Pancake pandemonium at City Hall

Students love free stuff, especially food. During the International welcoming event at Copenhagen city hall there was much anticipation for the famous pancakes that were rumoured to be served at 17:00.

»The free pancakes were a big factor for coming here,« said one Chilean international student, who claimed that he also learned about sports groups.

Another international student, from India, came because he wanted to see the mayor. Later he admitted that it was also the delicious pancakes that caught his eye.

You can have it all

Lord Mayor served pancakes at City Hall

Living in Copenhagen should be a cultural experience. But how do you become integrated into this seemingly ‘cold’ society? On Monday October 4th, the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen hosted an informational event at City Hall to help newcomers get involved.

Finding your footing

Over thirty different booths, mostly sports clubs, were displayed at the event. The KTK86 Triathalon club, Natha Yoga Centre, Amager Chess Club, Pan Idræt GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) sports club and American football, among others, welcomed students and other non-Danish speakers.

Danes are ‘cold’ say international students

Most international students who come to Denmark to study return home as soon as they are qualified, more often than not because they are lonely and consider their Danish counterparts ‘cold’, or often ‘aloof’, writes Seven59.dk and B.dk.

In a new survey by the Ungdommens Analyse Enhed (UAE) (Youth Analysis Unit) 22-year old Ana Gomes from Portugal was just one of many who felt that Danes just aren’t that ‘open’ towards foreign students.

Mads Engholm, senior consultant at UAE, says it’s fairly obvious that people won’t stay in a place where they don’t feel part of the community.

Top ten: Free fun things to do in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is an expensive city. Like everywhere else though, the best things come for free – or nearly free.

Follow our picture gallery here and find ten things that are free, or nearly-free, in the Copenhagen area.

We have ranked them from 10 to 1, with the best for the end.

Maybe you have a few cheap tips of your own? Write them in the comments section below, and let others in on the secret!

uniavis@adm.ku.dk

No point in learning Danish

For full-degree student Riccardo Mioli from Italy, learning Danish seemed like a good idea when he first arrived in Copenhagen. Now, one year later, he has changed his mind.

»In the beginning I wanted to learn Danish. But after 6 or 7 months here, when I still didn’t know any Danish, it seemed like a waste of time to start. Now I have given up.«

It is easy to survive in Copenhagen only speaking in English, and the Danes quickly switch over if they hear someone struggling with the tricky guttural Danish pronunciation, he says.

Internationals get Copenhagen cheap living tips

Let’s face it, Copenhagen is not a cheap place to live.

Around 50 new international full-degree Masters’ students gathered Friday as part of their introductory programme to the University of Copenhagen. Today's lesson was in cheap living.

Tricks and insider tips were presented by Danish student assistant Anne Fledelius, based on how she herself gets by on a tiny budget.

See pictures from the course here.

Kiosks are a rip-off

And the essentials were the first thing on the agenda: Food shopping, a bike, and water-proof clothes!

Life sciences woo internationals with film contest

A talking snail, a silent movie with beer in a tree, and a look at the cellular make-up of cats and rabbits.

These were the winning concepts in the Faculty of Life Sciences film competition, in which entrants were asked to illustrate 'what difference you can make in the world with a life science degree’.

Last year, one of the entrants in a similar film contest at the Faculty of Science - in which nerdy scientists find a way to clone a beautiful blonde woman - was a huge hit on YouTube, with over 100,000 viewings.