Could someone explain me the American school system since I am not from the US and there are many people talking about college etc. and I'd like to know how I can compare this with our (Dutch) school system.

Thanks!

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In order to answer this, I'm going to go back and start with pre-secondary education in the American system.

Children start at elementary schools, largely equivalent to the British primary school although the addition of kindergarten means that a British year 3 is equivalent to an American year 2. Elementary schools typically run from grades K-5, at which point children will then transfer to a middle school (grades 6-8) before transfering to high school (grades 9-12). There is a little bit of variation with middle school: sometimes the years are slightly different, and some areas don't have middle schools at all, preferring to incorportate those three years into either elementary or middle school. (As an aside, American states typically mandate that children/teenages must attend school until a certain age, usually 16).

Although taking a gap year is common in Britain and other parts of Europe, it is common in the US for students who intend to continue their education to go straight to college after high school. In terms of college itself, there are a variety of schools that fall under this general umbrella: there are two-year community college programs (the students of these generally transfer to a four-year institution later), liberal arts colleges (typically four years) and universities (typically four years as well). If one is attending a university, one will be a student both of the larger institution itself and of a particular college within in--for instance, a student at the University of Arkansas might also be a student of the College of Business or the College of Communication. A liberal arts school tends to be smaller than a university and does not possess different colleges in the way that a university would.

Master's Programs in the U.S. and typically two years. The length of PhD programs varies depending on what one studies and who his/her supervisor is. A full-time law program takes three years, after which law students must pass the bar exam in order to practice law. Medical school itself takes four years, after which the students must take internships and residencies in order to become a practicing doctor.

I know that in the British system, for instance, students enter into medical school directly after their A-levels. That isn't the case in America--students typically must have a four-year degree before applying for med school. It's also the same with law.

Melissa, thank you so much for the comprehensive explanation!

I still have question though: at what age will teenagers leave high school and start on college?

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Usually it's 17 or 18.