i am studying 11th grade outside the US and am following the IGCSE edexcel curriculum. i would be taking my board exams like in 2023 June or something. after the IGCSEs my family hopes to shift to the US. so in that case do i join a high school and study for 1 more year or straight away apply for university? will there be an important or valuable board exam like the A-Levels that could contribute to your chances of getting into an valuable university?
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Having a US diploma would certainly make it easier to attend a US school. There is a strong stigma against people who don’t have HS diplomas, even if they have a GED or acceptable foreign equivalent. If you plan on living in the US permanently, it could be a great idea.
I have no idea what half of these acronyms even mean. I’d suggest talking to your academic advisor. You probably aren’t the first student from your country or even your school wanting to do university in the US.
High school in the US is primarily governed by residency. If you don’t live here, you can’t attend the local high school.
You could attend a US high school like a boarding school or something, but you’d still be considered an international student for college admissions purposes as you actual residency and citizenship wouldn’t be American
I say do it, everyone will think your cool just cause you’re foreign and the school work is gonna be 50% as difficult as it is for you right now. 12th grade is what we call a “blow off year” because we already completed mostly all the necessary credits and testing for college the years previous. So yeah do it, go party, get a girlfriend , hang out for 2 semesters, and then collect your diploma and go to whatever college you want
Based on the use of A Levels, I am going to guess on this as UK poster..
*I have no clue what that IGCSE is, BUT*
*In the US,* ***IF this IGCSE is equivalent to a HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA or a General Education Diploma (GED) then you would at the point to attend college in the US****.*
The US does not have these A Levels and IGCSE, and I before some says, oh yes we do! In ACT and SAT’s, no they are really not the same thing.
A Levels would similar to something like whats called Advanced Placement or AP testing and classes in the US. My HS many centuries ago, offered AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP English at the time. Which mean you took the “AP Class” then had a test run by the same people who do the SAT in the US, and if you got a B or better and some score on the test you got COLLEGE CREDIT for the class meaning you didn’t have to take it then. Less than a B on the class you got credit for HS graduation, but not qualified to take the test for the college credit. I will take it that was checked some how??? Transcript?? Dunno know, didn’t apply to me.
Some schools at that time, my HS period, had an IB program or International Baccalaureate Program which is some what similar to the IGCSE from the sound of it.. It was not very popular in my area, and was dropped until uproar from the community about it.
Admission to college in the US is tied to:
1) HS Diploma or GED
2) SAT or ACT score(s)
3) Grade Point Average (GPA)
Then they will look at other things, like activities etc.. I am sure that college could waive HS Diploma/GED if you showed some merit in knowing the equal ie: 1600 on SAT or something… but generally these are the starting points to get into a US college.
I didn’t follow the 4 yr route direct from HS, as I got a AS in something related to my current job, and the job related state required training, and then completed a BS in something sort of related.. at least now… Applying to Big School U, was more about that I had a AS, 3.6788898 GPA more than anything. I also didn’t want to go to Big School Main Campus, either… so that lowered that lowered the bar more. State resident, no financial aid requested, etc..
*tl;dr of this* ***is IF the IGCSE*** is a HS diploma equal, then you in essence have moved past HS in the US, and can apply to college. You would need to check with the respective college you want to apply to if they accept that as a HS diploma.
You have to be a resident to attend most high schools in the US. If you are going to a private school or boarding school, then the rules will be different for your ability to enroll.
And unless you are going to be a long term US resident, you will have to apply as an international student to the university you want to attend.
Your best move would be to contact the Admissions and International Students Offices at universities you are considering, and ask for admissions information and consoling.
There are tests required to attend most US universities, the ACT, SAT, Millers Etc., but they are not tied to high school in the way A levels in the UK are. They are independent national exams that universities use to level the playing field as it were, since grading systems in the US vary vastly between districts.
Many think that Grade Point Average, usually a number based on a 4 point scale determined by grades in classes, contributes a lot to university entry. But from what I’ve found out through my connections in university admissions, it’s not as big as it used to be. Most universities focus more on your ACT/SAT scores and the classes you took in high school. Because grading between schools varies so much, GPA has become somewhat useless to compare students from different areas.
You’d have the equivalent of a US high school diploma after passing your boards. There are no national tests in the US and the state tests don’t matter to colleges. You’ll gain absolutely nothing by getting a high school diploma after getting your igsce certificate.
If you’re at least 17 when you pass the boards, then go to a US university. They should all be well aware of what your tests mean and that it’s a high school equivalency. Check out the admissions websites of the individual colleges that you’re interested in attending and they should tell you what, specifically, will need to do to apply to that college. If you’re not sure of something, like your residency status and whether you can apply for financial aid, then ask the admissions office.
If you’re younger than 17, you might be able to go to a university or you might want to take a year off and do something else.
Really depends on what country you want to live in and what kind of career you want. Without knowing that it’s hard to say.
Just FYI
>IGCSE
>board exams
>A-Levels
None of these terms mean anything to us in the U.S. so it’s hard to really give an answer here without us first having to do some research to see what those are and how they equate to U.S. education curriculums. You’ll get more/better responses if you are able to explain those terms in your question.
My advice as a former international college counselor: take your A-levels, take the SATs or ACTs (and try to et a good score), and apply to US colleges with both.
IGCSEs are accepted, but they are less impressive than A-levels.
I’m a high school teacher and a college professor.
None of these terms are applicable to the US, so it would be helpful if you stated your goals in a more general way. Terms we don’t use: IGCSE, edexcel curriculum, A-levels, board exam.
Overall it depends on you and your needs.
1. High school is free; college is very expensive. It might be good to acclimate to the US culture in high school, where it’s free. Also, it will give you a year to learn American expectations. The biggest difference as far as I can tell is that the US *really* emphasizes writing, and you will be expected to ‘hit the ground running’ in college. Most colleges require a variant of a Freshman writing class to ensure all students understand expectations, but this will be a whole lot easier if you’ve already learned this in high school and are just honing your skills.
2. For college, you’ll need to apply about a year in advance. You’ll need to take the SATs for most colleges. This is available internationally. You will need: SAT scores, grade point average, courses you took, and personal recommendations from at least two educators from that year (usually. two favorite teachers). You’ll also need to write at least one essay in your application.
My son’s school in the US (Arizona) uses IGCSE and A-Level for high school. They follow the Cambridge Curriculum. You might use that as a search term to see if you can find more information about equivalencies.
How old are you?
If you’ll be younger than 17 when you move to the U.S., I’d say go to high school if possible.
If you’ll be 17/18 just go to college. That’s the age most college freshman are anyway.