<p>Not sure if I'm asking in the right forum, but if the US high school education is so bad, then why is their college system ranked as the best in the world? If you look at countries like Finland, they have amazing high school systems, yet they don't seem to be able to compete with the US in terms of higher education. So is it because the US steals all the elite students from other countries, or did the US just decide to invest more in their college education? Or is it something else?
P.S. If this isn't in the right forum, you can move it.</p>
<p>The US has a large population. That means that the number of top-end high school graduates is still quite large, enough to fill a large number of universities with students of high ability and motivation.</p>
<p>we did indeed invest, long ago and for a long time.</p>
<p>Not sure if I’d agree with the US having the best “college system”. In terms of what, specifically? Not everyone in the United States has an equal chance of attending college. Huge income inequality=U.S.; low income inequality=Finland. Or perhaps you’re talking about more of the “internal” aspects of college education.</p>
<p>Well the US may not have the “best” colleges in terms of individual performance, but they do have a wide variety of colleges that provide top-notch quality education, more so than Finland, GB, etc. Although there is a huge income inequality in the US, in Finland there are about 2 or 3 colleges worth mentioning, while I can name at least 50 American universities that provide equal, if not better, education (this is subjective, though, you may define “worth mentioning” differently). So while the US may not provide the best financial situations for their college students, in Finland you’re basically in a top notch university (which isn’t easy to get into) or you’re in a low-tier university. Better situation? I’m not so sure.
But anyways, I’ve digressed from this thread. Let’s get back on track :-).</p>