Structure of Education in the USA

The length and age for compulsory education in the United States vary by state. Children start schooling at the age of 5 to 8 years and end up at the age of 14 to 18 years.
At the age of five, American children go to kindergarten whose primary purpose is socialization. The attendance is not compulsory, but nevertheless almost all American children attend it. However, many American youngsters are introduced to their first school setting even before the age of five, through nursery school or day care attendance.
The first academic institution that a student attends is called elementary school or grammar school. In some school systems, elementary school includes kindergarten through 8th grade, and the next four years (taught in a different school building) are called high school. In other school systems, there is a third division called junior high school (or middle school) which usually includes grades 6 through 8, but in some communities includes grades 4 or 5 through 8 and in others includes grades 7 through 9. So Americans usually complete their secondary education by the age of 18.
Those who have received secondary education may enroll in community college, also called the junior college, technical college or City College (which after two years of study, give associate's degree comparable to that of vocational secondary education. Another option to continue their education is to enroll in colleges or universities, where they earn a bachelor’s degree, usually within four years of undergraduate studies. A master’s degree can be earned by one or two academic years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree. A Ph.D. degree (Doctor of Philosophy) usually takes three years beyond the master's. Separately accredited faculties and colleges grant the degree of Doctor of Medicine and Jurist Doctor, which require special training already at the level of bachelor's degree.

School Education

About 85% of children are enrolled in public free schools. The majority of the rest goes to private fee-paying schools, many of which are religious. The most widespread system of Catholic schools is that, started by Irish immigrants during the second half of the XIX century. Other private schools are often very expensive and sometimes have great competition for admission; they prepare students for entry into prestigious universities. There are even boarding schools which take students from every corner of the country, such as Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Similar boarding schools also exist in South Florida.
The system of education in private boarding schools distinguishes itself by increased attention to different personalities, unique individualities. The training itself is only a part of a complex process in which each day spent in a boarding school brings something new to the development of individual skills, aesthetic education, makes students’ manners more refined, trains both mind and body. In private schools there is a greater variety of courses, maximum attention is paid to students, assistance in preparation of homework is also provided. International students may enroll in an American school at any age.
In elementary schools children are usually taught from the age of five to eleven or twelve.
Middle schools tend to teach children between the ages of 11 and 12 to 14 years – from the sixth or seventh through the eighth grade. Recently, the sixth grade tends to be included in high school. Usually in high school, in contrast to the elementary one teacher teaches one subject. Pupils are required to take classes in math, English, natural sciences (often including world history) and physical education. Students have an opportunity to choose one or two courses themselves, usually in foreign languages, arts and technology.
Many high schools have what is commonly called a tracking system, which groups students according to academic ability and motivation. Thus, more capable and hard-working students take more difficult courses. Depending on the subject, classes may be offered at two, three, or even four different ability levels.
High school is the last stage of secondary education in the United States, lasting from the ninth through twelfth grade. In high school, students can choose their classes more freely than before, and only need to meet the minimum criteria, set by the school board to get certificate. Typical minimum requirements are:

3 years of natural sciences (one year of chemistry, biology and physics)
3 years of mathematics, up until the second year of algebra (mathematics in secondary and high schools are generally divided into the first year of algebra, geometry, second year algebra, introduction to analysis and mathematical analysis, and the order is preserved
4 years of literature
2-4 years of social science, usually incorporating history and United States government structure
1-2 years of physical education.

To be admitted into many colleges a more complete program is required, including 2-4 years of foreign language study.
Other courses students should choose by themselves. A set of such classes varies considerably both in quality and quantity, depending on the financial situation of the school and students attitudes. A typical set of optional classes goes as follows:

additional sciences (statistics, computer science)
foreign languages (mostly Spanish, French, and German)
fine arts (painting, sculpture, photography, cinematograph
performance (theater, orchestra, dance)
computer technology (computer use, computer graphics, web design)
publishing (journalism, editing the annuary)

Higher Education
Higher Education in the U.S. is considered to be one of the best in the world. Higher education in the United States refers to a variety of institutions of higher education in the United States. Strong research and funding have helped make American colleges and universities among the world's most prestigious, which is particularly attractive to international students, professors and researchers in the pursuit of academic excellence. Higher education is usually obtained within 4 years of college or university studies. In 2009 there were 4352 institutions which provide higher education in the U.S.A. In 2008 36% of college graduates were trained in 4-year program and 57% - in 6-year one.
In 2001, 515 000 foreign students from the overall 17.5 million studied in U.S. universities. The fee for academic year ranges from 5000 dollars up to 40 000 dollars at Harvard University.
In colloquial speech American universities are generally called colleges, even if they are not colleges but universities.

Types of Universities

U.S. universities can be divided into three types, which are usually very different from each other mainly by the number of students and the atmosphere.
One of the main distinctive features is the presence or absence of research programs and postgraduate programs, which distinguishes the college from the university. College is an institute of higher education, which focuses mainly on vocational training of students, and research work, if there is any, takes the second place. The vast majority of four-year colleges are small (less than 2000 students) and private. It should be mentioned that State Colleges, created for talented students of the state, have recently begun to emerge. Colleges with a humanities bias are often called "liberal arts colleges". Top Liberal Arts Colleges, such as Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore are comparable in prestige to a university, but because there are fewer of them, they are less familiar, although the quality of education provided is often better.
Universities are divided into two types: private and public (or state), funded by the authorities of corresponding states. State universities are often very large, and generally somewhat inferior in prestige to private. Their main goal is to teach students from their own state, and therefore for students from other states both competition and tuition fees are usually higher. In many state universities teaching suffers because of large classes, insufficient attention of teachers to students and the bureaucracy.
Nevertheless, the students, even from other states and countries get enrolled in the best state universities such as University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan and University of Virginia. Among private universities the most prominent American universities can be named, such as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), California Institute of Technology, Columbian University and University of Pennsylvania. Most of them are of the average size, although there exist both very small (for example, California Institute of Technology) and very large (University of Southern California).

Admission to Universities

Since the standards in different schools are very different, grades usually have little to say about the qualification of students. Therefore, they complement the results of standardized tests. Normally, students must take one of the two common exams – SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) Reasoning Test, and in some cases – one or more exams SAT Subject Tests, which test students’ knowledge in specific subjects.
Many large universities almost exclusively assess applicants by grades and exam results. However, smaller schools often pay attention to the extracurricular achievements of students in sports, arts, social work, and take those who showed the initiative and especially those who, they believe, will add brightness and diversity to the life of the university. In this case we consider not only the level but also the area of achievement: the athlete involved in sports, in which the lack of participants is observed, or a musician, playing the right instrument.
Teachers' recommendations are very important because they help to judge the talent, diligence and other qualities of the student. Essays help to select the most original and creative students, and interviews often show to what extent the character of the student fits the character of the university. Thus, each element of the application plays a certain important role.
Because of the unpredictability of the admission process, many students enter several universities, sometimes up to ten, including one in which they almost certainly will be matriculated. To reduce the number of papers and network forms that students have to fill, many colleges accept a Common Application.

Training Peculiarities

In large universities applicants normally enter a certain faculty, but in most institutions of higher education they enter the university in general. Even where there is requirement to enter a faculty, there are ways to move from one department to another and it is possible to have the status of "undecided", even though in this case admission to some departments becomes almost or completely closed. In other colleges the student must decide what to specialize in by the end of the first or sometimes second year. Sometimes, in addition to the major subject it is possible to add one or more minor subjects, and sometimes you can choose two or even three major subjects.
Attendance at each course gives a certain amount of credits (points), which correspond to a certain number of hours per week over the course. Students can freely choose their courses, but they must earn a certain number of credits and fulfill the requirements of the university in their major and minor. Requirements may be specific (“vector analysis”) or general ("nine credits of humanities") and can be fulfilled at any time prior to graduation.
Grades are given at the end of semester or, rarely, term. They depend mainly on midterm exams and finals. Homework, projects, presentations, papers etc. can also be taken into account.