Host Family Helpful Past Review
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/14/2017 to 05/13/2017 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
learned to be independent, confident, observant. how to evaluate others cultures
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. |
The classes and teachers took themselves very seriously for a study abroad program. A lot of the material was repetitive or taught in boring ways. There was a lot of work for a study abroad program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administration was nothing but helpful. I only had slight interaction with them |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a home stay. I do not think that my host parents should have been selected as hosts but I did enjoy my experience overall. The housing department does not share the answers to your survey with the host parents and vice versa. Also, there is not good ways to provide feedback on the host family and your experience at the end of the semester. I knew numerous people who switched home stays and kollegiums. |
| * Food: |
DIS provided good food during our trips and generally it was a lot of food. In Denmark, they eat a lot of pork and potatoes. Very good pastries! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Danes are not the friendliest. DIS does not have too many ways to meet Danes except for visiting host families and host families. There is a fair at the beginning of the semester for students to connect with Danish groups. DIS does provide resources on social and cultural norms. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
You get a Danish residency permit which comes with free healthcare. DIS has good videos (would be nice if they also put it in writing) about how to access Danish healthcare. You call the doctor on your healthcare card. It is easy. DIS has an insurance policy if you get sick before the residency permit goes through. You have to pay out of pocket but will be reimbursed. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe, except for slight fears of pick pocketers. Keep your wallet not on the outside pocket. If you are biking in Copenhagen, have your bag somehow tied down in the basket (people have been known to steal bags while you are biking). Danes get very drunk so be careful. They will not hurt you and will generally be respectful. |
| 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) |
Living in a homestay helped me keep on budget. My host family paid for the majority of my meals. Food/everything in Copenhagen is expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | live with a host family and take out cash |
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 |
the majority of Danes speak English so Danish is somewhat unnecessary. it is nice to know if you are working in a school and when going shopping. Everyone will switch to English if you tell them that you don't 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? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | speak to host siblings |
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? | refugee issues in Denmark |
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! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Philosophy of Mental Health |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Boring. Full lecture for 3 hours. Very repetitive. Essays always due right after a vacation, which was incredibly annoying. Also, the topics were very broad. He gave me the same grade for all of my assignments even though they were of different quality--happened to other people I knew. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
