At age 3 or 4, students start out in nursery school (also known as pre-school). The purpose of this year is to prepare children for the structured environment of public schooling and for them to pick up on some basic social skills. Not much emphasis is placed on the learning of facts and figures.
The following year, children attend kindergarten. At this time (though my memory is not very good) I practiced handwriting, developed motor skills, and did basic mathematics. The school day for many children lasts from either 9am to lunchtime, or from lunchtime to 3pm. Some kindergarteners attend school all day.
Next, American students attend elementary school (also known as grammar school or primary school). Each year they advance through the different "grades" - some cities consider grades 1 through 6 to be elementary school, while others may only include 1 through 5. This is based on the size of the student population. All students will go through a total of 12 grades in the end, but the specific schools students attend each grade in will likely vary from place to place. Classes generally last from 9am to 3pm Monday-Friday.
After elementary comes middle school (also called junior high school). This was where I attended grades 7 and 8 between the ages of 13 and 14. Classes met Monday-Friday from 8am-2pm
Next is high school, which is usually four years of classes which prepare students for university studies. The four grades are 9th (freshman year), 10th (sophomore year), 11th (junior year), and 12th (senior year). Many of the classes I took at this time were equivalent to introductory-level university courses. Gym class (playing sports, swimming, running), orchestra or chorus, foreign language, mathematics, English, world history, United States history, economics, government, physics, biology, chemistry, and other subjects were all required. I was able to choose my own schedule in terms of the times and teachers I had. Classes met from 7:30am-2:30pm. During senior year, most students take the SAT and/or ACT - universities use your scores on these exams to decide whether to accept you or not. Most students will graduate from high school at age 18.
University (or college, as it is more commonly known in the States) consists of undergraduate and graduate studies. An undergraduate degree is typically completed in four years. It is possible, though, to complete it in less time if you take extra classes or attend school year-round. Students generally take between 12 and 18 hours of courses per week. Each course that a student takes must be passed individually, and course work can include papers, presentations, or exams. At the end of four years, students recieve a bachelors degree. Graduate school can take any number of years - two years for a masters degree in certain subjects, three years for a degree in law, five years to obtain one's doctorate, and eight or so years to become a medical doctor. It all depends on the field one wishes to work in.
Joined: 2007-12-09
In the US schooling generally goes like this:
At age 3 or 4, students start out in nursery school (also known as pre-school). The purpose of this year is to prepare children for the structured environment of public schooling and for them to pick up on some basic social skills. Not much emphasis is placed on the learning of facts and figures.
The following year, children attend kindergarten. At this time (though my memory is not very good) I practiced handwriting, developed motor skills, and did basic mathematics. The school day for many children lasts from either 9am to lunchtime, or from lunchtime to 3pm. Some kindergarteners attend school all day.
Next, American students attend elementary school (also known as grammar school or primary school). Each year they advance through the different "grades" - some cities consider grades 1 through 6 to be elementary school, while others may only include 1 through 5. This is based on the size of the student population. All students will go through a total of 12 grades in the end, but the specific schools students attend each grade in will likely vary from place to place. Classes generally last from 9am to 3pm Monday-Friday.
After elementary comes middle school (also called junior high school). This was where I attended grades 7 and 8 between the ages of 13 and 14. Classes met Monday-Friday from 8am-2pm
Next is high school, which is usually four years of classes which prepare students for university studies. The four grades are 9th (freshman year), 10th (sophomore year), 11th (junior year), and 12th (senior year). Many of the classes I took at this time were equivalent to introductory-level university courses. Gym class (playing sports, swimming, running), orchestra or chorus, foreign language, mathematics, English, world history, United States history, economics, government, physics, biology, chemistry, and other subjects were all required. I was able to choose my own schedule in terms of the times and teachers I had. Classes met from 7:30am-2:30pm. During senior year, most students take the SAT and/or ACT - universities use your scores on these exams to decide whether to accept you or not. Most students will graduate from high school at age 18.
University (or college, as it is more commonly known in the States) consists of undergraduate and graduate studies. An undergraduate degree is typically completed in four years. It is possible, though, to complete it in less time if you take extra classes or attend school year-round. Students generally take between 12 and 18 hours of courses per week. Each course that a student takes must be passed individually, and course work can include papers, presentations, or exams. At the end of four years, students recieve a bachelors degree. Graduate school can take any number of years - two years for a masters degree in certain subjects, three years for a degree in law, five years to obtain one's doctorate, and eight or so years to become a medical doctor. It all depends on the field one wishes to work in.
Cheers,
Lucy