[HPforGrownups] University of Exeter vs Exeter College, Oxford

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 29494

raolin1 at hotmail.com wrote:

> First, just a quick note on the JKR faq.  It says there that JKR went
> to Exeter University, which is a slight mislabeling.  Exeter College
> is the language and linguistics school of Oxford University.  It is
> also, as a note of trivia -- where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis taught,
> although many years before JKRs time there, obviously.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to correct you here. JKR went to the University
of Exeter in Devon. I believe that you are mistaking the University of
Exeter for Exeter College, Oxford, which is in Oxford and entirely
unaffiliated with the University of Exeter.

The confusion may be due to the differences in the use of "college" and
"university" in the US and UK.

UK: a College is part of a Collegiate University (Oxford, Cambridge, Durham,
St Andrews, etc.). e.g. "Balliol College, Oxford", "Robinson College,
Cambridge", "University College, Durham", "St Leonard's College", which is
the Postgraduate College of St Andrews.

USA: a College is another way of referring to a University. e.g. "Boston
College" and "Boston University" are different entities.

Hope this helps. Happy to clear up any further questions.

--John

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"Oh my god! You killed...er...God!"
                -one of John's friends, after reading Philip Pullman's
                "His Dark Materials" trilogy

John Walton -- john at walton.vu
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