A Great but Expensive Semester Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/13/2018 to 05/12/2018 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
While I suppose I learned a bit academically, in reality I learned much more about living independently, the logistics of traveling, and getting by without speaking the local language (mainly in countries outside Western Europe where most people speak English).
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Many options but very expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's hard to integrate with Danes... |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Although Denmark supposedly has a very good healthcare system, I didn't end up needing to use it. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I thought that DIS was a very well run program, and I ended up becoming really good friends with my roommate, and traveling around Europe and Morocco during the semester was an incredible experience that I'll look back on fondly. |
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 a very expensive city to live in. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Roughly $200 a week on average including food, drinks, travel. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Although I hated the disorganization of the grocery store Netto, it was ultimately the cheapest place to shop. |
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 |
We weren't really encouraged to use Danish (a little bit by our Danish professor). Danish is a hard language to learn, especially when 98% of Danes know English and almost all speak it very well. |
| 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? | I hadn't taken any Danish before coming abroad. I had taken Spanish for 6 years in Middle and High school. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I suppose befriend a Dane who will practice with you. |
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? | 0 |
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 wish I knew just how expensive living in Copenhagen would be. I also wish I knew how dismal the weather was on average there. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Game Development |
| Course Department: | Computer Science |
| Instructor: | Benno Lüders |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Somewhat challenging. Good trips. Knowledgeable teacher with experience. Participated about the same. Assessed primarily on a midterm and final group projects. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure, I'm assuming it should transfer smoothly. |
