CPH: best city of work-life balance May 18, 2022
By A student (Public Health, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/16/2022 to 05/13/2022 with
DIS Copenhagen: Semester
I learned to plan trips and live alone in an organized way.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The instructors all have profound working experiences in the field they are teaching so they could share a lot more than that in textbooks. I enjoyed all the case studies and research problems I've done but the general academic rigoress is not as much as in Brandeis. |
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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 was not very satisfied with the roommate matching system regarding our schedule (my roommate was always on her phone during midnight though we had some oral contract); Though I applied for the visiting family program, due to the high volume of students this year I was not matched with one and that's a minus in my study abroad experience. I do love the place where I live and the view is good. |
| * Food: |
I cooked almost every day and Copenhagen has a lot of different restaurants to explore! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Free covid tests in the first half of the semester and DIS covered the departure-required antigen test. |
| * Safety: |
CPH is very very safe!!! I literally feel comfortable walking home near Christiania late at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really love Copenhagen! The natural view, the people, the tidy streets, and convenient public transportation... I feel that this city is welcoming and cozy. The relationship between professors and students is also close instead of a hierarchy. |
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? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cooking is the best money-saving thing to do in Copenhagen and that's also what locals do. Keep track of the discounts in grocery stores! |
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? | 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 don't have much advice because all people in Denmark speak English and learning Danish is more like a way to understand the culture. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | It's very important to set the expectation of your work-life balance before departure (do you want to enjoy travelling more or focus more on your academic work?) |
