I'm from northern Sweden and here we always have long conversations... because we talk so slowly :v:
Then I can see how Portuguese may sound faster than light. But you should see Spanish people. You can hear them coming from miles away.
Swedes ain't much different from rest of scandinavia, yeah we're pretty anal about personal space but that's about it.
There is a small chance I'll be spending a lot of time in Sweden. I could adapt to the weather, lifestyle and stuff but I am very outgoing, love chatting and getting to know new people and love partying. Would I struggle to meet new people at a party or in a bar... I'm from London
[QUOTE=Ond kaja;39768478]
[b]Adressing[/b]
In Sweden, you adress people with their first name; adressing them with titles and last name is considered unusual and some might even get slightly offended by it. The only exception to this rule is royalty, but I don't feel it's necessary to inform you how to adress kings, as they are quite rare. To be honest, I'm not even sure myself. [/QUOTE]
It is true we always adress people by their first name if it's someone we don't know very well. But it's very normal to adress acquaintances and friends by their last names or nicknames. Guys especially do this a lot.
Quite interesting since it's the complete opposite in Japan for example.
[QUOTE=Chaoss86;39792496]There is a small chance I'll be spending a lot of time in Sweden. I could adapt to the weather, lifestyle and stuff but I am very outgoing, love chatting and getting to know new people and love partying. Would I struggle to meet new people at a party or in a bar... I'm from London[/QUOTE]
Of course not.
[QUOTE=Chriknu;39786315]I currently attend University West, can answer Uni. West specific questions if you have any.[/QUOTE]
Could you describe the university life ??? Would it be hard acclimating to a society there as an american?
[QUOTE=CheezyCakez;39793860]It is true we always adress people by their first name if it's someone we don't know very well. But it's very normal to adress acquaintances and friends by their last names or nicknames. Guys especially do this a lot.
Quite interesting since it's the complete opposite in Japan for example.[/QUOTE]
This!
I can only think of a handful of people in my program at the university who is regulary called their first name. Most are adressed by their last name or a nickname (usually based on their last name and not their first)
[b]Edit:[/b]
Can answer LTU specific questions if you got them, can't tell you much about computer science though because relations between them and us Mech.eng are cold at best :v:
[QUOTE=CheezyCakez;39793860]It is true we always adress people by their first name if it's someone we don't know very well. But it's very normal to adress acquaintances and friends by their last names or nicknames. Guys especially do this a lot.
Quite interesting since it's the complete opposite in Japan for example.[/QUOTE]
Nicknames also tend to be made up from your last name.
[QUOTE=jiggu;39796990]Nicknames also tend to be made up from your last name.[/QUOTE]
This is similar where im from at least.
A lot of people call me "a-bear" because my last name is hebert.
Apparently its french pronunciation
[QUOTE=Septimas;39795305]Could you describe the university life ??? Would it be hard acclimating to a society there as an american?[/QUOTE]
Well, to be honest I'm not participating in the university life aspect very much, I just attend the lectures. This is mainly because I live in a city next to Trollhättan(which is where Uni. West is), so I still hang out with the same friends I had while growing up. Also I'm only going to Uni. West this year, probably gonna start studying in Gotenburg(chalmers) or Linköping next year.
I can't imagine that it'd be hard to accilmate as an american, we've got quite a few exchange students already(mainly asians for some reason, you can barely walk down the halls sometimes because theres so many of them), and it's a quite common sight to see people in the halls speaking english to eachother. But Trollhättan isn't really a student city, atleast not by my definition. A big part of the students don't even live in Trollhättan, they come to the university by train from Gothenburg, or sometimes by bus from other nearby cities. This is mainly because the schools in Gothenburg are a bit harder to get accepted into.
As for the city Trollhättan, I actually like it. It's not very good on paper maybe, since Saab went under Trollhättan has been one of the cities with the highest unemployment rate in the country, and Kronogården, a surburb to Trollhättan, has been quite famous for having a lot of immigrants and a high crime rate. But it's really not as bad as it sounds. As a Student though, this is mostly irrelevant information and I'm not sure why I even mention it - sleep deprivation maybe.
My opinion is that Trollhättan is not a particularly fun student city, it's a city I like but as a student you'll probably want to go to a proper big student city. Like Lund, Linköping, Uppsala, Luleå and if you like city-life Stockholm or Gothenburg. So out of the universites you listed I would definetely choose Luleå, I've got friends and family who go there and it seems like a great place to study. Very cold and dark during the winters but seems like it's worth it, especially if you like Skiing or Snowboarding. And personally I would love to see Aurora Borealis atleast once in my lifetime.
[QUOTE=CommanderPT;39772035]Strange that you are studying computer science and they won't even mention KTH. (The Royal Institute of Technology)
That's where I study. Great here if I'd say so myself.[/QUOTE]
Toby, stop yammering about KTH. It sucks. Also living in Luleå is like living on the northpole.
[QUOTE=Chriknu;39802303]Well, to be honest I'm not participating in the university life aspect very much, I just attend the lectures. This is mainly because I live in a city next to Trollhättan(which is where Uni. West is), so I still hang out with the same friends I had while growing up. Also I'm only going to Uni. West this year, probably gonna start studying in Gotenburg(chalmers) or Linköping next year.
I can't imagine that it'd be hard to accilmate as an american, we've got quite a few exchange students already(mainly asians for some reason, you can barely walk down the halls sometimes because theres so many of them), and it's a quite common sight to see people in the halls speaking english to eachother. But Trollhättan isn't really a student city, atleast not by my definition. A big part of the students don't even live in Trollhättan, they come to the university by train from Gothenburg, or sometimes by bus from other nearby cities. This is mainly because the schools in Gothenburg are a bit harder to get accepted into.
As for the city Trollhättan, I actually like it. It's not very good on paper maybe, since Saab went under Trollhättan has been one of the cities with the highest unemployment rate in the country, and Kronogården, a surburb to Trollhättan, has been quite famous for having a lot of immigrants and a high crime rate. But it's really not as bad as it sounds. As a Student though, this is mostly irrelevant information and I'm not sure why I even mention it - sleep deprivation maybe.
My opinion is that Trollhättan is not a particularly fun student city, it's a city I like but as a student you'll probably want to go to a proper big student city. Like Lund, Linköping, Uppsala, Luleå and if you like city-life Stockholm or Gothenburg. So out of the universites you listed I would definetely choose Luleå, I've got friends and family who go there and it seems like a great place to study. Very cold and dark during the winters but seems like it's worth it, especially if you like Skiing or Snowboarding. And personally I would love to see Aurora Borealis atleast once in my lifetime.[/QUOTE]
I also attend Uni. West and I can attest to this.
[QUOTE=maeZtro;39804794]Toby, stop yammering about KTH. It sucks. Also living in Luleå is like living on the northpole.[/QUOTE]
Dohoho aren't you clever. I'm coming down to Skåne soon to kick yer butt.
So if im going down for a year trip, just basically to get general class credits and experience sweden, what university would you natives suggest??
[QUOTE=CommanderPT;39811584]Dohoho aren't you clever. I'm coming down to Skåne soon to kick yer butt.[/QUOTE]
You can cerainly try. E det påskbesök eller?
[QUOTE=maeZtro;39817225]You can cerainly try. E det påskbesök eller?[/QUOTE]
Yes.
[QUOTE=Septimas;39815572]So if im going down for a year trip, just basically to get general class credits and experience sweden, what university would you natives suggest??[/QUOTE]
I would say Luleå. You could go for Uni. West, but Trollhättan is boring as fuck. However, it's just 40 minutes from Gothenburg if you travel by train.
I would say Luleå as well, but then I'm of course biased. I know a guy who works in the group who takes care of the foreign students and they seems to know what they are doing which is always a good sign.
Is there a lot of stuff to do in Luleå university??
Ask them
[QUOTE=Septimas;39821053]Is there a lot of stuff to do in Luleå university??[/QUOTE]
Depends on what you're interested in.
If you're into winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding and such. It's the place to be!
The university gym regularly arrange travels to the mountains in the west and other places such as Murmansk in Russia, but there's also smaller places nearby.
If your ambitions include getting drunk on a regular basis. that's also covered.
Mainly in the form of the university pub "STUK" and private parties at other students apartments.
Keep in mind that Luleå is a small town (by international standards) and the town itself doesn't offer much in the way of night life.
[QUOTE=sealpower;39821143]Depends on what you're interested in.
If you're into winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding and such. It's the place to be!
The university gym regularly arrange travels to the mountains in the west and other places such as Murmansk in Russia, but there's also smaller places nearby.
If your ambitions include getting drunk on a regular basis. that's also covered.
Mainly in the form of the university pub "STUK" and private parties at other students apartments.
Keep in mind that Luleå is a small town (by international standards) and the town itself doesn't offer much in the way of night life.[/QUOTE]
Ive snowboarded like once or twice in my life and loved it, when iwas younger. where im going to college in the fall ill have time to learn how to do it all again.
Any places worth visiting near Luleå ?
[QUOTE=Septimas;39821163]Ive snowboarded like once or twice in my life and loved it, when iwas younger. where im going to college in the fall ill have time to learn how to do it all again.
Any places worth visiting near Luleå ?[/QUOTE]
Most towns in the vicinity are smaller or similarly sized and offer much the same kind of things
as Luleå (this is the sparely populated north we are talking about).
The closest place with city-like tendencies would be Umeå some 160 miles (imperial) to the south.
If you're into cold war history there's always the town of Boden...
Fishing is good as well if that's your passion but otherwise...
Yeah might seem a little dull on paper but most of your time will be spent on campus with the friends
you make anyway so it's not that big a deal for most people
Public transport is usually great and reliable along the coast so you can always go somewhere else
and see what's up there. (Beware of the trains though... they cannot be trusted,
especially in the winter. Buses are fine regardless of weather though)
[b]Edit:[/b]
Useful links:
[url]http://www.lulea.se/english/[/url]
[url]http://www.visitlulea.se/default.aspx?lang=en[/url]
[url]http://www.ltu.se/edu?l=en[/url]
I'm actually doing a year long exchange in Sweden myself right now (I'm from the Netherlands) so I guess I can share some of my experience thus far. Been here 7 months now (Gävle to be exact). A few things that took me getting used to was the currency and the method of teaching. I'm used to the Euro, and suddenly making the switch to a currency that uses much bigger numbers (100 SEK = about 12 euro) At times I don't realise how much I'm spending until I look on my bank account. As for the method of teaching I'm used to a very interactive lectures, if you can even call them that, in which you instantly apply what you have learned. In Sweden its far more a traditional style of teaching, with a lecturer talking for 3 hours and that's it, though I suppose it's possible that you might be used to that in America.
As for the people, it's possible that you meet someone one night and the next day you pretty much wont exist to them, though this does tend to differ per person. Once you become friends with some swedes though you'll find that they're actually very kind people and fun to be around with. In my exchange I tend to hang out a lot more with other exchange students though, as we all live rather close to each other, but it's also a great experience, you get in contact with so many different culture.
Also everything is expensive, not only alcohol. And don't go to Gävle, the school is pretty shit and there's not that much to do in the city. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
[QUOTE=Dakarun;39854387]I'm actually doing a year long exchange in Sweden myself right now (I'm from the Netherlands) so I guess I can share some of my experience thus far. Been here 7 months now (Gävle to be exact). A few things that took me getting used to was the currency and the method of teaching. I'm used to the Euro, and suddenly making the switch to a currency that uses much bigger numbers (100 SEK = about 12 euro) At times I don't realise how much I'm spending until I look on my bank account. As for the method of teaching I'm used to a very interactive lectures, if you can even call them that, in which you instantly apply what you have learned. In Sweden its far more a traditional style of teaching, with a lecturer talking for 3 hours and that's it, though I suppose it's possible that you might be used to that in America.
As for the people, it's possible that you meet someone one night and the next day you pretty much wont exist to them, though this does tend to differ per person. Once you become friends with some swedes though you'll find that they're actually very kind people and fun to be around with. In my exchange I tend to hang out a lot more with other exchange students though, as we all live rather close to each other, but it's also a great experience, you get in contact with so many different culture.
Also everything is expensive, not only alcohol. And don't go to Gävle, the school is pretty shit and there's not that much to do in the city. If you have any questions feel free to ask.[/QUOTE]
Okay, First question :: How much money have you spent so far?? How much would you reccommend bringing over there??
What school do you go to??
What are the bigger social differences you noticed when you went over there??
Do people treat other nationalities different? (ie will i get judged just for being an american without any predisposed info on myself as a person)
What do you do besides school there, like what are your favorite past times in sweden
[QUOTE=Septimas;39854594]Okay, First question :: How much money have you spent so far?? How much would you reccommend bringing over there?? [/quote]
Well I'm not sure to be honest, I get 400 from the Dutch government each month, and I've gotten 1200 euro Erasmus scholarship. But if I look at what I've spent from my savings I've spent about 2500 euro for living here 7 months. Everything is expensive, fresh vegetables are expensive, meat even more so, but you can buy frozen food which is more affordable. Be prepared to spend a decent amount of money, but if you work full time the summer before you go you should manage.
[quote]What school do you go to??[/quote]
I go to the Högskolan i Gävle, but as I said, it's not an amazing school. I study business there and I find some teachers incompetent, I know some others that study engineering are experiencing something similar. But I'm sure that there are plenty of decent schools in Sweden.
[quote]What are the bigger social differences you noticed when you went over there??[/quote]
Well as I said on a day to day basis the swedes are just really cold people, though maybe that it's worse during the winter, who knows. When they've been drinking though they'll be your best friend any time. I've lived in the states as well (Virginia and Conneticut) when I was a kid, I'll try to compare the people there as best I remember to the ones in Sweden. As others have already mentioned in the thread, don't expect to have a nice chat with a Swede when waiting for the bus or standing in line at the cash register, they generally keep to themselves. Once you are having a conversation I've experienced them as very easy people to talk to, but they tend to be a bit closed and reluctant with telling you personal stuff until you've known them for a while. They also tend to beat around the bush a lot, which is something I really had to get used to because Dutch are very direct people.
From what I've understood from Swedish drinking culture, though I could be horribly mistaking, is that it's only "ok" to drink on Wednesday (Which is referred to as little weekend), Friday and Saturday. When they drink it's fine to get completely smashed, but any other day than those it's generally frowned upon. Again this is just from what I've perceived, could be horribly wrong.
[quote]Do people treat other nationalities different? (ie will i get judged just for being an american without any predisposed info on myself as a person) [/quote]
There will always be people that will judge you for being a different nationality, especially one with well known stereotypes. For example I've had a few times that when I introduce myself and tell them I'm Dutch that they ask me if I have any drugs on me or why I'm not wearing any wooden shoes. But that's a very small minority, and likely things like taht will only happen if they've been drinking. Wouldn't worry too much about being judged for being American. And if they do just prove them different.
[quote]What do you do besides school there, like what are your favorite past times in sweden[/QUOTE]
Well the last 3 months we've only had snow, and I don't ski/snowboard. So right now it's mostly hanging out with other exchange students, watch a movie, drink/go out, go to the gym and of course browse Facepunch and play some games. Occasionally go to a bar, play some pool or darts there, or you could go for a walk which is nice since Sweden really is a beautiful country. But I can imagine in bigger cities there would be more to do so you wouldn't run into this problem as much as I do.
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