DANISH,NORWEGIAN AND SWEDISH

Except a holiday in Amsterdam as a 3-year old (now, why can´t I remember the Rijksmuseum, only the yellow trams...hmmm?) that is my Dutch history!

''Sweden - big, arrogant brother
Norway - mischevious little brother
Denmark - sexy sister
Finland - strange, alcoholic cousin
Iceland - the small, absent cousin who never visits beacause he is so busy ''

Definetly. Now the world makes sense...hehe

=>Driving through Friesland it was funny to read in the guidebook: Here they speak a different language because they are so isolated...and while you read that you had moved on to Holland! <=

Was that a Norwegian guidebook ?!

Cannot remember the language of the book.
And I meant the quotation to end after isolated! I had moved on to Holland while reading it!

But you can of course also look at it the other way around: How fantastic that a separate language can live on in such a small country with so good communications!

I have a question for Fredrik:

I'm a french student in Sciences-Po (France) (Institute of political studies), and next year, I have to pass the year abroad. I'm sure right now that it will be in Scandinavia, but I can't make up my mind about the choice of the university among the list I have been proposed. I've read you're a student in Bergen, so I hope you can give me some advice (an objective one, of course!!)

here is the list of the universities I'm interested in:

Sweden:
- Göteborg
- Lund
- Södertörns Hogskola (near Stockolm)
- Umea
- Uppsala

Norway:
- Oslo
- Bergen

Denmark:
- Copenhagen
- Aarhus

Finland:
- Helsinki
- Tampere
- Turku

Well, could you give me an advice? Which one is the best among this list? Where is the best "student life" etc...
I've heard that Uppsala is considered by many as the best scandinavian university. How is it true?
Actually I hesitate between Uppsala and Copenhagen, because they seem to be the most prestigious ones. Am I wrong??
I'm also interested in the universities of Norway, because I'd like to visit your country and its beautiful landscapes.

Thanks for your answers!!

Montesquieu:
I really have no clue! Of course the universities are more prestigious the bigger they are. Finland has a very good record for its educational system at the time being (the PISA test).
But there are many things to consider: Do you hate the winter darkness and snow? Then choose a university in the south of Scandinavia, like Copenhagen or Lund, at least not one north of the Polar Circle, where it is totally dark in winter!
Do you want to concentrate on the EU in your political studies? Then do not choose Norway!
Bergen is a very cozy, small city (250.000 people) with a campus in the city centre. But I have heard some negative bitching by the foreign students here in Bergen. We Scandinavian van be a bit silent and stuck-up, so if you want to be surrounded by very open-minded people, then go for the capitals.

Bergen has great student life! But Norway is very expensive (especially alcholhol), everybody says. Prices are somewhat lower in the other countries. In Scandinavia we are very concerned with equal opportunities for everybody, so I do not think there are such great differences between the academic standards of the universities as in other parts of the world.

Copenhagen is the most European option, while Umeå, Bergen and Tampere are more Scandinavian (coid, dark and expensive...but lots of nature!)

Thank you Fredrik for your answer!!

The winter darkness won't bother me I think!! So you mean that in Norway you are very "quiet"?? Well I hope I'll get used to your way of life!!

Norwegian, Swedes and Finns are famous for being very silent. People do not normaly chat with strangers, on the bus stop etc. You can even go into a shop withou saying Hello!

The Danes are more lively.

i am swedish and it is true what Fredrik is saying and if a swede and a norwegian went to a different country together they probably would stick together even if 100% norwegian means 99% strange

Are there any danes on this website ?

A dane was walking down the street with a duck under his arm.
"Where did you find that monkey?" asked the fellow pedestrian.
"It happens to be a duck." claimed the dane.
"Shut up, dane! I am talking to the duck."

and to Fredrik i had to say this joke it is very common in Sweden

Q: How do Norwegians forge ten dollar bills?
A: They scrape one zero off a hundred bill

and if you dont understand then a norwegian had 100 dollars and then forged it into a 10 dollar bill and lost 90 dollars

and not leaving the danes out

Q: Why do Danish people never play hide and seek?
A: Nobody wants to look for them.

but i suppose all our countries do act like one big family