Hide inside or choose to get out and become a Dane-ish person yourself. Past Review
By A student (Bradley University) - abroad from 01/16/2016 to 05/14/2016 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
Traveling and studying abroad is what you make of it. If you want to meet locals you can. If you make no effort to, though, you won't!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
There is a lot of ambiguity with many professors, and a lot of reading that is often never referenced in class or on exams. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The housing staff and front-desk staff are are super helpful and resourceful. They can answer almost any question you throw their way! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with a host family--I highly recommend. It can be harder/longer to trek into town if you like going out, but many family are happy to have your friends over to party it up at home! |
| * Food: |
My host family was supposed to provide most of my food--they were very accommodating. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's super easy to immerse yourself--as long as you try. Your travel pass from DIS can be limiting, but branch out and make some Danish friends, frequent some bars or coffee housing or lunch joints and get to know the owner! (sund sandwich is a must!) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I easily contacted a local doctor to renew/replace a prescription with the Danish equivalent. |
| * Safety: |
If you secure your bike and don't leave it anywhere too long, you'll have zero problems. Copenhagen is super safe and pretty crime-free. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved the weird culture of Denmark and that so few people make it out there. It's harder to travel the rest of Europe but you can make it happen! |
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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | less than 10$ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I hate spending money so I budgeted pretty well. I basically only spent money on side traveling, and most was spent on transportation. If you budget airline and Airbnb/Hostelworld, you can spend as little or as much as you want! I probably spend less than 3K in my 4 months--and I visited almost a dozen other cities/countries. |
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 |
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| 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 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | It all depends on the prof you get from what I hear (I chose not to take a language course) |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Exams will still hit you hard--don't underestimate and try to stay ahead. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
