When we say a person is a student, we are referring to a person who is enrolled in a school, college, or other educational institution. As a result, students are often confused with pupils. Let’s define the terms below. And don’t be surprised if you hear the word pupil used to refer to a student. Let’s look at what the difference is. What makes one person a student?
Students
Many countries reserve the word “student” for university students and higher education students, while other regions use cognate words. In some cases, derived adjectives describe the fun side of a stereotyped “student life,” such as hazing in the Philippines. Students who repeat a grade level are often referred to as “repeaters.”
The word “student” comes from the Latin “studere” and refers to a person who learns. In some nations, the word “student” is used to refer to university students, though in the United States, this word may also apply to schoolchildren in grades K-12. In the Philippines, students are referred to as ‘pupils’ in elementary and secondary schools and’students’ in higher education.
In the United Kingdom, the term “student” is reserved for university students, with the word “fresher” used informally to refer to students in the first year of college. In Australia, the word “freshman” is not widely used; instead, the term “first year” is used in many settings. However, in the United States, “freshman” is the most common term for new students. Students in the United Kingdom are also referred to as’semi-bejants’ and ‘upperclassmen’. In other countries, students refer to children in primary and secondary schools.
Pupils
Students and pupils are the same thing, but the term is used differently. The term student denotes a group of people in a classroom or institution who are studying a subject. A student can be any age but is considered a student if he or she is in the learning process. A student can also be an adult who is still attending school but is not yet at a college or university. It is common to hear the word student in a figurative sense.
In a classroom, a student is under the direct supervision of a teacher. That teacher may be a school teacher or a private tutor. According to the Oxford English dictionary, a student is someone who is studying or receiving instruction. A piano teacher will usually have adult pupils, as well as children, but the word is not limited to schools. A piano teacher, for example, has many adult students who are his students.
The term pupil is often used as a synonym for student. It is a common misunderstanding that students refer to adults, but it is important to note that the terms are not necessarily interchangeable. Pupils are learners, while students are enrolled in a college or university. Regardless of the context, both terms denote a learner who needs supervision. Both terms are derived from Latin, where ‘pupillus’ means “minor” and’student’ refers to someone who is enrolled in a university or college.