Yelkcub

My step-daughter is 17 this year and she is in the first year of 6th form doing AS exams in the Summer of 2010. Our PRs expire at the end of March 2010 so she is staying in UK (she is a Canadian citizen already so is able to come over as she pleases & she is going to stay with family until the summer).

We are getting conflicting advise in that we are being told that as the UK system is "advanced" compare to the Canadian one, she will qualify for University straight away rather than do either her AS in UK so will not have to do her final year of High School in Canada. She really wants to come to Canada next Summer rather than stay in UK so any guidance that anyone could give would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Yelkcub

Danny B

My Son spent his 1st 11 years in the UK. When we moved to Canada they put him 'up' a year as they acknowledged that in the UK they start their School life 1 year earlier than in Canada.

It was probably the worst thing for him, now he'll be smoking pot 1 year earlier and be pissed off that all of his friends are driving when he's only just turned 15.

Oakvillian

Not quite sure I understand your second paragraph.

The usual minimum qualifications for entry to university are a High School Diploma in Canada and A-levels in UK (note: that's A2, not AS). You seem to be saying you've been advised she'll be able to attend university without achieving either - if that is indeed the advice you've been given I should ignore it if I were you.

Aviator

As OV says, High School diploma or equivalent, which would be A levels from UK. Depending on program grades make a difference too.

JonboyE

The end of secondary schooling is grade 12 and this happens when the children are 18 - the same age as students in the UK take their A levels. However, a High School graduation is a lower educational achievement than three good A levels. Consequently, most degree courses are 4 years. Having said that, all the children I know took the first year of their degree at local colleges (a sort of cross between a sixth form college and adult education centre).

I expect that your step-daughter will go into grade 12, but you need to clarify this will the local schools where you are heading.

Yelkcub

So if she stayed on in England and got three good A levels would this reduce her university course from 4 years? Or would she still have to do four years?

iaink

Nope , 4 years is the norm.

ann m

... and if she is seriously looking at going straight on to Uni, would it not be "cheaper" for her to study in the UK ?

It might not be, of course, by the time you have assisted with housing and all the other incidental costs, but Uni in Canada is no cheap pastime either.

Just another thing to think about - as if you haven't got enough going on in your heads

Otherwise, I suspect she would need to come here and go straight into the final year here, Grade 12. And it would be a good way to meet people her own age anyway. Otherwise, it can be tough on that age group...

Good luck with everything.

Novocastrian

Not that it matters to the OP (yet), but 4 years, leading to a Bachelor's with Honours is normally what students intend to do when they start Uni, but to be allowed to continue for that 4th year, they have to have achieved a minimum (standards vary) Grade Point Average for the first three.

Thus in practice a 3-year Bachelor's degree without Honours is the norm. (i.e. what the majority of students actually leave with).

Edit: In Ontario. YMMV elsewhere.

iaink

LOL, thanks for the clarification, I must move in smarter than average circles (when not posting here, obviously).

Lychee

Where in Canada are you moving to? Each province does schooling differently. Typically by the time they are 17 years old turning 18, they graduate from high school with a high school diploma and can go straight into the first year of university anywhere in the world.

Yelkcub

Subject to work - BC probably Vancouver

singingringingtree

We asked the Canadian college we are interested in and school district and were told that completion of AS is equivalent to high school leaving age in Canada, and five GCSEs grades A* - C are equivalent to HSD level and student can start year one of four-year degree course (University Transfer course) at 17.

What you were told Yelkcub is pretty much what we were told.

Helen Parnell

I think you have to look at the whole picture.

All children in the world have different achedemic abilty. Some people both in canada and the UK are so clever they go to Oxford, Cambridge or Toronto and become doctors, scientists etc etc.

Some are only clever enough to get to standard universities and get good degrees in various subjects.

Now some people don't even go to university. They get apprentiships or go and get other worth while jobs.

So in the uk the three above levels are seperated by various exams, some get 4 A levels at grade A, and go to become doctors etc. Other get 3 A levels at B's and C's and go to other universities. And some 'God Bless them' leave school at 16 after GCSE's and do other things.

Now in Canada we only have the High school diploma. (HSD). So to differentiate a university or employer has to ask the student some basic questions. What subjects have you done? what level of subjects? what grade have you got.?

So my son is a fine example of a kid who wants to go to a 'good university' University of BC based in Vancouver. He wants to do a science degree majoring in Physics and Math. To get in he has to do 5 subjects and the average of the 5 has to be 89/90%. The compulsory subjects at the highest level is English and Pure Math. Plus three more, out of Chemisty, Physics, Calculus, Social, and Biology. At the moment he is working his butt of to get that high average.

Now his good friend also will get a high school diploma, He also has to complete English and Social, but he only needs to pass at a lower level to get his HSD, the other subjects he needs to do can be 'fluffy' ones and as long as he has the lower level of Math and one science he will leave school and go on to a college to learn about becoming a chef. He also has special educational needs.

So to make a sweeping statement that a HSD is lower than A levels is not really right, it depends on all the other factors.

Other factors also to be considered is that universities here are from September 1st to April 30th. students can then do additional courses in the summer to finish a degree quicker or more common they do co-op where they are in thier chosen work place (not Mcdonalds) where they obtain proper work experience with a company who pays them a proper wage duriing the summer.

Now cos not all students get the high enough grades, some do go to college first and do 2 years of a degree course and then transfer to university to finish it off.

JonboyE

What you say is perfectly fair. I am quite happy to correct it to "a high school diploma is not necessarily the same academic standard as 3 good A levels.