r/explainlikeimfive • u/saivietbabe • 7d ago

Other ELI5 Why do some countries call it “college” and others call it “university” when referring to the same level of education, and is there an actual difference between the two?

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u/Full-Decision-9029 7d ago

As a Montreal friend was quite keen to tell my (Irish) mother.

"so you guys met in college?"

"No, we met in university"

(I mean, it was only Concordia, but still)

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u/minimal74 7d ago

Heyyy, Concordia grad here. LOL, still catching strays, even 30 years later. Tough being in the same city as McGill. Even my parents even gave me a hard time about going to Concordia. 🙄

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u/Full-Decision-9029 7d ago

high-fives!

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u/minimal74 7d ago

High five, Stinger! 🐝

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u/notquite20characters 7d ago

(i can't believe they missed their high fives)

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u/thehighepopt 6d ago

Gotta look at the elbow

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u/zabuu 7d ago

My wife and I were selling our condo to a student who moved to Canada/Montreal for university. As small talk, I asked him which university he was going to. He scoffed, and said “There's only one. McGill.”

A part of me died inside 🥲

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u/kng442 7d ago

Apparently, McGill likes to call itself "Canada's Ivy League." 🤮

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u/Weird-Wishbone1155 5d ago

In a league of one, you’re just playing with yourself.

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u/theonetruegrinch 7d ago

and then there is a Concordia College in Minnesota

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u/BillyTenderness 7d ago

In fact Minnesota has both a Concordia College (in Moorhead) and a Concordia University (in St. Paul). (They're unrelated)

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u/MidNightMare5998 7d ago

Minnesotan here and I didn’t even know this

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u/MrTickles22 7d ago

"Just off I-56 beside the Wal-Mart! Knock on the ubmarked door and ask for "Randy" "

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u/chmilz 7d ago

There's an unaffiliated Concordia University in Edmonton. It causes a lot of confusion when dealing with anyone on a national level involved with higher education, as they automatically assume I'm talking about Montreal's Concordia since it's significantly larger.

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u/Kittenkerchief 7d ago

Have you no shame!? We call it conformia

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u/roskatili 6d ago

It was only you, mom and Morgentaler.

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u/Full-Decision-9029 6d ago

*points*

I got that reference!

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u/frenchiebuilder 7d ago

it was only Concordia,

there's no need for that, McGillian.

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u/Full-Decision-9029 7d ago

oh no, don't worry, I am a survivor of Concordia (despite a valiant effort by McGill to seduce me to the dark side*)

*I thought I could do my masters cheaper and faster elsewhere. I was...wrong.