17 replies to this topic

[frederick.ding]

[edit: removed content]

Edited by frederick.ding, 16 January 2011 - 05:44 AM.

[tigen28]

I think college is usally a smaller institution, and you only go there for like 2 years or max possibly 4 years, but I'm not sure. I guess they don't have graduated programs like studies after 4 years, etc.

As for how people stand going to "those places," I'm not sure, but for me, it's all about expectation that motivates me.
I mean, what do you want to be in life (when you grow up), and usually a more-demanding career requires "higher learning," and me and others like me put up with them things.

[dodgerblue]

From Dictionary.com these are the entries for "college" and "university", respectively, from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.


col·lege

From Latin, collegium: "association"

1.a. An institution of higher learning that grants the bachelor's degree in liberal arts or science or both.
1.b. An undergraduate division or school of a university offering courses and granting degrees in a particular field.
1.c. A school, sometimes but not always a university, offering special instruction in professional or technical subjects.
1.d. The students, faculty, and administration of such a school or institution.
1.e. The building or buildings occupied by such a school or institution.
1.f. Chiefly British. A self-governing society of scholars for study or instruction, incorporated within a university.
1.g. An institution in France for secondary education that is not supported by the state.

2.a. A body of persons having a common purpose or shared duties: a college of surgeons.
2.b. An electoral college.

3. A body of clerics living together on an endowment.


u·ni·ver·si·ty

From Latin, universitas (universe): "the whole, a corporate body"

1. An institution for higher learning with teaching and research facilities constituting a graduate school and professional schools that award master's degrees and doctorates and an undergraduate division that awards bachelor's degrees.
2. The buildings and grounds of such an institution.
3. The body of students and faculty of such an institution.

[leiaah]

I think a university is somewhat higher in degree/level than a college. A college can just be an institution of higher education that grants degrees and it can often be a part of a university. A university has a graduate school for professionals wanting a master's or a doctorate degree.

Usually if you're applying for college (higher education) it's harder to get into a university than in a college partly becuase a university has to comply to certain standards. It costs more too.

Are you hunting for a school for college already? Good luck to you!

[alperuzi]

The differences vary acocrding to where you come from, but a university can have more than one college in it. It is generally a higher education institute, but to be a university you need to have several different faculties like humanities, science etc... In the case of a college, it may not have some of these faculties hence being called a college.

Simply enough, the two are interchangeable if the college offers a degree you are looking for.

[sportytalk]

Yep. Here in England, you can go to a college to study a more basic subject or retake one of your gcse's if they didn't go very well.

University tends to be the place to go if you want to take a degree, if you want to be a doctor or computer worker or something high up like that.

Basically, they're near enough the same thing, they're both higher up education for when you leave school.

I hope this helps

[Peaktao]

Generally, University is where you learn to get a degree (undergrad or post grad)
whereas College is just an institution where you can get some eduation such as private college where you can learn A-level and stuff.

In UK, though, there are three universities, namely Oxford Cambridge and Druham, which consist of many colleges (this is an exception and it makes you get confused about the distinction....just remember that this is an exception). At Oxford, there are, say, more than 30 colleges. Each college is a complete community. Say....there'll be about 8 law students in each college. 7 PPE students in each college...etc. They all go to the same faculty, same lecture, do same subjects, sit in same examinations.

But college is just a community. It's where you stay. It's where you eat. It's where you play.

Teaching at Oxford is based on tutorial system...so apart from the lectures and stuff which we all go to the same place (same class), there are also tutorials.
i.e. 1 tutor per 2 students in a class. So each college will have their own tutors in all the subject...say for law, there are two tutors at my college. (1 tutor in some colleges, and 3 in others). Those tutors will conduct some tutorials for students within college and take care of us generally. (although this situation is already simplified to make it easier to understand). ...So there you go

[Peaktao]

Just to clarify what I said above

"Say....there'll be about 8 law students in each college. 7 PPE students in each college...etc. They all go to the same faculty, same lecture, do same subjects, sit in same examinations. "

What I mean is....say, there are 8 law students in St.Hilda's college, there are 5 law students in Corpus Christy College, there are 10 law student in University College. (All the colleges= part of Oxford Uni). So...all those law students go to same lectures, at the sam place, do the same subjects, sit the same exams.

This is also the case for other subject. So each college has students of all the subjects. (read my comment above. )

[amitojduggal]

i think a a college gives mainly one kind of degree or may be two or more like a Enginnering degree it doesn't make you a doctor if you want to, But a university on the other hand do that a college do and, also give degrees like masters and bachelors and phd level also.

[nirmaldaniel]

hi
college is a part of Harvard University focusing on educating undergradutes, university refers to the entire educational institution, including the undergraduate college, the graduate and professional schools, research centers, administration, and affiliates..