Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great mix of both unique academics, experiencing Copenhagen, and travel! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/13/2017 to 05/13/2017 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Learned a lot about independence, becoming comfortable not knowing the language spoken around you.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Lived in a DIS RC. It was extremely nice and DIS did a great job grouping people together.

* Food:

Provided with card to buy groceries, never needed more money than they gave us.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Visiting host family was great exposure to local culture, but had to look outside DIS for greater integration.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Program was extremely healthful when I got sick on trip with my core class.

* Safety:

Always felt safe

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Great mixture of unique academic experience, with plenty of built in time to travel. Got to really get a sense of living in Copenhagen and I came to love the city so much.

Finances

* 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)

When cooking for yourself, easy to live on a budget. However, when I started traveling or if I decided to eat out, then budget would have to significantly increase.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? since food money was included in program, probably around 40 dollars
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Minimize eating out in Copenhagen.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Not really expected to use Danish except for when practicing in Danish class

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

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • Housing arranged for you
  • organized
  • field trips
* What could be improved?
  • excessive rules in RCs (and SRA living in some apartments)
  • be able to see course reviews before signing up
  • more flexibility with move out date
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How hard it would be to still motivate myself to do my school work while exploring all the new opportunities that come with abroad.

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 Urbanite
A 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:

The Ethical Brain: Philosophy and Neuroscience
Course Department:
Instructor: Rene Rosfort
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Class was taught at University of Copenhagen, although mostly was DIS students. Consisted of 3 papers + final 10-12 page paper. Class interesting but often very repetitive.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Danish Language and Culture I
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: Favorite class I took abroad. Field trips were super informative and interesting. Very manageable amount of course work, and it was fun to be able to understand a little Danish by the end of the semester.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development
Course Department:
Instructor: Jeanette Erbo Wern
Instruction Language:
Comments: Field trips were interesting but class was definitely more geared towards those interested in pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry. As a premed student, some of the material I found very interesting, while other parts such as learning about how pharmaceutical companies function, was not what I was expecting out of the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: Class was interesting and very light work load.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Food Systems
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: Very interesting subject, something I knew nothing about before coming into the class. Work load was heavier than I would have expected, but ended up being worth it.
Credit Transfer Issues: