it's the weather. the brits are so depressed from the constant fog and drizzle, that they SEEM more mature. Also, their inate fear of embarrassing themselves helps to keep them in check.
Americans , on the other hand feel free to speak loudly as if they knew what the fuck they were talking about, as I have demonstrated in the above portion of this post. So, which would YOU rather be?

YeeHaa

Hey !!!! Iresimble that remark !!!!!!:mad: :mad:

I really am 13!

I went to a public school, but my Dad acctually taught me about English from about the age of 5.

And I'm not really all that mature... :doit:

It's not about the sex, it's about the mental processes and wisdom and such.

Isn't a "public" school in England like a private school in the US, and the state-run schools are called "comprehensives?"

The above is based on a lot of reading and no actual experience. I'd like to know the real set up.

All I really remember is my father referring to the school we went to as "private", as well as the rants about "his kids going to such an expensive school". :rolleyes:

It was an excellent education though. I often wonder how different my life would be had I completed my primary education there. And I really wish I remembered at least some of the Latin.

Acctually, alot of people my age behave like idiots alot of the time. :censored: I don't represent the general population of 13-year-olds here. :D

Trillian - I am a teacher in England and I must say your expensive education appears to be failing you. If you went to a state comprehensive you would be taught how to spell the word 'actually' You have spelled it wrongly at least twice. Write out one hundred times I must learn to spell ACTUALLY:D

When I lived in England I studied harder because there was shite all else to do. Godawful place to live.

Best education I've found is at selective entry schools, none of this catering for the lowest common denominator crap.

Of course we all left self-important eliteist prats so I guess it comes down to your definition of a good education.

Cane her!! Cane her!!

Sorry. Anyway, awhile back I read a book called "Looking for Class" by Bruce Feiler, about his experiences doing graduate work at Oxford and Cambridge. If it's an accurate portrayal, then the whole graduate curriculum there is MUCH MUCH more informal and less structured than in the US. (The primary determinant of whether you get ahead seems to be whether the faculty think you deserve to... that's certainly not different from the US!)

Do you think post-GCSE or post-A-level is comparable with American high school graduation?

From my experience of postgraduate research at Cambridge, it doesn't sound too inaccurate: it's a little more structured than "here's a library card, come back when you have a thesis" but not all that much. You do have a meeting with your supervisor once a week, so you can obviously sort out any questions you have there; however, it's a bit harder IME to nail questions at a more meta level with that sort of arrangement. Rather sink-or-swim, really.

Seeing as this thread is active again, I'll explain all.
I go to a "state" school, which is for poorish people. I think people have to pay for public school, but now I'm not sure, I'm confusing myself here...
Well I go to the most common school. I'll leave it there.
And I care because...:rolleyes:

Yes, but you English keep on spelling the word TRUCK L-O-R-R-Y.

That being said, my neice is in England this semester as an exchange student.