Any ex-O Levels students continuing education in US/Canada?

stromaestro
Sun, 09 Aug 2015 07:21:24 +0000

Hey! I used to live in Bangladesh, and I moved here after finishing tenth grade, literally a week before I should’ve sat for my O Levels/GCSE exams. I contacted the high school here, and asked them if GCSEs were enough to count for high school but was told that unless I had a high school diploma or something of the sort, I should finish eleventh and twelfth grade. Additionally, I researched universities and the schools that I wanted to go to expected A Levels; O Levels would not suffice, according to the majority.

Are you in New York City? That’s where I moved to. A friend of mine actually moved back at the same time as me, and we ended up at the same high school. She was a year above me and was studying for her As before moving, and she enrolled in the twelfth grade; I enrolled in the eleventh.

How old are you? If I can give you some advice, don’t enroll in the twelfth grade. My friend had so much trouble with college admissions due to trouble with credits transferring and overall the transition and being expected to complete college admissions in a few months…

My experience was turbulent af. I needed to stay until almost six pm from eight am during my junior year, and I took three classes during summer school to make up for classes I had taken in Bangladesh but were unfortunately not accepted here. I came from an Edexcel approved school and my classes were certainly rigorous and from a respected school, but the DOE here generally has it against internationals, so good luck. The point I’m trying to make is that if you do go to high school, expect it to be tough but probably worth it. I worked my butt off, but I became my school’s valedictorian and am going to a school I’ve been dreaming of going to.

Did you go to a high school in Pakistan, or were you a self-studying O Level student? If you have high school records, terrific! If not, they might place you in ninth grade. Lmk more about your situation! I hope this helped calm your nerves a little. Good luck!