“graduated from college” vs. “graduated from university” …
is there any difference? does one infer higher [academia, achievement, prestige]? does the term “graduated from college” speculate a student took only one course and achieved certificate? does the term “graduated from university” decree the principle achieved bachelor degree (or higher)?
in similar accord which, of the two above disciplines, pertains to someone receiving degree “online” versus in person?
pls streamline the discussion with the following respect:
this is not to be about welfare, affluence or other veritable encumbrances*.
this is not to be about gpa while attending high-school.
this is not to be about politics (societal incumbancies/pressures).
realistically, are the two terms one-'n-the same? are college-grads generally considered to be university-grads? surely, some dopers here will have opinions … so, what are your thoughts?
*welfare, affluence or other veritable encumbrances … heck, one can last minimum of two years at a prestigious school … if they lived in the area and rode bicycle from their home close-by … in that aspect, tuition costs would be the only hindrance.
p.s. the quest here is for my understanding based upon misunderstandings … the intent is not focusing any debate … neither to be construed as simply a charlatan “opinion” … thanks.
In the U.S. the terms are usually interchangeable in informal conversations. In fact, most people will say “I went to college…” even if they attended a University. They have different meanings in academia, however. IIRC, a University has more than one “school” (for example, a graduate school, or different “colleges” within the system.) Harvard College, for example, is the undergraduate school that is part of Harvard University.
But in Canada, are people being specific when they say they graduated from college vs graduated from university? Or do they use the phrases interchangeable?
In the UK too. “College” is a term applied to all sorts of institutions, and most people would commonly think of it as implying sub-degree technical training when used as a generic term as in the OP (we wouldn’t refer to a college within a university in that way). In fact, we would not often say “graduated from college” precisely because it’s universities that award degrees.
In the US, “university” is used in the name of sepecific institutions (“Harvard University,” “University of Southern Arkansas”), but otherwise the word college is almost universally used. Students at those institutions are referred to as “college students.” who are “going to college” or “at college.” They got there by “applying to college” and when they finish they will be “college graduates” who have “graduated college.”
Specific. University usually means a three or four year degree, and college usually means a two or three year diploma. University programs tend to be much more rigorous than college programs.
Please note, however, that the above is a generalization, that there is significant overlap, and that there are a many exceptions to the above.
(I’ve taught at both universities and colleges, and recognize the value of both of them and the importance of making a good education available to everyone.)
For the sake of completeness, people in the US also refer to institutions of higher education as “schools.” “School” covers everything from kindergarten (or even preschool) to PhD studies, and context usually makes the specific meaning clear. One might ask an academically promising 17year old what schools they are applying to or what colleges they are applying to, but rarely what universities they are applying to (even if the expected answers all have “University” in the name). One might ask a college professor at Harvard University what school they got their doctorate from. (“College” would be less likely to be used in this context because it implies undergraduate studies, even though one might get a prestigious doctorate from Boston College or the College of William and Mary.)
Americans usually say “I went to college”. I tend to say that too despite studying at several universities and although there is some difference between the two in Canada. It’s just less pretentious.
If someone in the US said “I went to university” I wouldn’t think they were pretentious, I’d think they were foreign. If they sounded American, my first question would be, “What country did you study abroad in?”
I agree with what others are saying. In the United States we say “college” for all degree-granting institutions. “I graduated from university” marks a foreigner.
In the United States, if you went to a two-year institution, you would specify, “I went to community college.” It would be considered kind of misleading if you went to community college and referred to it as just “college.”
Yes and no. You could certainly say you were a “college student” while attending. You would not typically say you had a “college degree,” although that might be technically correct. You would say “I have an AA degree” or a “two-year degree.”
I agree to a point- people may say “my son is in college” if the son attends a two year community college, but when the son graduates, they will typically say “my son got his associate’s degree” or “my son graduated from XXX Community College” rather than “my son graduated from college”.
