Things I have noticed about this forum

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That's great that you don't feel that way at university! It is nice when everyone is there to learn. And when you can pick your own direction of study and work more independently. Makes sense that certain groups of people are more drawn to certain subjects.

Plus in lectures you presumably get to pick where you sit, which means no more sitting next to people who kick you! Regardless of his reasons for doing it, it still seems really unfair that you had to sit next to that boy and endure that though, sounds horrible!

I wonder if the "category" of school has something to do with many kids changing.

In the UK, "College" seems to be a place with more maturity amongst its students. "College" is equivalent to the junior and senior years of high school in the US. Trust me, people who are juniors and seniors in high school frequently still act like kids.

You probably "hit the nail on the head," though. The students are in "college" because they want to be there.

I still feel semantics could still be a significant impetus for this, though. "Secondary school" and "high school" are roughly equivalent. I have heard a few instances where UK students call secondary school "high school."

College and the first two years of "college" in the US are roughly equivalent. The students know that they are in a different "level," and feel they must accordingly.

This thread has completely gone off-topic.

Okay. We've gone off-topic. I feel people are now helping themselves by speaking of their bad memories of the past. I feel it’s a good thing.

What have you noticed about this Forum? Your answer would certainly get us “on topic” really fast. It might also produce a little controversy.

I went to an all girl's school, which probably also affected the way kids changed when they left because all of a sudden there were boys around! I think single sex schools probably have a very different dynamic.

The idea of college vs school changing the maturity level and behavior of students is interesting though. It would be an interesting thing to study. Sorry I'm contributing to the off-topic drift but I was just poised to say that one last thing! It has been a very interesting drift!

Yeah, I realise we've gone off topic, but I am also enjoying this drift in conversation.

Kraftie, it seems that the main differences between College and Secondary are the lack of school uniform, and it's not as formal as school.

This produces a more relaxed atmosphere, and indeed there tends to be a shift in maturity that is quite notable.

Currently, the law in the UK states that students must stay in some form of education until they turn 18.

Students who do not wish to experience the College experience often opt to do an apprenticeship, working most days in part-time jobs but they have to physically go into College at least once per week.

However, sixth form tends to be more formal, and is more like an extension of Secondary school education (although this can vary depending on the sixth form itself) when in comparison what we call College is more similar to University, and many College students go on to University courses (not all, however).

Last edited by Lost_dragon on 23 Dec 2017, 6:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yes, I sense that Sixth Form is quite formal, and demands lots of you.

But I also sense that the maturity level of the students is commensurate with the "formality." I would guess this is because a lot is at stake. If one doesn't do well in the A-Levels, one might not get into a good university.

The ones that are considered posh tend to be quite formal, and generally Sixth form is for more academic subjects rather than vocational. Also, it is more exam orientated rather than course work based. That's why I opted for a vocational route, I've never liked exams and prefer course work assignments that are individually graded and add up to a total score, rather than worrying over a final exam.

With regards to the formality, I felt like the tutors were more on the same wavelength during lessons at College than at school.

In Secondary, for me at least, it always felt like we were almost bowing down to the teachers, that they had the control and we were their royal subjects. But with College it was more like they were our equals, and we could discuss the subject material without having to raise our hands to ask permission to talk (some teachers asked for this in Secondary, others did not), and you didn't have to get permission to go to the toilet, or take a phone call either, you just had to mention what you were doing, and then you got on with it.

Last edited by Lost_dragon on 23 Dec 2017, 7:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I thought that way about College, too. What you said----that the treat you more as equals.

We don't have as many "vocational" options in the US as you do in the UK. They're there. But some of the unions which employ tradespeople can be corrupt. And...there is a certain stigma attached to people who don't go to college (University).

There are many, many people who go to college (University) in the US who really don't belong there. It's not because they're "stupid." It's because their learning style is not geared towards the strictly academic.

In relatively recent times, though, professors have begun to sort of adapt to students' learning styles---sometimes (though rarely) even allowing a student to produce a film, instead of writing a paper.

Most of the people I know are the first in their family to attend University, I'm actually the third person in my family to attend, but that is fairly unusual in the area I live in. I don't think there's much of a stigma here towards people who don't go to University, with websites such as "Notgoingtouni.com" providing alternatives.

Apprenticeships do have a reputation of being corrupt, as employers sometimes try to pay less than what is required, or sometimes interns struggle to progress in the company, and just get stuck being the intern. College are expected to track these things though, and make sure that businesses follow guidelines. Whether they actually do or not is a different story...

You wouldn't believe this:

In certain parts of the US, under 10% of the population 25 years or older have a Bachelor's Degree. In other places, especially in places like certain parts of New York City, the percentage is up to 60%.

In my particular area, the percentage is about 35%.

If you live on the East Coast or the West Coast, there is a definite stigma attached to people who don't attend college. One of the insults is "Do you want fries with that?"---meaning there is no chance of a person moving beyond working at McDonald's or something.

In truth, I sense that the academic standards in a UK University just might be considerably higher than that in a US College. You folks probably have a much better educational system, overall, than us.

Last edited by kraftiekortie on 23 Dec 2017, 7:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I wonder why normal people wouldn't go to college? I can understand why people with disabilities wouldn't go.

Colleges offer scholarships and grants and they have grants for those with low income who won't have to pay it all back. Not all parents can pay for college. My husband and I wouldn't be able to either but I hope my kids will still go and get grants or scholarships so they wouldn't have to pay for all of it.

Damn, that's harsh. I remember some of our Secondary school teachers would insult pupils they didn't like with things such as said insult. Especially PE teachers.

Over here I know plenty of people who never went to University that have great jobs, my mum never went to University and she works in finance. She found work at 16 (back then it wasn't compulsory to stay in education until the age of 18), and worked her way up. Granted, the economy has changed since then, but even people I know that are my age are working as hairdressers, waiters, musicians, and various retail placements. It's not just flipping burgers and serving fries.

My dad never went to University either, nor did he ever get his English GCSE, but he still managed to get a job in one of the leading Science companies at the time. At one point my mum also worked there.

I think they still did O levels though, but only up to HNC level (equivalent to only one year of University) rather than a full Bachelor's degree.

Last edited by Lost_dragon on 23 Dec 2017, 7:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

That’s why I believe the UK has a better educational system—and how your parents did despite “lacking” a University education only confirms this.

They have about the equivalent of one year of University study (since they took O levels at College, as well as HNC's), so if I were to leave University after my first year was over, I would have the same qualification level as my parents.

I'm doing a foundation year, which is the same as your community College, so my parents are about as qualified as someone who attended a Community College and only that.

However, I am planning to stay on and get a Bachelor's degree.

I’ll have to do research on the rate of Bachelor’s accomplishment in the UK.

An Associate’s Degree (the terminal degree of community college) really gets you nowhere in the US.

There are some people who succeed through attending vocational school only—but that’s becoming rarer.

Many hospitals are hiring only Registered Nurses with a Bachelors, or who are working their way towards the Bachelors.