Schools or Universities/Colleges?

[emx]

My boyfriend is a student and he takes MTR to school.

He's 23...

So he was going to a University, not a school perhaps?

[TigerSun]

So he was going to a University, not a school perhaps?

Unless the definition of school has recently changed, university is a school.

[HK_Katherine]

Unless the definition of school has recently changed, university is a school.

Nobody in the UK would ever call a University a "School". College maybe, but never, ever "school". That's a word exclusively reserved for a place with little kids in it. I realise that "school" is a common word for university in North America, but not sure it's common anywhere else. I think Australia/NZ follow UK for example.

It is one of those easy ways to confuse someone!

[civil_servant]

Nobody in the UK would ever call a University a "School". College maybe, but never, ever "school".

London "School" of Economics

[GentleGeorge]

No-one who went to the London School of Economics says that they went to school in the London School of Economics

That was clearly where they went to university.

They went to school in Bognor Regis High School.

Well actually they probably didn't, but that is a different story.

[hullexile]

No-one who went to the London School of Economics says that they went to school in the London School of Economics

That was clearly where they went to university.

They went to school in Bognor Regis High School.

Well actually they probably didn't, but that is a different story.

Agreed. The only time "school" is used in the UK is as a faculty of a university such as the Business School.

[TigerSun]

Nobody in the UK would ever call a University a "School". College maybe, but never, ever "school". That's a word exclusively reserved for a place with little kids in it. I realise that "school" is a common word for university in North America, but not sure it's common anywhere else. I think Australia/NZ follow UK for example.

It is one of those easy ways to confuse someone!

The poster was correcting a Chinese speaker as to an error in usage.
It might be an error in London but not especially in Hong Kong.

There are a 1/4 million Canadians here and many Americans and for us, university is simply another school and we can figure out the context of its use without confusion. When a engineer asks an accountant where he went to school, we know he's not talking about kindergarten.

[mlew]

Some business, dental and law schools are independent professional schools not attached to any universities. Let's not quibble and try to help Khelanak instead.

[TigerSun]

No-one who went to the London School of Economics says that they went to school in the London School of Economics

"I went the London School of Economics"
- Christine Graham
- Satash Chakrabarty
- Edwina Currie
- Arzoo Syeddah
and many more... Google is your friend.

[hullexile]

"I went the London School of Economics"
- Christine Graham
- Satash Chakrabarty
- Edwina Currie
- Arzoo Syeddah
and many more... Google is your friend.

Yes the LSE, but they would still say they went to University at the London School of Economics.

For once though I agree with mlew.