and get another Bachelor's degree in History - you would be "credited" for your prior studies, and would generally only have to spend about two years to receive an additional bachelor's degree. To make things a bit more confusing, we also have "majors" and "minors" when you are in University. A "major" is the area you are primarily studying in. A "minor" is a secondary area you are studying in. For example, you can "major" in business, and "minor" in economics. A minor is basically "extra" learning in a particular area, usually somewhat related to your major. Generally, minor's are completed with 6 or 8 classes - about a half-year of study. The educational year in a college or university is most commonly broken down into "semesters." Fall semester is usually September through December, about 16 weeks, and Spring semester is usually January through May, also about 16 weeks. Most students go to both Fall and Spring semester. Summer Semesters are also available at most schools, but are usually optional and taken by students who wish to finish their degree in 3 years instead of 4. Summer semesters are usually two 6-week intensive sessions, and usually you take 2 classes in each session, four hours a day five days a week. Or one 12-week relatively intensive session where you take four classes (for example, history, math, english, and chemistry) five days a week for 1.5 hours each class. Some colleges and universities are on the "quarter" system, where the year is divided into four "quarters" - usually around 8 weeks each, from September through May. Some are on the "trimester" system, where the year is divided into three semesters, usually 10-12 weeks each, from September through May. Sometimes classes start in August and run through April, sometimes September through April, it can vary quite a bit. We do not have anything like your "A" levels here in America, although in some individual States, you might be required to pass a "standardized" test in order to receive your high school diploma and graduate high school. When I was a high school student in Florida, I was required to pass what was called the "Literacy Test." This was an incredibly simple test that made sure I had a basic understanding of reading, writing, and arithmatic. It was my belief at the time that I could have passed the test when I was still in 5th grade - yet 30% of the students who took the test that year (the first year it was required) failed it. Frightening, eh? In order to be accepted into a university (four year program leading to a Bachelors' degree) you often have to take what are known as the ACT or SAT tests. These are comparable to your "A" levels, I think - but are NOT mandatory or required by the State or Federal government. These tests are offered to all high school students in their Junior or Senior year - usually Senior (last year, 12th grade), and there is a fee to take the tests. I believe you can take the tests as many times as you want, in order to improve your score. Different universities have different requirments - some require you take the SAT test, others the ACT, some require yet a different test called the SAT II. Some universities do not require any of these tests. Generally, colleges (meaning two-year colleges, community colleges) do NOT require the ACT or SAT test in order to be admitted. The overwhelming majority of two-year colleges operate on the "open admissions" principle. If you have a high school diploma, a GED, or are over a certain age (sometimes as low as 23) you are admitted, although you might be required to take some remedial classes that do not "count" towards your Associates degree in order to get your educational skills up to the level needed to participate in the classes that are required for an Associates degree. Here's a breakdown by years in school: Kindergarten: Generally started when you are 5 years old. 1-8 years after Kindergarten: Grade school, elementary school, primary school 6-8 years after kindergarten: Occasionally called Middle School or Junior High School 9-12 years after kindergarten: High School. Generally 17 or 18 years old when you graduate (complete, finish) Kindergarten through High School is somewhat mandatory for all students. 13-14 years after kindergarten: College, Junior College, Community College Can also be done in University 13-16 years after kindergarten: University (usually 22 years old when graduating) 17-22 or more years: Graduate school Boy, this ended up being a LOT longer than I anticipated!! :) I hope it helps! By the way, I like your name! Laura -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- reisa@plinet.com FreSch! The Free Scholarship Search Service http://www.plinet.com/~reisa
