Pre-Calc or Stats?

[ucbalumnus]

@Happytimes2001

I spoke to a Greek woman once at a cocktail party. She is a heart surgeon. We were comparing notes about our education. Mine ( without going into details) included multiple changes in majors, careers and I was still able to build several careers in multiple areas ( with various degrees) . She said that’s amazing. Once she committed to medicine there was no going back. She realized she would have preferred another field but to change meant to start again. And her family could not pay twice.

While there are certainly disadvantages to requiring earlier specialization and choice of career, paying twice for university education in Greece or many other countries probably costs a lot less than paying once for university education leading to an MD or DO degree in the US. While later specialization and career choice in the US theoretically allows the student more options on one’s own (rather then under greater influence of parental circumstances and choices when choosing earlier), the high cost of education in the US and the resulting (financial) dependency on parental circumstances and choices gives away that theoretical advantage.

@Happytimes2001

It’s great there’s both systems in the world. Today kids in the US can go to England and kids in England can come to the US.

If there is enough parental money, especially for the UK kids who want to attend a university in the US.

[MYOS1634]

In addition, the UK system is as if half the sophomores took 5+ AP exams+ 3-4 general standardized tests at the end of the year, with the other half taking 5-
8 general standardized tests in specific subjects of which they must pass 5. Then (with the Gove reform) you add 3 subjects studied for 6-8 hours a week each.
So for strong students it’s not as specialized as it looks - the GCSE’s in traditional subjects cover a lot of ground, skills, and knowledge. Less traditional academic subjects include Religious Studies, Media Studies or Business Studies, are considered “easy” subjects but still cover quite a bit of content, and more practical ones such as Health&Social care, Hospitality, Food Preparation are only taken to prepare for vocational programs, BTechs, etc.

After GCSE’s students can join a college (think of the school in “Sex Education”), stay at their Comprehensive for 2 years, join vocational programs or the BTech diploma program.
The 3 subjects taken at A-level are taken from the GCSE’s and there’s a “mark” or score required to be selected for each. If you read the Harry Potter books, Book 5 explains how they need specific OWLs to get into their chosen NEWTs (GCSEs formerly called O’Levels, and A-levels.)

The French system just underwent a change, too. They never specialized as much as the British, but now they all take a core of 4 hours each of French Literature (11th) or Philosophy (12th), History, Geography/Geopolitics, and 2 hours each of Statistics&Science, English, a second foreign language, and phys ed
+
in 11th grade 3 advanced subjects for 4 hours, including more Literature&Philosophy, more HistoryGeography&Geopolitics or other subjects such as Ancient Cultures&Latin, Ancient Cultures&Greek, Calculus, Physics&Chemistry, Biology&Geoscience, Literatures and Cultures of the English speaking World, Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Arts&History of Art, CS (not all schools offer all subjects, all were supposed to offer 7, but some offer 10 and some offer 5 whereas in the past all “tracks” were offered.)
In the 12th grade they still have the core classes and their specialized courses, but instead of 3 they have only 2, 6hours each, for which they took the pre-reqs and which are quite advanced (similar to Scottish Advanced Highers): Calculus with Linear Algebra and Discrete Math or Calculus&Stats, Calculus-based Physics, or more of Ancient Cultures&Ancient Greek, etc.
So, definitely not as specialized as the UK system.

MANY French students who are experiencing the new system discover that 1° they chose the wrong specialized classes for their universities (universities had not published what they wanted until this year so students had to choose “blind”) or 2° they don’t like one of their specialized courses and would like to switch but aren’t allowed to, even in September.

[Happytimes2001]

Well the income level in Greece is also much lower so the idea of paying twice ( even though less) might be relative.
Yes, it’s unlikely many students from the UK will pursue an American degree. It’s not only the $, it’s the mindset. And how would the degree apply to their future plans if they return.
All good questions and preferences.