Education
In the UK, a student is said to "read" or to "study" a subject, while in the U.S., a student either "studies" the subject or "majors" in it. Unlike most of the world where university students pursue a single field of study, United States universities often require a variety of courses. "To major" refers only to the student's principal course of study, while "to study" may be refer to any class being taken.
British English:
"She read history at Oxford".
American English:
"She majored in history at Yale."
In the UK, a student "revises" or "does revision" for an examination, while in American English, the student "studies" for it. When "taking" or "writing" the examination, a student in the UK would have that examination supervised by an "invigilator" whereas in American English it would be a "proctor" (or merely "(exam) supervisor").
In the UK, a student is said to "sit" or "take" an exam, while in the U.S., a student "takes" an exam. In the UK, a teacher "sets" an exam, while in the U.S., a teacher "writes" or "gives" an exam. The expression "he sits for" an exam also arises in British English, but only rarely in American English; American lawyers-to-be "sit for" their bar exams, and American master's and doctoral students may "sit for" their comprehensive exams, but in nearly all other instances, Americans "take" their exams.
British English:
"I sat my Spanish exam yesterday."
"I plan to set a difficult exam for my students, but I haven't got it ready yet."
American English:
"I took my exams at Yale."
"I spent the entire day yesterday writing the exam. At last, it's ready for my students."
Another source of confusion is the different usage of the word college. In the U.S., this refers to a post-high school institution such as a university, whilst in the UK and most Commonwealth countries it refers primarily to a tertiary institution between high school and university (normally referred to as a "Sixth Form College" after the old name in secondary education for Years 12 and 13, the "6th form") where intermediary courses such as A Levels or NVQs can be taken and GCSE courses can be retaken, with the interchangeability of college with high school being rare but not unknown. Americans may be surprised to hear of a 14 year old attending college in the UK, mistakenly assuming it is at the university level. It should be noted however, that in the case of Oxford and Cambridge universities, all members are also members of a college, e.g. one is a member of St. Peter's College, Oxford and hence the University.
In both the U.S. and UK, college can refer to some division within a university such as a "college of mathematics and science". Institutions in the U.S. that offer two to four years of post-high school education often have the word college as part of their name, while those offering more advanced degrees are called a university. American students who pursue a bachelor's degree (four years of higher education) or an associate's degree (two years of higher education) are "college students" regardless of whether they attend a college or a university and refer to their educational institutions informally as colleges. However, a student who pursues a master's degree or a doctorate degree in the arts and sciences is a "graduate student." Students of advanced professional programmes are known by their field (business student, law student, journalism student).
Among high school and college students in the United States, the words freshman (or the gender neutral term frosh), sophomore, junior and senior refer to the first, second, third, and fourth year respectively. It is important that the context of either high school or college first be established, or else it must be stated directly (that is, "She is a high school freshman." "He is a college junior."). Many institutions in both countries also use the term "first-year" as a gender-neutral replacement for "freshman". In the UK, first year university students are often called freshers; however, there are no specific names for those in other years, nor for school pupils. Graduate and professional students in the United States are known by their year of study (a "second year medical student" or a "fifth year doctoral candidate").
In the UK, the US equivalent of a high school is often referred to as a secondary school regardless of whether it is public or private. Secondary education in the United States also includes middle school or junior high school, a two or three year transitional school between elementary school and high school. A public school has opposite meanings in the two countries. In the US this is a government owned institution supported by taxpayers. In the UK it is an independent institution funded by tuition. The United States uses several additional terms for specific types of secondary schools. A prep school or preparatory school is an independent school funded by tuition. A parochial school covers costs through tuition and has affiliation with a religious institution. A magnet school receives government funding and has special admission requirements. Students gain admission through superior performance on admission tests.
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