That’s not what I said at all. My comment related to the academic rigour of American high schools, not the intelligence of a population.
The broadly accepted position seems to be that a US degree take 4 years compared to the equivalent taking 3 years in the UK, and that’s because they finish high school roughly a year behind their UK counterparts. Similarly, a masters degree takes 6 years in the US and 4 years in the UK but the qualification at the end of that period is equivalent.
To get to the same standard as a UK student after studying A Levels, and American student has to chose a lot of extras at high school because the basic level of education is lower.
@CowboyHat
It is what you implied at the very least, but heyho...
You're wrong on a number of scores here.
The 'broadly accepted position' you assert isn't broadly accepted, because it's based on a several misapprehensions, notably your insistence that 'American high schools' provide a poor quality high school education, which leaves American students ill equipped for university.
It's clear that you don't understand the content or the purpose of General Education or Core coursework required in American universities. American universities aim to tun out graduates who have mastered both their degree concentration AND are equipped with a broad education, at university level, in areas that are considered vital to civic life and which will also make the average graduate a versatile employee, a leader, a citizen capable of independent thought and analysis.
From the University of Chicago introduction to its Core Curriculum:
college.uchicago.edu/academics/core-curriculum
Stemming from UChicago’s commitment to relentless learning through determined questioning, challenging of assumptions, and intellectual debate, the Core teaches undergraduates how to think and approach problems from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
The cornerstone of the College’s transformative curriculum, the Core prepares students to explore and debate complex ideas with faculty and peers. Through sequences in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences, as well as a sequence in the historical development of a Civilization, our students engage with the language, questions and methods that characterize broad fields of inquiry.
Our goal is to engage students with the range of insights, habits of mind, and academic experiences that can enrich their own reflections and activities in the world—while here and after they graduate. The result is students’ ability to cultivate their own, unique minds and voices.
There is a durable philosophy in the American educational ideal that academic subjects cross-pollinate, that no single subject is an island or a bubble unto itself. Can you really expect to study - for example - history in any depth these days with no knowledge of statistics or statistical methods? No knowledge of economics or a language other than English? Can you as a citizen dealing with the reality of the world forty years after your graduation expect to be able to make sense of your ever changing world if you haven't studied science or mathematics or science or the development of a civilisation, at university level?
This requires a broad education and mastery of a good many disciplines - mathematics, science, literature, MFL, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, economics, qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry and analysis, and more. The idea that early specialisation is a desirable thing is a peculiarly English one, and the English system in very much an outlier internationally in this respect.
It's also clear you don't understand much of American high schools. American high schools cater for a huge number of students, across a huge range of environments, with a wide range of abilities and aspirations. Many high schools have thousands of students enrolled. They aim to provide an appropriate education for every enrolled student.
There is no such thing as a 'basic level of education' in 'American high schools'. It is a mistake to misinterpret the graduation requirements of most high schools in most states as the level of education most students receive. The basic requirements are the starting point. Most students far exceed the level of required classes.
You may not be aware that the top universities in the US accept applications from thousands of graduates of American high schools every year. Did you think the top universities are all for foreign students?
And fwiw, a masters isn't going to take you six years in the US. It's not a one size fits all proposition.
Here are the academic catalogues of a few high schools in the greater Chicago metro area. They should show you the scale and scope of a suburban high school education.
www.newtrier.k12.il.us/cms/lib/IL50000651/Centricity/shared/new%20trier%20publications/school%20publications/2022-2023%20Program%20of%20Studies.pdf
campussuite-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/1558748/bd01c7ae-765f-11e9-9402-0a56f8be964e/2516674/0dc79d4e-6f4a-11ed-9912-0a37d2328187/file/Academic%20Catalog%20(with%20revisions)%202023-24%20copy%201.pdf
resources.finalsite.net/images/v1634220649/d125org/ccucnqptpozctfilqgqx/2022-2023InteractiveCoursebook.pdf