British Education System 📚
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- čas přidán 16. 08. 2017
- Understanding the British school and educational system. You start with nursery and then you go to primary and secondary schools before making a choice as to whether you want to go on to a college or sixth form and then perhaps onto university or vocational studies. Lots to get through so sit tight!
The reason why we've made this video is because everywhere in the world has different education systems and they can be so hard to understand. When you meet Americans, for instance, 'college' means 'university' and suddenly there's lots of different words like Sophomore and Freshman being thrown around and it's all very hard to understand. We hope this video helps to clear up some confusion!
Of course none of this applies if you are one of the lucky British children that get chosen to go to Hogwarts!
Skip to:
0:34 - Nursery
1:04 - Primary School
2:01 - Secondary School
3:37 - Sixth Form / College
5:09 - University
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Hello! We are Joel & Lia. We post videos every week, all about British culture, British accents and the English language! We live in London and love sharing our top travel tips in the UK and abroad. As well as being best friends we share a passion for language, different accents and all things British. With past and future trips to the USA, lots of our content is American vs British.
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Love your videos! My primary school called reception 'Rainbows'.
British English with Joel & Lia here in America children don't go to public school until they are 5. Some public school had preschool for kids age 4 but a lot don't. As a parent you can send your child at age 3 and 4 to private preschool and pay for it. If your child goes at age 1-3 then it's not school it's called day care or child care. Most kids who go to preschool only go 2 to 3 days a week for about 3 hours only
At age 5 it's called kindergarten. Age 6-11 it's called elementary school or first grade, Second grade, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade,
Some school grade 6,7&8 are age 11,12 &13, and it's called middle school or jr high. Then high school is for age 14-18 or ninth grade (freshman)10th grade (sophomore)11th grade(juniors) and 12th grade (seniors) you can't leave school till you turn 18.
They have something here called the Becca bill and if you try and leave school before you were 18 they will consider you truant they will find you and put you in detention and make you pay fines and make you go back to school till your 18.
pennylane36 I've never heard of a becca bill. Is that in your state?
I grew up in NH and once I finished 12th grade at 17 I graduated.
Being British: Joel & Lia ...In America we have only 3 schools you go to...Elementary is Grades Kindergarten to 6.....Middle School is grades 7-8....Highschool is Grades 9 to 12....Then you Graduate and go to college if you choose. Most College Programs are 4 years, depending on what you want to study. Where I live, the children do not wear uniforms, Although I would have preferred it when my daughter was in school because she only wanted designer name brand clothing and shoes. Thank goodness my choice of College Study was Nursing, otherwise I couldn't afford to buy my daughter's clothing...lol :) Our children are not required to start school until the age of 6, but you can send them at 5 years old. They can go to Pre-school at ages 3-4 or even 5 years old depending on weather or not a parent thinks they are ready for Kindergarten. Everybody in my state pays School tax, weather you have a child in school or not and it doesn't matter weather your child is Graduated from Highschool or you have no children at all, you still pay. If you have children in school, you pay school tax plus yearly school fees for every year your child is in school.
There’s a lot of opportunities for scholarships here. At least where i’m from. I knew a kid that got a $2,000 scholarship just for being left handed.
In America we have Pre-school which is optional for 3 year old and 4 year old children. Then we have Elementary School. You have to be 5 years old to go to Elementary School. You start in Kindergarten. Once you pass Kindergarten you go to 1st grade. Elementary school is Kindergarten through 5th grade. Then you go to Middle School which is 6th-8th grades. After that is High School which is 9th-12th. Most children graduate High School at 18 years old. We are required to attend school 180 days per year or our parents can go to jail. Once we graduate from High School we have many choices. We can enter the work force and take a low paying entry level job or attend college (2 year associates degree) or University (4 year bachelor's degree) or a trade school. Trade schools are where you can become hair stylists, electrician, plumber, etc. If you choose University and graduate you can opt to go on to get your masters degree (2 more years). The highest level would be after your masters to get your doctorate. Elementary, Middle and High School is free and provided by our government. College, University and trade schools are paid for by you. A person can walk away owing well over a hundred or two thousand dollars for their post high school education. If we meet certain income requirements we can get a $4000 grant from the government per year up to 4 years of University. We also have government student loans that are paid back monthly starting 6 months after getting your degree. The payment can be hundreds of dollars a month until it's paid for. I work in the medical field and know some doctors who are much older and still paying their loans. Anything over the amount of grants and loans is your responsibility. With the cost of education in America it is hard for anyone who comes from low income to advance themselves because they do not have the funding to attend post-secondary education. The number of students fighting for private scholarships is unbelievable. Education is a huge topic in America right now. Every person who runs for a government office has promised change but once they get elected they forget about all their promises.
What state is that? I know kids who drop out of school and the parents aren't in jail.
you can drop out of school at 16 in America and your parents won't get in trouble if you're 16
We don’t start paying anything back in the UK until you earn a certain amount, which is high.
One is only required to go to public school until age 16. Then one is free to be stupid.
meh you are correct but standard term for middle school is grades 6-8.
This was actually quite interesting, I never really understood how the British school system works.. until now of course.
You still don't know - this is the English system as there isn't actually a British system.
Alan Mac ..ok lol
Breana Cheyenne im the same about america , you have so many different schools and names for everythng
@@Alan_Mac That’s where I would like to disagree that is the the great British school system not the northern Irish system
@@Anime_Oni You may like to disagree but you can't. Education has always been separate in Great Britain since its inception in 1707.
This is the English system. There isn't a British one.
The government has made it a requirement where u can’t leave education now until 18 so u can do college, sixth form or apprentice
Really? Not in Scotland
Damo2690 it’s just for England and Wales
Rebecca 1501 ye i just finished year 11 and I can't leave I have to stay
Ye I just finished y11 and now I have to do sixth form 😂
In my country you can legally drop out at 17 but you can drop out earlier if you are doing an apprenticeship or employed in some form of tertiary education like a tafe course in hairdressing or something.
Well, you're half right about the US. Some unfocused students take a variety of classes until they decide on a major. But you have to declare a major at most schools by your third year and hopefully before.
There ARE liberal arts schools that are more general though and obvi there are vocational schools.
I agree with JUJU. Long ago (my time), there were a good number of people who were "undeclared" majors but now I hear that you have to declare from the beginning on your applications (at good 4 year public universities in Calif. anyway) because that is part of whether they will accept you or not.
Obviously, there are exceptions. When applying at Purdue, I had to list my top 2 or 3 choices of colleges with the knowledge I would only be able to be accepted into one. That was rough.
Yeah, if you're attending a vocational or University in the US they make you delcare a major so you have a clear path, but community colleges, I went for 3 years and stayed undecided and took a bunch of random stuff.
Unfocused students? General Education programs are a thing at ALL schools! Liberal Arts or not. You have to take a RANGE of classes to get a feel for what interests you. Which is the entire point.
Majority of schools make you declare a major by end of sophomore or early junior year tops. The vast majority of the schools I applied to did not ask for major as it isn't necessary right away.
I've been watching your videos last three days and I must say you two are so good at what you do and you are so positive and cute.
i think another difference between sixth forms and colleges is that a sixth form has pupils ages 16-18 and colleges can vary in ages ! xx
I never understood UK college until I watched Skins. I actually wish we had the same format in the states. I will say that I'm a big fan of one year grad school over in the UK. If only they would have accepted me :*(
Thanks for this video! Super informative. I am planning to study abroad somewhere in the UK (from the US) in a year so this was interesting and helpful for me to hear.
Hi did you manage to go ahead and study in the UK
Thanks you guys, this helped me a lot to prepare for my presentation on the British school system! :)
Thank you so much fo explaining it in such a simple way. I'm kind of writing a short story right now and I was so confused about how your educational system worked. It is so different from Brazil! Again, thank you so much.
*English school system, I was hoping you'd mention slight differences with Scotland.
Rachel Saunders will have to do some reading on that as I'm unaware of the differences in Scotland!
Primary and Secondary Schools use different numberings. Primary 1 to 7 is P1 P2 P3 etc. Then high school is S1 to S6 instead of saying year 12 or something. You do 8 National 5s(worth about the same as GCSEs) in S4, 5 Highers in S5 (or a mix of Highers and Nat 5s if you didn't pass all) Highers are worth less than an A level. Then 3 Advance Highers (or more Highers if you didn't pass) in S6. Advance Highers are harder than A levels and equivalent to Uni first year. Universities only really look at your Highers your not expected to have advance highers. ALSO UNI IS 100% FREE FOR PEOPLE FROM SCOTLAND IRELAND AND EU
Damo2690 That’s interesting
Also worth mentioning you can do 9 Nat 5's if you choose to take PE/RE as a subject (maybe some schools don't allow this? mine did) and that there are Nat 4's too for those who find the Nat 5's too tricky but you can't go from a Nat 4 to a Higher you would have to do the Nat 4 then 5 then move onto the higher.
@@jackmellor5536 Have you listened to these two? They’re clueless about mostly everything, typical English.
Thank you for making this video. It really helped me understanding the British education system I currently have to learn about at school. Greetings from Germany :)
In the uk, compulsory education finishes at 18 and you must be in education until then. GCSE's are the foundation of A Level but is the only qualification everybody has to get.
And in Britain today no school has a specialism as it was scrapped under the last government to focus on turning schools into academies (state funded independent schools) but some schools may still brand themselves to have a specialism but technically it means nothing they don't get any extra money for example in that area
Wrong. My school specialises in mathematics and computing.
No it may still say that it does but it won't actually receive any additional funding in those areas as the government scrapped the scheme
Slight correction there, you must remain in education _or training_ until 18. You can go into the workplace if it is on an accredited training scheme and, if you haven't already passed GCSE maths and English, you continue to work towards those as well.
In Scotland you can leave school at 16. You don’t even have to sit your exams. Just leave if you want.
In America you can pick a major before you go to college such as engineering, computer science. History, Music, Biology etc. Some kids aren't sure what they want to major in so they start out taking required classes and then take electives until they figure out what they like.
This was really, really, really helpful!!
Great explanation. I watch several bloggers from the UK and I’ve always wonders how the education system there works. I hear them talk about GCSE’s and sixth form. Now I understand it.
Here in the US we have the option of going to vocational-technical school during junior & senior year (year 11&12 for us) where we can learn trades like computer specialties, nursing, mechanics, cosmetology, etc free of charge.
American school explained: When you are 5-11 you are in elementary school, then when you are 11-14 you go to middle school, then when you are 14-18 you go to high school, lastly you can choose to go to college but you don’t have to. You can also go for 1 to sometimes even 10 years
Not entirely accurate. Some states are different. Elementary 5 to 12 grades kindergarten to sixth. Junior high 12 to 15 grades 7 to 9, and High school 15 to 18 grades 10 to 12. After that is a college, or university. Colleges can offer Associate degrees average is 2 years, and 4 Bachelor degrees average is 4 years. Universities can offer all degree levels. Levels beyond Bachelor are Masters about 6 years to complete, and Doctorate about 8 years to complete. Times can vary depending on the individual student.
@@jonok42 use punctuation to separate ages from grades or write the word ages. It is very confusing to understand what you are trying to say.
I finally understand this system! Thank you so much! Your videos are so helpful!
Elizabeth Oastler no problem! Thanks for watching
Hi, Joel and Lia, I just wanted to say that I love your videos and you guys have been teaching me so much. I'm doing a degree in foreign languages (English and German) and I'm taking a particular interest in the English language and linguistics.
Take care and keep up the good work xox 😘
Very interesting topic. As a teacher in Texas, hearing your explanations were quite fascinating. I enjoyed the differences in educational systems in both countries. I must say 9k is rather unheard of in Texas.
College and university are used interchangeably in the U.S. high school is from 14-18 and it’s before college/university. Year one of high school and college is freshman, second year of both is sophomore, third year of both is junior, fourth year of both is senior. It’s expected that after 4 years of college you will graduate (finish) with a bachelors degree. You can apply to continue your education by entering a program to earn your masters degree in a specific field like engineering, social work, fine arts, etc. From there you have apply to enter a PhD program and that’s even more work. The people I know with PhDs spent pretty much all of their 20s earning their PhD. Then there are the 2 major “professions,” doctor and lawyer. I don’t know all the details of medical school but it takes a damn long time. Law school is entered after you complete a bachelors degree then you have to take the law school admission test (LSAT) and your grades from college combined with your LSAT score will help you decide which law schools to apply to. Law school is typically 3 years and upon successfully completing it, you have a Juris Doctor (JD). Then you have to study for the bar exam which is administered in every state. If you pass, you are licensed in the state where you say the exam (there are some exceptions to this that are too specific to get into).
Very informative. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! You guys are the best!
The American education system is easier to understand. Basically, it's 1-2 years of kindergarten (optional). Starting at age 6, there's 12 years of education divided into 4 years each of elementary school, middle school and high school which ends with a high school diploma at age 18. Then each person must decide whether to enter the workforce, attend a 2 year trade school (also known as a junior college or community college) or go to university to pursue a bachelor's degree which typically takes 4 years to complete. That's all very simplified, of course. You can enter the workforce and still attend trade school or university on a part-time basis which many people do.
Four years of middle school? Where I grew up you had six years of elementary, two years of middle, and four years of high school OR eight years of elementary followed by four years of high school.
Oh, it varies from place to place. When I was in school, we had 5 years elementary, 4 years middle and 3 years high school. Years later, they built a new elementary school, renovated the middle school and expanded the high school and made them 4 each.
The total would be 13 years of required education.
Thanks. It is actually really useful for international people with children working in the Uk which you forget to mention 😊
I loved it! Thank you guys!!!!
It’s different here in Wales. Day nurseries (usually from 0-8yo), but they get picked up/dropped of by the day nursery staff (if needed) once they’ve started school, Day nurseries are only for parents who have work or are in college, You need to pay for your child to go to Day Nursery, some colleges do have a day nursery. Nursery is for (3-4yo), but it’s not mandatory, nurseries can be in a school or just on its own, Reception is for (4-5yo) (EYFP), Year 1 (5-6yo) and Year 2 (6-7yo) are all part of The Foundation Phase. Year 1 and 2 can also be called The Infants or Key Stage 1 (KS1).
Year 3 (7-8yo), Year 4 (8-9yo), Year 5 (9-10yo), Year 6 (10-11yo) are all called The Juniors or KS2.
Year 7 (11-12yo), Year 8 (12-13yo) and Year 9 (13-14yo) are all called KS3, Year 7 is the first year in Comprehensive/Secondary and Year 9 is when you choose what you want to do for the next 2 years. Year 10 (14-15yo) and Year 11 (15-16yo) are both called KS4 and are the 2 years you do your exams and Year 11 is the last school year forever. Best thing is you have a prom (copied from Americans), but weird schools have it before the exams, good schools have it after. Mine had it before, it’s like we were celebrating the START of the GCSE EXAMS
Thank you very much. I doing my speaking language endorsement on everything wrong with the education system and this helped me understand it more and gave me ideas. Thank you
This has literally nothing to do.with this video, but you two are both incredibly good looking, funny, and intelligent. I love letting your videos autoplay while I'm at work because your voices soothe me enough to not want to choke people out. ;)
I am actually so glad for our easy Czech system, we have one mandatory year of preschool (kindergarten) from 6-15 theres a primary school where are kids sorted based on their location, then they choose their secondary school (which can be anything from a plumbers apprentice school to a strict schools for kids from posh families), and then, for those who can make it, they go to a uni or college and thats it. And all tuition is free of charge, unless you opt for a private school (there aren't many though)
OMG this was so helpful for me as I never really understood how the British school system works and I have a 3 year old who is going to nursery at the moment. Thanks!
This video was really interesting! I've always been so curious about British schooling because it's so different in America! My university was $30,000 a year and I went for 3 years. I wish it was only 10k a year!
I’m from England but this is what American Grades are in British years
Reception (KS1) - American Equivilent (???)
Primary school (KS2)/ Elementary
1st Grade - Year 2
2nd Grade - Year 3
3rd Grade - Year 4
4th Grade - Year 5
5th Grade - Year 6
Secondary school (KS3)/ Middle school
6th Grade - Year 7
7th Grade - Year 8
8th Grade - Year 9
Secondary School (KS4)/ High School
9th Grade - Year 10
10th Grade - Year 11
Sixth Form (KS5)/ High school
11th Grade - Year 12
12th Grade - Year 13
Further Education
College - University
When I went to school in the 50/60's, it was infant, junior and senior school, I was 4 when I started but cos my aunt was a teacher I could already read quite well by then.
Thanks for the information it was an eye opener
Love your videos! If it helps anyone watching - High school in America is equivalent to Year 10, 11, 12 and 13. However years 12 and 13 in the uk are what we refer to as sixth form or college depending on where you go
Thank you. Very informative.
Nursery in America can start as early as 8 weeks old (which is believed to be the largest contributing factor in America having the highest infant mortality rate amongst developed nations). Pre-school can starts between age 3 and 5, some communities offer this as part of their public school, some don't. Elementary begins at age 5, but a parent may choose not to start their child until age 6. The first year is called Kindergarten (parents may opt to allow their student to test out of this, but it is rarely done), the next year is 1st grade. The ending grade of elementary varies by the community from grade 4 to grade 8. Most communities have a middle school or Junior high school, some have both. These schools range from 5th to 9th grade. If a community has both middle school is the lower grades. If a community one has one of these then High school begins in grade 9. We finish high school at 18 after finishing grade 12. Two years of university everyone takes the same classes which are called basic classes(3 maths, 4 English, physical education, 2 foreign language, 3 sciences, 3 social studies, and 6 electives). A few communities offer what is called Community college, which covers the basic classes. Going to a community college generally shaves a year or 2 off the amount of time that must be spent at a University and a student receives an Associate of Art or Associate of Science degree depending on the elective classes they choose. Community college is cheaper than University and some communities offer it for free if you have graduated high school from the same county the CC is located in. If you are a full-time student and only take the class required for 1 degree, University should take 4 to 5 years and a bachelor degree is earned. If you continue a masters degree may be earned, taking 3 to 7 years to complete. The last level is a doctorate degree and generally would take another 3 to 7 years to complete.
I recently had to explain our entire school system to a Scottish friend when I only meant to tell him an AS grade! Didn't realise that the systems were different in Scotland 😃 x
Ye I live in scotland
I'm from Italy and the schooling system here is quite different. From the age of 3 you can go to nursery then you start primary school (which we call elementary school) in your six up until 10, so it's 5 yeaes of primary school. After that, we have middle school consisting of three years, then you go to secondary school. There is a wide range of secondary schools you can choose from. There are "licei" which are schools that usually expect you to go to university and "professionali" which complete schools giving you access to the work environment already.
Thank you so much for this video! I just started working for an educational british company and was completely lost with the UK system! It's so different from US!
in the US the way college is more like the first two years they want you to take general education classes like algebra, chemistry, psychology, etc they are required, and then the last two years you take the classes that pertain to your degree. You can go into college here with degree you want, but you still have to take those two years or however long it takes you to meet those requirements. Other people don't really know what they want to do in life so they start college by taking those pre-requisite classes that I mentioned, and then they declare what degree they want to pursue.
Thanks for this! I'm an American ex-pat in the UK for 7 years and I have never been able to figure out the Educational System in the UK. Your video spells it out very clearly but I will still need to watch it a few times before I understand it. I think the UK system is far more complex.
In the US, after High School you can go Community College which is like your Sixth years or you can go straight to a University. You can pick your own classes or if you get into a "program" like engineering or other specialty the classes are programmed for you.
Thanks again! This is very helpful. It's a bit complicated isn't it. Educational text and testing was the primary reason I was originally based in London. I have quite the stories regarding that effort. BTW: I am back in LA binge watching old J&L skits with my friends. LMFAO! You guys are brilliant! Love you both! Keep up the great work! Cheers!👍💟😘🇬🇧
teknekon amazing to hear! Gosh I dread to think which ones you're watching! Hahah 🙈
Thanks for your reply! Don't be so hard on yourselves. They're really funny! 😁
In Czech republic the education system is completely different.
At the age of 2-4 you go to the nursery (unlike in the UK you have to attend the nursery).
At the age of 6-7 you go to the ''basic school'' which is like elementary school in the US and that's where it gets really different. The basic school has 9 grades which are sepparated in 2 degrees (the 1st degree are years 1-5 and the 2nd degree are years 6-9).
The 1st degree is just about the basics and when you go to the 2nd degree you just go deeper in what you've learnt so far and you add new things ofc.
At the end of year 9 you have to do the entrance exams for ''middle school'' which is like high school in the US. You go there at the age of 15-16.
Everyone has to attend the middle school but you can go either to what we call it ''gymnázium'' (the hardest option) which is for 4 years or the ussual middle school which is focused on some topic like electricity, programming, healthcare etc. and that is also for 4 years.
For the bad graders (usually) there are the training institutions where you can learn to cook, repair things, build houses and things like these. You don't have to do the entrance exams for the training institution but you cannot graduate from these.
There are even more kinds of middle schools, but these are the most common ones.
When you graduate from the middle school you can go to the high school which is like college in the US.
You don't have to attend high school, but employers like to see these in biographies.
Nursery 2-4 - 5 y.o.
Basic school 6-7 - 15-16 y.o.
Middle school 16-17 - 20-21 y.o.
High school 20-21 - 24-25 and older
I'm from Argentina. And fortunately, here we have state (or public, as we call them) schools, colleges, and universities, so we don't have to pay for education at all. There are also private schools so you can choose.
Here we have:
- Daycare (until 3 years old/optional/you have to pay)
- Kindergarten (4 years old/optional/public or private)
- Pre-School (5 years old/mandatory/public or private)
- Primary School (6-12 years old/mandatory/public or private)
- Secondary School (13-18 years old/mandatory/public or private)
Then you can choose your higher education between:
- Third Education (between 2-3 years of duration/optional/public or private). In college (not sure this would be the right translation), or as we call it here Third Education, you get an undergraduate degree (Bachelor's degree). If available for your career, you can then go to university and get a graduate degree (I think this would be the equivalent degree) (2-3 more years of duration).
- or go directly to University (between 5-6 years of duration/optional/public or private). Going to college or university will depend on the career you choose. Some are studied at colleges, others at Universiy. University careers are longer than college careers and they're more prestigious because of the longer duration. In Medicine, for example, university lasts 6 years approx. (1 or 2 of observation and practice at a local hospital + 5 of regular study) and then you have the Residency levels (aprox. 3 more years of duration), which is mainly practice in general medicine (here called clinical medicine). Those years of your life you actually don't have a life, you're a zombie who almost lives at the hospital. Finally, if you don't want to work as a clinician, you specialise in any other field of medicine such as gastroenterology, haematology, cardiology, etc.
Until a few years ago, public primary and secondary schools were considered as prestigious as private ones, but now, that has changed. On the other hand, public college and university are considered a lot better than private ones.
Unfortunately, the last populist governments have undermined public education in Argentina.
Hope this information is useful or interesting for someone.
In NI we go to nursery at 3 and start primary at 4, sometimes 5 depending on when your birthday falls. After 7 years there, you go to high school for 5 years and then you can chose to go into 6 form or move on to tech/collage. Then uni if you want after that.
When I was in high school, we had to pay class dues in order to graduate.
In American colleges and universities, you first take your general course requirements (math, science, etc.) usually for the first 2 years, and then you must select your major course of study. You take the classes specific to your major course of study for the next 2-3 years until you graduate. I changed my major like 3 times before figuring out what I really wanted to do so I'm glad that was allowed here.
Awesome video! I have a test in a couple of days and this really helped me out =)
Finally got the idea of your school systems. Tnx
Fantastic video!! 👏👏🤩
Generally in the United States there are 3 stages of Public School: Elementary school is Kindergarten to 5th/6th grade, middle school is typically 6th/7th to 8th grade, and high school is 9th to 12th grades. Then after you graduate from High School, you can either go to a Community College or Vocational School to get a 2 year degree and then into the work field OR onto a University, if you choose, to transfer for a 4 year degree. Private Schools are a totally separate thing.
Different in Scotland, primary school p1 to p7 . Then secondary school s1 to s6 . Not familiar with reception and sixth form until this video . And no specialist schools , we have catholic schools. A levels are equivalent to Scottish highers
England have catholic schools
So is Scotland mainly catholic?
American university is 4 years. The first 2 years are general education requirements - literature, writing, math, science, social science, arts, etc. The second two years are the professional sequence. So, if you are going into engineering, most of the engineering classes would be taken then. Most universities do not require students to declare a major course of study until their 3rd year. They want the student to experience many different fields before settling on one. Most student change majors at least five times before knowing what they really want to do.
I’m binge watching y’all today
In the US, it is similar to the UK we choose a major or a pathway before (or you can go general education/undeclared) and then your classes are based on that. But you can change your major or pathway when you are in school
In the Czech Republic we have nursery schools as well but the age span is different. Children go there up until the point when they turn 6. Then we start primary school (age 6 to 15) which has 9 years and it is divided into the first half (first 5 years) and the second half (remaining 4 years). After primary school we go to secondary school and that's the time for us to start thinking about what we would like to do in the future. So according to that we choose our secondary school (there are basically three types) at which we study for 4 years. So we only get one prom (unlike Americans) at the age of 18 or 19 and that's it. Then people may go to University but, as you said, it's not compulsory. As a matter of fact, not even secondary schools are compulsory but most people go because otherwise no one would employ them. University is for free for a certain number of years in which people are expected to graduate. But it happens quite often that people don't manage to pass all their exams in time or they struggle to submit their BA or MBA theses in time and in that case we only get one extra year to catch up. If we don't, then we have to start paying around 1,260 pounds per year. But for us students, who barely manage to balance work, school and private life, it's actually quite a lot. I guess money is the reason, prices and salaries in the Czech Republic are extremely different from the rest of the world, I feel.
I was randomly talking to somebody in the UK (they had like a question/answer segment) about schooling, and was told that the price in the UK went up for schooling because of how 'well' it is doing in America, so they thought they'd "take a cue" from the Americans. It made sense to me, especially when people compare the two so much. I am American and only asked because some of my UK friends were telling me it was still free to go to university over there.. and I didn't think it was (I also didn't think it had gone up that much though).
Hello! American here. Things I would like to clarify. College and university can be intertwined as the same meaning. But on an academic standpoint in the US, these two higher institutions are different. Colleges tend to only serve Associate’s Degrees (below a Bachelor). It’s usually 2 years of what we call “general education”, which covers ALL the high school classes we had in high school (secondary school in the UK). So it will have different categories, and for the most part you can choose whatever classes satisfy your “degree major”. Like for example, everyone has to take College Level Math, College English, Critical Thinking, Physical Science, Biology Science, Social Science, Arts & Humanities, etc.
Depending on your degree major, determines which classes of those categories you can choose in order to satisfy the requirements. Like for example, I was a Social and Behavioral Science major in college. I was required to take math since it is a required General Ed, but I was given several options for which math class. Like Statistics, Social and Behavioral Stats, Psychology Stats, College Algebra, and Calculas. Where as my peers who majored in engineering did not have those choices, but were required to take Calculas to satisfy their math requirements. On the other hand, I had to take certain Sociology classes. Such as research in social methods, where as my engineering friends had much variety options, like US government, history, psychology etc. Even tho social science had no relation to their major. All majors have meet certain college units/credits to satisfy the required general education courses. Like for example, I also had to take a critical thinking class, i was given choices to critical think and analyze English literature, take eastern or western philosophy, or take a public speech class that focused on arguing and debate (which I took, cuz I hate writing and reading). Upon completed of all the general Ed classes, you then have earned yourself the Associates Degree and have completed college, you can use that diploma and transcript to apply and transfer to a 4 year institution (university) if you want your bachelors, cuz colleges only go up to 2 years. You would be transferring as an undergrad and be entitled to joining as a upper division student (university students who completed their lower division classes/general education classes).
University in the US holds undergraduate degrees (bachelor) and hold masters and doctors. For bachelor’s degree, you have to knock out and satisfy all the remaining major classes, rather than general ed classes. So this time, you would no longer be required to take math, science, arts, music, etc. Unless it’s specifically related to your major. Like for example, as a social worker student, all my classes would specifically be in relation to my degree, and not anything else! Major classes are called upper division classes in the US.
Students who wish to not go to college (2 years) but go straight to a 4 year institution (4 years) from high school can certainly do so! But they are also required to complete their general education classes! In university, they are considered lower division classes. Once they complete those courses, they can take their upper division classes (major specific classes). College graduates (Associates Degree) do not.
Hope this helped.
In Dorset there are three-tier schools, First, Middle and Upper schools. First school is Reception to Year 4 (Age 4 to 9). Middle school is year 5 to year 8 (Age 9 to 13) and SATs are done in the middle of this, at the end of year 6. Upper schools are Year 9 to Year 11 (Age 13 to 16) however most upper schools in my area have attached sixth forms so they finish at 18 instead, however you can opt out and go to college or into an apprenticeship, etc..
In America, nursery is daycare (1month-3 years old), primary is preK (4yo), elementary is Kindergarten through 5th (5-10yo), junior high or middle school is 6th-8th (11-13yo), high school is 9th-12th (14-17yo) and students are referred to as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. Everything from K-12th grade are compulsory (required) but can be done in public school (state run), charter (partially state funded, but not state run), private (paid for by the students parents), or homeschooling (done by the parents). Private school can be parochial (religious) or secular (non-religious). Public and Private schools can also be standard curriculum or magnet programs. Magnet schools have an emphasis in an area of trade or talent... For instance, there's medicine, arts (music, theatre and/or visual arts), technology, etc. but they still have the standard curriculum that is required for all state schools with additional curriculum in their area of trade or talent. After the K-12 schooling, graduates have many choices. Go to work in a job/career that doesn't require additional study. You can attend a trade-school for specific study in a single trade... cosmetology, HVAC technician, auto mechanic, dental or medical assistant are all examples of trade-school career studies. Community colleges are under-graduate universities, they have Associate degrees or two-year degrees, and most offer trade certificate progams, like a trade school plus the basic college language, history and math requirements. Tuition is $3-9k a year... So many people go to community college and then transfer to a 4-year university in order to make college less expensive. 4-year universities (or just University or College) offer Bachelor and Masters degree programs, some offer Post-graduate study (lawyers and doctors go to these). Tuition at University can be $10k-ridiculous and most people cannot afford it (even with loans and/or scholarships). Speaking of loans, there are government and private student loans for all of the choices I have mentioned (although government loans can't be used for post-graduate education programs). There are also grants that can be used for 2 year, 4 year and post-graduate study in a college but are usually not available for trade-school education programs.
This is a GREAT video! Thanks for doing this one. For decades I've been confused about, and curious about, how the school system works in England (i.e., the structure, the terminology) . (FYI: I'm an American.) Before now, I've only heard little snippets of info being said by some British person or another; and I wasn't sure what they meant when they used expressions like "sixth form" or "A levels". But now, because i watched this video, I think I have a much better picture of what the entire system there is like.
I've seen other comments to this video where someone has already explained the school system here in the US; so I won't go into detail about that here. But I did make some of my own comments (elsewhere in this comments section) to amplify the explanation of US college and university studies.
Here, in the states, the terms, "freshman," "sophomore," "junior," and "senior," are determined by how many credits you have taken (as determined by the number of classes and grades you get). So, a freshman is a first year student, a sophomore is a second year student, a junior is third year student, and a senior is in their 4th (or more) years. For those who are going for advanced degrees, they will just say something like they are a "master's" student, or a "doctoral" student, depending on their program of study. Typically, people will start off getting a Bachelor's degree, then, later on, may pursue a Master's, then a Doctorate/Ph.D.
American public education begins in kindergarten at age 5-6. Elementary encompasses grades 1-5 in some systems or 1-6 (age 6-11/12). Junior high or middle school goes from grades 6-8 or 7-9 again depending on the system where high school is either grade 9-12 or 10-12. Miami, FL (Dade County Public Schools) used 1-6, 7-9, 10-12 respectively.
From six weeks for some nurseries. In England you legally have to start education in school term after you are five but most start in September after you are four. If you are born in April to August you can also request to join school in September after you are five in reception instead of year one but they can refuse. In most school districts in England there is two tier system with primary then secondary. Primary is between the ages of four and eleven and seniors is between eleven and sixteen. Compulsory education is upto 18 but between 16 to 18 you also have the option of an apprenticeship. Also have the legal option in Uk to home educate.
The American K is equivalent to our year one. Pre k is like reception.
I find it really interesting!!! I just always thought that Brit’s called “University” anything after high school (secondary school). In the U.S., college is a term used for what you go straight into after high school. Although, our “college” sounds like your “university”
Yeah I think high school lasts longer for you guys where as we finish it early and go to college for 2 years then we go to uni at 18 years old
Hey Joel and Lia, thank you for your amazing video! Why would you rather go to a private school than a public school?
They’ve changed the system slightly (a lot) some where here down south
so we start at nursery like normal
then you go up to reception in first school
then yr 5 is the first yr of middle school
then yr 9 is the first yr of upper school then you go to sixth form, college or university
In the US, after high school you can go to community colleges to take your core classes, like math and English. It’s a lot cheaper and it gives you more time to figure out your major. I even got my associates degree, which is a two year degree, in general arts. That means when I start at a university I’ll go in as a junior, or 3rd year. Most programs last 4 years. Most people choose a major of study before starting at a university, but they have the option of switching programs. I’m about to go back to school and it’ll cost me about $5000 a year with books, but the university closer to my home would cost about $23000 a year. It can get pretty crazy and sometimes cost ends up being the deciding factor between schools.
Some “high schools” here in the US (9-12 grade 14-18 yrs old) are having “academies” or specific studies. One school my friend went to has 3 schools in one each one had their own floor and the staff and classes all contained to that floor. One was more general while the other two schools two had specific studies one was of social justice for those who want to go into law, politics and social service and the other one was medicine and science bases for students interested in that career path. The students are combines in sports and other extra curricular activities
Where I live in the US, we have preschool which is up to 4 then you can go to pre-kindergarten (which is optional) then go to primary school which is kindergarten-2nd grade then on to elementary school which is 3rd-5th grad then middle school is 6th-8th grad and high school is 9th-12th grade
Love your videos! You both have amazing chemistry! Being from California luckily our school system is easier to grasp XD
I go to an academy school (which is free to get in but the teachers look at your reports and behaviour to decide whether you get in) you go there until you are 16 and when you do your GCSEs (I don’t think they do sixth form) and then you have to do 2 years at college
I'm from the US. Here you start preschool around age 3 or 4 I think. It largly depends on how mature you are for your age. If you can follow directions you might start earlier. Perschool isn't required but is highly recommended. You start elementary school with kindergarten around age 5 and this is required. Then you start first grade at around age 6 and go until grades five or six depending on what your local school system has decided for the cut off point. In fifth grade you are around age 10 or 11 in sixth grade you are 11 or 12. That's when you start middle school or Jr high and that usually goes until eighth (8th) grade when you are about 14. Then you move on to high school which is grades 9-12. You graduate at around 18 unless you get held back or
What have you. You can then choose to 1: do nothing and try to find a job 2: go to votech or a trade school where you can be like a plumber or a mechanic or 3: you can go to college. No college is really paid for in the US by the government. I hesitate to say that though because most people do go to college with help in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans some of which are provided by the government but can also come from private sources such as your parents workplace. The rest is covered by you out if pocket (,with your own money). There are various kinds of colleges as well. There are 2-year colleges if you want as cheap as possible and many of these offer both votech (trade school) and libral arts like English math or history. You either earn a certificate of some sort or your associates degree here. Then there are 4-year colleges and universities. Here you usually earn a bachelor's degree and they cost more than 2-year colleges. There are public or state funded universities and private colleges too (both are four or more years). The state colleges and universities (University of Minnesota or Wisconsin state for example) are usually cheaper than your private schools. Private schools are also a lot of times harder to get into (you have to apply and hope to get accepted into schools after 12th grade) but are seen as more prestigious or elite even though some state schools might be equally great. You can then go on to graduate school and earn your master's, Ph. D, or Doctorate and each of these usually adds another two years to your schooling. you have to get your bachelor's before your master's, your master's before your Ph. D (I think) etc. So if you want a higher degree your going to be in school for a long time. Also those scholarships, grants, and most loans will not help you pay for anything above a bachelor's degree and graduate school as it's called usually costs more than normal college no matter what school you choose. A lot of people can also choose to live on campus for an added cost and many places require you to do so for the first year. To get into any college in the first place however, you have to take standard tests including the ACT or SAT depending on which your college requires. If you choose to go to a 2-year college then you have to take a similar test called the accuplacer. You then apply to the schools of your choice (most people apply to more than one) and as many scholarships as you possibly can as well as the FAFSA which is the application for a the grants and loans from the government. All colleges will require you to fill out (apply for) and provide you FAFSA information. Basically I recommend starting your college career, if you choose to go, in 11th grade, or the year before you graduate high school cuz it's a really lengthy process. Also you are not required to go to college for a certain number of years. For example, you can go to a two year school for one or three years and a four year school for five depending on how many credits you take each semester (half school year). You basically go until you get your degree or drop out. Some four year school may get mad at you if you go more than five years though. Phew lengthy comment and yea school is confusing here.
This is my school in the UK which is in south west England. We have primary school which contains Reception to Y6 and in Y6 you have to do SATS and then secondary school which contains Y7 to Y11 and in Y9 you have to do options where you have to do all core subjects like all sciences, maths english, sport, citezenship, ep and options is where you have 4 options subjects. You can do subjects like art, phychology, ict, GCSE ep, GCSE sport and many more. You also have to pick between geography and history or do both. Then in Y11 you do your GCSE which are tests. Next you have to go to sith form or an apprentiship till your 18. And after that you can go to uni.
I've been searching for something like this for ages, thank you guys for this!
Thanks so much. I have a presentation about this. I had been so cunfused and dizzy trying to understand the education system in Uk, until I found this video. 😊
You can choose your subject or "major" before you go to university in the US, but a lot of people change their major partway through their schooling.
Hello guys, it is wonderful that you break down the school system in the UK. I wanted to add that in the US the word college at times it is referred to as University and at times it means Junior College which is the first two years of University.
In a Junior college you get to spend less money on the subjects that must be covered in the first two years of University. It also helps the student to rebuild their scholarly average in order to get into a competitive University.
University usually is 4 years the student has the option of deciding a field of study or simply entering Undecided and later on decide which field is best. Although you have a field of studies in order to gain a University degree the student is obliged to study other fields. This is due to the fact that they must walk out with some knowledge in general of every field. Thus the University forces the student to study history, English, Math and so forth. In various level beginners and advanced along the field of study chosen.
After the University some students proceed in their educational background and they get into a Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) program. The MA program usually runs for 2 years while the MS program is for 3 years. These programs are only concentrated in the field of choice. After the student might want to continue their education and get a Doctorate which usually lasts 4 years.
Good explanation of the "institutions of higher learning" after high school in the US. Allow me to make some comments to amplify this topic. (FYI: I'm an American)
A junior college is a different institution from a regular 4-year college or university. And it is indeed usually a 2-year program. And it is indeed usually cheaper than a regular college or university. At the end of the junior college program, if you take the correct mix of classes, you can earn an AA degree (which means Associate of Arts). If you want to just enter the workforce after that, you can tell prospective employers that you have an AA degree. If you want to go on to a regular college or a university after that, to get a Bachelors degree (i.e., a B.S. = Bachelors of Science degree, or a B.A. = Bachelors of Arts degree), that college or university will often accept some credits for the classes you took at the junior college, and apply them to what you need for their B.S. or B.A. degree. This means that you can get your Bachelors degree in less than the normal 4 years if you went to junior college first. And it is often easier to get accepted for admission into a college or university if you already have an AA degree from a junior college.
And, yes, students in the US don't have to have an area of specialization chosen before going to a college or university. Once there though, if you want a Bachelors degree, you have to identify and specify what you are "majoring" in at some point. And then you have to take the correct mix of classes for that "major". But for your initial time at the college or university you can have your major as "Undeclared".
Here's what the difference is between the B.S. and B.A. degree, at least at the university I went to. For both, you have to take the same classes that are specified for your major. And it is also true that for both, you have to take a certain amount of class "credits" (or "units") in "elective classes" that are outside of your major field of study (so that you show that you've learned some general knowledge beyond your area of specialization). For the B.S. degree you just have to get a certain number of credits in these elective classes. But for a B.A. degree you have to get that certain number of credits, AND there are specifications for how many of those credits need to be in various categories of study (e.g., history, math, science, English, foreign language, art, anthropology, etc.). So, the B.A. degree can indicate that you got a broader education in non-major classes.
Here's some amplification of the topic of post-Bachelors degree education: A student can apply for a Masters program, and leave school for the workforce after getting that. That degree often requires writing a Masters "thesis"; but there are some Masters programs where you just have to take certain classes and then take some tests. And for some universities, if you enter a Ph.D. program, you can receive a Masters degree along the way (i.e. after 2 or 3 years) if you have planned your academic efforts so that you have satisfied the requirements for a Masters degree (in that department of your university) in the initial years of your Ph.D. program. That means that you don't have to spend 2-3 years getting a Masters degree, and then spend an additional 4 or so years doing your Ph.D. Of course, there is no fixed number of years for how long your Ph.D. will take. That depends on your field of study, and on how well, and how quickly, your research goes (because you have to do original research, and write a "dissertation" on it).
@@garystreile9143 great explanation, you said what I wanted to say… FYI I am also an American
Malaysian education system is mainly based on exam-paper performance like most asian countries. In Malaysia, they were supposed to continue the English education system after their independance. However, they are not really the same and a mixture of American and British English. Children go to "kindergarten" and not infant school, between 4-6 years old.. Then, they go to Primary school (7-12 years old) and Secondary school (13-17 years old). At the age of 17, they have a national exam which is equivalent to GCSE..Students can decide to work or pursue their Pre-U studies for another 2 years depending on their exam results and financial situation.
In the USA, formal education starts at "kindergarten" and then we have 12 years of school (grades 1-12). Once done, you can go to work; get vocational training for a certificate (6 months to a year); go to junior/community colleges for two years and get an associate's degree; or go to a four-year college or university and get a Bachelor's degree. After that, should you choose, you can go to graduate school and get a Master's degree. if you want, you can get further educated and get a Ph.D., Ed.D, MD, or a law degree.Those programs are another 2-8 years. So, by ages (if you do it all consecutively), goes like this:
K (5 years old, or turning 6 if your birthday is after September -- I'll use the latter from here)
1-5 (Elementary/Primary school, age 7-11)
6-8 (Middle/Junior High School, still Primary, age 12-14)
9-12 (High/Secondary School, age 15-18)
One is required by many states to be in school until age 18, some states are more lax on that law, so you see a high dropout rate pre-high school completion.
You can get an Associate's Degree by 20, a Bachelor's degree by 22 years of age, Master's at 24, and the others by 30 years of age.
And you can go $20k - millions in debt depending on how far you take your education.
Australia 🇦🇺 is similar. We have kindergarten then onto primary school, reception to year 7 then high school (which is slightly different). We go from year 8 to 12, but I had the option of doing year 12 over 2 years so I ended up going to year 13. And we we do out exams (SACE) in year 11 and 12. We also did practice exams in year 10 (by memory as is was over 20years ago). After school you have to option of going to TAFE (technical and further education) on Uni. I went down the TAFE route and study for a further 2years. I went to a private secondary school (wearing the uniform and all) and it was expensive.
I never knew that yall’s formal schooling ended at 16.
In America we now go to school from 4-17/18. I didn’t go to school until I turned 5. I started in Kindergarten, and then after that first year you go to elementary school until 5th grade (in some places 6th grade is still Elementary). For me 6th-8th grade was what we call Middle School or Junior High. Then 9th-12th grade is High School or Secondary school. Your 12th grade year is your Senior year. After that year you can then decide to either head to a 2 year college or a 4 year university, or even a trade school, or military. Once you graduate at 17 or 18 then you are an adult and it’s time to make some choices. I love seeing how different schools are in different countries.
I pay for my college education with Grant money and some loans. $9K a year is really great especially if you live on campus on the dorms on a meal plan. My Freshman year of college when I was 18 was $12k. I lived on campus and was on meal plan.
ern1406 we don’t finish school at 16 now the government changed it to 18 and has been like that for about 5 years now
It's interesting that you still use the expression " sixth form" for the last two years before A'levels. When I was growing up in London in the 60's and 70's, the system was completely different. We went to school when we were five, and the first two years were called nursery school. Then there were four years of primary school. Then, when we were 11, we went to secondary school, which in my case was a grammar school. And then it started all over again with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.1 and 6.2.
Thank you!
So.many.Questions.
1. Regarding nursery: Do you have to pay for nursery? Can you choose part time vs. Full time for your child? Can you choose between different educational styles? (For example: Montessori)
2. How can you encourage your child to be A level?
3. Is there any supplemental or after school or summer turoring?
4. What about extra curricular things like dance, music, sport... are the children limited to specific choices? (For example, many schools in the U.S. don't even have music and arts programs anymore.)
For some reason Leicester has a completely different schooling system...you start secondary school at the beginning of year 6, to complete your SATs. We are at secondary school until the end of year 9 (my year). Next year, every year 9 is leaving for the biggest school but everyone just calls the school by its name. You complete your GCSE and A-levels at this school and then go to university..
Fascinating! Thanks!!
Do you know when they switched from saying first form, second form, third form, etc -- like in Mallory Towers or Seven Sisters at Queen Anne? Was that terminology of "forms" only for preparatory schools? Is "sixth form" the only one that was preserved? Also, I assume Mallory Towers, though not real, would have been a private school?
So the thing about College is that some people know what they want and go to certain colleges for that. But for other u can go in undecided and take alot of classes but most places make choose a major(what u want to study and get a degree in) by ur second or sophomore year of College. The name work for both College and high school. 1st year - freshmen, 2nd year - sophomore, 3rd year - junior, 4th year - senior
college offers a lot more variety and flexibility, I did college because they didn't offer what I wanted to do at my old school.I did drama and languages. A very informative and fun vid. keep it up!
In the US, an in state public university is about $13,000 with transportation and books (around 10,000 pounds per year). Scholarships, grants, work study, and loans are available to help students pay for college. If you live at home, work, apply for scholarships, it's really not that hard for college to be affordable. If you are a hardworking person who is willing to put the effort in you're education, than you can come out with little or no debt. The students who have 100K in loans were not smart to choose a private university that they can't afford and that's their fault, not the government's.
We have to take basics in college like math, language arts/english, science and history. Our second year of college/university we have to pick a major to stick with like psychology to possibly be a psychologist or choose to go into child learning and development to become an elementary school teacher.
I always liked learning about education in other countries, so thank you. Maybe you guys can do a video about your uni! :)
Daniel Lido that's a great shout! I didn't go to uni but Joel did, so we will think about doing a video on English universities :)
In the USA... public school is considered free education...but it is far from free. You have 2 pages of supplies you have to take on the 1st day of school and then there are fees that can add up pretty quickly. The higher the grade the more expensive the fees. Our school system is K5 (5 year old) and 1st - 12th grades... beginning 1st grade after 6th birthday.
Very interesting! I often watch the U.K. Parliament and so now I understand more about why tuition fees for university are such a hotly debated topic. £9000 sounds quite high.
It is really high, and especially when many graduates don't have great prospects for earnings. As J&L say, it used to be £1000 and then £3000 and then it jumped all the way to £9000. The intention was that there would be a market economy, and only the top-class universities would charge the full £9000 while less popular and less prestigious universities would charge maybe half that. Of course, what then happened was that universities realised that (a) if they charged less than £9000 then students would think they were not as good as others, and so wouldn't apply to go to them, and (b) as students weren't having to put the money up front themselves but were getting a loan to cover the full costs, they were far less bothered about the price differential than people had thought they would be ... so pretty much every university does charge the maximum allowed.
The U.S. is extremely expensive, even the more "affordable" ones. People get into debt just to get an education-- it's absolutely ridiculous. Soon only really rich people will be able to get higher education.
It is high if you have to pay for it yourself and you don’t have rich parents.
In the U S., school for ages 3-4 is called pre-school. At age 5, you go to kindergarten. At age 6, you start first grade, followed by 2nd grade. Those two years are considered primary school. The next two years are called middle schoo (3rd and 4th grade). The next two are called elementary school (5th and 6th grade). The next two years are called Jr. high school (7th and 8th grade), followed by 4 years of high school. You then graduate at age 18. Should you wish to end school earlier, you can, if you pass a test called the G.E D.(General Equivalency Degree). This ensures that you have the most important skills that High School was designed to teach you.
While in high school, you can choose to take classes for a few hours a day at the vocational school, which is designed to teach a skill to those who don't want to go to college. Also, honor students, in towns where there is a technical college, can choose to spend a few hours a day taking courses for college credit. Finally, in some states, a few honor students from the 11th grade of each school, an be chosen to attend the "Governor's School of Science and Mathematics" for two years.
In closing, what I have just described to you is a general layout. There are some towns where the grouping of grades are slightly different, or where other programs are available.
In the US, you can, depending on the college or university, major in General Studies, but typically you pick a major and focus on that, especially in your last two years. I don't personally know anyone who actually has a degree in General Studies.
You can begin college as 'undeclared' and pick your major later, but you do have to pick one. I started at a private Liberal Arts college as a Biology/Chemistry double major with a minor in Psychology on a Pre-Med track. And, when I burned out after my first year (surprise!), I switched to Music Education with a minor in Sociology. And when I got bored with that, I switched to Psychology with a minor in Sociology and that's what my degree is in. I was definitely not alone in my difficulty deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up. :)
Most Bachelors degrees can be earned in four years. Some take five. If you go year around, you can do it in three. After finishing your core, required subjects (maths, sciences, languages, etc), which, in my experience are usually completed in the first two years, you focus more on the subjects in your Major and Minor.