Do a faculty?

Question

Is it ok to say , for instance: "Currently, I'm doing the faculty of Letters", with the meaning "I'm studying at..." ? (In some contexts - spontaneous conversations etc - "study at" sounds a bit too formal to me.)

THanks a lot!

Fandorin · Accepted Answer

Anonymous "Study at" sounds a bit too formal to me.)

For me it does not.

Anonymous · Answer

so it isn't correct to say "to do a faculty", is it? is there any alternative to "to study at..."

Fandorin · Answer

No, it is not. "I am a student, I am an attendant to some university, I attend the university...".

Tanit · Answer

FandorinI am an attendant to some university

An attendant? Are you sure?

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/attendant_1

Oxford dic

M-W for learners

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousIs it ok to say , for instance: "Currently, I'm doing the faculty of Letters"

No. It is not OK. There is an interpretation of this which involves your having sexual relations with the professors. I strongly advise against using this phrasing.

CJ

Fandorin · Answer

Hi Tanit. "I am an attender at the university" I meant <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/16.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/16.gif' alt='Emotion: zip it!'/>. Does "at" fit well? Thank for noticing.

Tanit · Answer

Hi,

Fandorin"I am an attender at the university" I meant . Does "at" fit well?

Yes, "at" collocates with "attender". See definition and example here:

http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/attender

However, I doubt native speakers would say "I am an attender at Cambridge university" to mean "I attend Cambridge university", "I go to Cambridge university", "I study at Cambridge university".

Any natives around to comment on that?

BarbaraPA · Answer

Other countries use "faculty" differently than we do in the US. Here, the faculty are the teachers.

I would never say I was an attender at anything, and certainly never say it for college.

Tanit · Answer

Hi Barb,

Thanks for confirming.

Grammar GeekI would never say I was an attender at anything ...

Oxford dictionary, in the page I linked to in my previous post, marks attender as "especially British English". According to them, Americans use attendee.

The example they give is: "She's a regular attender at evening classes." Would you say "She's a regular attendee at evening classes"? Or would you use another word?

(Just being curious...)

BarbaraPA · Answer

Yes, we had a big disagreement in my department once when the new boss insisted on using "attender" instead of "attendee." The vice president had to come in and say "Don't be ridiculous. Here we say 'attendee.'" (The person insisting on attender was American.)

However, I would also not say "I was an attendee at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute." Dances, conferences, trade shows, or book clubs have attendees. I'd never use it for college.

Do a faculty?

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