American education system

[Snufkin]

Can someone explain it to me please! You leave highschool at 15 with SATS and take a degree? I was looking at the Harvard website and you can do a degree in law, but Harvard Law School (which seems to be different) only offers postgrad courses... argh! I would like a step by step guide with ages for your typical law student!

[NorthernYankee]

15 I don't know, but people here don't graduate til at least 17 and mostly 18. And Harvard law is for your masters not for you undergrad work.

--NY

[Snufkin]

so you cant practise Law until you have a masters? Very different system to over here. Im figuiring this out. In America for Law its SATS - degree - masters - practise.

In the UK its GCSE - A level - degree - practise. With some vocational stuff thrown in after graduating. Confusing!

[speculative]

If I took the bar tomorrow and passed it I could practice law...

At 17-19 you graduate from high school, then do pre-law or something related if you want to go into law. Then, after undergrad, you go to "law school." Usually for 2-3 years. Then, you take the bar exam and hopefully pass it. :)

[Snufkin]

ah cool, so it works out to be roughly the same age groups. The main difference is that we can go straight into law as an undergraduate, and can't practise without having this vocational work experience thing.

14 - 16 ---> GCSEs
16 - 18 ---> A-levels
18 - 21 ---> L.L.B degree, then a solicitors or bar exam
21 - 23 ---> vocational experience

I wonder how different SATs are to GCSEs and A-levels.