It's funny how the extraordinary can become one's daily life Past Review
By A student (Public Health, Human Biology, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/18/2015 to 05/15/2015 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
This was the most worthwhile experience of my life! I had never been abroad before nor had I had that level of independence from my family. It was great pushing my comfort zone and what I thought I was capable of doing. I feel stronger and more confident in myself after this, and I feel like I've also gone to another level of understanding other people thanks to living in another culture so different from my own.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses were definitely easier than those at Brandeis, but I found myself having bursts of many tests and projects. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Overall, almost everything was addressed ahead of time with some minor issues popping up here and there, but they were handled in a timely manner. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My kollegium wasn't very clean or well maintained and the shared kitchen had a lot of issues, but the location was fairly convenient and I liked my individual room. |
| * Food: |
The grocery subsidy was mostly enough for the semester and I was able to cook for myself most nights, although the kitchen in my kollegium was unpleasant and I didn't have much cookware. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was difficult getting to know people because my hall in the kollegium wasn't very social, but I was able to meet some people in my free time, through Studenterhuset events and through my SRA. When I was walking around in the streets, going shopping and sitting in cafes, I felt integrated. My lack of Danish language skills did make me feel like I stood out at times. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have health issues, but the system seemed intimidating. |
| * Safety: |
I didn't feel like I was in danger when I was returning to my kollegium after dark or late at night. The city is well-lit and I was never approached by strangers in a threatening way. You do have to look out for bikes in the daytime so you don't get hit by them. |
| 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) |
The weeks that I didn't plan anything out of the ordinary, it was fairly easy staying on budget because my commuter costs were covered and I had a grocery store subsidy, but when doing additional shopping, or planning to spend dinner and an evening out, I did tend to approach or cross over the $100/week mark. When traveling, it was not easy staying on a budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $60-80 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go grocery shopping 2-3 times a week and don't buy too much of any one thing that's fresh, such as produce or animal products because they do not last long. The freezer is your best friend for storing things because it'll keep them fresh and you won't waste money in the grocery store. Furthermore, try to plan out who you will be buying souvenirs for and try allocating for them in your budget so you don't buy things you/your friends/family won't want once you get home. Bring pens and a water bottle with you. If you bring bulk toiletries from home; once you run out while abroad, you'll have more room in your suitcases for the stuff you bought and won't have to pay baggage over-weight fees or buy overpriced-Danish products. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
They make it very clear that almost everyone of and below middle age speaks fluent English and it's a bit intimidating when you keep hearing people say how intimidating Danish is as a language. It's encouraged to try ordering things in Danish and to respond to people in Danish even when saying "I don't understand." It helps one feel integrated, but since classes are in English, too, I often ended up using minimal Danish. I did take a Danish language and culture class, which helped build my confidence, but I wouldn't say that what we learned to say was very useful. |
| 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? | College- level Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Listen to the podcasts that are part of the language classes, use the Google translate speech function to listen to an approximation of how things are pronounced, and practice with your friends. |
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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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish that I knew more Danish before going on the program and what arriving that first day would be like. I also wish I had a better picture in my head of what the region around DIS would look like because I got lost *a lot*. I wish I'd pushed myself to try to get to know Danes more and immerse myself further into places where I might meet/get to know more Danes my age. Also, classes start off easy, but should still be taken seriously because the work sneaked up on me at times. I wish I'd been less afraid to explore in the first 6 weeks. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
