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Righto : perusing FML and similar I often see Americans talking about their grade point average ( or something like that) could I trouble someone to explain what this actually means and a brie overview of the ins and outs of how grades etc work over the pond. Ta in advance.

This is how I understand our GPA system. At the end of a Quarter, Semester, etc... you get a grade for your class. A (Fantastic), B (above average), C (average), D (below average), F (failure). You then receive a matching Grade Point for the score, A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. The points are then added together and averaged (thus giving you a Grade Point Average).

If I remember correctly the GPA is averaged again at the end of the year and it follows you (like a homeless dog) from year to year. Once you go to college/university, you get a "reset".

Example: In my area you generally have 7 classes (in high school at least) so let's say little Timmah gets the following on his report card A, A, B, B, B, C, & D. His GPA would be 2.86.

If you get an F in the class you either have to repeat it, or take another class later that satisfies the class requirement. If it is an advanced or elective class I don't think you would have to retake it, but it will still affect your GPA.

Hope that helps.

Also some advanced classes (honors classes) add one to the 4,3,2,1 scale. An 'A' in an honors class will get you 5pts on a 4pt GPA scale.

It does help indeed, cheers.

If you leave education after high school, do you get certificates/similar for what you've attained so far then ? And how does this system translate into what final level of degree you get ?

After graduating highschool you'll have a diploma and a transcript. The transcript has the complete history of your education.

Sometimes in college you can "test-out" of certain classes by either taking a competancy test or showing that you took similar/greater level of a class before. It doesn't really affect the final "level" of your degree, but it may help shorten the time that it takes. Being able to join a certain college/university in the States is generally based on GPA, ACT/SAT, extra-curricular activities, racial profile, and/or good old cash.

For example, the university that I am preparing to graduate from basically required an 18 on the ACT, a heart-beat, and the cash (or play-money that is a Federal Loan) to pay for it. As you would expect the "better" the Temple of Education, the greater the entry requirements.

ACT/SAT being some form of test right ?

Edit, added SAT
Allow me to plagiarize wiki:

High school diploma

A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.

SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States.

GED (also referred to as a second chance diploma, or a "Good Enough Diploma")

General Educational Development (or GED) tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. To pass the GED Tests and earn a GED credential, test takers must score higher than 60 percent of graduating high school seniors nationwide. Some jurisdictions require that students pass additional tests such as an English proficiency exam or civics test. Only individuals who have not earned a high school diploma may take the GED tests.

Beyond high school or equivalent

In the United States, most standard academic programs are based on the four-year bachelor's degree (most often Bachelor of Arts, B.A., or Bachelor of Science, B.S.), a one- or two-year master's degree (most often Master of Arts, M.A., or Master of Science, M.S.; either of these programs might be as much as three years in length) and a further one or two years of coursework and research, culminating in "comprehensive" examinations in one or more fields, plus perhaps some teaching experience, and then the writing of a dissertation for the doctorate (most often doctor of philosophy, Ph.D. or other types such as Ed.D., Psy.D., Th.D.) for a total of ten or more years from starting the bachelor's degree (which is usually begun around age 18) to the awarding of the doctorate. This timetable is only approximate, however, as students in accelerated programs can sometimes earn a bachelor's degree in three years or, on the other hand, a particular dissertation project might take four or more years to complete. In addition, a graduate may wait an indeterminate time between degrees before candidacy in the next level, or even an additional degree at a level already completed. Therefore, there is no time-limit on the accumulation of academic degrees.

reds8n wrote:ACT/SAT being some form of test right ?

ah, the ACT, boy was that an unpleasant 6 hours or so of filling out a multiple choice test in a room that smelled really terrible

The SAT and ACT are increasingly regarded as irrelevant by college admission boards.

Whether that's good or bad depends on how well you tend to test.

greenskin lynn wrote:

reds8n wrote:ACT/SAT being some form of test right ?

ah, the ACT, boy was that an unpleasant 6 hours or so of filling out a multiple choice test in a room that smelled really terrible

Yeah, glad I didnt have to do that. Thank God I dropped out. Getting my GED in 10th grade and goofing off for 4 years = priceless
moving on to college without a scholorship = fething expensive. getting a job without a diploma = hard. Getting stoned all day while my piers did junior and senior year = totally worth it.

Is it true that testing is mainly mulitple-choice in the states?

A. Yes

B. No

C. Jew

D. I hate Fraz

Forgot option E. man... how could you miss that question?

Yo, I have a question for you Europeans. Is your education system obsessed with the well-rounded student bs? Like most colleges here look for "well-rounded" students, and consider your grades, ACT/SAT scores, social involvement, extracurricular and athletics when deciding to admit you.

I remember once in high school this German chick came for a visit and was asked to speak. She said American teenagers were stupid and gossiped in the phone all the time while her counterparts were simply brilliant. When we could ask questions I told her to STFU.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Norwulf wrote:

greenskin lynn wrote:

reds8n wrote:ACT/SAT being some form of test right ?

ah, the ACT, boy was that an unpleasant 6 hours or so of filling out a multiple choice test in a room that smelled really terrible

When you are 45 and still flipping burgers you'll come to realize you wasted your youth. you are in your 20s and can't even spell peer correctly.

Yeah, glad I didnt have to do that. Thank God I dropped out. Getting my GED in 10th grade and goofing off for 4 years = priceless
moving on to college without a scholorship = fething expensive. getting a job without a diploma = hard. Getting stoned all day while my piers did junior and senior year = totally worth it.

Afrikan Blonde wrote: I remember once in high school this German chick came for a visit and was asked to speak. She said American teenagers were stupid and gossiped in the phone all the time while her counterparts were simply brilliant. When we could ask questions I told her to STFU.

That's not a question.

Anyway, back to the topic; Europeans don't have a single unified education system. Every country has a slightly different system and I expect a lot of countries also have a parallel private system.

I don't know if I would consider it "well-rounded BS" but I think it is important for students to interests and experience outside the core curriculum.

One criticism of the current UK curriculum is that it is too focussed on passing tests on specific topics, so schools ignore off-curriculum stuff like music and art so they concentrate on the test subjects.

Norwulf wrote: Getting my GED in 10th grade and goofing off for 4 years = priceless
Getting stoned all day while my piers did junior and senior year = totally worth it.

A lesson here, stay away from the hard one syllable words. They don't do a thing for your position that getting stoned instead of learning is a good thing when you don't know how to spell them.

I dropped out of High School when I realized that the system isn't set up to award learning, but rather indoctrination. I continuously received F's on my report cards because I refused to do homework, even though I consistently scored A's and B's on my tests.

When my counselor asked me why I refused to do my homework, I told her I didn't have to. "Everybody has to do homework." "Why?" "So you can learn the material." "But I know the material." "No you don't, you're failing." "Then why am I required to take tests?" "So we can determine if you're learning the material." "But I pass my tests, obviously I know the material, why should I do homework?" "Everybody has to do homework." "I'm dropping out now, please start the paperwork." "......"

At every level (high school, undergraduate, and graduate) a student has a new GPA and transcript, and usually has to take a new standardized test to get into the next level. So, since I've graduated law school, almost nobody cares about my undergrad GPA. When I was applying to law schools, they were very interested in my undergrad GPA (As GPA and LSAT score are about 90-95% of the factors in getting in).

The thing with GPA is that different schools, and empoyers for that matter, view it's important differently. I slacked off hard core in undergrad, and left with about a 2.2, which is a low C average and about as poor as you can get and still graduate. Some law schools wouldn't look at me, others liked my LSAT enough to offer me scholarship money. Cleveland State rolled the dice with me and I did pretty well.

OTOH, if you're applying with the Federal Government, you almost need a 3.0 to get in the door. They don't care where it's from or what you took, but they like 3.0's.

I know that certain businesses (even fast food) will not hire you if you only have a GED or nothing at all. My mom was a manager at the local Taco Bell for 2 years and every application she got where it listed the applicant as having a GED or having dropped out and not graduated she threw away, then never called those people. Her reason: If the applicant was too lazy to finish HS or not motivated enough what is going to make them motivated enough to be at work on time when they are supposed to be?

That was 14 years ago she worked there. I know even today where I live that SOME fast food places won't take drop outs.

High School is a joke today. It's less about learning and more about just having a reason to hang out with friends and not bothering to learn. Perhaps that explains why the dropout rate is so high (like Detroit, MI where 1 in 4 students drop out of HS).

As someone replied to a previous poster...yeah, being in your 20's and not knowing how to spell "peer" properly because you dropped out of HS just to sit around, get high and leech off your parents: PRICELESS!! Hehe.

The US has an excellent system in place to educate people that score well on generalized exams.

Fateweaver wrote:It's less about learning and more about just having a reason to hang out with friends and not bothering to learn

That is really more up to the parents and student, as always. A kid who wants to learn and has education emphasized at home will learn something. Parents who give it lip service and let the kid run around all the time instead of enforcing homework and such, may have some more problems. It isn't just the schools, which often try but have to compete with the internet and texting and booze and bewbies and all sorts of new and exciting things.

While I don't believe education should be just about becoming employable, there's no doubt that it will affect your employment prospects.

As a manager and recruiter myself, one of the problems I face each year is how to whittle down the 2-3 dozen applicants per place to the 4-5 I actually have time to interview.

Three easy ways to do this are:

1. Did the applicant send the required materials (e.g. a portfolio?)
2. Can he write English properly? What's his covering letter like?
3. What are his grades looking like?

One of the points about being a manager is to cover your back in case something goes wrong. An easy way to do this is to select people with higher grades. If anything did go badly wrong, at least you don't have to tell your boss you deliberately ignore a higher qualified candidate in favour of a lower qualified one.

Obviously all jobs don't require an academic degree. However the number of jobs that don't require literacy and numeracy is shrinking all the time. Even if you are a ditch digger, these days you probably actually have to operate a back hoe which needs you to fill in a bunch of health and safety and maintenance forms every week.

I always pick the best person to fill the position. Race and politics do not matter.

Polonius wrote:
The thing with GPA is that different schools, and empoyers for that matter, view it's important differently. I slacked off hard core in undergrad, and left with about a 2.2, which is a low C average and about as poor as you can get and still graduate. Some law schools wouldn't look at me, others liked my LSAT enough to offer me scholarship money. Cleveland State rolled the dice with me and I did pretty well.

You'll be hearing from my IP lawyers for that violation of the copyright to my life story.

Polonius wrote:
OTOH, if you're applying with the Federal Government, you almost need a 3.0 to get in the door. They don't care where it's from or what you took, but they like 3.0's.

No kidding. I'm just a fuzz under a 3.0 and you'd think I had the plague from the reaction I've received from State/CIA/NSA/et al.

That's what you get for being so good looking and having such heroic hair, dogma.

I have to say that my disappointment with the numerous schools I have attended, fueled by my need to learn skills that are useful, has left me with a general disdain for modern education techniques. If Wrex could have apprenticed as a carpenter, he would be building his own houses from real-deal cut with steel scratch right now; but the gods of modern opportunity took no notice, and I was "forced" to finish whatever moronic lesson my teachers had cobbled together the night before. I understand that some students (well, maybe most students) need a lot of structure, but this still does not make up for the almost scam-like nuances most schools tote with little regard to what someone is trying to accomplish.

Point A to point B education... which is basically a waste of most peoples time. Quiz your parents on those "necessary" classes they took in high school and college, but use our tests; watch in horror as 9/10 fails the test epically. Not a new sight, nor a very astonishing one to me; this hardly stops the wheels from turning though.

Perhaps Wrex is crazy for focusing on abilities that are most useful in an economic meltdown; the lack of work, and the utter "incompetence" I find throughout the corporatist world, leaves me smiling for lack of a better word. Maybe Wrex is old school or whatever, but I see not good, but terrible things coming this way. So, at one point or another building a hut in the woods, preferably with a team and nearby a hospital (or transportation to), will lead to an Ewok village or some nonsense like that. All of Dakka is welcome for the opening party (if the zombies don't eat you first), just don't litter.... litter-bugs are executed without trial.

Man, these are such beautiful carpentry tools. Screw beauty though, money makes the world go round eh? that with a hot poker.



Yet another lost art... really a sad thing to see. Now it is little more than a past time for aspiring artists.... uugh if I may say so myself... just uugh.



Long gone are the days where you can feel the fruits of your labor. It eats your soul, and you love it for that.



Onto the age of getting that dollar by hell or high water, not for need of it, but for lack of it; whatever you choose to lack that is... besides... you know... food, water, and a roof.

dogma wrote:The SAT and ACT are increasingly regarded as irrelevant by college admission boards.

Whether that's good or bad depends on how well you tend to test.

I've studied at 3 different colleges, earned a bachelors, on my way to a second bachelors, never took the SAT or ACT.

grizgrin wrote:That's what you get for being so good looking and having such heroic hair, dogma.

Maybe I should try getting cast in a Clancy movie. Acting like a government agent certainly pays better than actually being one.

Lordhat wrote:I dropped out of High School when I realized that the system isn't set up to award learning, but rather indoctrination. I continuously received F's on my report cards because I refused to do homework, even though I consistently scored A's and B's on my tests.

When my counselor asked me why I refused to do my homework, I told her I didn't have to. "Everybody has to do homework." "Why?" "So you can learn the material." "But I know the material." "No you don't, you're failing." "Then why am I required to take tests?" "So we can determine if you're learning the material." "But I pass my tests, obviously I know the material, why should I do homework?" "Everybody has to do homework." "I'm dropping out now, please start the paperwork." "......"

So what are you doing now?