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I have been a student vs I was a student

Both sentences are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'I have been a student' is used to indicate that the speaker has been a student at some point in their life. 'I was a student' is used to talk about a past period when the speaker was a student, without any implication about the present.

Explained by Vince
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: July 16, 2024 • 46670 views

I have been a student

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that the person has been a student for a period of time up to the present moment.

This phrase is used to emphasize the continuity of the experience of being a student up to the present moment.

Examples:

I have been a student for five years.
She has been a student at this university since 2010.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 24, 2024

Jun 16, 2022 ... I have been a student of the history of Utah tech since I started my first company in 2003. I was fascinated to learn the stories and meet the people that ...
Nov 30, 2020 ... All my life I have been a student of war, studying the great conquerors from Charlemagne to Achilles, from Alexander to the Great Napoleon, ...
I have been a Student of the Subject of Life – by Angela from Spain. VOLUNTEER IN KENYA: My name is Ángela, a 28 year old Spanish girl and nursery teacher in ...
"I have been a student of fitness for MANY years. I have been active in weightlifting and competitive brazilian jiu jitsu, for MANY years. I have NEVER...
Dec 3, 2016 ... Since 2012, I have been a student of a full contact form of traditional Karate called Traditional Tsuyoi Ryu. I am following paths to ...
Nov 17, 2023 ... I have been a student of the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since I was an undergraduate at Yale in the early 1980s. […]
Apr 7, 2022 ... The sentence should be either: “I have been a student of this school for five years,” (present perfect tense) or “I was a student of this school for five years ...
Apr 16, 2018 ... My name is Olivia Sanchez, and I am a senior at the University of Portland. I have been a student-athlete on The Bluff for three years, ...
Jul 25, 2023 ... I have been a student at Shivangini Academy for the past 13 years and am beyond excited for the silver jubilee of our school!

Alternatives:

I have studied as a student.
I have been attending classes as a student.

I was a student

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to talk about a past period when the person was a student.

This phrase is used to refer to a specific time in the past when the person was a student, without any implication about the present.

Examples:

I was a student at that school when I was younger.
She was a student before she started working.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 24, 2024

Jun 14, 2019 ... I worked at @McDonalds when I was a student, doing french fries and ice cream. There wasn't a family relying on me to pay the bills — but ...
Jun 30, 2023 ... "Yo fui estudiante de música" should mean "I was a student of music". "Yo estudié música" will translate to "I studied music".
Feb 27, 2024 ... 20 years ago this month I was a student at Christ For The Nations Bible school. The day before the live recording my leaders asked me if I ...
Jun 2, 2021 ... 'When I was a student of Fanon': an interview with Frej Stambouli · In an interview with ROAPE, the Tunisian sociologist, Frej Stambouli, ...
5 days ago ... When I was a student in grad school, the business school Deans made a point of declaring a simple objective: landing fresh graduates into ...
Oct 9, 2023 ... Opinion: I was a student election worker, and you can be too. Students across the state of California can sign up to become Student Election ...
Sep 25, 2013 ... I was a student at HHS, walking the halls with a backpack and laughing at my locker with my friends (yes back then we were smart and still utilized lockers.
Mar 4, 2024 ... 28K likes, 342 comments - cardboardsea on March 4, 2024: "When I was a student in college and first exploring Cleveland, I loved every ...
Nov 24, 2021 ... “I Was A Student – I'm Also An Educator”. By Guest Author: Will Parker. BOTTOM-LINE UP FRONT (BLUF):. Nothing in this article is to disparage an ...
Jun 14, 2019 ... 28K likes, 517 comments - kamalaharris a June 14, 2019: "I worked at @mcdonalds when I was a student, doing french fries and ice cream.

Alternatives:

I used to be a student.
I studied as a student.

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