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Best colleges?

This is rather off topic to your original question, but I've always wonder why in the US it is common to attend 'Colleges', but in Canada it is common to attend 'Universities'?

I know that in their simplest form, universities are a collection of colleges (business, sciences, engineering, arts, etc.), so I can understand why Canadians (like myself) choose to attend university - you get to meet a wide range of people from many different backgrounds taking many different degrees. But why are Americans generally expected to attend college? Are the two words basically interchangeble?


I don't want to get flamed for using the word 'common' either - I simply mean that it is socially acceptable to attend colleges in the US and universities in Canada. Hopefully this won't start a debate about something other than my original question.

 
Well, if you want high speed Internet access, don't come to UCLA. For anything else, UCLA is an awesome school. Especially if you want your sports teams to win.
 
My friend says all colleges suck, universities are where it's at.

Can someone tell me some good colleges?

 
a university and a college are not interchangeable.

A university is made up of colleges plus a graduate school. So unless the school has a graduate department, it's only a college.

 
A university is made up of colleges plus a graduate school. So unless the school has a graduate department, it's only a college.

Well UCSF is just a graduate school. An awesome medical one at that.
 


<< A university is made up of colleges plus a graduate school. So unless the school has a graduate department, it's only a college. >>



I know the differences between university and college, but don't you agree in everyday conversation, they are interchangable?
 


<< a university and a college are not interchangeable.

A university is made up of colleges plus a graduate school. So unless the school has a graduate department, it's only a college. >>



Thanks for the explanation, Capn. As I mentioned before, I was aware that a university is a collection of colleges, but I didn't know that they also include a graduate school.

So, this leads me to another question...why do Americans generally attend
college rather than university?



<< My friend says all colleges suck, universities are where it's at. >>


Well, to be honest with you, that is the general consensus with the university crowd in Canada. Most people who attend university consider colleges to be for those who (a) don't have good enough grades to get into university (b) want to live at home with mommy and daddy or (c) for financial reasons (but this is VERY uncommon since student loans are easy to get).
 
Perhaps in canada the difference between colleges and universities are more defined.

In the U.S. generally there is no real difference between a college and a university, other than the graduate school bit. Typically people do tend to use college and university interchangeably.

So to answer the previous question, as to why most americans attend colleges. I'm not really sure what % of americans attend college and what % attend a university, but as to a general rule of thumb colleges will tend to be smaller than a university. Perhaps people like going to a smaller school.
 


<< So, this leads me to another question...why do Americans generally attend college rather than university? >>



Are you sure about that? Most big time schools here are universities (U of Texas and Ohio State U both have about 50,000 students), while most colleges are small (like few thousand). Show me the numbers to back up your statement.

 


<< (a) don't have good enough grades to get into university >>



Ok, looks like:

Canada : USA
college : community college?

How do you define Canadian college? Here, just about anybody with a high school diploma can get into a community college and most only offer 2 year associate degrees.

 
Hmm... There is no difference when people refer to it as "College" or "University" in the US really. It is just a way of saying things.

You can't take these terms too seriously, or classify schools based on whether or not it has "University" or "College" in it. Because one, many colleges are in fact Universities, for example Dartmouth College or Boston College. Also many of the liberal arts college in the US are also top tier, comparable to top national universities, schools like Swarthmore, Haverford, Amherst etc.

blah blah blah.
 


<<

<< So, this leads me to another question...why do Americans generally attend college rather than university? >>



Are you sure about that? Most big time schools here are universities (U of Texas and Ohio State U both have about 50,000 students), while most colleges are small (like few thousand). Show me the numbers to back up your statement. >>



I'm not sure about that at all, fastz28. I am honestly speaking out of my ass. One reason for this is that I see TONS of threads titled "Help me pick a college!" but none that say "Help me pick a university!". I could definitely be wrong though, I don't live in the states, but I have lots of relatives there and my younger cousins are always talking about "i like this college, but this other college over there sounds much better" and comments like that.

You tell me, are universities in fact more common/attended in the US than colleges? I have no idea.
 


<<

<< (a) don't have good enough grades to get into university >>



Ok, looks like:

Canada : USA
college : community college?

How do you define Canadian college? Here, just about anybody with a high school diploma can get into a community college and most only offer 2 year associate degrees. >>



It sounds like Canadian colleges are very similar to those in the US. They are generally 'community' colleges and can be attended by anybody with a high school diploma - that's why universities are looked upon as more respectable; you have to apply and have a certain GPA, bla bla bla...

Also, most universities in Canada are MUCH larger than colleges.
 
khtm,

Based on your last posts, I'll have to conclude:

Canada University = US University & college
Canada college = US Community college

And, in this context, "university" and "college" are interchangable (US).
 
in the general sense.. the two words are interchangable...

if somebody asks you what college to you go to... no one will say.. i don't go college, I go to a university... they'll just say where they go.


Colleges and universities are any place students earn Assiociates, Bachlors, Masters or PhD degrees.
 


<< khtm,

Based on your last posts, I'll have to conclude:

Canada University = US University & college
Canada college = US Community college

And, in this context, "university" and "college" are interchangable (US). >>



Sounds good to me! Thanks for the clarification, fastz28.
 
In the U.S. "college" and "unversity" - though they mean different things - are basically interchangeable, because both refer to post-secondary institutions. Anybody who attends a "university" also attends a college anyways, because all universities are composed of colleges. In many countries, "college" means secondary education (i.e. high school), so they always use "university" to refer to post-secondary education.
 
Go Bucks

Why are we arguing over "college" and "university?" I think everybody here from America knows there's a difference in definition, but they are always used interchangeably in conversation. I've never heard anybody ask me when I'm going back to university, they say "When are you going back to college?"

And no I don't goto a college.
 
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