> Did other people go to schools with radically different curricula? (Not US, but I think still applicable) In general: yes. I myself also recognized a lot o

> Did other people go to schools with radically different curricula? (Not US, but I think still applicable) In general: yes. I myself also recognized a lot on this list; my school spent a lot of effort on extracurricular activities, personal development and responsibility, mentoring etc. However, I just looked up the national statistics, and my school was ranked among the top 10 public schools in the country, awarded a "predicate of excellence" by the education inspection. I can totally see how not every school has access to this level of education, as technically it is all outside of the base mandatory national curriculum and likely the first thing to get cut when funding is difficult. Making the skills mentioned in the post a part of the base curriculum, like traditional subjects as English and biology are, might give them a more even footing.