FWIW, this isn't universal usage. When I took physics in college we used "visible light" to refer to the visible spectrum, and "light" to refer to EM radiation

FWIW, this isn't universal usage. When I took physics in college we used "visible light" to refer to the visible spectrum, and "light" to refer to EM radiation generally. I know that others have had an experience similar to yours, though; this seems to depend a great deal on the preferences of the people who taught you.