Education in the usa (Образование в сша )

   Education in the USA begins at the age of six. This is when a child goes to school for the first time and stays at school till the 12-th grade. But before that children can go to kindergartens and nursery schools to get some good preparation for elementary school. The main purpose of the elementary school is the general development of children's abilities in reading, writing, spelling, maths, history, geography, art, etc.

   The school year usually begins in early September or even at the end of August and lasts till June. American students usually have three holidays during the year of studies: winter break, spring break and summer break. After the 6-th form students enter junior high school and stay there till the 9-th form. After that they go to high school. Pupils usually choose subjects in the fields of science, foreign languages, art and vocational training. But courses may be different in different schools. Most young people finish schools with a high school diploma. The grading system is usually from A (excellent) to F (failed). Students also have final exams, or finals, at the end of a year and they can also have mid-term exams on different subjects.

   There are some kinds of schools in the USA. There are state-supported schools, or public schools, that are free of charge and private schools which are often religious. Such schools are often expensive.

   After students finish high school, they can choose what to do next. They can apply for a university, a four-year college, technical training institutions or a community college. Students go to college for four years and after graduating they get a bachelor's degree. A first-year student is called a freshman, a second-year student is called a sophomore, a third-year student is a junior and a fourth-year student is a senior. After they are accepted to a college, students can think of choosing their majors, or the subjects which will be connected with their future profession. Some colleges allow students to take several majors.

   Students' life in college is very interesting. There are f usually a lot of different clubs and societies, theatres, museums, a swimming-pool, a gym, a large library and everything that can make students feel at home far from their families. 93% of students usually live on campus, in dorms. Freshmen and sophomores usually live in double rooms, but they can also choose between a single or a double room while juniors and seniors mostly get single rooms. There are also several dining-halls on campus and they offer big variety of food.

   Besides colleges American young people can enter universities. They usually don't have any entrance exams, but students must take state exams. Such exams are taken during the school year in the middle of the 12-th year. All colleges and universities are for fees, but those students who can't afford paying for their education, can apply for Financial Aid. These are sums of money for students who need money to pay for studies.

   After graduating from colleges or universities students can enter a graduate school to get a master's degree.