Danish Institute for Study Abroad: YOU WANT TO STUDY WITH THIS PROGRAM! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were taught in English and teachers all were very well qualified professionals within their respective fields, meaning they work professionally not just as professors, but as clinicians, therapists, public health advocates and researchers, etc. The workload is more challenging than other abroad programs, and attracts bright and open-minded students from all over the country at a myriad of respected universities and colleges. Classes were taught with an emphasis on European methodology, meaning more group-work and discussion-based classes. They were very engaging and absolutely opened me up to new ways of thinking. Workload was less than home university, and professors were accommodating to travel plans. Rewarding is the way I would describe the academics at DIS and within my core program of psychology.

On-site administration of your program

I can brag about this program to absolutely no end. It gave me the foundation and comfort by providing me the necessary resources throughout my abroad experience to always feel confident that I was going to be helped if needed. The program is very large...about 900 Americans. However,DIS cares about each one of these students. For instance, students who had issues with host families were promptly taken care of, being instantly reassigned to another family or to a dorm if the problem was severe enough. My dorm had trouble with the internet. DIS provided non-stop assistance towards trying to fix the connection until a solution was reached. DIS is unique because of how many opportunities they provide throughout the semester. For starters, there is a whole orientation week with things to do each day to get accustomed to your new surroundings and meet people quickly and effectively. They offer many, many extracurricular events and workshops from beer tasting to week-long trips to Turkey, Czech Republic, Greenland, and so much more. They provide a whole two weeks of free time in early November for students to spend traveling Europe independently. They arrange trips for classes from small field trips in local Copenhagen, to 5-day academic tours to various countries in Europe. Mine went to Milan, Italy. Point is, this program does so much that other abroad programs don't do. I went to Denmark for the quality of the program, people, and country, and had the best four months of my life. My study abroad experience was better than I had ever expected and for that I am grateful to DIS for helping me to achieve this.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was so satisfied with housing. I lived in a Kollegium or dorm-type setting. My room was well accommodated and nicer than my room at my home University, coming complete with sheets, bed, etc. and came stocked with plates, pans, cooking utensils and more. The people I met were excellent and it was very easy to meet them and interact because we lived in such close proximity. I lived 25 minutes outside of the city, and I took a bus everyday straight in. I felt much safer in Copenhagen overall than I do in America, sadly.

Eating out is very expensive in Copenhagen. I cooked for myself everyday, which was fine because I enjoy it and got better at it. They provide you with a food stipend if you live in a dorm.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Milan, Italy with my Psychology class. Included 5 days of engaging academic visits and lectures to professionals in the field of Positive Psychology, wine tasting, a jazz club, visit to the infamous Lake Como, visit to Milan's fashion district, including the impressive Duomo. Another one was the Bornholm bike trip, which was a weekend bike trip to a Danish Island. We biked over 60 miles through Bornholm's rolling hills and endless coastline. I met tons of new people, and got an incredible workout. We payed a visit to the Danish Parliament and got a tour from the Director of Education. That was cool.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Healthcare is free! A beautiful Danish commodity. I personally never got sick or had to use the healthcare but DIS gave us a CPR card, which insured us to get healthcare if ever needed.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The language program was excellent. I thought my professor did a very nice job teaching the Danish language, as well as introducing us to the culture. I never did need to use Danish to communicate since scandinavians largely speak English, however the language component was important to better understanding and coping with my environment, such as buying groceries, reading signs, and understanding television. I could practice the language with the few Danish friends I made while abroad, and they helped me prepare for exams.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

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• International Students
• Americans

• The size...so much opportunity to meet many people
• The devoted faculty and staff, nice people with our genuine best interest.
• How many opportunities they offer in and out of the classroom!

• I suppose the amount of food stipend money provided to us. $600 for the semester.