High school and SAT's and college.. OH MY

Ciao a tutti :)

I trust that everyone is having a happy Transformation Tuesday!

I thought I could use this post to explain to people the way the Italian school system works! (FYI it doesn't include big yellow busses or senioritis)

This is a chart of the different  schooling options a teen in Italy has

 

Unlike American schools, Italian kids can choose between a technical school, a vocational school, or which specialized type of high school they want to attend (Liceo). As you can see, there are 5 main types. Each has its own core group of classes to prepare a student for their eventual job. For example, if a student knew they wanted to become a doctor or scientist, they would most likely choose to attend a Liceo Scientifico, which focuses mainly on math and science.

 

Another HUGE difference is *sob* they go to school on Saturdays!

 

When it comes to the weekends, I am just like every other American teen, meaning I like my sleep and want plenty of it!! However, overall they only go to school for about 6 hours a day, which is less than the average US high school. And I'm pretty sure they only do about 4 hours on Saturdays, so it's not like I'll be stuck in a concentration camp or anything :P

 

Better explanation of a typical school day

 

I personally know the name of the school I will attend. It's called Liceo Pitagora and it's located one town over from Trecase in the bigger town of Torre Anunziata! Just from being on the school website and talking to my host sister, it seems like a really good school! And it's less than 2 km away from the beach <33333 My school in America is surrounded on 3 sides by corn, so I definitely consider this to be a step up ;)

 

My school offers 5 different course types, and I'm not sure if I'll be in a Classico course with my sister or one of the others, but so far everyone from Pitagora I've chatted with has been so kind and sweet, I'm good with whatever I get!

 

In other news, last night I scheduled my first college visit :D On August 17th  I get to tour New York University, which has been my dream school since I was 14!! Although it's just a visit, it officially kicks off the college quest, and that means I'm getting old :P It's hard to believe the next time I set foot in my high school I'll be a senior.....

 

Finally, I have a call into my guidance counselor about SAT's, because Junior year is typically the big college prep/take SAT's/ cram in as many AP courses as you can year in America... and I'll be sipping espresso on a sunny beach 6000 miles away... man my life is tough! ;P

 

In the end, it will probably amount to me spending as much time as possible researching colleges online in Italy, and touring/applying to a crap ton of them when I get back, not to mention taking SAT's next summer before senior year. Oh well, I'm fairly confident that the benefits of being an exchange student and taking all of your testing and exams later than your classmates will still outweigh the risks... and it's not like I'm trying to get into Harvard or anything, so I'll figure it out.

 

Thanks for listening to my rambles yet again, we're almost about to hit 400 page views :D Io amo tutti così tanto <3

 

Ciao!