A-Levels Vs US High School

<p>Is it true that US colleges, for example USC, upgrade British A level grades because our education system between the ages of 16 and 18 is better then that of its counterpart in the US?</p>

<p>I don't know if it's necessarily better (not in the position to judge), but yes they do upgrade A levels. A lot of colleges (nearly all the ones I applied to do) award course credit per A level so you have more room for other stuff.</p>

<p>It's a very odd system though, because US and UK system people graduate HS at the same age, and yet somehow they think we take more advanced courses when really we just started primary school at the age of 5 instead of 6.</p>

<p>I think he meant that American universities convert British grades to American one. Some do, majority don't.</p>

<p>I meant that too...I guess my point wasn't that clear. I said that A levels are converted to course credits. The Ivies allow this, as far as I know.</p>

<p>Not all A Levels. Only "respected" A Levels like Physics, Chem, Bio, Math, F.Math, History, Economics. I dont think they give credits for subjects like Accounting, Business Studies, Media etc.</p>

<p>no credits for F.Math... at least in my experience</p>

<p>Hey albert87, I guess it depends on which college you go to. UIUC gives credits for F Math.</p>

<p>lol
I thought UIUC gives credit for getting F in Maths:D
[A-levels have U not F, i know.]</p>

<p>Further Maths he meant :)</p>

<p>What do you learn in Further Math as opposed to regular Math?</p>

<p>each A-level is made up of 6 modules.
you can sometimes mix them up...im doing normal maths
and i learn(ed): Statistics 1, Statistics 2, Core Maths 1-4.</p>

<p>if i do Further Maths id learn things like Pure Maths,
Mechanics, Decision Maths etc.</p>

<p>Do you happen to know what topics are taught in Pure Maths and Mechanics?</p>

<p>CIE Further maths has two papers- one on Pure maths and second on mechanics and statistics.</p>

<p>Pure maths has topics like Matrices and linear spaces, Induction, advances Differentiation and Integration and Series.</p>

<p>Statistics has weired topics which i am not able to explains(x^2 test or something like that)</p>

<p>Here's</a> a link</p>

<p>Our A level includes Decision Maths 1...and then S2 becomes part of the Further section. The rest of F Maths is stuff like FP 1-4, Mechanics etc.</p>

<p>wow, so an american college like USC would accept an E grade in Maths. Becasue thats what i got at AS level lol.</p>

<p>I dropped it ofcourse. (my teacher left half way through the course and it messed me up) :(</p>

<p>what are A level math and f math best compared to: calc 2&3 or AP AB&BC</p>

<p>A level math is much more advanced than Cal BC</p>

<p>
[quote]
Statistics has weired topics which i am not able to explains(x^2 test or something like that)

[/quote]

Chi-square tests? Believe me, there are topics in (pure) math that are much weirder than that. Thanks for the info.</p>

<p>yeah, chi square; I didn't knew it was called chi.
Pure maths is easy. tThe only worrying topic for me is linear spaces. But then i won't take Further maths at any cost.</p>

<p>I just had a look at the further maths syllabus and I wouldn't really call that pure mathematics... 90% of the topics are just Calc BC, linear algebra and a little bit of Pre-Calc.
I am taking an elementary number theory course, and THAT stuff is weird.</p>