I'm a product of the 'A' lvl system here in Singapore.
I also moderated at a Hong Kong forum populated largely by teenaged
International School kids (14-19), getting to know and meet many of them.
Some opinions:
1) Doing your 'A' lvls is largely a waste of time if you're planning on going to an American university. The 2 (possibly 3) years that you spend doing them could just as easily be spent doing community college - which in turn could lead to a shorter time in university. Earlier graduation = quicker transition to workforce. Of course, some UK univs require 'A' lvls - if you plan to go there, knock yourself out doing them then.
2) 'A' lvl schools here in Singapore (Junior colleges, or 'JCs') are nothing more than rote-memorisation factories. You'll (by and large) be competing with kids who can memorise a dictionary back to front and recite the textbooks backwards. Of course, there will also be time for fun, but it WILL be a pretty tense and packed schedule. Side benefit = getting in touch with the local population and immersing yourself in the culture. BTW: I've taught at 2 of the higher-end JCs here so I know a little about what I'm speaking of.
3) With only a few exceptions, the 'International School' kids here are just as 'insulated'. They tend to hang around in their own little groups. Living in Orchard Road, I've seen many international school kids in their groups; and have even had the odd conversation with them. Not one of them has impressed me, in terms of open-ness or flat-out intelligence, so far. of course, this opens me up to accusations of bias. Some will also also point out that I'm unfairly comparing the students here with the kids I knew back in HK. The HK kids were largely more outgoing and eager to mix in with the locals; but that's because a large percentage of them ARE HK-born kids whose parents prefer to send them to
International Schools.
The curriculum, in a Singaporean-based international school (if anything like the HK ones) would be infinitely more interesting and varied. There would be just as much chance for you to explore practical work/study as participate in a more 'open' learning environment.
In JCs, the teachers are uber-lords and no dissent or differing opinion is entertained. Live with it.
Pluses and minuses. But there's nothing to prevent you from 'adapting and overcoming' to make the best of it, whichever system you get yourself into.
chris
One should never speak of the dead unless to say a good thing.
eg: "It's a good thing he's dead."