British Education vs American Education | Let's Compare!

Huge thanks to Jess for joining me in today's video. Please go check out her awesome channel - @loveandlondon

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NEWSLETTER

⏱ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction
00:27 What Age Do You Start School?
00:51 What Time Does School Start?
01:25 How Do Students Get To School?
01:45 What Type Of Schools Are There?
02:17 What Do You Call Free/Private Schools?
03:16 Do You Students Wear Uniforms At School?
03:40 Do Students Hang Out in Groups?
05:12 How Important Is Sport At School?
06:26 How Do School Years Work?
07:20 What Exams Do You Take?
09:46 What Age Can You Leave School?
10:42 What Is College In The UK?
11:05 How Does The College System Work In The USA?
11:48 Why Is College The USA So Expensive?
12:55 What Is Greek Life?
14:06 What Is An Ivy League School?
14:42 What Are Red Brick Universities?
15:10 How Much Do Universities Cost?
16:57 What Is Spring Break?
19:32 Why Is College Sport So Big?
20:03 Do People Feel A Connection To Their College?
21:58 How Is A Degree Graded?

[baurdt]

There were some misstatements on the US school side. 1) You can drop out at 16 years of age. There are also opportunities to graduate early depending on being able to skip grades forward. 2) the US advanced schools are colleges or a grouping of colleges which is called a university. For example, the University of Wyoming has 7 colleges forming the university. 3) "Fraternities" and "Sororities" are actually social fraternities as opposed to professional fraternity organizations usually recognized at a national level. 4) Advanced Placement (AP) tests taken in High School (usually offered in grades 11 and 12 are associated with a specific class. If you receive a high enough grade on the test, it will give you college credit for the equivalent class. This allows students a means of getting credit when enrolled in a college for those classes to help shorten your time at school. 5) The Scholastic Aptitude Test is the usual college test that is taken in the High School Senior level (grade 12), though it can be taken in the Junior year as well (grade 11). The test is usually offered 2-4 times a year depending on your location. Most cities will have a standard place for the test to be proctored (given). It is mostly English (reading, writing, & language) and math questions that range in difficulty and areas to test. The highest test result of all that are taken is what is usually sent in to the designated college/university for admission application. There is also the PSAT test (preliminary SAT) which is used for qualifying for financial assistance taken only during the High School Junior year. 6) As I understand it, the extracurricular school clubs and activities in US schools are school sponsored instead of England not school sponsoring the activities, though I could be wrong as it might have been a more localized school I was told about instead of the overal programs. There are also larger participation in these varied clubs with competitions between the various schools in the region. The US schools usually offer sports programs which depending on the sport, might be also scouted for college team recruitment, leading to potentially a sports scholarship.

I hope this helps fill some of what was being discussed.

[prof.emanuelpaiva]

Hi! I'm Brazilian. Despite I live in Brazil, I am able to understand the British English. But it is possible because Tom speaks well, and his English is standard (possibly modern RP). As the woman, I don't have much difficulties to understand because I learned American English.

[phoebus]

My son's school was founded in the 12th century and was one of the original seven Public Schools. They were defined as "public" because they were open to everyone irrespective of their home location, religion or father's profession. His school does not have a uniform but a dress code. Fees are high but attendance is also dependent on passing a very challenging entrance exam. A number of scholarships and bursaries are also available to those requiring financial support.

[peterfhere]

In contrast to other systems, "student debt" isn't necessarily a real debt. Any student loan you take from the government does not need to start being paid back until you earn over a certain amount. You then pay a fixed percentage proportion of your salary over the threshold towards paying off your debt. The debt is NOT allowed to be taken into account when being assessed for any loan, and it is written off if you wait for long enough. It is therefore more akin to a student tax.

[ajwinberg]

I'm American, and I went to Elementary school from kindergarten to 6th grade, which is age 5 through 12. Then Jounion High school was 7th and 8th grade which is age 13 and 14 and then 9th through 12th grade was at the High School which was age 15 through 18 or 19. Some kids might graduate early at age 17, but most kids graduate at age 18.

[starshocker]

It's always fun to see how school works in other countries. Here in France we have Maternelle (nursery school) which by the way became "petite section", then we have primary school with CP, CE1 et 2, CM1 et 2, collège with 6th, 5th up to 3rd grade and then high school which is 3, years and university.

[AnnFBug]

This was interesting to me as I taught in an American modeled International School in Britain for nineteen years. It was a very high fee paying school but they did not wear uniform. The talk of pep rallies and things like that bring it all back to me. When I first turned up it was a steep learning curve!
I also taught in a British middle school in the state school system in the early eighties. We had quite a lot of middle schools at that time but most of them are gone now.
I did a second degree in the UK at the turn of the century and we had a free week between the two semesters, in mid February. It was NOT for getting drunk or going on a trip. It was called Reading Week and we had a list of reading to get through during the week.
When I did my first degree at a music conservatoire in the late seventies, it was called ‘college’. In those days college was what we called university, and wasn‘t for school pupils. We didn’t really use the term ‘university’ very much, although we all knew that was what it was.
When our daughter went to a British university in the late noughties, all students were put into a ‘college’. There were about eight colleges. Each was like a village in campus, with its own housing and facilities, basically a smaller community to make the size of the place less daunting.

[krismas]

Our public school district is kindergarten through 5th for elementary, 6th through 8th for middle school, and 9th through 12th (Freshman through Senior year) in high school. Our school year runs from the year beginning in September and running through June with the summer off.

Clicks (groups) aren't as dramatic as Hollywood portrays but you'll see the athletes, band, drama, choir, cheerleaders, dance team, etc will tend to hang out with each other more than other types of friends groups, especially when they are in their respective seasons of competition.

There are some private universities that are starting to do away with SAT scores being required for their admission process and have found that students have not shown a difference in their performance since they stopped requiring them.

If you choose not to graduate high school or if were you homeschooled (You were taught by parents at home) you can take a series of tests for your GED (General Education Development Test) which shows the same proficiency as a high school diploma but it is not necessarily viewed the same by potential employers or some universities. In America, you can go to public high schools until you are 21. So in the event that you don't meet the graduation requirements you can go another year. We call this a "Super Senior". It's rare but it happens. My freshman year there was a super senior in my science class. Our teacher said if he was able to graduate by the end of the year she was going to throw him a class pizza party. She made good. I got an invite at the end of the year and we all went to celebrate with him. Shout out to Brett F! Still proud of you!

When I went to college a few years ago, I got a very gracious scholarship for my previous GPA and financial aid for being a poor single mom. When everything was said and done for books, parking, fees, and small tuition, it was $1, 500-1, 700 a semester. It very much becomes like a family that we are proud to be a part of, at least for me. My kids are now going to the same high school I went to. They have even had teachers I have had, and yes, the teachers remember me. It's a fun experience.

[codym]

Fun conversation. Another factor, her experience is different from other Americans because each state does their own thing.

[AprilHammond-kclu]

Some students also take the ACT. Many colleges/universities are now going test optional. Also, in my state, juniors (11th grade) hace the opportunity to take either the SAT or ACT for free during the school day.

[williamlucas]

First of all the reason they have the same names for the school years in high school versus University is because university attendance used to be rare and so the year groupings were common for high school because that was the common standard for the finish of education. This changed radically in the late 60s when university education became the norm for about 30% of the population. Americans use the terms University and College interchangeably but in fact a college is one school within a university and technically a university must have at least three colleges/schools to qualify as a university in the US. Probably about half of American universities were teachers colleges at one time but when the demand rose so rapidly for university education they all magically added business schools/colleges and some other specialization college besides the college of arts and sciences under which education was often placed (also called the school/college of education in some universities). The cost of universities went up radically because of inflation in the addition of student facilities to act as draws for incoming student populations. The advent of easy loan terms for colleges and universities also inflated the costs and generally made university attendance easier until the bill came six months after graduation. There are government loans and private loans available to most families to enable their children to attend university, usually with standard loan rates. Less wealthy families may also get grants from the federal government but these are now woefully behind since they have not kept up with inflation. If a person wants to attend University outside of their own state the public university cost for tuition typical double with some even higher in the more popular universities. Private universities cost are typically double and higher compared to public universities well lesser public universities cost 10 to 15% less than the major state universities of which there are two or more in each state. Finally there are junior colleges that are basically a combination of trade schools and/ or the first two years of university. They are a bargain compared to the four year schools costs. US public schools are simply copying the original unofficial names started at Cambridge university in the 16th century.

[morgangrey]

In the US, it completely depends on what school district you're in as to how the grades are grouped. We moved around a bit as I was coming up in public schools. One school district in Missouri grouped the grades K-6 (elementary), 7-9 (junior high), 10-12 (senior high). One in Illinois grouped K-6, 7-8 (middle), and 9-12 (high) -- although the year I was starting middle school there was massive overcrowding, so they bumped grade 9 down to middle school, then removed all 7th graders and sent them to previously disused school buildings (asbestos, anyone?) resulting in four schools citywide that taught only grade 7 students. The next year, they re-condemned the four buildings and put grades 7 and 9 back where they had been. The school district in the Arkansas town where I currently work groups their students K-4 (elementary), 5-8 (middle) and 9-12 (high)

[allisonmarlow]

The term "Ivy League" refers to the fact that they are some of the oldest colleges in the US and, as such, have old ivy growing on the buildings.

[ashleybeverly]

I was wondering what type of College Degrees are there in the UK?

In America,

Associates - 2 yr University education
Bachelor's - 4 yr University education
Masters - After obtaining Bachelors, two more years of university
Ph.D -High level degree, 3 or more year's of graduate level studies



What order do UK universities go in terms of there areas of study ?

[stephanledford]

Schools are handled differently depending on the state you live in. I live in Bentonville, Arkansas, and the schools here are broken down into Elementary School (grades K - 4), Middle School (grades 5 - 6), Junior High School (grades 7 - 8), and High School (grades 9 - 12). The quality of the public (free) schools varies by location, partly because the funding is from local taxes, although there are other factors in play as well. There are several Universities in Arkansas, with the largest being the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, about 30 minutes from where I live. It is cheaper for state residents, but neighboring states also get the "in-state resident" rate, which brings in a lot of non-Arkansans. The breakdown, per the web, is 53.5% from Arkansas, 32.1% from Texas, 4.5% from Kansas, 4.4% from Oklahoma and the rest from other states and foreign countries. The school loyalty includes many who never went to the University because in a sense, the University is representing the state. You will see bumper stickers on vehicles and other signs of support all the time, and the same is true for those who went to different universities from other states but now living here, something fairly common here because Walmart is headquartered here and brings in people from all over. Most of the time it is all in fun and in the rare times it is not, there is generally alcohol involved. When I was in school, there were "nerdy" people and "jocky (is that a word?) people but it was nothing like the movies.

[adamcarr]

I went to grad school in Canada. There a student starts University after grade 13 and does 3 years for a Bachelor's degree. Doing a 4th year is for an honors degree specializing in a discipline. The Masters generally takes one more year. A PhD in my case required one year of formal coursework only in the first (Masters) year. After that it was active research and seminars and preparing the dissertation.

[doloreswilliams]

This conversation was interesting. My son went to an out of state college and it cost $120, 000. base for 4 years. At that time you could buy a house at that price.

[pedromalbernaz]

I know what you guys mean, but the word "FREE" is not very suitable when you have to pay such a huge amount of tax for government to provide those services. I guess the word "COVERED" would certainly be more appropriate.

[robine]

Many states allow High School students to take classes at a 2 yr Community College for free. My daughter's classmate graduated from High School while also earning a 2yr Associates Degree. A.P. courses can also earn you college credit if you earn a 4 or 5 (scored 1-5) although some accept a score of 3. High School and College/University (American) Football is more popular mostly in the south. Families travel to attend their Alma Mater's games.

[Stephie.Lou]

Some things to remember: every state has its own rules. So in my state, Kindergarten starts at 5 but you’re not required to send you’re child until 6. So parents can choose depending on their child’s readiness (for example my boys have may birthdays. One went at 5 because he was ready the other won’t go until 6 *cough*covid baby*cough*). Also you can leave school at 16 ( drop out) and you can graduate when you complete senior year (one of my kids will be 17 when he graduates)

Also spring break is for all schools not just universities, and in my state we also get a fall break separate from thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. So a full week off in October and also April in addition to the other breaks.