Breaking stereotypes in Europe Past Review
By Thomas G (Civil Engineering., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
Aarhus University: Aarhus - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I really learned what people thought of America in general. They tend to think Americans and ignorant of Europe (fairly true, I learned alot about Europe); however they really don't know much about America except what they see on TV or there government tells them. The HealthCare debate was taking place during my stay, and it was not uncommon to hear someone state that Americans are dying in the street over there. Most Europeans hate the American stereotypes of them, yet they have huge stereotypes of Americans, largely drawn from TV and movies. However, many of the stereotypes we have in America are fairly accurate-Germans are hardworking and organized, Italians are laid back, Spaniards do drink wine at 8 am, Belgium chocolate/beer/waffles are amazing, and Parisians are arrogant and rude. Whereas, unless you are a drunk, promiscuous cowboy, most of the European's stereotypes are false. Just go with it. Everywhere you travel there will be friendly people interested in sharing and learning cultures, traditions and values; then there will always be the close-minded dicks. Some countries have more.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2010 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The instruction was poor. Danes in the class even commented how poor it was, so I may have just been unlucky. Exams are not extremely difficult, but depends greatly on who is grading it. I felt I was very poorly prepared for an exam, but my graders treated me very well. A friend of mine studied much more, but had different graders. With one group of graders the average will be a 7, with another a 4. ALL my classes were PowerPoint based and relied heavily upon them. Unlike my home university, there is very little interaction with the faculty. Work load is determined by self. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very helpful, easy to talk to, and considerate. The only qualm was availability. They had banker's hours. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I share a kitchen and a living room with 11 other people. I have my own room in bathroom. It is part of a very large apartment complex that includes a gym, a bar, and a store. <br /><br /> I lived with mostly locals, however, there were 3 other international students along with myself. Housing was sufficient, but very far from downtown and the university. It really was not much of a problem, because so many exchange students live in this complex that we would hang out here. But, if we wanted to go downtown at night, it was always a hassle. All my roommates spoke English if I was around. |
| * Food: |
Food was very similar to that in my home country, just much more expensive. Finding food or the quality of food was never an issue. Cost was. The cheapest places to shop are Aldi and Netto. Shopping around is necessary too. One store will be charging 10kr more for the exact same item as another store, but 5kr less for another. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Danes are a little cliquish; however, if you are outgoing and pursue friendships, there won't be any problem. But Danes will have a core group of friends they always hang out with and may be a little resistant to outsiders. Other internationals are very welcoming, and the Danes will be too, but they will not try to make friends with you. You must try to make friends with them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I always felt safe. I was sick quite often here; I think it is the public transportation. I never visited a doctor though. Bring a box of cold medicine. To buy any OTC medicine, you must still go to a pharmacy. Sometimes they can be hard to find. When you arrive, you will be issued the address of your doctor. If you get sick, you find out how to get to that address. It may be close or it may be an hour away. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Just basic necessities are much more expensive than in the US. I would suggest multiplying everything you buy by 1.5 or 2, and that would be the equivalent Danish price. Shop around. At three different stores the same box of cereal will be three different prices. Some stores have low prices breads, some low priced meets, others low priced vegetables. What store is cheapest for one item, may not be cheapest for another. There is a large store called Bilka, which is similar to Wal-Mart, however, it is more expensive. But, you must go there if you want something special. All other stores are smaller than Walgreens and will not have a wide selection. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Shop around. Expect everything to cost more. Budget 1.5 to 2 times as much as you thought you would spend on anything. At the university you must buy printer paper. Carbohydrates are the cheapest foods. If you drink, try to have house parties more often than going to bars. The cheapest beer I bought at a bar was $4. Asking the Danes probably won't be as beneficial as asking international students who have been there longer. Danes tend to shop at there little neighborhood store, no matter how expensive it is. Internationals tend to find the best prices. My roommates had never been to the Aldi 1 kilometer away before I came and showed them the prices. There much more store is 200 meters away, so they always shop there. No where in Europe do you give money to beggars. It sounds heartless, but these are mostly socialized welfare states. If a person is begging on the streets, it is because they are alcoholics or drug addicts. Scandinavian countries are the most expensive, followed by Ireland, the UK (partly because of the pound's strength), then it gets cheaper the farther south you go. Except for France and Germany. Germany is dirt cheap, France is not. Plan on spending $20-40 any time you need to go to the airport from Aarhus (if you plan on traveling around Europe). Ryanair and EasyJet are awesome-use them. Tickets range from $5-40 all over Europe. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Danes are fantastic English speakers, and it made my stay here very easy and enjoyable. However, I also did not learn very much Danish because it was not necessary. Yet, just from traveling around Europe and being in a society were most of the population speaks Danish unless speaking to you, I feel my language acquisition skills have improved dramatically. When visiting another country, it would only take a day or so before I was learning common expressions. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If is a good one if you are outgoing, thrifty (or very wealthy), and laid back. If you are not, go somewhere else. If you really want to try and learn a second language...don't come to Denmark, it is a useless language to learn. That's why they all learn English and/or German. If you want to learn a second language, learn German or Spanish. If you learn those two (along with English), you can go anywhere in Europe and be able to communicate. |
