Yes John, I do believe UCL school was in Woowich.
Here in the U.S. one is usually eighteen when he/she completes grade twelve. Sure some can be shuffled along—as I was in England, but to enter university here you must have good grades. To enter the twenty or so of the top universities the student must have near perfect grades, even then he or she may not make it in. The five years of grade catch-up (grades 7-12) I did, using my wife's student and teachers books was not easy, so poorly formally educated was I.
The Two years of university English I did was under the auspices of the University of Arizona. I had to write a paper as to why I wanted to enter the program...It was bloody tough...and I was given credit for work experience.
I studied five hours a day, six days a week on the course, and three years of the same doing the high school work. Had I been attending school going for a B.A. I would not have had that luxury, I would have had additionally 'to carry a load,' quite a few other subjects to study at the same time...then, my brains ain't nineteen years old either.
With jobs for the unskilled or uneducated nonexistent or minimal in quantity in this day and age, the level of education demanded of applicants by employers makes a bachelors degree about the same level as one who completed high school in my time. To even consider making a decent income today it's a masters degree.
I remember when I was a kid, the old f@#ts saying all that "When I was young, blah, blah, blah" and I swore when I was an old f@#t I wouldn't condemn the generation coming up collectively. I'm not talking about 'yobs' I'm talking about the decent youths that today have to understand the intricacies of computers, not just to play games on, but to manufacture with. There's robotics in the factories not sweat labor, and they must be serviced and operated plus the millions of items that didn't exist when I was a kid.
My next promise to myself was that I would never say "We have to send the troops in to... (pick a country)..." . Bugger them, I didn't want to get my butt shot off then and I don't want any of my three sons or grandsons to get their butts shot off today. We (the U.S.) are attacked then it's defend ourselves, but I didn't raise three sons to have them used as cannon fodder to save any other country.
Not meaning to rant, but what the heck, I'm out of school.