AmajordifferencebetweenthesystemsisthatintheUKyoubeginuniversityayearlaterandyouhaveboththeGCSEandAlevels;whereasinthestatesyouhaveoneschoolleavingdegreeandthengoontoafouryearuniversity.IamtheoppositeandamAmericanbuthavedonemyhighereducation(MAandPhD)intheUKandI'veneverhadaproblemwiththosedegreesbeingacknowledgedintheUS.

　　Americaneducationoffersarichfieldofchoicesfortheinternationalstudent.Fromabroad,andevenfromwithintheU.S.A.,thereissuchanarrayofinstitutions,programsandlocationsthatthechoicesmayoverwhelmthestudent.Tosimplifythechoices,astudentmustcarefullystudyhoweachprogramandlocationcanfulfillthestudent‘sgoals.Inordertomakeinformeddecisions,astudentwillneedtoknowhowtheU.S.educationsystemisorganized.

　　PrimaryandSecondarySchool:BeginsaroundagesixforU.S.children.Theyattendfiveorsixyearsofprimaryschool.Nexttheygotosecondaryschool,whichconsistsofeithertwothree-yearprogramsorathree-yearandafour-yearprogram.Thesearecalled“middleschool“or“juniorhighschool“and“seniorhighschool“(oftenjustcalled“highschool“).Americanscallthesetwelveyearsofprimaryandsecondaryschoolthefirstthroughtwelfth“grades.“

　　HigherEducation:Afterfinishinghighschool(twelfthgrade),U.S.studentsmaygoontocollegeoruniversity.Collegeoruniversitystudyisknownas“highereducation.“YoushouldfindoutwhichlevelofeducationinyourcountrycorrespondstothetwelfthgradeintheU.S.A.YoualsoshouldaskyoureducationaladvisororguidancecounselorwhetheryoumustspendanextrayearortwopreparingforU.S.admission.Insomecountries,employersandthegovernmentdonotrecognizeaU.S.educationifastudententeredaU.S.collegeoruniversitybeforeheorshecouldenteruniversityathome.

　　StudyatacollegeoruniversityleadingtotheBachelor‘sDegreeisknownas“undergraduate“education.StudybeyondtheBachelor‘sDegreeisknownas“graduate“school,or“postgraduate“education.Advancedorgraduatedegreesincludelaw,medicine,theM.B.A.,