<p>Like many user of this forum I'm an international student planning to study in the US next fall.</p>
<p>I'm from Iceland, and our school system is quite different from the system in America. We have a 10 year mandatory elementary school, 4 year upper-secondary level school, and most university programs are only 3 years. Our grades are on the 0-10 scale, 4.5 and lower means failure. Most schools have no special AP or honors classes, although one does take higher level classes in his/her concentration.</p>
<p>I will of course be sending a translated transcript to the schools I'm applying to, but surly they'll need to know how to intrepret it.</p>
<p>My question is: How do you explain your country's school system to addmission committies? Do I expect them to know everything about it? Should I explain it in few words like I did above? Should I explain it in more detail? Should I translate the whole curriculum?</p>
<p>You don’t need to explain your educational system.</p>
<p>It sounds like your school system is pretty much like most countries’. Universities are only three years long and your schools follow a standardized national curriculum without AP or honors courses. The first x years are mandatory for everyone, after that classes generally get a bit harder and students start specializing in some areas. </p>
<p>For the purpose of admission your curriculum is pretty much unimportant. Colleges are not interested in what you know right now but in your potential. That can be best measured by comparing you to other students by the means of your grades and test scores. </p>
<p>The only explanation that might be helpful is your grading scale and if possible the distribution of grades. (If possible list the frequency of each grade. If not at least give them an estimate of the average GPA.)</p>
<p>If you attach the International Supplement to Secondary School Report, I think you should be fine
That paper has a section about grade interpretations (A=<strong><em>, B=</em></strong>, etc.)
Or if you want, maybe ask your teacher to mention your educational system in recs or School Report?</p>
<p>Here in Sweden the Counselors have a paper that explains the Swedish grading/educational system that they can attach if needed (at least that was what they did for my Cambridge application)…</p>
<p>the whole curriculum might be too much though…</p>
<p>But you shouldn’t need to do anything, speak to your teacher/university counselor</p>