Typical Essay:
To begin, because the country has a federal system of government that has historically valued local governance, no country-level education system or curriculum exists in the United States. The federal government does not operate public schools. Each of the fifty states has its own Department of Education that sets guidelines for the schools of that state.
In the United States, education is compulsory for all students until age sixteen. The pupils go through elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Elementary schools are composed of students in kindergarten and grades 1-6. Many children attend kindergarten when they are five-years-old. Children begin 1st grade at age six. Middle school is composed of students in grades 6-8 and high school contains grades 9-12.
High school students are required to take a wide variety of courses in English, mathematics, science, and social science, foreign ******** or physical education, and they may elect to take music or art courses. Many high schools also offer vocational training courses. A course can be one semester or two semesters in length. The academic year generally begins in late August and ends in early June.
University students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree are called “undergraduates,” whereas students pursuing a Master’s or Doctoral degree are called “graduate students.” American undergraduate students will say they are “going to school” or “going to college”, which means they are attending university. A common question one student asks another is, “What is your major?” This means, “What is your major field of study?”
Most universities give undergraduate students a liberal education, which means students are required to take courses across several disciplines before they specialize in a major field of study. Graduate and professional (such as medicine or law) programs are specialized.
