Great program, great people, not great academics Past Review
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/15/2016 to 05/17/2016 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
A lot of new friends, knowledge of European cultures, great tourist experiences
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I liked the people I met in my classes and the material was theoretically interesting, but most of the teachers didn't have any teaching training or experience so they were pretty disorganized and it was difficult to really learn anything. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
DIS did a good job of helping us through the process of getting residence permits and getting familiar with the city. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The building was a little gross, but in general I had my own space and a kitchen, so I was happy. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's very difficult to integrate into Danish culture (purposefully). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any health issues so I'm not sure how they would have been handled, but I did have a social security number and a state-assigned doctor so I generally felt secure. |
| * Safety: |
Copenhagen is on the whole a very safe city (or supposed to be), but I was mainly in the queer and Jewish communities, and those are both kind of at-risk. I had friends who had some very unsafe experiences due to their queerness, and we always had to be careful about not letting people know we were Jewish. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I met a lot of really wonderful people and I got to travel, and i liked living in Copenhagen while I was there. |
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 an extremely expensive city, and i was cooking for myself, so I was buying everything. DIS did give us a food stipend, so that helped offset the cost. |
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 encouraged us where possible, but Danish is an almost impossible language to learn and everyone speaks English. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Try to order food and talk to people in your housing. |
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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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 would have made more of an effort to get a bike. |
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! |
