Years of education
One difference between American and British education systems is the time it takes to complete one's studies. The bachelor's and master's courses in the United States are basically one year longer than those in Britain. The reason why the course study time in Britain is relatively short is that the course arrangement is more concentrated than that in the United States. The study stage of doctoral research in the United States is another matter. Compared with Britain, it takes longer to study for a doctorate in the United States.
Term length
In the United States and Britain, the semester system is more common than the three-semester system and the academic year system. Most comprehensive universities in the United States start in August and end the academic year in May. But the length of the word in Britain is not fixed. Many schools start in September or 10, and the school year ends in May or June, which takes a long time.
University institutions
British comprehensive universities are composed of "colleges" of various professional disciplines, which are managed by universities, but they also have great autonomy. Usually in school, students live in college, eat in college and get along with their classmates. Unlike American universities, they submit applications to the admissions department of the university center. In Britain, students can apply for undergraduate courses in multiple colleges directly or through a centralized system. The system is called University Admissions Service (UCAS), which also means that students need to know what they want to study before applying.
In the United States, students who apply to attend a large comprehensive university can study courses in many fields in the first academic year or even longer, and their majors will be determined at the end of the first academic year or the second academic year. Comprehensive universities in the United States have different "colleges" or departments, such as the College of Arts and Sciences, with many related majors. However, in American comprehensive universities, even if the major is determined, students will still choose "elective courses" outside the professional field. American higher education emphasizes breadth, that is, learning a series of different knowledge from different disciplines. British higher education emphasizes depth, that is, having a very thorough and in-depth understanding of the chosen major.
Homework after class and grading methods
The American education system emphasizes breadth, so the curriculum requires weekly or biweekly reading assignments, as well as other assignments, such as small writing projects, large research papers and oral reports. In the United States, grade evaluation is based on the scores of various assignments, and the final exam also accounts for a certain proportion of the total grade. However, in Britain, most schools will teach with homework interspersed during the semester. Sometimes there is no homework requirement for the whole semester, and the total score may be determined by the final exam.
expense
Education in these two countries is not cheap, but in contrast, education in the United States is more expensive. The British government has set a tuition ceiling, and each institution has its own tuition ceiling. But in the United States, the government's control over universities is relatively limited. The United States treats the tuition fees of national universities and state universities differently, and also distinguishes the tuition fees of private universities and public universities. The former can be much higher than the latter. These differences determine the difference in tuition fees. The tuition fees of international students are much higher than those of local students.
stay
Both countries provide dormitories for students. In Britain, students usually have their own bedrooms, while in America, they have to share a bedroom with at least one roommate. After the first year, American students may have other accommodation options, such as private housing or off-campus housing. School dormitories in Britain usually require students to cook their own meals, while schools in the United States provide students with a series of adequate dining options. Another potentially important difference is that dormitory cleaning service is quite common in British dormitories, although students only have to pay a nominal fee.
abstract
Both Britain and the United States have excellent educational resources, but their educational systems are slightly different, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. If you are considering studying in a university in the United States or Britain, you should seriously consider the differences mentioned in this article, especially the time required to complete your studies, tuition fees, more suitable learning methods, and whether you are more suitable for degree programs that focus on depth or breadth.