Europe as my classroom:Eye opening European adventure. Past Review
By Brandon Smalls (Trinity University) - abroad from 01/16/2016 to 05/13/2016 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
It was definitely worth wild. I learned that I do much better when I place less emphasis on the grading of assignments and more focus on the course itself.
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. |
Compared to the workload from my home university, this program was easier. I think that the less intense/ grade focused environment help to facilitate a deeper level of learning in students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very helpful if the students needed anything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a kollegium and loved it! I lived with other international students and when we got together, it was always a great time. The only thing I didn't like was that it was harder to build a sense of community because we had our own rooms with almost everything we needed (bathroom, fridge, kitchenette. If you like independence and some solitude, this is the option for you. |
| * Food: |
Wonderful. Definitely go to paper island (if open), eat a fully loaded Danish hotdog, and try their open sandwiches! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In my experience, the Danish did not openly talk to strangers first, but once you talked to then, they would be very friendly and engaged in the conversation. Once I became friends with some Danes they introduced me to some really fun interesting events. I wish I had more exposure to Danish culture around were I lived though. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I personally didn't have any health issues while abroad, so I can not accurately judge the healthcare. |
| * Safety: |
Copenhagen was very safe in my personal experience. There is a very low amount of crime there and the biggest threat you may run into will be pick pockets (which I didn't experience a single time). |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I think this is one of the best programs I could have done. I wouldn't trade the memories I made for anything in the world. |
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 was very expensive for everyday expenses. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Around $150. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Start saving early on. If you are reading this, start today. It's better to have to much than not enough. |
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 |
Everyone spoke English but it was nice to try the language out occasionally if you were in a class for it. |
| 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? | 3 years of 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? | Find locals to help you with pronunciation and fluency. |
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? | All the places to go and meet locals early on in the semester. |
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. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Cognitive Neuroscience of Consciousness |
| Course Department: | Pych/ Neuro |
| Instructor: | Claudia |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The teacher was absolutely wonderful. She cared for the needs of each student and was genuinely interested in not only making sure we understood the material, but in our critical thinking regarding the material. The main class met up twice a week for 85 minutes. We also met up later on those same days for lab, which lasted roughly 3 hours. The class was structured to help individuals feel safe in open discussion, so the class had many good conversations through the course of the class. I personally talked a little more than I do at my home university, even though I try to talk every time I'm in a class back home. The tests are not difficult if you make sure you do the course readings and ask questions when you genuinely don't understand something. There was not a lot of busy work, so homework mostly consisted of readings and studying for tests. Occasionally we had papers for the class but they were not too difficult or long. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
