Manoj79

Hi everyone,
My family and I are British Citizens and moved to USA 2 years back. I still have my property in England. My child is going into 10th Grade (in UK terminology Year 11) in Sept 2020. However, he wants to complete his Year 11/GCSE and A-levels from a UK boarding school (we have tentative placement offer in hand). The school is in a different town than where I lived in the UK. He intends to study medicine in the UK too. As of now, we are thinking to send my child to the UK for studies and I stay in the USA. Wondering if anyone of you were in similar situation who could share their experiences? Also if anyone wants to share their thoughts if the idea is good or bad or I should consider any major factors that I might not have considered yet. Thanks in advance.

christmasoompa

Hi, welcome to BE.

I've got a child the same age, has your son been studying the British curriculum for the past 2 years? If he's been at a British school then he should be fine, but if he's been studying the US curriculum then I can't see how he'd do well enough in his GCSE's when he hasn't covered any of the subjects tbh. His mocks may be in November (and unlike normal years, they may count for his 'proper' results, if it goes the same way again as this year), so it wouldn't give him much time to get up to speed with everything, and if he wants to do Biology and Chemistry at A Level, he'll need 7's or above in them which could be really tricky for him.

Could he not finish high school in the US and then go to the UK for university?

I'll move your thread to the Moving Back to the UK forum, where you'll get more responses.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

Manoj79

Thanks so much for the quick response. Although my child has been studying GCSE curriculum (self/online tutoring etc), but definitely catch-up for GCSE curriculum is one of the biggest factors I'm considering at the moment. One of the reasons for him to go now vs going after finishing high school that if might be considered as home student - both for the number of seats available in the university and fee.

christmasoompa

Would the cost of 3 years of boarding school not outweigh any saving on uni fees?

What took you to the US and what visas are you on there? If it’s a temporary visa and an employment based reason (i.e. work transfer & L1 visa), your son may qualify for home fees anyway.

if I’m completely honest, I wouldn’t do what you’re proposing. If your son wants to study medicine he’ll need really top GCSE & A Level results, you may be jeopardising that by moving him back just before mocks.

Manoj79

Hi,
My son somehow managed to spend another year in the US but he really wants to move back to the UK to study and live. He completed Grade 10 from a US school (doesn't have GCSEs). He is quite smart and already completed many of his high school courses (if he stays in the US he probably be taking 8 or 9 APs). However, I'm worried about his education if he were to move to the UK at this stage of education. He is arguing that he could continue his rest of school for a US High School Diploma from a American school in the UK or a IB Diploma. Does anyone have experience with US high school diploma from the UK? Would that be easily acceptable by the UK universities, especially for medicine?

Secondly, could he go to A-levels without GCSEs, assuming no one from his age/class would have GCSEs? If so, would school help him filling any gaps between US vs British curriculum?

Apologies for asking multiple questions in one tread but you can imagine how difficult such decisions to make.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience and knowledge.

christmasoompa

An IB Diploma would make far more sense if he wants to study medicine IMO. Not sure how easy it would be to get entry to a degree course if he's got an American education given how competitive they are, as my understanding is American high school is more general? But you should be able to find entry requirements on each university's website.

My daughter needs at least 7's and above in her Biology and Chemistry GCSE's to be able to do those subjects at A Level, if your son does have gaps I'm not sure he'd be able to do those vital subjects at A level, so that could be another reason to look at IB.

Is your son now at the end of Year 11 in UK years i.e. he'd have done his GCSE's if he was here? Is the plan still boarding school in the UK and if so, what do the schools say about their requirements for him to do A Levels/IB? They're really the best people to ask as each school's requirements will vary.

Manoj79

Agree with you that without having GCSEs, it may not make sense to go into A-levels. And switching into to a different system like IB program at this stage of his education may potentially cause disruption.

To my surprise, there seems few schools in the UK who offer American High School Diploma and AP courses. Based on the information on university websites, a US High School Diploma with multiple AP courses (particularly in sciences and math) would make him eligible for Medicine in the UK (of course he would need highest grades in AP courses). My son just finished US Grade 10 (equivalent to Year 11) and this school is accepting him into Grade 11. This could be path forward for us without switching into any different education system.

Does anyone in this community have experience of gaining US High School Diploma from the UK for their children?

okonumiyaki

Boarding school does not count to being 'home status' for university fees.

Manoj79

I have thought about that and therefore not planning to send him in boarding.

christmasoompa

That sounds like the best plan, least disruptive to him and if he can still get entry in to a medical degree, then a good solution.

Best of luck to him.

Elvira

“Based on the information on university websites, a US High School Diploma with multiple AP courses (particularly in sciences and math) would make him eligible for Medicine in the UK (of course he would need highest grades in AP courses).“

This is indeed true. My son got an interview at a UK med school on this basis. However, he wasn’t offered a place. No idea if this was due to his US education, or whether he just didn’t make the grade.

Manoj79

Elvira Thanks for your reply. May I ask which high school your son attended in the UK?