Tartan Day in Balboa Park, San Diego

[Jock Scot]

Just a wee clarification. When we talk about "Old School Ties" we are not talking about the tie that was worn to school for the time actually at school. The "Old School Tie" is usually a completely separate colour scheme altogether.

The College(now a University) that I attended, The Royal Agricultural College(RAC) and as far as I am aware we did not have, thank goodness, an everyday college tie. But I still wear my "old Boys" College tie( and a few others picked up along the way) fairly regularly, although, I note with some disappointment, that the newer RAC ties have the same colours but in different shades.The tie, any tie of that type, does act as a conversation starter when in the company of others. Does that make difference? Well yes it certainly can do, when meeting strangers .

[FossilHunter]

Just a wee clarification. When we talk about "Old School Ties" we are not talking about the tie that was worn to school for the time actually at school. The "Old School Tie" is usually a completely separate colour scheme altogether.

The College(now a University) that I attended, The Royal Agricultural College(RAC) and as far as I am aware we did not have, thank goodness, an everyday college tie. But I still wear my "old Boys" College tie( and a few others picked up along the way) fairly regularly, although, I note with some disappointment, that the newer RAC ties have the same colours but in different shades.The tie, any tie of that type, does act as a conversation starter when in the company of others. Does that make difference? Well yes it certainly can do, when meeting strangers .

What’s the difference between and “old school” tie and a school tie? Is one for alumni and the other for current students?

As Richard pointed out, the popularity of college sports muddy the issue quite a bit and it’s not uncommon for those supporting a university team to don the colors of the university regardless of their having studied there or not. Hence most university ties in the US are based on the athletic team logo of the university.

[Jock Scot]

What’s the difference between and “old school” tie and a school tie? Is one for alumni and the other for current students?

Alumni is not a word we use over here, well at least I have never come across it, apart that I see it used on this website in the USA, so I am not really certain sure of your terminology. So in Uk terms, a school tie is for, and ONLY, for present pupils and an "old school tie" is for and ONLY, past pupils. The colours used are usually and in my experience, VERY different from each other.

[FossilHunter]

Alumni is not a word we use over here, well at least I have never come across it, apart that I see it used on this website in the USA, so I am not really certain sure of your terminology. So in Uk terms, a school tie is for present pupils and an "old school tie" is for past pupils. The colours used are usually and in my experience, VERY different from each other.

In the US, Alumni would be a former student or graduate of a school, college, or university. Wikipedia suggests that it’s more or less synonymous with “old boy” in British English though it’s use may be a little more expansive as it is used for just about any type of school.

Based on your previous post, using American terminology, you would be considered an alumnus of the RAC and I suppose I would be and old boy of San Diego State University.

[Jock Scot]

In the US, Alumni would be a former student or graduate of a school, college, or university. Wikipedia suggests that it’s more or less synonymous with “old boy” in British English though it’s use may be a little more expansive as it is used for just about any type of school.

Based on your previous post, using American terminology, you would be considered an alumnus of the RAC and I suppose I would be and old boy of San Diego State University.

I think your terminology would not be quite correct for Universities in the UK. I think we would say that we graduated from X university rather than being an "Old boy"!

So imagine you are attending a gathering of fairly ancient(old) ex university students who had qualified from assorted UK universities and in the dim and distant past attended some very smart UK school as well. So there will be several assorted ties on view which one can then also add assorted military ties on show too. I found these events rather trying, but identifying the ties has made the time pass slightly faster, on more than one occasion!

[FossilHunter]

I think your terminology would not be quite correct for Universities in the UK. I think we would say that we graduated from X university rather than being an "Old boy"!

So imagine you are attending a gathering of fairly ancient(old) ex university students who had qualified from assorted UK universities and in the dim and distant past attended some very smart UK school as well. So there will be several assorted ties on view which one can then also add assorted military ties on show too. I found these events rather trying, but identifying the ties has made the time pass slightly faster, on more than one occasion!

That’s quite possible. There’s a terminology difference I’ve been missing. The usage of college and university appears to be different here than in the UK. In the US, the distinction is more subtle and the terms often get used interchangeably. If someone here told me they were a college graduate, I’d assume that they had earned at least a bachelors degree.

Based on what I see with a google search, “Colleges in the UK offer further education for those aged 16-18, preparing them for university. Some UK colleges also provide vocational training and adult education courses.”

Whereas in the US, “In the US, universities and colleges are both forms of higher education for students who have completed a high school education. However, they differ because colleges are often smaller than universities and have specializations in specific fields of study. Universities emphasize research, are typically larger, and offer a broader range of courses.”

It’s amazing that the terms are used so differently but you can see where my confusion came from.

[Jock Scot]

That’s quite possible. There’s a terminology difference I’ve been missing. The usage of college and university appears to be different here than in the UK. In the US, the distinction is more subtle and the terms often get used interchangeably. If someone here told me they were a college graduate, I’d assume that they had earned at least a bachelors degree.

In polite circles in the UK, one notes the tie and the viewer might just say, "I see that you went to Oxbridge or the RAC or wherever" and the answer would be "indeed I did" that would then be the end of that particular conversation. We don't ask what qualification they might have achieved and rarely are we told, the conversation might move on to "my cousin went there you might have known him/her? After that the conversation usually takes a non academic route.