United States

The United States has one of the most fortunate histories of the modern world. It is a nation of an enormous number of different ethnic groups who nonetheless share the ideals of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence — the country where the principles of the right to happiness and freedom of speech were born, and where the aeroplane, the fridge, the electric light, the computer, blues, jazz and rock and roll were invented.

You already know so much of it from films, books, songs and photographs that it is impossible not to feel part of the show. You will find shops open day and night, waitresses topping up your coffee, drive-ins and newspapers thrown on the porches of wooden houses.

The American school system runs for 12 years before graduation. There is a single type of high school, within which everyone builds their own study path around their aptitudes and interests.

Alongside the three compulsory subjects — usually English, mathematics and history — the others are chosen by the student, from psychology to literature, from journalism to physics. The programme of sports and cultural activities is just as varied.