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Thread: Education for UK college age kids - need help plea

  1. #1

    Education for UK college age kids - need help plea

    Hi
    We are moving out in Aug and my daughter will have finished her GCSE in the UK and would normally move on to College to complete her A levels - what would she do in Florida that is equivalent or are there any colleges that do International schooling any help would be appreciated. Thanks


  2. #2
    Gold 5 Star Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    7,007
    Kids in Florida stay at school till the end of year 12 usually 18 or 19 years of age. I would suggest she goes to High School and does the last two years, her junior and senior year. Some schools do the International Baccalaureat ( useful if you ever want to come back as this qualification is recognised in the UK and Europe), others just do the high school graduation certificate backed up by SATs. American kids dont go to college to do A levels, they go to college to either do degrees or non vocational courses and in general at an older age than you daughter will be at.
    Many UK kids baulk at the idea of going back to proper school when at their age they would have been at sixth form college. Three reasons to put your daughter in High School.
    1. GSCEs mean nothing and at the moment she will have no meaningful qualifications at all in the US and no real idea of how to study or do tests "American style". She will also be missing a number of credits needed to graduate. These tend to be American subjects like American government and politics and American history. Frankly no UK kid studies these.
    2. When you first arrive in the US, you are not entitled to college education at in state fees (until you have been there 12 months you will pay international students fees, then instate fees cut in). International students fees are horrendous. High school is totally free.
    3. The experience of going to high school in the US is something which is invaluable and so will be the friends she will make there and the insight into American teen culture she will acquire there.

    My son arrived in Florida aged just 17 and having been at 6th form college for a year in the UK, he had just taken AS levels. We put him back into high school, back into chalk and talk, a big change for him though they dont wear school uniforms in the US so at least he wasnt back into that. He did just one year before he graduated. In that time he learned all about American history, politics, history, literature and government, learned to play American football, graduated with a GPA to take with him to college ( ah yes an American qualification so they know what that is, they have no idea about anything else) and made some friends he will have for a lifetime.

    The way to do it is to find a good school in the catchment zone of the area you are going to be living in. Call the student counsellor and ask to see him/her . You will need to take your daughters record of achievement and GSCE results in with you. The student counsellor will allocate US credits already considered to be passed from those, and will tell you which subjects she still needs to do to graduate high school. I would say good luck but she wont need it. The education system here is dumbed down. Have never known a UK educated child who has not arrived here and excelled in their system. My son went overnight from average to genius ( and he hadnt changed any!!)
    Julie


  3. #3
    Florida Savvy
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    199
    esprit gives an excellent answer.


  4. #4
    Gold 5 Star Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    7,007
    Thanks. Been there, done that, bought the tee shirt on this one. My son graduates with a B.Sc from UCF in less than a month.
    Julie


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