Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Could not recommend DIS and living abroad in Copenhagen more! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/18/2017 to 12/11/2017 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Very worthwhile.

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.

Not as rigorous as Middlebury but it was definitely a good amount of work compared to people I talked to in other abroad programs. The intensity was just enough to be a challenge, while also allowing time to balance traveling and exploring the city.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

While some information was given last minute, everything was very thoroughly run and was very well organized.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The Outdoor LLC is in an amazing location and my apartment was spacious and beautiful.

* Food:

I was given a food stipend that covered all of my groceries for the semester, but the restaurants/non-grocery food is pretty expensive. My DIS classes always had great pastries though!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The visiting host family program was great! My LLC coordinator also made a lot of efforts to show us Danish culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Didn't have any health issues but getting my CPR card was not too much of an issue.

* Safety:

Copenhagen is an amazing city to live in and always felt safe.

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

This program was perfectly balanced with classes and opportunities to travel. Everything was well organized, DIS was very helpful and Copenhagen is amazing.

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)

Copenhagen is very expensive to live in, but if you only use your food card it's doable.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Spent a few thousand total on food, traveling, and activities.

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

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? Danes speak English and my host family told me it was a waste of time to learn Danish, but I still thought it was cool to learn even if there weren't many opportunities to practice.

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?
  • Traveling for class
  • Living in Copenhagen
  • All of the free pastries!
* What could be improved?
  • Transparency with housing prior
  • Less group papers
  • Information on individual public transport passes
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Travel plans will be made during the program

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Danish Language and Culture
Course Department: Danish
Instructor: Catharina Rosendal
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Professor was amazing and I felt like it was a nice balance between learning about important issues in Denmark with how the country works and useable language.
Credit Transfer Issues: Can't transfer credit until this is filled out so I don't know if I'll have issues, but it seems like its worked well for past students.
Course Name/Rating:

Photojournalism
Course Department:
Instructor: Mette Frandsen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Amazing class and definitely challenging since you have to approach and photograph a lot of strangers, but it is very rewarding. Grades were completely unknown until after the course was finished.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy in Denmark
Course Department:
Instructor: Mette Sejer Sørensen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was pretty intense, but the topics were all interesting. It is just a lot of information and work, we weren't actually training to become midwives.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Cognitive Neuroscience of Consciousness
Course Department: Psychology
Instructor: Claudia Carrara-Augustenborg
Instruction Language: English
Comments: A lot of difficult theories to work through, but the thought processes and applications were really cool.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Cognitive Neuroscience of Consciousness Research Lab
Course Department:
Instructor: Claudia Carrara-Augustenborg
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was very challenging to create an experiment from start to finish, but it was an extremely rewarding experience. Get ready to spend way too much effort recruiting participants.
Credit Transfer Issues: