Study in Denmark

The most famous
Dane in history was a fictional Prince with suicidal tendencies, serious Oedipal issues, and a penchant for self-doubt. But don't judge this charming and exciting country in southern Scandinavia by the reputation of a single guy named Hamlet: There is so much to do in Denmark, and such a great deal to learn and experience, that the misfortune of one whiny Shakespearean royal must be overlooked in an effort to experience all that this country has to offer.
 
Of course, there's also something wholly appropriate about the most famous Dane being a fiction. After all, Denmark is the land of whimsy, of windmills forever spinning against the horizon, of Viking warriors marauding through Europe ages ago, and of Copenhagen in the winter. Indeed, the juxtapositions of this country are part of its charm: The whimsical tales of Hans Christian Andersen are set in stark opposition to the complex, complicated philosophy of native son Soren Kierkegaard. And the foreboding landscape of the north is completely different from the sophisticated sprawl of Copenhagen. However, it is this living, breathing dichotomy that makes Denmark such a fabulous place to visit, and an even better one in which to spend part of your four years of college.
 
Denmark's history is long and complicated, though the study of it helps to clarify some of the confusion. 'People have continually lived in Denmark since about 12,500 BCE, and agriculture made inroads about 3,900 BCE.' Early cultural influences came from people of Scandinavian, Celt, Roman, and Germanic origin. Most famously, however, 'From the 8th to the 10th century, the Danes were known as Vikings,' and as such, they had a tremendous influence on the rest of Europe, when 'together with Norwegians and Swedes, they colonised, raided and traded in all parts of Europe.'
 
Around this time, the supposedly real events that found their way into the greatest Old English epic, Beowulf, occurred. The stories told in this poem are as exciting and as riveting as any in the nation's literary canon. Of course, literary achievement in Denmark is still a source of great national pride even today. Danes have also excelled in the other arts, too. From music to painting and beyond, Denmark has always been a central location for the arts in Northern Europe.
 
Of course, students tend to choose Denmark for both its excellent educational institutions as well as for its exciting city life, especially in Copenhagen. 'Danish institutions of higher education had a student intake of almost 47,100 students in 2001. Of these, around 4,000 were visiting students from abroad.' Even more impressively, 'The college sector comprises more than 150 specialized institutions of higher education, about one-third offering short-cycle and two-thirds offering medium-cycle professionally oriented programmes.
 
Increasingly, colleges are merging into larger and more diverse units. The institutions that have specialized in short cycle higher education are merging to Business Colleges (in Danish: Erhvervsakademier) and institutions that have specialized in medium cycle educations have formed a number of Centres for Higher Education (Danish acronym: CVU). Colleges often cooperate closely with each other or with universities. It is mandatory for the CVU's to cooperate with the university sector. All CVU study programmes are research-affiliated.
 
The university sector includes 11 universities, 5 of which are multi-faculty universities. The other 6 specialize in fields such as engineering, education, veterinary science, agriculture, pharmacy, or business studies. In addition, there are a number of specialist university-level institutions in architecture, art, music, etc. All university study programmes are research-based, and degrees are awarded at undergraduate and postgraduate level including doctoral degrees.'
 
And as far as Copenhagen goes, it is one of the most exciting cities in all of Europe. Indeed, from its design culture to its theater, cinema, and nightlife, it offers students and visitors alike the opportunity to have as rewarding and fun a time as they could anywhere in Europe. In fact, 'Danish newspapers rank Copenhagen as one of the world's best cities in which to live, despite the high cost of living.'
 
And as for the language, it's not terribly difficult to learn in its written form, as it is related to English and therefore, many words are similar. Speaking it properly, however, is another issue altogether, and though it can be difficult to learn to speak Danish perfectly, it is not hard to become passably proficient in it.

There is so much that Denmark has to offer that it is impossible to cover it all in such a limited space as this. What's important, however, is to consider spending your college years in Denmark, for the rewards will likely be far greater than you ever imagined. And you might even have a good time while you're there - it's been known to happen before.