Well, I schooled in the UK and UK-style university systems and my kids were/will be at college in the US, so I have experience of both systems, and there are pros and cons to both. A large part of it comes down to how much the student is convinced of the path they are taking, and how easy it is to change if they decide they don’t. One of my school friends actually became a doctor because by the end her third year when she decided she didn’t want to do medicine, she couldn’t bear the thought of having to start all over again with another degree (and remember we are taking about a ± 20 year old without the hindsight she has now). By all external metrics she is successful, yet almost 40 years later she still expresses regret at what she felt was a path she could not get off. By contrast, a close relative of mine in the US completed all her premed requirements but decided she didn’t want to do medicine and it was…easy to change.
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