Want to impress an American? Just tell him about a typical day in the life of an Asian high-school student. "Wow," the American will likely respond. "You work so hard! I never had to do all that when I was in high school!"
American high-school student lead very different lives from Asian high-school students. True, some high achievers keep just as busy as Asian students. But many others rarely study. So what is typical? Join us as we spend one day with American student Ellen Koranda. Learn how she represents ---and varies from ---her peers.

Ellen's Day
　　

　　7:30 a.m. Ellen arrives at school early to meet with the student council advisor. Her fellow students council vice president. Many American schools have some kind of student government. The elected students learn leadership skills with help from teachers.
　　8:25 a.m. Classes begin. Today Ellen needs to talk to the guidance counselor about her college applications. So she misses her favorite classes---band and choir.
10 a.m. In her video production class, Ellen works with a group of her classmates to create a newscast.

　　11:30 a.m. During lunch, Ellen has a meeting for Teens Against Drugs and Alcohol. The average American high-school student spends 10 to 15 hours per week on extracurricular activities. Studies show that students who participate in extracurricular activities get better grades and behave better than students who don't. Universities also prefer such students. Why ? These students usually become successful professionals and leaders .
　　12 p.m. Ellen attends English and Spanish classes.
3 p.m. The school day ends. Ellen goes to cross-country practice and then lifts weights. American society strongly encourages high-school students to participate in sports.
　　6 p.m. At home, she eats supper and watches the news on TV with her family.
　　7 p.m. The next two hours are spend doing Spanish and English homework. The average American high schooler spends just five hours per week on homework. Ellen is s bit more studious than most.
　　9 p.m. Before going to bed, Ellen chats with friends on the Internet for a few minutes. Now that's something many Asian teenagers can identify with!