Copenhagen I love you!!! January 29, 2022
By A student (Psychology, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/30/2021 to 12/13/2021 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
I loved how independent I could be, in an environment that felt so welcoming and safe from the very beginning.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were not as rigorous as Wellesley's classes, but I feel that I got a lot out of them regardless. Professors were always very encouraging and helpful, and very knowledgeable in the subject that they were teaching. I feel like I learned a lot from each of my classes, even if they weren't as intense as I was used to. |
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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? |
I really loved the location of my housing, although we did have a few problems with construction throughout the semester. I felt really comfortable in my apartment, and really enjoyed the parts of the city that I was close to and able to explore. |
| * Food: |
Eating out is expensive!!! However, groceries are really reasonable and cooking is accessible. I really loved the food that I had in Copenhagen, none of it was super outlandish and I always found something new to try or something familiar. From what I heard, it was also pretty easy to find things that were vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free friendly from friends. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Danish people, in general, are fairly reserved and quiet, but also very friendly and open to conversation if approached. Often my friends and I were approached by them due to our accents, and they were really curious about life in the states and our experience abroad. Depending on your housing you may have an easier time meeting people that are your age who are Danish, but I did not know many. I enjoyed meeting people in passing while on nights out, but if you are set on making Danish friends it does require a little bit of effort. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt really safe in Copenhagen, even safer than I feel back home in Boston. Not once were my friends and I worried or uncomfortable, even out late in settings where it was possible we would feel scared. I did hear of one or two incidents of people being pick-pocketed on busy streets at night, so keeping an eye out everywhere and being diligent can never hurt. However, as someone who gets nervous in big cities, I had no fear of walking around my neighborhood alone at all times of the day and feeling like I didn't need to be looking over my shoulder all the time. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I LOVED my time abroad, I would 100% do it all over again if I could. |
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 definitely is really expensive compared to other places in the world, so it's easy to spend a lot of money in very little time. However, as long as you keep track of your spending and try to pick things that you are willing to label as "unnecessary", it's definitely doable. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50-ish |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do as much of your own grocery shopping as you can and save big meals out for special occasions. |
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 |
I only used it a little bit because I did not take the language course, but I worked in a Danish preschool where the children did not speak English. |
| 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? | Learn really simple words like "hello", "yes", "no" and "thank you", even those will get you really far. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | It seriously goes by faster than you expect, so take advantage of every second you have there. Also, don't feel pressured to constantly be traveling like other students. Some of my absolute favorite times were the weekends I spent in Copenhagen. |
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: |
Danish Design |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Thomas Dickson |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I loved this class!! It gives you such a great perspective on the city that you are surrounded by during your time abroad. Thomas is an excellent professor and takes the class for "city walks" every Friday to see examples of the design you study in lectures during the week. It also requires only a few papers during the semester that are all fairly short, and no exams or quizzes. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No, the credit transferred normally although I did not use it for any distribution requirements personally. |
