Hyggeligt! (rough translation: "fun"... but it's a lot more than that!) June 23, 2022

By A student (Psychology, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/15/2022 to 05/13/2022 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned a lot about myself from studying abroad and what I'm capable of as a student and an emerging adult. I also gained a somewhat new perspective on some of the things I've been studying at Middlebury. It was DEFINITELY worthwhile!

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:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I would have liked more exposure with the local culture (that's why I signed up to live in a Kollegium, but I did not receive that housing option)
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I thought COVID-related logistics could have been handled better.
* Safety:	I always felt very safe at DIS and in Copenhagen.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes DIS was highly recommended to me by several Middlebury students, and I could not be happier with my decision. DIS is incredibly well-run and provides an overall enriching and exciting study abroad experience. Copenhagen is an amazing city: it's beautiful, safe, and very "hygge" (cozy)

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)	Living in Copenhagen is VERY expensive! Especially eating out at restaurants, but also museums and other things.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$75-$100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Make weekly and travel budgets and try your best to stick to them! Keep a record of everything you spend.

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	My program was conducted entirely in English. Danish is a very difficult language, so many locals would speak English to us because they wouldn't be able to understand our Danish even if we tried!
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?	n/a for Danish
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?	Watch TV shows/movies in the language

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 organization of the program travel (incorporated into classes, encouraged during travel breaks, etc.) they really live up to their slogan: "Copenhagen as your home, Europe as your classroom"
* What could be improved?	COVID-related things could have been handled better
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Copenhagen is a really expensive city

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 Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Positive Psychology
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Terry Saftis
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	I really loved this course, although I did not find it very challenging. I really enjoyed the field studies/trips and got a lot out of them. I enjoyed the assignments and appreciated having a variety of different kinds of assignments.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I didn't need to transfer credit from this class, but I imagine it would have been easy to do so if I were going to.

Course Name/Rating:	Positive Psychology Practicum
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Christoffer Kølgaard
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was my favorite class at DIS. I've never had the opportunity to apply psychology in the real world in this fashion, and I was amazed by how much freedom I was given at my practicum site. This class was a huge highlight of my study abroad experience!
Credit Transfer Issues:	n/a

Course Name/Rating:	Psychology of Crisis
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Terry Saftis
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	I enjoyed this class a lot, it was very different than anything I've seen at Middlebury before. I didn't really like how much group work there was in this class, probably because that's not something I'm very used to at Midd.
Credit Transfer Issues:	n/a

Course Name/Rating:	Nordic Mythology
Course Department:	religion
Instructor:	Morten Warmind
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was a lot of fun, especially since we were learning about Nordic Mythology in Denmark (we had some great field trips!) I didn't love how the course was taught (almost exclusively lecture), and there weren't many assignments, but I liked how for the research paper we could write about whatever we wanted. There weren't many opportunities for participation.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I am attempting to transfer this credit to count towards my religion minor, and so far I have not had a problem doing so

Course Name/Rating:	Danish Language and Culture I
Course Department:	Danish
Instructor:	Nina Lahav-Honore
Instruction Language:	Danish (and English)
Comments:	This class was definitely challenging because Danish is a hard language to learn! The professor made the class very engaging. I felt like I learned a lot, especially about Danish culture, in a pretty short amount of time. Taking this class enhanced my overall study abroad experience because it made me feel more integrated into society.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Middlebury required me to take this class