Study Abroad in Copenhagen, and maybe never come back... Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The courses were as hard as you made them. Each course had a final paper, which was your grade for the course. You could get by with minimal reading and a specific paper, but if the topic was interesting, you could delve as deeply into the topic as you wanted due to all of the available resources.

On-site administration of your program

Everything you needed was there, you just had to find it. Everything wasn't handed to you on a silver platter like at a liberal arts college. I heard of some people getting Danish student mentors - this is advisable because KU is a large university with a lot of resources, you just need to know where to find them. Note: I enrolled as a guest student, meaning I wasn't a part of a program like DIIS.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I rented a room through a family friend. This is not a standard living situation for study abroad students because it is nearly impossible to find a (decent) place to live in Copenhagen. Most study abroad students live about 30 min. south of Copenhagen in a student complex. It seemed fine to live there, it just wasn't Copenhagen, and there was not much exposure to Danish culture there.

I cooked my own food at my place mostly. But I ate at the cafeteria a few times and I liked it, but the food is very Danish. I heard some internationals complain about it. For those who can't handle Danish food, there's a ton of cafes all over the place.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Yeah well... I'm Danish, so I'd like to think I was pretty integrated. However, when I first moved to Copenhagen, I could see and understand the plight of many international. It is (nearly) impossible to make Danish friends. This is mainly because social circles are small and specific, and Danes like to speak Danish when they hang out. An international student can definitely get the feeling for Danish culture after a semester or two in Copenhagen, but at the end of it all you're gonna have a bunch of friends from California and Germany, but not from Denmark.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Hahahaha, how does the Danish healthcare system compare to the American healthcare system? Do I really need to answer that question...

Copenhagen is probably one of the safest cities in the world. I've honestly never felt safer in a city before (one of the many reasons I have chosen to stay after my study abroad period). A few tips though: Nørrebro is the "ghetto" of Copenhagen, but it's not that bad. Over this last summer and fall there was a gang war, where there were shootings a couple times a month. But it was limited to a very specific part of the neighborhood where a study abroad student would never have any reason to be. There's great nightlife in the same neighborhood, but a ways away from where the shootings happened. Christiania - the unincorporated freetown of Copenhagen. Great place to check out architecture, street art and "recreate" with other students. Generally safe, but there have been clashes with the cops on the street where they sell weed. It also feels a little seedy there at night. So if you use common sense, you won't run into trouble here.

KU is an excellent school, and applying as a guest student instead of going through a program was the right choice for me.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

2 - Copenhagen is expensive

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• Apartment

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• Local Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Interesting courses
• Amazing city
• Danish study culture

• There aren't many Danes in the international courses (Psychology department)

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer