As a parent, are you considering sending your child to a USA high school?
For an international student who’s ready to handle the transition, it can be a way to help ensure they’re academically and socially prepared before entering a U.S. college, some experts say. On the other hand, if the transition might be too much for some students who come here on their own, our advice is parents have to assess the maturity of their kid and their ability to be away from home and handle things on their own.
Private High School
So what exactly are the benefits that justify the cost of coming to study in a USA high school ?
Learning the English language:
Students around the world learn English in classrooms, through study guides, and even by watching cartoons or listening to the radio. But the study methods fall short of full exposure.
Expert said Real Life Immersion in the English language is going to get them way farther than any classroom in their home country.
Mastering English at the high school level may not be any easier than learning it in college, but what can start out as a tough experience improves with time, particularly when the student is younger.
College readiness:
International students studying at U.S. high schools are exposed to American-style teaching, which tends to be more participatory in nature, that can be a big help once students are enrolled in college later.
On the contrary, when they students come straight from overseas to a USA College, some may do very well on SAT or ACT and placement tests, but once here, they nay start struggling because the classroom pace is so fast, and the requirement in USA universities that students need to interact often in class becomes a real challenge.
Pre-college navigation:
Applying to college in the United States can be a long and complicated process—with tests to take, schools and majors to explore, and essays to write. And much of the process is riddled with lingo that is often unfamiliar to international students, but which may be clearer for students if they’re already here.
It may also make the process simpler for some colleges – particularly public institutions, if the student is applying with credentials from a U.S. high school. For example, the requirements for admission are much clearer when you’re looking at a transcript from a USA high school in say, New York than a transcript from a high school in Hong Kong.
Social acculturation:
The college experience in the United States doesn’t end when class is dismissed, and coming to high school here can prepare students to succeed socially too. Parents are probably giving their students a big leg up when it comes to being socially integrated.
The transition to college can be tough for any student, but with a prior understanding of cultural norms, terms, jargons and habits, international students may be better suited to fit into the fabric of a new school.
Students who had already been in the United States for high school, they probably may have everything a whole lot easier because they already understood the culture and the openness and the way people were.
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The only way overseas students can study at a USA public high school is go through the USA Cultural Exchange Program.