Education: United States vs. Ukraine Essay

Words: 1030
Pages: 5

Ganna Mikheleva ENG-101
Essay #1, Final 02-16-2012
Education: United States vs. Ukraine
“Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” * George Washington
There are 1.8 million people coming to the United States every year. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2006 there were 961,113 Americans of Ukrainian descent representing 0.33% of the American population. The Ukrainian population in the United States is thus the second largest outside the former Soviet Union. One of the reasons is that the education is more progressive and flexible, which makes it easier for people to attain their educational goals. In different countries and in different cultural environments, education has different forms,
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Education in the United States follows a pattern similar to that in the Ukrainian system. Early childhood education is followed by elementary school, middle school, high school, and then postsecondary education. Postsecondary education includes non-degree programs that lead to certificates and diplomas plus six degree levels: associate, bachelor, first professional, master, advanced intermediate, and research doctorate. The U.S. system does not offer a second or higher doctorate, but does offer postdoctorate research programs. Contrary to the Ukrainian system, in the United States people can go to college at any age and also have homeschooling programs.
The most common grade scale in the United States is the letter grade: "A" through "F", which is derived from a scale of 0–100 points. The following table shows the transformation: A | B | C | D | F | | | – | | | – | | | – | | | – | | 100-97 | 96-93 | 92-90 | 89-87 | 86-83 | 82-80 | 79-77 | 76-73 | 72-70 | 69-67 | 66-63 | 62-60 | Below 60 Percent |

One of the big differences between two systems is course schedule. In Ukraine students have to follow a particular schedule made to satisfy the educational institution program, while in the United States students have flexibility in scheduling their classes. For example, if I start any level of secondary or postsecondary