[Don John]

(Original post by sophisticated)
The transition is hard.
Worse than A level to University I think.
But you get used to it fast enough.

I think a lot of the difficulty is because of the noddy-like difficulty of some of the courses, and that an A* is often around the 70% boundary. In the US an a+ is around the 90%'s (so i've heard).

[robpcdude]

No in the U.S you don't get A+ at 10th grade and higher, it's just A, B, C etc.
Scoring an A in the U.S is crazy hard. My friend who goes to this american curriculum school in Hong Kong says you need 85% for a C, 90% for a B and 95% for an A. D is around 75%. Apparently a D in the US is like the national average grade, and is enough to move on to college (i.e. 6th form).

You may think the exams are easy which is why the grade boundaries are high. Actually i've seen my friend's papers and a B in his curriculum is like an A* at GCSE. Not lying.

[harr]

(Original post by robpcdude)
Apparently a D in the US is like the national average grade, and is enough to move on to college (i.e. 6th form).

I can't quote a source, but I'm pretty certain that the average GCSE grade is a D.

You may think the exams are easy which is why the grade boundaries are high. Actually i've seen my friend's papers and a B in his curriculum is like an A* at GCSE. Not lying.

This site gives example exam questions for the SATS - the US equivalent (in terms of age at which the exams are taken) of A levels. These maths questions are below GCSE higher tier level in terms of knowledge required and are easier than A level maths questions.

"Hard" example question: "If I take 8g of solution which is 1 part alcohol and 3 parts water and add to it 12g which is 2 parts water and one part alcohol what fraction of the new solution is alcohol?" What is an easy question like then?

[harmonyy.]

The american exams are multiple choice. (I used to go school there)
which i feel is easier then what we get.


harmony

[TG777]

I have to go to my college on 4 seperate occasions before it even starts ! A bit of a nuisance.

[becky.fm]

(Original post by MR 51NGH)
I have to go to my college on 4 seperate occasions before it even starts ! A bit of a nuisance.

What for?

[Vesta]

(Original post by MR 51NGH)
I have to go to my college on 4 seperate occasions before it even starts ! A bit of a nuisance.

That sucks.

[TG777]

(Original post by Bexiness!)
What for?

First time - Show them my GCSE grades - and pick subjects.
Second time - College induction. The principle will make a presentation etc
Third Time - Finalise Subjects.
Fourth time - I don't quite remember. I think it's a meeting with a tutor.

[2late]

(Original post by MR 51NGH)
First time - Show them my GCSE grades - and pick subjects.
Second time - College induction. The principle will make a presentation etc
Third Time - Finalise Subjects.
Fourth time - I don't quite remember. I think it's a meeting with a tutor.

I wish I went to college rather than stayed at 6th form... I stayed on for the stupidest reason ever- a crush on a girl

Nevermind, I'm at uni now.

[Original Legend]

I cant wait to start A Levels, really looking forward to it

[Pollypeptide]

The taster day at college put me off abit, I mean, I found it o.k. just a hell of a change from school. Teachers seemed so relaxed, and things seemed so informal. The center that I will be being taught in, is a multi-million pound, brand new universuty campus, which caters for both A level and som degree level students; but had not yet been furnished. Undoubtdly the ceneter will be fitted with the best facilities, it's just, oh I dont know, strange?

[Celestianpower]

(Original post by kellywood_5)
You forget the freaks like me who don't drop a subject, and the even bigger freaks who pick another one up.......although I suppose I did in a way with Spanish GCSE, which just makes me the ultimate freak

Not as big a freak of me. I've learnt German in 6 months from a current student, and am now jumping into the A2 class, doing the AS in January. That's in addition to Music, Spanish and RE (I'm dropping the easiest (but most boring) subject: maths).

Anyone beat that?
CP

[LPK]

I got my college forms today. I hate filling in forms. ;dry;

[Pollypeptide]

What forms?

[LPK]

(Original post by JordanSHowarth)
What forms?

Learning agreement, personal details form and the usual malarcky.

[Pollypeptide]

Lol, sounds fun!

[becky.fm]

That's weird... on the 26th September, we've got a 'Year 12 intro to sixth form', but surely by then (considering we go back on the 4th) we will be practially all settled?

[explosiive]

Your sixth forms all sound slack! We have to wear the same uniform at ours as we have all the way through out school, only the tie changes.

Anyways, I'm going into year 12 in September and I'm thinking of taking Law, Media, Philosophy and Psychology. I realise I have no "traditional" subjects here and I'm wondering whether this will affect my uni admissions? Ideally I want to study politics or philosophy at uni, maybe combined? Media is just for fun really, it's something I enjoy and I don't plan on carrying it any further.

[LPK]

Well enrolment is boring. ;dry;

[AisAis]

Originally Posted by ASP91
Whaat? You didn't have a library at College?.. Thats madness. The college I should be going to in September has a whole building just dedicated to the Library, I think we might be sharing it with Leicester Uni, not sure though.

Isn't it compulsory for an college to have a Library?

Well during year eleven at my school, we didn't have a libarian until Christmas because one left at the end of the year before and they couldn't replace them. So the libary was closed for 1/3 the year.

Next year - year 12 for me - we won't have a libary either because they're rebuilding part of the school, and moved all the stuff out the old libary before realising the new one won't be finished for months. It was meant to be done for September '06.