University College London
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Scandinavian Studies
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ViveLaFrance
Hi! I’ve just come here for some advice. I’m in the first year of college doing the IB and I know I don’t have to start thinking about uni for another year at least but I’d like to start planning ahead. I’ve been thinking about UCL because I definitely want to do a languages degree. I’m studying French as one of my Higher Level IB subjects at the moment. I would like to study French at uni but with also another Germanic language (although probably not German). Since you all seem like a wise bunch of Scandinavian enthusiasts I thought here’d be the right place to come.
Hej!
Scandinavian enthusiasts yes, wise...hmm, debatable
ViveLaFrance
I’m drawn to the Scandinavian languages (God knows why!), although sometimes I sway more towards Norwegian and then Danish and then sometimes I think I’d rather do Swedish. I’d even consider Icelandic, but that would mean giving up my French and I’m not sure if I want to do that. At the moment I’m even considering Dutch (not Scandinavian, I know). Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on which language would go best with French (or not?) or whether I should even continue French with SS. I know Edinburgh do SS as well but I haven’t really looked yet.
One more thing, what does Icelandic sound like? I can’t find any youtube clips of Icelandic TV unlike the other SLs.
Anyway thanks!
Bye.
One more thing, what does Icelandic sound like? I can’t find any youtube clips of Icelandic TV unlike the other SLs.
Anyway thanks!
Bye.
Re. The Icelandic meaning you have to give up French point - there's actually a guy in my year (1st yr) who's doing French & Icelandic - not entirely sure what the official title of his degree is, and I do remember him saying that it wasn't officially available, but when he mentioned it at the interview or something they were able to sort it out for him. Might be worth emailing the dept and asking about it if you're interested.
If you do apply for Scandy studies, you don't really have to confirm your language till the first week you're here, when they do all the timetable sorting out - of course it does help with the whole personal statement and interview thing if you've decided, but it doesn't seem to be completely necessary.
I've got no idea in regards to which language would go best w/ french - tbh I think the difference is going to be negligable really (unless I happen to be missing some key interlinking between one of the langs and french!) none of them are similar enough that you would get them mixed up the way you can with French/Spanish/Italian.
If you want to carry on with your French, then go for it - can be nice to have some variety, on the other hand it does mean you have less modules in Scandyland (and the ones you can do can be limited cos of good old timetabling), but on the other hand, that's not always a bad thing. Swings and roundabouts really.
Icelandic sounds weird
Nej, try sticking 'icelandic radio' into google and I'm sure it'll throw up some online radio stations that you can listen to. Alternatively don't know if any of the main TV channels (whatever they are) have clips available on their websites like other countries? Other than that I've no idea, icelandic ain't my thing!C-
University College London
London
Thanks for all that. Do you know someone at the dept I could e-mail with questions?
I went on some Icelandic Radio Channel just now, I'm not too enamoured of the sound of it I have to say. Hmm, I'd probably go for Norwegian if I were to apply for SS.
What language are you doing? How are you finding it?
Thanks again. x
I went on some Icelandic Radio Channel just now, I'm not too enamoured of the sound of it I have to say. Hmm, I'd probably go for Norwegian if I were to apply for SS.
What language are you doing? How are you finding it?
Thanks again. x
No problem. Hmm, your best bet is probably Stephen Cadywold who's the dept administrator atm ( s.cadywold @ ucl.ac.uk - sans spaces) if not he should be able to redirect you to whoever deals with that kind of thing, he's very nice like that 
Haha, I said Icelandic was weird!
I'm doing Swedish, finding it good so far Takes a while to get used to everything, but it's starting to feel normal now (though still adapting back to having to do homework again!) and the teachers and all seem very nice, and London is very good for going on Scandy themed jaunts if you have a spare day or afternoon
C-
Haha, I said Icelandic was weird!
I'm doing Swedish, finding it good so far
Takes a while to get used to everything, but it's starting to feel normal now (though still adapting back to having to do homework again!) and the teachers and all seem very nice, and London is very good for going on Scandy themed jaunts if you have a spare day or afternoon C-
Definitely not when compared to the bird language that is Swedish.Thanks for the e-mail address Meg-Lili.
Hylean - How do you find Icelandic? What made you want to do Icelandic? How difficult is it? I understand it's difficult with all the cases and declensions and what not. Sorry for all the questions! I've never come accross anyone who can speak Icelandic before!
Hylean - How do you find Icelandic? What made you want to do Icelandic? How difficult is it? I understand it's difficult with all the cases and declensions and what not. Sorry for all the questions! I've never come accross anyone who can speak Icelandic before!
Hei,
Hvordan går det med dere? Jeg håper alt er bra her!
Hello there, I have a few questions to pose to the fantastic Scandinavian Studies peoples.
Last year I applied to UCL and unfortunately didn't get in because I couldn't show any evidence of having learnt a language for example French or German. Actually, my nerves completely failed me in front of my interviewers and so I just (rather stupidly) said "no, I can't say anything". I was also asked to say some stuff in Norwegian but had the same reaction. I am determined to be much better this year!
I am applying again and desperately want to do Norwegian because I am, and have been for about four years (as well as Icelandic) been in love with the language and people. I have been learning Norwegian for about a year and can hold moderately good conversations (but philosophy and stuff is waaay beyond me right now although I am reading Gaarder's Sofies Verden which is a challenge). Can anyone offer me any advice for personal statements or the interview. What to consider including or demonstrating f.eks.
I have BBB at the moment and am taking my gap year to do a fast track GCSE German which is great. I had a D in French because I have zero confidence in myself four years ago but am a completely different person now.
Hope you can help!
Hvordan går det med dere? Jeg håper alt er bra her!
Hello there, I have a few questions to pose to the fantastic Scandinavian Studies peoples.
Last year I applied to UCL and unfortunately didn't get in because I couldn't show any evidence of having learnt a language for example French or German. Actually, my nerves completely failed me in front of my interviewers and so I just (rather stupidly) said "no, I can't say anything". I was also asked to say some stuff in Norwegian but had the same reaction. I am determined to be much better this year!
I am applying again and desperately want to do Norwegian because I am, and have been for about four years (as well as Icelandic) been in love with the language and people. I have been learning Norwegian for about a year and can hold moderately good conversations (but philosophy and stuff is waaay beyond me right now although I am reading Gaarder's Sofies Verden which is a challenge). Can anyone offer me any advice for personal statements or the interview. What to consider including or demonstrating f.eks.
I have BBB at the moment and am taking my gap year to do a fast track GCSE German which is great. I had a D in French because I have zero confidence in myself four years ago but am a completely different person now.
Hope you can help!
@ Vivelafrance - no problem
@ Coloringwiththerainbow - Hej!
Not sure how much help I can be, but going on my own experiences: For your interview - try to relax (so much easier said than done - I know!) no one is going to be completely nerve free, but try to think of it less like they're trying to catch you out or whatever, more like they just want to know more about you - why you want to do such a minority interest course etc. They all seem to be very nice people (the teachers) which can be hard to see when you're in an interview situation!
Just try to show them that you are genuinely interested in the subject and you want to study it for 4 years (Your learning and reading in Norwegian should definitely help with that). Also have a few questions too (if you want anything clarifying, or want to know a bit more about a particular aspect of the course or the department) to ask during the interview - shows you've thought about it and is actually useful for you if you want to know something, they're generally pretty happy to tell you more about specific things if you ask.
Personal statement - umm, again, try to show your enthusiasm for the subject, mention any books you've been reading (though be prepared to talk about them at your interview - not necessarily in depth, but it's often a good conversation point for the interviewer) and don't put in anything you're not willing to discuss at interview - though that's pretty much common sense I hope!
Just out of curiosity, do you remember who you had interviewing you last year? (Nowt to do with this, just personal curiosity)
Good luck with your application
C-
@ Coloringwiththerainbow - Hej!
Not sure how much help I can be, but going on my own experiences: For your interview - try to relax (so much easier said than done - I know!) no one is going to be completely nerve free, but try to think of it less like they're trying to catch you out or whatever, more like they just want to know more about you - why you want to do such a minority interest course etc. They all seem to be very nice people (the teachers) which can be hard to see when you're in an interview situation!
Just try to show them that you are genuinely interested in the subject and you want to study it for 4 years (Your learning and reading in Norwegian should definitely help with that). Also have a few questions too (if you want anything clarifying, or want to know a bit more about a particular aspect of the course or the department) to ask during the interview - shows you've thought about it and is actually useful for you if you want to know something, they're generally pretty happy to tell you more about specific things if you ask.
Personal statement - umm, again, try to show your enthusiasm for the subject, mention any books you've been reading (though be prepared to talk about them at your interview - not necessarily in depth, but it's often a good conversation point for the interviewer) and don't put in anything you're not willing to discuss at interview - though that's pretty much common sense I hope!
Just out of curiosity, do you remember who you had interviewing you last year? (Nowt to do with this, just personal curiosity)
Good luck with your application
C-
Meg_Lili
@ Vivelafrance - no problem
@ Coloringwiththerainbow - Hej!
Not sure how much help I can be, but going on my own experiences: For your interview - try to relax (so much easier said than done - I know!) no one is going to be completely nerve free, but try to think of it less like they're trying to catch you out or whatever, more like they just want to know more about you - why you want to do such a minority interest course etc. They all seem to be very nice people (the teachers) which can be hard to see when you're in an interview situation!
Just try to show them that you are genuinely interested in the subject and you want to study it for 4 years (Your learning and reading in Norwegian should definitely help with that). Also have a few questions too (if you want anything clarifying, or want to know a bit more about a particular aspect of the course or the department) to ask during the interview - shows you've thought about it and is actually useful for you if you want to know something, they're generally pretty happy to tell you more about specific things if you ask.
Personal statement - umm, again, try to show your enthusiasm for the subject, mention any books you've been reading (though be prepared to talk about them at your interview - not necessarily in depth, but it's often a good conversation point for the interviewer) and don't put in anything you're not willing to discuss at interview - though that's pretty much common sense I hope!
Just out of curiosity, do you remember who you had interviewing you last year? (Nowt to do with this, just personal curiosity)
Good luck with your application
C-
@ Coloringwiththerainbow - Hej!
Not sure how much help I can be, but going on my own experiences: For your interview - try to relax (so much easier said than done - I know!) no one is going to be completely nerve free, but try to think of it less like they're trying to catch you out or whatever, more like they just want to know more about you - why you want to do such a minority interest course etc. They all seem to be very nice people (the teachers) which can be hard to see when you're in an interview situation!
Just try to show them that you are genuinely interested in the subject and you want to study it for 4 years (Your learning and reading in Norwegian should definitely help with that). Also have a few questions too (if you want anything clarifying, or want to know a bit more about a particular aspect of the course or the department) to ask during the interview - shows you've thought about it and is actually useful for you if you want to know something, they're generally pretty happy to tell you more about specific things if you ask.
Personal statement - umm, again, try to show your enthusiasm for the subject, mention any books you've been reading (though be prepared to talk about them at your interview - not necessarily in depth, but it's often a good conversation point for the interviewer) and don't put in anything you're not willing to discuss at interview - though that's pretty much common sense I hope!
Just out of curiosity, do you remember who you had interviewing you last year? (Nowt to do with this, just personal curiosity)
Good luck with your application
C-
Hey, mange takk for hjelpen. Fantastisk.
I remember who I had last year, it was Annika and Haki. They were both really nice. I shall remember your points and use them wisely, they'll definitely help. Thank you.
Do they look at the times when you send in your personal statement? I am thinking of sending it in right now so I'm fairly early. Wonder if it'll make a difference.
Thanks again!
No problem
Ah cool, I know Annika (she did my interview too) but not Haki.
No idea if they look at the times really - I'm guessing most people who've sent them in before now are oxbridge-ers (Deadline is today if I remember right from last year?) but I would think all it'll mean is you would get one of the earlier interview/open day dates.
C-
Ah cool, I know Annika (she did my interview too) but not Haki.
No idea if they look at the times really - I'm guessing most people who've sent them in before now are oxbridge-ers (Deadline is today if I remember right from last year?) but I would think all it'll mean is you would get one of the earlier interview/open day dates.
C-
Yeah, I like all ppl that read my favourite subject in London, Swedish! If anyone would like to practise Swedish with me, or just want to discuss Strindberg^^, just PM me.
It seems as if ppl find Swedish hard! A friend of mine struggles a lot with it, she is from South Africa. I guess it's not to easy to know whether it's "en" or "ett", are their any rules for that btw? Swedes just seem to know it, at least most.
It seems as if ppl find Swedish hard! A friend of mine struggles a lot with it, she is from South Africa. I guess it's not to easy to know whether it's "en" or "ett", are their any rules for that btw? Swedes just seem to know it, at least most.
ViveLaFrance
I’m in the first year of college doing the IB and I know I don’t have to start thinking about uni for another year at least but I’d like to start planning ahead. I’ve been thinking about UCL because I definitely want to do a languages degree. I’m studying French as one of my Higher Level IB subjects at the moment. I would like to study French at uni but with also another Germanic language (although probably not German). Since you all seem like a wise bunch of Scandinavian enthusiasts I thought here’d be the right place to come. I’m drawn to the Scandinavian languages (God knows why!), although sometimes I sway more towards Norwegian and then Danish and then sometimes I think I’d rather do Swedish. I’d even consider Icelandic, but that would mean giving up my French and I’m not sure if I want to do that. At the moment I’m even considering Dutch (not Scandinavian, I know). Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on which language would go best with French (or not?) or whether I should even continue French with SS. I know Edinburgh do SS as well but I haven’t really looked yet.
One more thing, what does Icelandic sound like? I can’t find any youtube clips of Icelandic TV unlike the other SLs.
Anyway thanks!
Bye.
I’m drawn to the Scandinavian languages (God knows why!), although sometimes I sway more towards Norwegian and then Danish and then sometimes I think I’d rather do Swedish. I’d even consider Icelandic, but that would mean giving up my French and I’m not sure if I want to do that. At the moment I’m even considering Dutch (not Scandinavian, I know). Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on which language would go best with French (or not?) or whether I should even continue French with SS. I know Edinburgh do SS as well but I haven’t really looked yet. One more thing, what does Icelandic sound like? I can’t find any youtube clips of Icelandic TV unlike the other SLs.
Anyway thanks!
Bye.
Yay! Omg, you're just like me. Well, probably not just like me, but it seems like we're in a similar situation.
I too am doing French (A level, not IB, though) and don’t really know what to do at Uni… I have considered, like you, French with a Scandinavian language, but it looks like you get the worst of both worlds in a way, i.e. you get a third of the course options as if you were doing a concentrated course.
That didn’t make sense.
What I mean is that if you do just Scandinavian Studies, say Norwegian, you’ll get 2.5 course units in the 2nd year, and 3.0 in the 4th, whereas if you do for example Norwegian with French, you’ll only get 1.5 in the 2nd year, and 1.0 in the 4th, which seems to be a big turn-off for me.
I’ve decided that next year I’m probably going to have to write a dual personal statement, and apply for Norwegian or Swedish in UCL and Edinburgh, and French and Philosophy at three other Unis (UCL possibly being one of those). I love French too, which is making it difficult for me to decide, but I think I’m going to go with the Scandi.
Norwegian or Swedish? I don’t know personally which one to go for, so I can’t really help you with that. I am leaning towards Norwegian though. It's just that they only have 3 million people and practically no music scene!
I’m pretty sure I’m going to take a gap year, in which I plan to au pair in either Sweden or Norway – firstly to gain language skills, and secondly to see if that’s the country I really want to go for. This means my 1st year will probably be 2011 not 2010 as I had previously thought.
Anyway, it’s great to find a ‘kindred soul’ as it may be, and if all goes well I’ll see you in three years.
Ok, that sounded creepy.
Never mind.
Fiona
P.S. I somehow get the feeling that there are lots of French families in Norway, since over half of the norwegian families currently looking for au pairs are half French, and in Sweden there's no particular skew.
P.P.S Ok, so I know I keep editing this, but here goes: I personally love the sound of Icelandic and were it not for the fear of having studied something which is only spoken in a tree-less country, I'd probably go for it (it has nothign to do with the fact that i'm worried about not getting a decent job after ¬¬ liek norwegian is so much better.) So yeah, Hylean YOU HAVE SUPPORT. Also, I want to slip inall the little Icelandic course elements I can if/when I do this whol Uni-Scandi thing.
Now for some links, mainly YT.
norway
this is an online newspaper http://www.norwaypost.no/
Monty Python sketch http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GYNJuP6m9JU
Norway has HIGNFY!!! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HZydjTujD-A
icelandic
Hidden people http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=avq9ABxMOys
protest group http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SkyT2nOnhRw
simple greetings http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GxzhWkMD3co&feature=related
Cod Wars - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VOJCZcW8wQM
Beautiful People http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0241qutwPGo&feature=related
Leifur Eiríksson http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlk7djbY5CQ&feature=related
Strongest People http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cRSBD6-czZk&feature=related
Lithuania http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tI3evw7rk6I&feature=related
John Cleese/Kaupthing 1 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RKOnYjwNUKg
John Cleese/Kaupthing 2 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sCvIsZ6fHaY
John Cleese/Kaupthing 3 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nc1eRmk7ijc
ViveLaFrance
Thanks for the e-mail address Meg-Lili.
Hylean - How do you find Icelandic? What made you want to do Icelandic? How difficult is it? I understand it's difficult with all the cases and declensions and what not. Sorry for all the questions! I've never come accross anyone who can speak Icelandic before!
Hylean - How do you find Icelandic? What made you want to do Icelandic? How difficult is it? I understand it's difficult with all the cases and declensions and what not. Sorry for all the questions! I've never come accross anyone who can speak Icelandic before!
I find Icelandic exceptionally hard grammatically, but it's a rather logical language, which also annoys me, and if you have a good grounding in older English grammatical forms, it's not so bad. I love it, really. It's easier to pronounce than Swedish anyway.
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