Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A new city every weekend Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/14/2019 to 05/17/2019 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to be alone, cook, clean, travel, use public transportation and generally navigate for myself

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?

* Food:

We bought everything for ourselves

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I thought that I would be living with Danes but it was a new building and no one other than other DIS students lived there for the first few months

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I spent around $500 a month on other expenses. DIS gave us a grocery store card for $600 though and that lasted me the whole semester (doesn't include the food I bought traveling tho)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? minimize eating out and buying coffee, especially 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

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? I wish I had tried out my danish with more natives, just ordering food or something like that but its hard when they all speak english really well

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? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • the city
  • the integrated travel
  • the professors
* What could be improved?
  • not very academically stimulating
  • I wish my housing had danish people living there
  • general integration with locals
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? it's an amazing experience and even though it's really hard sometimes, it's worth it and you're gonna miss it

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:

Artificial Intelligence

Course Department: Computer Science
Instructor: Thomas Bolander
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The professor wasn't very good at teaching concepts or helping students with the coding aspect of the class. The field trips were really boring.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Nordic Mythology

Course Department: Religion
Instructor: Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Very relevant class because we got to visit a lot of viking sites and see actual artifacts in museums. The professor was very knowledgable. we had a midterm, a paper, and a final exam, all of which were graded fairly and made sense for the course. We got to read a lot of viking sagas for class.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Modern Frames

Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Andrea Homann and Morten Egholm
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Interesting course. My first art history class that included film. We got to travel to prague and vienna as a class. We were mostly assessed through papers and being engaged in classroom discussion, but there was also a midterm exam.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Ancient Art and Archeology

Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Thyge C. Bro
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Had most of our classes at museums actually looking at the art that we were talking about which was pretty great. The professor was very knowledgeable and well-prepared. Assessed with papers (visual analysis) only.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Danish Language and Culture

Course Department: Danish
Instructor: Suzanne da Cunha Bang
Instruction Language: Danish and English
Comments: Everyone should take a danish course if they do DIS. This was the best cultural and language I got while there.
Credit Transfer Issues: no