[Grammar] Wha/Whicht college did you study in/at/from?

[Aamir Tariq]

What/Which college did you study in/at/from?

When you are not sure about the college where a person has studied. How do you ask it?

1. Which college did you study?
   
2. Which college did you study in?
   
3. Which college did you study at?
   
4. Which college did you study from?
   
5. What college did you study?
   
6. What college did you study in?
   
7. What college did you study at?
   
8. What college did you study from?

I think when you use "What" college you don't know about the college at all. And when you use "Which" college then a certain number of colleges are known to you are have been discussed and you are actually asking which one of those colleges.

Also tell me if you can put the prepositions, "in/at/from" in the start?

At what college
In what college
From what college

or

At which college
In what college
From what college

Tell me about the correct usage with correct preposition.

Tell me about the most natural way of saying it.

Do let me know if there is any other way of saying the same thing that sounds more natural.
Regards
Aamir the Global Citizen

 

[jutfrank]

• go to (a certain college)
• study at (a certain college)

Which/What college did you go to?
Which/What college did you study at?

 

[Tarheel]

Also:

Where did you go to college?

 

[emsr2d2]

Which university did you graduate from?

In the UK, we don't graduate from college. College is the institution we attend from the age of 16 to the age of 18. No matter what qualifications you get at the end of that (usually AS Levels and/or A Levels), you are not a graduate. You graduate when you get your degree which, in the UK, you can only get at a university (or through private study).

 

[Barb_D]

Little side note: In the US, we say "Where did you go to school?" to mean "What college/university did you attend?"

From what I understand, using "school" for college is uniquely American.

I once insulted some university students from India when, upon learning they were full-time students, I asked them where they went to school. They indignantly informed me they went to university, not school.

I'd say "Where did you go to school?"

 

[Aamir Tariq]

Little side note: In the US, we say "Where did you go to school?" to mean "What college/university did you attend?"

From what I understand, using "school" for college is uniquely American.

So, don't you have colleges in the United States?

 

[GoesStation]

Yes, we have colleges. They are usually two- or four-year higher education institutions. Also, some universities have administrative units called colleges; for example, the undergraduate part of Harvard University is formally known as Harvard College.

The first four years of education after high school are commonly referred to as college, whether they're spent at a college or a university. Universities are colleges which also offer graduate degrees such as masters and PhDs.

 

[Barb_D]

The point I wanted to make is that we commonly say "school" to refer to these institutions.

Of course we HAVE colleges. The terminology is not always very distinct. A university might have "College of Law" which grants a JD, and it might have a "School of Medicine" that grants and MD.

Where did you go to school? = Where did you go to college? = What college did you go to? = What school did you go to?

 

[Tdol]

And to really confuse people, we have University College School, which is a school. ;-)

 

[Aamir Tariq]

And to really confuse people, we have University College School, which is a school. ;-)

Now, is it a school, college or university?

 

[Aamir Tariq]

Still, I suppose we have to accept this in a country in which the public schools are expensive private schools.

Do you mean public schools are expensive than private schools?

 

[GoesStation]

Do you mean public schools are expensive than private schools?

No. In Great Britain, expensive private schools are known as "public schools".

 

[MikeNewYork]

Strange. :shock:

 

[emsr2d2]

Etymology of "public school".

 

[Aamir Tariq]

Re: What/Whicht college did you study in/at/from?

In Pakistan the public schools are government schools, because they are owned, run and funded by the government. Students don't have to pay their tuition fee and they get free books and stationary in some of them. But we call them Government schools.

However, some private schools use the word "public" as part of their brand name, like there is a school named "Sir Syed Public School" in Peshawar. It is a private school where students pay their tuition fee.

There are also semi-government schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan. They are run by their boards of directors, the students over there pay their tuition fee which is quite affordable for members of the middle class (neither rich, nor poor but in the middle). They are funded by the Government.

 

[Tarheel]

Re: What/Whicht college did you study in/at/from?

Note that the public (government) schools here, especially at the college level, do charge tuition, but it is less than the private schools charge. For example, here in North Carolina Duke and Wake Forest are private schools, and UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina State are public schools. ("School" is the general category.)

 

[Aamir Tariq]

Re: What/Whicht college did you study in/at/from?

Note that the public (government) schools here, especially at the college level, do charge tuition, but it is less than the private schools charge. For example, here in North Carolina Duke and Wake Forest are private schools, and UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina State are public schools. ("School" is the general category.)

I have heard education is free for American citizens in the USA, those who have green cards have to pay a small amount of money as tuition fee. American schools, colleges and universities generate their income by enrolling foreign students. The one who told me is my relative, he is an American citizen and he lives in Queens, in NYC. I don't know about other states though.

 

[SoothingDave]

Re: What/Whicht college did you study in/at/from?

I have heard education is free for American citizens in the USA, those who have green cards have to pay a small amount of money as tuition fee. American schools, colleges and universities generate their income by enrolling foreign students. The one who told me is my relative, he is an American citizen and he lives in Queens, in NYC. I don't know about other states though.

Primary education is free in the US. From kindergarten through 12th grade (high school). College/university is not free.

There are student loans and grants that help pay the expenses. It is true that foreign students are a big source of revenue as they have to pay the full cost.

For example, it costs about $30,000 USD per year for an in-state student to go to Penn State University. About $17,000 tuition and the rest other fees (room and board, books, etc.) And this is a state university that receives some funding directly from the government.

 

[Tdol]

Now, is it a school, college or university?

It is a school, and is associated with University College (a university).

 

[Tarheel]

Aamir Tariq, the term "school" is a general term that applies to all such institutions. An organization that is part of a university might call itself "School of Medicine" or "School of Engineering" or whatever.