<p>Alright, I'm pretty new to the American system so there's one thing I need some clarification on. When people talk about going to college/university after high school, do they mean the same thing? Or are colleges and universities different levels of education like junior high and high school?</p>
<p>First of all, welcome to CC, sup! :)</p>
<p>No, they're not different levels of education like junior high and high school. Colleges typically focus more on undergraduates and only provide bachelors degrees (B.A., B.S., B.F.A.), while universities usually focus more on graduate students and confer bachelors, masters (M.A.), professional degrees (MD, DPT, DVM, RPN, JD, MEd, etc.), and PhDs.</p>
<p>Some colleges however, do provide masters degrees and combined bachelors and masters programs, but they are not as popular as those found in large research universities.</p>
<p>Often universities have colleges in them, i.e. Harvard College in Harvard University.</p>
<p>I've never heard anyone say, "I'm going to university after high school" except for a really messed up model. But I have heard people say, "I'm going to Columbia Univeristy after high school" for example...</p>
<p>So would that mean you could go straight to a University after High School?</p>
<p>"I'm going to university after high school."</p>
<p>I have definitely heard this.</p>
<p>Yes, that's right, sup.</p>
<p>"University" is usually part of a college's name...Like Yale University, Princeton University, University of Washington, etc.</p>
<p>What do you mean, "part of a college's name"?</p>
<p>Saying "I am going to University" is said in Ireland, England....</p>
<p>Here when we say "I am going to college", it can mean pretty much any school after highschool with a 4 year or more degree program, but that is still pretty general</p>
<p>A college is any school that you go to after high school to earn a degree. The name of the college sometimes has the word "university" in it. Sometimes, the name of the college has the word "college" in it like Barnard College.</p>
<p>"The name of the college sometimes has the word "university" in it."</p>
<p>What do you mean by this?</p>
<p>n the US, "universities" have both graduate/professional and undergraduate programs. They tend to be larger schools. Whereas "colleges" just have undergraduate programs, and sometimes a limited number masters programs. They tend to be smaller schools.
Universities often contain various smaller schools and colleges, such as a law school, medical school, undergraduate college, etc.</p>
<p>In India, people always say "he/she is at university" or "... is preparing for university," etc. I have heard relatives in Canada (who are from India) say the same thing, probably for the same reason.</p>
<p>Also, "college" and "university" have become interchangable. I think that "college" used to mean undergrad and "university" grad; however, this does not hold anymore. I know of a local institution that has "university" in its name that truly is not one, in that sense (well, post-grad, at least).</p>