We were having an orientation as newly admitted students in a college. When a lecturer was addressing how one's CGP is calculated, now as a Direct Entry student I asked a question thus: "....we, the D.E. students that have not started from one hundred level, how will our CGP be calculated?"
Then one of the lecturers corrected me that I should say: "...we, the D.E. students that did not start from a one hundred level...
I am thinking that either of them is okay to use here.
You can use either expression, however there is a very subtle difference (see below). In both cases, "that" should really be "who" because you're talking about people, not things.
For example:
... the D.E. students who haven't started from a one hundred level...
This includes D.E. students who might start in the future (haven't started yet).
... the D.E. students who did not start from a one hundred level...
This refers to D.E. students who have already started.
To me, the first example also implies that you're one of the D.E. students, while the second example doesn't necessarily suggest that. But I don't have a reference to back that up. It might just be the way it sounds to me.
