Two associates won't make a Bachelor's (4 year degree) - an associates IS a degree, but is usually equated with more technical skills - X-ray, nursing (though nursing can be a 4 year degree), computer repair, heating and air conditioning, etc.

associates are more hands-on and less philosophical. They don't require tons of general education classes.

it's a level below a Bachelors.

an HND would probably be the closest equivalent -do they still do those?

ooh Bri explained it much better, sorry, didn't see that

Thankyou! Yes that makes sense now. Not sure if HNDs still around. Might be. We don't have any polytechnics now, they're all *coughs* 'universities'. Apparently we're aiming for 50% university attendance...so in order to achieve that goal every area of training has some kind of 'degree' available. So, if we change the names of all the institutions to 'universities' and change the technical diplomas to 'degrees' then everybody will be fooled into thinking we've removed inequity and opened up educational possibilities to all.

A Bachelors is a 4 year degree there? It's 3 years here mainly, I think. Though there are 4 year bachelors available. And if you did a foundation year then that ends up as a 4 year degree.

Mine's a 3 year Bachelor (honours) degree.

Actually, over here a 4 year degree can take up to five years to get and a two year degree can take 3! It's all in supply/demand of the required core classes.

One of the things people do here to help defray cost is take all the electives they can at a (much cheaper) two year school and then transfer all those credits to a four year Univeristy and get the Bachelor's that way. and yeah, Uni's will take tons of two year schools ('colleges' over here) credits - they work hand in hand with a lot of them.

main disadvantage in having a 2 year degree is advancement in management. for example, an RN in Ohio will make the same salary whether she's a 2 year degree RN or a four year degree RN. Experience will dictate raises, etc. BUT, if you want to go into nursing management you'll need that Bachelor's.

Brits start school a year earlier and specialize much earlier (although degrees are getting broader in the UK now) here, bachelor's students study a more diverse range of topics than even A-level students (16-18) in the UK. generally, the first year at Uni here is similar to the last year of high school at UK -then we all finish in the same place! Many American students in Birmingham (where I was a TA) had to do an extra year to get them "up to speed" in their major, but they had a much more advanced general knowledge base than their UK counterparts.

Another option is inspired by a friend of mine.
He dropped out of uni and worked in a restaurant, first as kitchen hand then as assistant chef/cook. He saved and bought a round-the-world air ticket, flew to London and got a live-in job in a pub there. SG might be abe to advise you on these. Within months he was "head chef" and on the strength of this experience has been able to wander around the world at will and get cash work in any English speaking country. He has spent years overseas, seen most of Europe, North America, and some of Asia, and a lot of Australia, and can get work within a week in almost any place he needs to. They always need dishpigs, and a decent cook is always in demand. He has no formal training or qualifications but has years of experience.
Longer term, he has returned to his home town, and by juggling part-time restaurant work and house renovation, he now owns his own very nice house with no debt, has wife and child, works about 20 hours a week. He is 36 and basically semi-retired.
If you want to see the world AND set yourself up with a realiable schtick, this is one good way.

We seem to be reversing the trend rather, over here. Kids are arriving in uni with a very broad but disconnected knowledge base and very little experience in detailed study. Where the big jump used to happen between o-level (gcse) and a-level, and a-level was very much the preparation for Uni; now the big jump seems to be between a-level and degree, and the gcse's are a prep for a-level. The first year of the degree often has to sweep up a lot of stuff they wuold once have learned in a-level. Not so much in terms of content, but rather study-skills and learning approaches.

I was talking to one lass who had come straight through sixth form into uni; and in two years of doing her a-levels she had to visit the library once. Anything theyhad to read that wasn't in thge coursebook was provided for them in photocopy form. She at no point had to learn to use an index effectively. At no point was she expected to find information. What a crippling disadvantage to give a kid who is intent on doing a Humanties degree.

The longest essay she'd had to write was two sides of an a4 sheet. Not much effort seemed to have been put into linking the different topics and periods covered in her History a-level. I recall the a-level I did in history very much did. But that was a long time ago. The system's changed completely now.

They've messed about with the a-level that much it's tacitly recognised by all concerned that it is no longer either a preparation for degree, or a worthwhile method of deciding capabilities for entrance to university. So...they tagged on an A* grade. If you want to get into a good uni, an A is no lomger enough *smiles* now you need an A*. Now they're shifting away completely and trying to move to a bacheloriate (sp?).

They've fixed the fuck out of A-levels, let's see how well they can fix the rest.

OK, found out I can only get 1 associates, not sure why but 'dems the rules. So, just gonna get my associates in science, which I have less than 2 full semesters left. A total of 20hrs, 6 classes and I'll be done. Of course I can take other classes for the hell of it :). So, guess I need to talk to a recruiter for peace corps and see what they might want. Talking to people face to face makes me nervous, I don't like the phone much more.

PROTIP: be sure to pronounce it "core", not "corpse". They hate that.

Yes...er thank you UT.

Are there people who really not know that?

For a second I forgot I'm not on a Discordian board and I was thinking "but it IS pronounced core" and I was confused. :lol:

I knew two people who went off to the peace corps. One went to Mali, and the other went to the Dominican Republic. They each spoke highly of the peace corps, but both of them had poop stories to regale friends with afterward.

They were just unlucky, such things will not happen to me.
:greenface

mark that post!