The best four months of my life. Past Review
By A student (Economics, Trinity University) - abroad from 08/15/2016 to 12/11/2015 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
By studying abroad, you get to see a lot of cool places, meet a lot of cool people, but most importantly you get out of your comfort zone and gain a global perspective.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
DIS has a number of resources for students to achieve their academic goals. The majority of the professors are either full-time professionals in their respective fields or are professors at the University of Copenhagen. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff, particularly those within your core course program, are extremely helpful and accessible. Most of the administrative staff members attended DIS and can relate to any problems you may have. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment was in the heart of the city center. I would strongly recommend living in the city if you prefer not to live with a host family DIS has many housing options near metro stops to the city center. Living in the city gives you an excellent opportunity to assimilate into Danish society. |
| * Food: |
Nordic cuisine is fantastic. Copenhagen is known for their food so try food trucks, small restaurants, go to Torvehallerne and try every place there. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
By living in the city, I was on a first name basis with the owner of the local coffee shop on my block, my favorite pizza place, and my favorite bar. It takes time to build relationships with Danes, but they are very genuine people. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Though I didn't have any experiences with the healthcare, you must remember you're in Denmark. Healthcare is free, so you may not receive outstanding service, but you do have the resources to be treated. Just don't expect to be handed prescriptions, as it's a very liberal society when it comes to medicinal treatments. |
| * Safety: |
I traveled all over Europe, and Copenhagen is the one city you can always keep your wallet in your back pocket in. It's by far and away, the safest city in Europe that I traveled to. |
| 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) |
Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in Europe. If you want to live on a student's budget, you can. But don't expect to eat out or go out much. I strongly recommend saving up as much money as you can, so as to enjoy the semester to its fullest. If you live in the city, you are given a food stipend of ~$600, which doesn't go too far. Be frugal with the stipend. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There is a recycling credit for glass bottles and aluminum cans. If you're really tight on money, return all your cans and bottles, and you can make over 100 krone a week doing so. |
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 |
While you're encouraged to use it, the Danish language is extremely difficult to learn and use. Everyone speaks perfect English, so you needn't worry about a language barrier. I enjoyed learning the language, and it does help you better appreciate Danish culture, and it can be useful on trains/metros. |
| 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 |
| 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? | Just try to learn Danish and don't be afraid to use it. Danes are surprised and appreciative when you sincerely try to speak their language. |
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? | How there is so much out there for me to experience and see- why did it take me so long to realize this? |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
