AIBU to ask you some questions about the USA?

[BreakfastInAmerica]

I've been reading lots of US fiction over lockdown, I've never been there.

What's the big deal with joining a fraternity house at College? What is the benefit of it? Why the Greek frat house names?

Is public access television still a thing?

Why do they call savoury muffins English Muffins when I'm more likely to see a blueberry or chocolate muffin when I'm out and about?

How do Americans eat things like thick pancakes with cream for breakfast, even the people who are slim?

What are grits?

Why are Automatic cars so prolific in the US, rather than manual/stick shift?

I'm sure I've got lots more questions and please pitch in with your own questions and answers.

AIBU to ask for your answers and questions about the small differences between the US and the UK?

One thing that often bothers me about the US is my impression that stereotypically, government and citizens dont take environmental concerns seriously and so there isn't much recycling or attempts to reduce or reuse. Is this true or is there more of an active concern than it seems?

There is much, much more of an active concern than there appears to be, it’s just like many things - on a regional or local level. States have their own departments of environmental protection to handle regional conservation and environmental concerns; recycling has been the norm here for about 30 years.

On a national level the current administration has been dreadful for rolling back environmental protection. I work in that sector and the laws that have been changed or repealed are appalling, it’s undone many years of work and is going to have a lasting impact. It’s been done with the express purpose of making manufacturing cheaper and putting the interests of business first.

I lived in the US for three years. We did most of our shopping at Aldi or Lidl because food shopping was so expensive. However we loved shopping in Publix which very much reminded me of Waitrose as well as the wonderfully named Piggly Wiggly!

One thing that often bothers me about the US is my impression that stereotypically, government and citizens dont take environmental concerns seriously and so there isn't much recycling or attempts to reduce or reuse. Is this true or is there more of an active concern than it seems?

Depends on the local area in many states.

When I moved to the U.K., I was shocked on the level of rubbish I saw in several areas even the so-called nice ones. Growing up in a small city in Illinois, we had different groups of volunteers of various ages doing litter pick-ups, (I did some myself from grade school through to secondary through various community groups), and there were signs posted of a $500 fine for littering. Schools have massive recycling bins (2x-3x the size of the bins that you find behind most places I’ve seen around England) for paper products and the schools would earn money from the weight of how much they recycled. My parents have had two-three recycling bins for over twenty years, picked up on a weekly basis.

Even when I lived in certain parts of Chicago, it was really clean, especially for a major city. Littering is frowned upon in the places I lived and grew up in as well as not recycling.

With regard to recycling - for the past few summer's I have visited family in the Bay Area of California. Their recycling bins are geest. One for paper and plastic, one for glass and one for food waste. So yes a lot of dustbins up the side o the house but it apparently does get sorted and dealt with in an environmentally friendly way?

Some of these questions are from people who seem to think that homes/norms in the US as a whole as depicted on Friends/The Cosby Show/Will and Grace. Honestly, wouldn't you be slightly taken aback if a US audience assumed key things about your way of life based on Hollyoaks, Eastenders or Emmerdale?

Though don't get me started on the bread offerings of our local Purity when we lived in Massachusetts...

Americans think Brits are snobs. Honest to goodness. Once in a while I'll tell my relatives some story about snooty thing Brits did ("maintaining standards") & the rellies howl with laughter.

Snobs with cute accents.

*actually, I said that completely wrong.

ENGLISH are snobs.

Scots are a good laugh but very grumpy (think Scotty from Star Trek)

Irish are just a good laugh.

Welsh don't exist (nobody heard of them)

But English are snooty AF.

@BreakfastInAmerica

What is a corn dog? I assumed that it was a corn on the cob on a stick like the ones we put on the barbecue. Obviously not!

It's a hot dog covered in cornmeal batter that's deep fried.

I’m Welsh and have lived in WI and MA - and tea, few people have heard of Wales.

My questions relates to High School as I watched a YouTube video with my daughter recently about the differences between US and UK but have no experience if American High Schools.
Do all students study all subjects until they leave at the end of 12th grade?
Do students choose which classes/subjects to take?
Do students have a lesson in every subject every day - so first period for one person would be the same subject every day?
What is the Honor Roll?

I think I understand that AP classes are for bright students and equal college credit?! Do students choose to take these classes or are they selected?

Finally, if you graduate from high school is that all at one level? Here in the UK we get exam results for subjects at 16 (GCSE generally) and then at 18 (A level generally).

Oh final final... do US universities specialise from the beginning or does everyone study more general education in the first year? I taught 4th grade in MA on an exchange and heard talk if ‘remedial classes at college/uni’.

Do all students study all subjects until they leave at the end of 12th grade?
There is a core educational programme which runs through the 12th grade but generally, no. It's not as specialised as A-levels but for example, my school required 4 years of English, 4 years of maths, 2 years of lab science (biology & chemistry) with a further 1 non-lab science (like geology, etc.), 3 years of history/world study and foreign languages were optional. The students who were in advanced or college prep courses would take 4 years of all of those things, students who were looking at trades or military options would not.

Do students choose which classes/subjects to take?
To an extent but it depends on what the school offers.

Do students have a lesson in every subject every day - so first period for one person would be the same subject every day?
Depends on the school. I didn't. Maths and English and history were every day, science and labs less frequent and alternated with music/theatre/art electives.

What is the Honor Roll?
A list of students in the school who have met certain grade criteria. It varies from school to school. In my school one had to receive all As and not more than one B grade to be considered "high honour" and if they had a mix of A and B grades it was considered "honor roll".

I think I understand that AP classes are for bright students and equal college credit?! Do students choose to take these classes or are they selected?
This is correct - AP classes are essentially college-level studies with an exam sat at the end of the year, which, if the student scores high enough, will fulfil the education requirements at a university. I took the English, Maths, History and Chemistry exams. Ostensibly they are open to all as long as there are seats.

Finally, if you graduate from high school is that all at one level? Here in the UK we get exam results for subjects at 16 (GCSE generally) and then at 18 (A level generally).
Yes, it is a general educational requirement which is somewhat higher than a GCSE but not quite an A-level (AP classes are more like A-levels, honestly.) Students graduate at 17-18 so I suppose that makes sense.

Oh final final... do US universities specialise from the beginning or does everyone study more general education in the first year? I taught 4th grade in MA on an exchange and heard talk if ‘remedial classes at college/uni’.
Universities give their intake of freshmen placement tests to see where their academic abilities really fall. The issue with schooling being regionally controlled is a school in one town can vary wildly from schools in other towns and states and so even though you may have passed four years of maths the university needs to see that for themselves...and if you are not up to standard on the placements, they place you in remedial classes to "catch up" -- which are generally not worth college credit.

Universities become specialised much more quickly than a high school curriculum but there is still a general education component to it all -- so despite not being in a scientific discipline, I needed 6 credits (2 classes worth) of maths, sciences, etc. to meet graduation requirements.

Do all students study all subjects until they leave at the end of 12th grade?

No, high schools usually have slight variations on diploma programs with standards set by the state. So you might have a regular diploma, or a vocational diploma with its own coursework.

Do students choose which classes/subjects to take?

Kind of. There are requirements based on the degree, but there’s also electives you can choose from as well, usually art/music/physical ed type stuff

Do students have a lesson in every subject every day - so first period for one person would be the same subject every day?

For regular coursework, yes. But electives like art or phys ed might be only a few times a week, usually switching off with other electives or a study hall.

What is the Honor Roll?

Just a list of the top performing students. Traditionally this might be published in a local paper or used in a college application. Usually the school sets it based of the 4.0 scale, so making the honor roll might be like a 3.5-4.0 grade point average (an A is usually calculated as 4, a B is 3, some courses are weighted differently though so can go higher than that nowadays).

I think I understand that AP classes are for bright students and equal college credit?! Do students choose to take these classes or are they selected?

This I’m not sure! I think schools set their own standards based on how many spots they have and local interest.

My school was really poor tho so we didn’t have AP classes. Instead, we got the choice to enroll in a community college, so I think we actually got the better end of the deal here (for AP, you have to pass a test to actually get college credit, I’m not sure it was calculated as each college has its own way of doing this)

I think as Brit who previously spent months in the USA based in Santa Monica Brentwood California but widely travelled through the west coast and Las Vegas etc, I can vouch for the main lifestyles difference between your average American and Brit is summed up best in one word - convenience!

In most USA cities and town (possibly except New York City and Chicago with mass shared public transportation services) the car is king. You drive your own car even sometimes between car parks from building to building. You drive hours on the daily workplace commute stuck in motorway traffic (SoCal especially). You can even eat in your car without getting out as that is why Americans adopted the drive through fast food "restaurant." However moving on to food - the truth is in the pudding on that one. Your average American is obese and hence Covid comorbidity. Why are they generally (majority) so unhealthy? Apart from lack of physical exercise walking to the car they tend to eat more than excessive portion sizes and usually as a double whammy mostly non healthy ultra processed sugary and high fat and salt food choices. The average coffee to go and say cinema popcorn is overwhelming to the uninitiated. However that said not all Americans are fat as conversely you also have a minority of the ripped to shreds gym and beach types only eating super foods and the latest social media "approved" fitnesses diet and routines.

That's America to me - lots of fun but such a diversity of different peoples and sizes (but mostly obese even school children!). I know many Brits expats still out there and some have attended higher level post doc training and they tell me the same story usually. They all drive automatic cars apart from those with a more detailed knowledge and appreciation of cars and performance engineering as they will (unless Mercedes Benz) drive a regular manual gear box or German PDK hybrid.

I don't see Americans eating (old stereotype) stack of pancakes with corn syrup nor waffles with deep fried chicken much these days! As one thing is sure whether the chicken is chlorine prepared or not the Americans do have indulgent if massively heart attack inducing tasty foods! Perhaps served best as a regular size American meal for one shared between a small family or couple if you are adventurous with a very big appetite!

On to university I think these student organisations are similar to the various associations one joins when at university. However I understand each student is assigned to a sub grouping and automatic membership purely on their hall of residence on campus? Greek and Latin is used in addition to American because I believe it adds histrionics to an otherwise new world nation compared to the old world.

Love the USA but only in bite sizes! Shame they are rapidly becoming even more politically polarised and Covid dysfunctional.

Is it compulsory for students to attend school untill 18? What happens if a student drops out ,are the authorities alerted?

For historical reasons, the US approach to education actually draws quite a bit on Scottish models (more breadth at secondary, four year university, etc.) Even the term "high school" comes from Scotland; it was first used in the US for a school modeled in part on the first school to call itself "high", the Royal High School in Edinburgh.

On to university I think these student organisations are similar to the various associations one joins when at university

Greek life is not at all similar to joining a regular association. It's referred to as "Greek life" because it is effectively a lifestyle as opposed to an extracurricular.

However I understand each student is assigned to a sub grouping and automatic membership purely on their hall of residence on campus?
Not sure what you're referring to here, but no, you don't get assigned anything based on your hall of residence. If you're a member of a fraternity or sorority that may dictate where you choose to live, not the other way around. Some fraternities/sororities have requirements to live in their housing. Some do not.

Is it compulsory for students to attend school untill 18?

As is the refrain in this thread, each state has its own rules. So you might be able to drop out at say, 16 if you have a job and parental permission.

But I think schools are really trying to tackle the truancy problem and drop out rates are not nearly as high as they used to be.

@x2boys No, school is generally compulsory until 16 -- but again, it's very regional so that varies. Where I live, a student can withdraw at 16 without parental permission. Other states are compulsory through graduation or age 18, some require parental permission to drop out.

Once they drop out, it's basically their own path -- good luck getting a job. Many go back for what is called a GED, a sort of high school equivalency diploma, which can be earned through testing and is generally accepted by employers and higher education institutions as proof of meeting a high school level of education.

@gwenneh

Thanks for your local knowledge and correction.

I am a bit confused in the use of some English words and meaning in the USA. Do Americans use the term college and school to also mean university (ie 18-21 +) tertiary higher non compulsory education? I also always wonder why young school children at the end of their schooling have UK style degree graduation ceremonies complete with mortar boards etc?

"School" in the US can mean anything from nursery to a PhD from Harvard. "College" means "university" essentially, although there are some degree granting colleges that are not universities.

Also it's actually a small percentage of students nationwide who belong to a sorority or fraternity, about 10 percent or so.

Could a student fail the high school Diploma ,in the same way pupils in the UK can fail.GCSE,s and Alevels ?

Yes, TV/cinema makes Greek life out to be a MUCH bigger part of university life than it really is! Although I went to a university with a large number of sororities & fraternities and Rush Week when people were pledging was always terrific for people watching & house parties (very much not my scene as a quiet, shy goth!) There's one road referred to as "Frat Row" where all of the fraternities have their houses -- it was always a bit wild.

@x2boys Absolutely. They'd be forced to repeat the year, or catch up taking remedial classes during the summer holidays.

Or drop out and get a GED later.

Is it generally agreed that USA university life is as much about what is probably best described as tribalism life long membership networking as about the education itself? In other words do these USA university student organisations have more of a distinctive networking advantage than say your regular top British university alumni?

And also is it generally accepted and agreed by medical scientist that a major USA Covid community transmission vector is the widespread university students partying en masse at the beach non masks drinking excessively and partying for hours as is normal during the university holidays?

Could a student fail the high school Diploma ,in the same way pupils in the UK can fail.GCSE,s and Alevels ?

They would fail to graduate high school if they did not pass enough courses (credits). Sometimes, they could make those up, in summer school, or online, and then get their diploma.

Is it generally agreed that USA university life is as much about what is probably best described as tribalism life long membership networking as about the education itself? In other words do these USA university student organisations have more of a distinctive networking advantage than say your regular top British university alumni?
I don't think it has more of an advantage compared to top British universities, but the impact is similar. If you've gone to a nationally recognisable university, it has more impact on your resume than a university someone has to Google even though the accreditation on the degree is the same. So that's a part of it.
The second part is that yes, alumni networks exist and are used after graduation for networking -- very similar to the way I've seen it practised in the UK.

And also is it generally accepted and agreed by medical scientist that a major USA Covid community transmission vector is the widespread university students partying en masse at the beach non masks drinking excessively and partying for hours as is normal during the university holidays?

I can't speak for all scientists, and wouldn't focus the blame solely on university students, because there are certainly a lot of non-university holidaymakers crowding the beaches and bars as well. But it's certainly NOT HELPING.