There are similarities and differences between the American education system and the domestic education system. There are not only differences between China and the United States, but also differences among American universities due to the time of enrollment and other reasons. The following is the differences in the education system of American universities at different stages.
1. The Early Semester System: Also known as the 4-1-4 system, the early semester system divides the academic year (9 months) into two units of 15 to 18 weeks, with the first semester (fall semester) being slightly shorter than the second (spring semester).
The first semester begins at the end of August and ends around December 20.
This is followed by a month of intensive coursework, Independent study or off-campus work.
The second semester starts in mid-January and ends in mid-May, with optional summer courses.
The requirements for credit and graduation credits are the same as those for the semester system.
Semester system: The most popular undergraduate education system in the United States.
In the traditional term system, the nine-month school year is divided into two terms of 16 weeks. Some schools also offer terms of 18 weeks.
Usually each semester consists of about fifteen weeks of teaching and one week of final exams.
The first semester starts at the end of August. Generally, there is an orientation week for freshmen, which ends in mid-to-late December of the year.
The second semester begins in early January and ends in late May.
Students are free to take summer courses at the end of the official semester.
Credit is calculated on a semester basis, and one hour of class per week is a semester credit.
A course usually takes three hours a week, and students earn three credits.
In semester-based schools, students typically need between 120 and 128 semester credits to apply for graduation.
Most universities in the west adopt the Quarter/ Term system, and some schools in the east also adopt the quarter/term system.
The school season system divides a year’s courses into four seasons, such as spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each season is a semester, which starts four times a year (March in spring, June in summer, September in autumn and January in winter). Each semester is only two and a half months, so the courses are very compact.
One hour of class per week is a quarter credit.
Students earn an average of 14-18 quarter credits per quarter, and typically need 180-192 quarter credits to apply for graduation.
Because of the short school season and frequent examinations, students have to get into THE RIGHT gear as soon as they start school, and they have to be able to adapt to the constant stress.
Trimester: The trimester divides the 12-month school year into three equal 16-week terms. The first trimester (Fall class) begins in late August or early September and ends before Christmas (December 25th).
The second trimester (winter class) starts in early or mid-January and ends in April.
The third trimester begins in late April or early May and ends in August.
The third term is divided into two primary school periods (Terms), namely the spring class (April to June) and the summer class (June to August).
The system, which is used by fewer colleges in the United States, requires foreign students to attend at least two semesters each year, the fall and winter, while spring and summer classes are optional.
There are four registration opportunities a year, so students who study in this program have the opportunity to graduate early.
On the other hand, the four different systems of undergraduate education in the United States reflect the flexibility and diversity of the American educational system.
In addition, no matter what kind of academic system American universities adopt, the academic year starts in the fall.
However, in terms of accepting students, these universities are also flexible and can transfer students from any stage. Therefore, students can choose whether they directly apply for undergraduate study in the United States in high school or apply for undergraduate transfer in university. Students can choose the way that suits them according to their personal situation.
It is important to note that, regardless of the time of enrollment and the system of study, American colleges tend to award a higher percentage of scholarships in the fall.
The American undergraduate education also has its uniqueness, which is mainly manifested in the following aspects: 1.
The first two years of undergraduate education in the United States belong to general education. Students can take several courses and then choose the most suitable major according to their personal preferences and abilities.
This is a very distinctive feature of undergraduate study in the United States, which is completely different from the system of one major for life in China. It gives students a lot of flexibility in their study, which is very conducive to their progress in college study and the establishment of their career outlook on life.
two
College students can independently to transfer with Chinese universities transfer need to the university entrance exam, compared to the class, the American university of transfer system relative to the simple, in the first year of college and university students in second grade, if you think you the ability to access to better schools, are not suitable for yourself, or the school can apply for transfer.
And most of the credits earned at the old school can be carried over to the new school, still guaranteeing a college education in four years.
This gives students space for academic development and provides a bigger development platform for those who have accumulated a lot.
3.
The teaching in American universities is also lectured, but the teaching content is relatively diverse. In addition to the teaching and examination, students’ group discussion, visiting local companies and institutions, writing small papers, making small products and so on are the learning parts of the course.
Generally speaking, American universities have more flexible teaching methods and richer teaching content than Chinese universities.
