1- The grading scale in US is v different from Singapore's. The difference of most consequence is that you need 93+ for A, 85+ for A-, etc. (exact numbers vary by uni, professor, and course) So you cannot afford to be careless, since a few mistakes might mean you get a B.
2- Follow-up to point 1: While the grading scale above is a general guide, each professor chooses to grade differently. If everyone earns high marks, the professor might decide to be more stringent in giving As.
3- HS students usually get excited thinking that they can cut classes in college. Cutting classes is more acceptable in college than HS, but never skip too many classes. Even if you're confident with the material, the professor might go over additional helpful problems or give study guidelines.
4- Also: check if attendance is included as part of the grade. For lecture classes, attendance usually doesn't count. But for seminar or discussion classes, attendance may constitute a significant portion of the grade. (Don't miss class!)
5- Academic calendar: There are two main systems, semester and quarter. The vacations for these two systems differ slightly. Usually, summer break begins earlier for semester-system schools.
- Semester system: two semesters, Fall and Spring.
NUS and NTU use this system.
MIT and UC Berkeley also use this.
- Quarter system: three quarters, Fall and Winter and Spring. (plus Summer quarter)
Stanford, UCLA use this system.
