Scandinavian Studies

...

*snips*

Yes, it's all too confusing sometimes! Grammar. But I doubt my help was actually that helpful, as it's probably wrong.
But as for 'kan jeg hjelpe' deg verses 'Hjelp', well, I guess that's the same as Swedish 'Kan jag hjälpa dig?' verses 'Hjälp'. After 'kan' it's always the infinitive in Swedish, so presumably also in Norwegian. Shouting 'Hjälp!' is always a good time for the imperative. I'm not usually this grammatically enlightened, unfortunately.

So are you applying to UCL for Scan Studies?

Heya!

I'm applying for UCL and Edinburgh Norwegian 2010! I have self taught myself Norwegian for the last 3 years and spent some time there. I am really excited about the course although I am not sure I will get in. I kinda mucked up my A Levels and got BCC due to a pretty horrendous divorce. Parents! Spent sometime away from school much to my displeasure.

I was wondering if there's anything I can do about this? Or any help? Just some contact with another Scandy type would be great. I've read all of the Scandinavian pages and on the UCL and Edz website.

Ja, så har dere det nå... Norsken min er ganske bra men jeg lærer hver dag. Norsk var litt vanskelig men nå er det lett å forstå, skrive og snakke!

Hei Mumintroll,

Har ikke chattet med dæ for lenge siden. Jæ husket vi chatte om Kent og andre band i Sværige og Norge. Er alt bra med deg? Er du forstette på universitet eller noe?

Hejsan! Ja, det var inte igår. Och jag har inte loggat in till TSR i nästan ett år! Kul att du ska söka till UCL! Lycka till med det. Jag tror som Meg Lili att du borde ta kontakt med Annika Lindskog som ansvarar för antagning på Scandinavian Studies. Det måste ha varit väldigt jobbigt med dina föräldrars skilsmässa. Särskilt om det hände under din A-levelsperiod. Tråkigt att höra. Det är ingen dålig ide att omtenta om du har chans. Vad ska du syssla med mellan nu och hösten 2010?

Ja, jag har nyss avslutat mitt första år på UCL. Tentorna var ganska tuffa men jag tror (hoppas i alla fall) att de gick okej. Har ännu inte fått resultaten. Jag gillar UCL väldigt mycket, hoppas september kommer snart! Jag ska till Sverige om två veckor på semester.

Och I just wanted to say something on applicants with a level of ability (i.e. non-beginners) in their chosen language. The Scandinavian Studies department has, newly during this academic year, introduced something called 'Pathway B' specifically to take into account such people. Basically, as others have said, you are given the option to take another unit during year 1 in place of the basic language course. This can also be done in place of year 2's intermediate language unit if your ability is sufficient to not need that as well. During these years, you could study another language or e.g. a history/culture/literature etc etc unit of your own choosing in another department. But, as Hylean says, if you are functionally fluent at mother tongue level, they are obviously not going to offer you a place - as that would be just silly and in some ways unfair to other students. In short though, they are prepared to show some flexibility.

New my ass. That Pathway B **** is just a repackaged system that was already in place. All they've done is allowed some flexibility. If you were too good for beginners, they stuck you in Intermediate and in second year you did the translation module instead. They've just brought the system in line with the other language departments now. Pssssh, liars they all are. Except Daisy, for she is luff and truffles.

Yeah, true enough. They've just stuck a fancy label on it with a nice name. It is new in the sense that it lets them off from even attempting to rejig the timetable in order to allow people to sit in on the intermediate unit... To be honest, I think it's quite a good plan, it's quite nice to have the freedom to be able take a free choice and personally I wouldn't have wished to take intermediate language in year 1 as then I probably would have had no language in year 2, i.e. none immediately before the year abroad.

Hej,
Re. your grades, is there any possibility you'll be resitting any modules? While from what I understand, the UCL scandy dept are more interested in your dedication to, and interest in the subject, being UCL they have to adhere to certain minimum standards, I think BBB is the usual base offer? I think Edinburgh are BBB also. Though I don't know how much they can/will take extenuating circumstances like your own into consideration, especially given the self teaching you've done.

For UCL I'd say try emailing the department administrator (Karin Charles) or possibly Annika, who deals with all the admissions stuff, explaining your situation, and asking what their advice would be. For Edinburgh, I know when I applied they dealt with all the admissions centrally and the scandy dept didn't have anything to do with it really, so I don't know who to contact there to ask for advice, nearlyheadlessian obviously knows more about Edinburgh than the rest of us!

Sadly (or not sadly, depending on how you look at it) there aren't too many Norwegians here (though there might be one or two others? My memory isn't wonderful), a bit Swedish dominated tbh. Not that that's a bad thing . Maybe it'll change soon!

C-

Hejsan! Ja, det var inte igår. Och jag har inte loggat in till TSR i nästan ett år! Kul att du ska söka till UCL! Lycka till med det. Jag tror som Meg Lili att du borde ta kontakt med Annika Lindskog som ansvarar för antagning på Scandinavian Studies. Det måste ha varit väldigt jobbigt med dina föräldrars skilsmässa. Särskilt om det hände under din A-levelsperiod. Tråkigt att höra. Det är ingen dålig ide att omtenta om du har chans. Vad ska du syssla med mellan nu och hösten 2010?

Ja, jag har nyss avslutat mitt första år på UCL. Tentorna var ganska tuffa men jag tror (hoppas i alla fall) att de gick okej. Har ännu inte fått resultaten. Jag gillar UCL väldigt mycket, hoppas september kommer snart! Jag ska till Sverige om två veckor på semester.

Och I just wanted to say something on applicants with a level of ability (i.e. non-beginners) in their chosen language. The Scandinavian Studies department has, newly during this academic year, introduced something called 'Pathway B' specifically to take into account such people. Basically, as others have said, you are given the option to take another unit during year 1 in place of the basic language course. This can also be done in place of year 2's intermediate language unit if your ability is sufficient to not need that as well. During these years, you could study another language or e.g. a history/culture/literature etc etc unit of your own choosing in another department. But, as Hylean says, if you are functionally fluent at mother tongue level, they are obviously not going to offer you a place - as that would be just silly and in some ways unfair to other students. In short though, they are prepared to show some flexibility.

I keep telling myself that i shouldn't try to learn some Norwegian now, and that if i really want to i can at UCL. Maybe im just lazy, whatever, i really should push myself.

Meg_Lili,

Thanks! That's really helpful stuff. I have done resits this year so am anxiously awaiting the results. A killer until August. In the meantime I can only work and bite my nails!

I'll talk to someone and see what I can get done about the whole explaining it all situation. Hopefully something will come of it. Annika was very friendly on the open day last year, although she probably won't remember me.

Has anyone ever been to Tromsø here? I am back in Norway this August and want to do some touring. See what other parts of the country are like. Would anyone recommend going anywhere really beautiful or typisk norsk?

Takk så mye Meg_Lili.

Hvordan kan jeg "rep" deg for det?

I just read your profile! It's great! Kan du norsk eller?

Mmm not entirely sure what that means, can you norwegian... something?

Ill assume you asked if i speak it, nop i dont!

In swedish you can say 'Jag kan svenska'/'Kan du svenska?', and just miss out the 'tala' (Jag kan tala svenska), so I'd assume Norwegian is the same. And eller is 'or' in Swedish, probably similar in Norwegian (also/too?).

C-

Ah, just the saw ol' Norwegian flag waving up there and thought you spoke Norwegian. Yeah, like Meg_Lili pointed out, Kan du/Can you and then norsk which is Norwegian. It's common to miss out the verb like snakke/speak in Norwegian.

No worries though, did you want to learn or?

Norsken din er bra! Jeg kan snakke norsk is similar isn't it, as is eller which is, you're right, "or". Loooads of similaries, it's brilliant.
Apart from Swedish pronounciation and dialects, they're a bit weird