Unforgettable transformative experience Past Review
By A student (Business, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/17/2016 to 05/17/2016 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
I learned about the aspects of my personality that make me an American. I became more accepting and understanding of cultural differences. Living with a host family was a main reason for this. By exploring Copenhagen, I became more confident navigating new and unfamiliar situations on my own. I'm also more interested in traveling to new places. Living abroad opened my eyes to all of the things I could see in the world.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I loved the amount of classes offered. It gives students the opportunity to pursue specific areas of interest. I loved the field studies too. Sometimes, the amount of group work in classes felt forced. The amount of work I had was a bit less than what I have at my home university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
DIS has a lot of helpful resources and a lot of caring staff. Sometimes, the staff isn't the most organized though. For example, when I had a problem with getting my residence permit, I wasn't sure who to ask about it. I ended up getting conflicting information from different people (it worked out in the end). |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very well matched with my host family! I loved them. I had a big room and my own bathroom. |
| * Food: |
My host family provided me with my meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I often went to family celebrations and events with my host family. I also took the introductory Danish course, which was helpful for getting immersed into the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had a healthcare issue while abroad. But I felt confident that if I did have a healthcare issue, I would know what to do. DIS provided many helpful resources for navigating the healthcare system. |
| * Safety: |
Most parts of Copenhagen are generally safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
DIS overall provides helpful resources to students and offers high quality classes with knowledgable teachers. And they do a great job matching students with host families. My host family was the most significant part of my experience. |
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) |
Denmark has a high cost of living. Living in a homestay helps lower costs. |
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 |
In Denmark, it's fine to only know English. But in my experience, most people instinctually speak Danish and food labels and menus are in Danish. If you take the Danish language and culture course, you need to speak Danish. And DIS encourages you to try to speak Danish to a host family or visiting host family. Otherwise, you never need to speak Danish. |
| 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? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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? | Danish is hard! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Vienna: Capital of Classical Music |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Ian Samuel Terkildsen |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | The instructor for this course is great too! The class was perfect for a 1 credit course. I learned a lot, but it wasn't a lot of work. The class was fun, since our homework involved listening to music. Also, the study tour was very well facilitiated. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Applied Life Cycle Assessment |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Emmanuel Gentil |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | The teacher for this course was amazing! He really cares about his students. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
