Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

DIS Past Review

By (Economics, Grinnell College) for

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were definitely a step down academically from Grinnell, but it wasn't a terrible thing to be relaxed and not worried about schoolwork.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

DIS is a good program, but I think they are expanding far too quickly. There were almost 1,000 American students my semester, and it seemed like far too many given the program's constrained housing options and resources. Many friends I knew had unsuccessful housing arrangements or were located very far from the city center, which was unfortunate.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very happy with my host family.

* Food:

Food was fine.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I went on a trip to Russia which was awesome.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

No safety issues.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • It gave me many opportunities to travel and try new things.
* What could be improved?
  • Academic rigor, housing organization.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? DIS makes a lot of people happy, but it has some shortcomings as well. I would definitely recommend not living in a kollegium and going for a host family.