A Charming Semester in the City of Blondes and Bikes Past Review

By A student (Environmental Studies., Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/23/2012 to 12/17/2012 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

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

I made friends from all over Europe and learned about the vast differences between European and American attitudes towards a variety of subjects. Yes it was worth it, I can't explain how much more open-minded I am now that I've been to so many countries.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Different classes featured different levels of intensity, but on the whole, professors kept us on our toes while giving us enough wiggle room to take the semester more easily than we did at our home college. Resources were excellent (book lending system was extremely efficient) and professors came from very experienced and often prestigious backgrounds.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Great support was provided in every aspect of the abroad experience.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Go live in a folk high school! I will really miss hanging out with the Danes, and the half-hour train ride was something I always looked forward too.
* Food:	The two chefs at my folk high school were fantastic cooks and highly personable and charismatic too.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Fairly well integrated because I interacted with Danes on a daily basis.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I never got sick while abroad, so not sure on this one. Other students at my folk high school seemed to have pretty decent experiences.
* Safety:	Copenhagen is one of the safest cities I have had the pleasure to live in!
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)	Copenhagen is markedly more expensive than the hometown I'm from. But the all-zone transport pass people from my folk high school received was enormously helpful and appreciated. The book lending system is also extremely helpful. Finally, we had our meals cooked and provided for by our folk high school, so we lucked out in that aspect.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Maybe 50 USD each week, but only because meals and transport were provided for. Losing and needing to replace anything else was more costly.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Buy toiletries and other essentials from the US to save money! Also bring your own towels, Danish towels are either expensive or are not very effective at drying (don't ask me why). Do not buy your groceries from Seven Eleven (which are everywhere), they are more expensive than stores like Netto or Fakta.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	I used the language enough (fairly minimally though) to pass as a Dane while buying clothes or food.
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	French
How many hours per day did you use the language?	0
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	Start with something simple, such as ordering a coffee or a hotdog from one of the street vendors!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Other
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Opportunity for travel Program was well organized Great location
* What could be improved?	Integration with local culture Money saving tips. The weather in Denmark, but there's nothing you can do about that really.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Go to all the stereotypical tourist spots before time runs out! Use the all-zone pass to its fullest advantage! In general, Danish food is neither particularly cheap nor delicious, so prepare your palette for some weirdness.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Outright Urbanite A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Danish Language I
Course Department:	Danish Lang
Instructor:	Nina Lahav
Instruction Language:	English/Danish
Comments:	Nina provided the right balance of instruction between culture and language! She was very enthusiastic about getting us to practice the language without being too pushy.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Classical and Renaissance Rome
Course Department:	Classics
Instructor:	Thyge Bro
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Thyge gave exactly what he promised- an amazing tour of Rome. He is about as knowledgeable about Rome and the classics as one can possibly. I did not participate as much I usually do due to my utter lack of knowledge of the classics, but Thyge encouraged participation with a focus on visual analysis, which was interesting. Assessment was based on participation, an exam, and a paper
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Environmental Policy in Practice
Course Department:	Environmental Studies
Instructor:	Dan Jorgensen and Marie Foltmann
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Course was not particularly challenging but it was very dynamic in terms of the activities and simulations we did. Fieldtrips were fantastic and very inspiring. Both professors were very knowledgeable, as both actively work in environmental policy. Biggest problem with the course is that meetings were once a week but were extremely long (to make up for the sparseness of classes). We were assessed primarly through papers and presentations.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Integrated Sustainability
Course Department:	Environmental Studies/ Architecture
Instructor:	Anna-Mette Monnelly
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	From this course I learned a lot about environmental studies from the architectural viewpoint. Anna is an extremely respected architect with a grounded perception of the need for compromise between industry and environment. I participated intermittently. We were assessed in presentations, homework assignments, and exams.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Sustainable by Design
Course Department:	Environmental Studies, Architecture
Instructor:	Leslie Lorimer
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Kind of an easier version of Integrated by Sustainability; there was certainly some overlap of material. Powerpoints were often too long and so lectures sometimes tended to drag on, but the field trips were really interesting. We were assessed through assignments and exams.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Sustainable Development: Environmental, Political, and Social Issues
Course Department:	Sustainability in Europe
Instructor:	Deborah Kaplan
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Lecture featured a lot of really interesting discussions. Fieldtrips were also really interesting, and Deborah is passionate about the subject matter. I participated in class fairly often. We were assessed primarily through papers.
Credit Transfer Issues: