I’ve seen more of Europe than I have of the United States! Past Review
By Lev Snyder (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/17/2019 to 12/13/2019 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
It opened my world to new ways of perceiving and thinking and exposed me to a ton of art. I also made some really close friends. Definitely worthwhile.
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. |
Classes were quite easy overall, with very little work out of class required outside of finals and occasional papers. The field studies however were fantastic and all my professors were passionate teachers. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
DIS will hold your hand through the entire semester if you like, but will also give you the independence you need to have a fulfilling experience. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Single room in a 9-person apartment in the inner city. |
| * Food: |
You are essentially responsible for your own grocery shopping and meals outside of study tours and other special dinners. Plenty of options available but the city is quite pricey in general. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program isn’t super immersive if you live with other DIS students. It was also a bit difficult to meet Danes and the part of central Copenhagen we were in spoke a lot of English. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare in Denmark is completely free once you have your residency card in mid-October. Before that though you are a bit SOL if you need a doctor. |
| * Safety: |
Copenhagen is a very safe city, just watch out for pickpockets, keep an eye on your belongings! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It was exactly the semester I needed for my own sanity. |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $80-150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be sparing with eating out. Restaurants in Copenhagen can be insanely expensive, but groceries from the Netto are quite reasonable. Cooking for yourself will save you a ton of money. |
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 |
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| 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? | Intro |
| 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? | Use it in shops and restaurants, practice with your friends. Meet some Danes, live in a home stay. |
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? |
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 will meet very few Danes. The academics will not be at all challenging. |
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 UrbaniteA 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: |
Concept of Evil in Contemporary Culture |
| Course Department: | Philosophy |
| Instructor: | Morten Lykkegard |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was interesting but 80 percent of my classmates had no interest in the subject. Morten was an amazing instructor though. This course really challenged my perceptions of what evil is and what justice actually looks like. |
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Neuroscience of Religion and Atheism |
| Course Department: | Neuroscience |
| Instructor: | Jes Buster Madsen |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course had a good instructor and was somewhat discussion focused, but the issue is it assumes no prior knowledge in neuroscience. For that reason, it wasn’t all that fulfilling for me as a neuroscience major. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Danish Language and Culture |
| Course Department: | Danish |
| Instructor: | Jacob Cold |
| Instruction Language: | English/Danish |
| Comments: | It is totally possible to learn almost no Danish in 4 months by cramming for the quizzes and phoning in the oral exam, yet, I still picked up some Danish, and the instructor was fantastic. |
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Religious Mythos and Philosophical Logos |
| Course Department: | Philosophy |
| Instructor: | Brian Sodorquest |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was amazing. The exams were somewhat challenging but not crazy, and the study tours were phenomenal. The class was discussion driven and culminated in a 5 day trip to Greece to see the sites of mythology. |
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Ancient Art and Archeology |
| Course Department: | Humanities |
| Instructor: | Thyge C Bro |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was awesome. We spent more than half the time in museums around Copenhagen and I learned an enormous amount about Mediterranean antiquities during the course. Readings were a lot, and the papers were challenging, but Thyge was helpful and a generous grader. |
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