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.