This poll stems from a recent discussion I was involved in. I’m wondering if there’s a difference in the way people from different countries perceive the word “school”.
Is a university a “school”? Do college students “go to school”? Let me start: I’m American and I say “yes indeedy”. After all, I walk into a university building, and what do I see? Classrooms filled with students sitting in desks being taught.
If no, what about the term “graduate school” or “medical school”? Or do you use some other term in your country?
Chris -
Being from the USA I can only give my understanding of how this organized there.
A University is comprised of a number of Colleges, i.e. College of Medicine, College of Arts, College of Engineering, etc.
They are all schools. And the University itself is a school.
However, as I think you know, the term College and University are used as meaning the same thing, for the most part, in the USA.
It has been confusing sometimes when speaking with people from outside the USA who seem to use “University” or “Uni” instead of ‘College’ when referring to what we, as Americans, would simply call a ‘College.’
At least this has been my take on the situation.
Maybe this helps. Maybe I’ve mis-understood your question completely.
I was in a conversation in which someone from England insisted that universities are not “schools” and “go to school” only applies to pre-university students (what we would call high school or below in the US). I’m wondering how true this perception is. Also, what do English speakers outside the US and UK think?
I find differences in educational usage fascinating. “Professor” means something quite different in the UK to what it means in the US; saying “at university” or “uni” immediately identifies someone as being from outside the US; etc.
Also, in the US, to be a university, a school must offer a graduate (= postgraduate to you Britishers) program. I undertook my undergradaute studies at a college, whose name includes the word “College”.
He would probably be a bit offended. The implication is that you think he’s not old enough to be at university. He’s still living with his parents, getting told off for not doing homework, the whole thing.
Going to university, as opposed to school, is one of those big life events that marks the transition from kid to adult. If you don’t recognise that he’s made that transition, it’s a bit like asking what he wants to be when he grows up.
We also have, or had, sixth form colleges which were for the 16-18 age group but not considered to be school. And apprentices on day release schemes would go to a technical college, not a school.
I don’t quite know how that would work if he was at London School of Economics, but in general school is primary, junior or high school. On the other hand, schools for adults do exist which teach specialised subjects (flying school, driving school, etc) and there is also something called ‘night school’.
The other one is ‘class’ and ‘lesson’. I always thought of class as being the group of people, and lesson being the thing you learn or the time set aside for learning. You go to school or university for lessons, and are organised into classes according to some or other criteria.
The whole class was late for the history lesson. I just moved into the advanced class so I expect my lessons to get harder.
I’m in a really cool class, everyone is very creative and fun. But the lessons are boring.
I’m teaching class 2b to be polite to their teacher. It seems nobody ever taught them this lesson.
etc
Also, we don’t have this “English 101” concept. It would be Basic English, or something similar. 101 is a building, nothing more.
In Sydney, where I grew up and went to university, people usually refer to school as high school and under, university/college (where you’d get a degree) as university and trade school as TAFE (stands for Technical and Further Education) or tech.
However, when I moved down to Melbourne (different state), one of my housemates (roommates for you Americans) who was at university used to refer to it simply as school.
In Germany the school system includes primary school, secondary school etc. all the way up to universities. However a university isn’t referred to as school (“Schule”) but it’s actually called “Hochschule” (literally ‘high school’), though more commonly just called “Universitaet”.
The word “Student” (student) refers to someone studying at university and colleges, someone going to school is a “Schueler” (pupil, schoolboy/-girl).
Definition of ‘College’ (“Kolleg” in German) is even more confusing, stumbled across this a few days ago: College
Where I’m from one goes to school between Grades 1 - 12. This includes pre-primary, primary, and seconday (high) school.
One option for furthering you studies after school is a college. Two examples of such are: a technical training college (for apprenticeships and the likes) and a teachers training college. One receives a certificate or diploma upon graduation.
A second option would be a university. Admittance is determined by a number of criteria and I wouldn’t bother going into that now. Upon graduation, one receives a degree. And a university typically consists of different departments or faculties, e.g. the Engineering Dept.
I was just thinking if there were any cut-off level for that term. I could not think of it ever being noted that it was used for only a certain grade or age grouping.
So, in light of that, I think I would answer - yes.
I will say that I think its an older term.
“Are you a pupil in Dr. Evils’ Social Science 303 classes at the University of Bangalore?”
c.1300, “institution of higher learning,” also “body of persons constituting a university,” from Anglo-Fr. université, O.Fr. universitei (13c.), from M.L. universitatem (nom. universitas), in L.L. “corporation, society,” from L., “the whole, aggregate,” from universus “whole, entire” (see universe). In the academic sense, a shortening of universitas magistrorum et scholarium “community of masters and scholars;” superseded studium as the word for this.
So a university is a much bigger and more all-embracing concept than a school. School is definitely considered to be ‘inferior’ or at least lesser.
Same with pupil and student. Student is one who studies, and carries connotations of a voluntary pursuit of knowledge, an activity worthy of a mature enlightened person. (This is in the old days before everybody had a degree in sociology from Clapham University.)
Here’s another one, pupa:
1773, “post-larval stage of an insect,” special use by Linnæus (1758) of L. pupa “girl, doll, puppet” (see pupil (1)) on notion of “undeveloped creature.”
Pupa/pupil referring to non-adults, beings in their developmental stages. You wouldn’t use pupil of ‘students’ in the UK. (Edit: Or maybe you would. Tainan Cowboy’s post makes sense too.)
Hmm, ‘pupils of Mencius’ would be students taught by Mencius. ‘Students of Mencius’ would be people who study his teachings? Or not?
In Canada, “college” often refers to vocational learning institutions while “university” often refers to higher learning institutions. Both are considered schools where I live.
Funnily enough, that’s exactly where I studied, and I never once heard it referred to as a school. A department maybe, but not a school. That said, I’m sure that in official documents it might be there, but no-one ever said it.
Yes, but it has an old-fashioned, colloquial ring to it. And it would only apply to young students (perhaps first through sixth grade, and sixth grade may be stretching it). Orofessional educators refer to them as students, even in kindergarten.
Yes, but it has an old-fashioned, colloquial ring to it. And it would only apply to young students (perhaps first through sixth grade, and sixth grade may be stretching it). Orofessional educators refer to them as students, even in kindergarten.[/quote]
“Orofessional”. Now there’s a word you don’t hear every day.
