Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Memorable experience in a great country with several new American friends May 23, 2023

By (Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/19/2023 to 05/13/2023 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about Danish culture and how to navigate living in a city. Absolutely a worthwhile experience.

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?

* 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)

2.5

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? Intermediate

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* 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?
  • Fellow American Students
  • Copenhagen
  • Travel
* What could be improved?
  • Housing was far from school
  • Bigger grocery stipend
  • -
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Get a bike if you live far from the school, metro gets old after a while

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Holocaust & Genocide
Course Department: History
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The instructor was extremely knowledgable about the material for this class and engaging during class time. The readings were great in preparing us for class and I thought the assessment of self-designed thesis statement at the end of the semester was a great way to be judged on what we retained. Since it was my core course, I travelled for about two weeks with my class to Hamburg and Krakow which were perfect places. They helped advance my understanding of the material, but also the instructor taught us a lot about the cities themselves.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Anthropology of Food
Course Department: Anthropology
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was great. Not extremely difficult, but learned a lot about Danish food systems and overall trends of the industry. The instructor was a great teacher that knew a lot about the material. He designed several great field trips to immerse us in Danish food which was appreciated by the class. Over the course of the semester, we were graded on various presentations and two essays which reflected some of the larger themes of the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Danish Language & Culture
Course Department: Language
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Danish/English
Comments: This course was required, but nonetheless was great in preparing me for a semester in Copenhagen. Each class was evenly divided between learning Danish and about the culture. The material I learned in the classroom was directly applicable to understanding Copenhagen better, but also how to read and speak the language. The instructor was a great teacher that provided engaging readings and designed amazing field trips around the city. We were assessed on a wide variety of things like worksheets and presentations, but the main challenges were the oral exam and final culture essay.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Behavioral Economics
Course Department: Economics
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I'm an econ major which why I selected this course. The teachers were great and taught a new perspective of economics that focused human behavior rather than classical economic theory and "rational" decision making." The course was made up two great field trips, several student-run experiments, and various group presentation about the material. The class was challenging around the midterm and final for the class, but overall was a really interesting and enjoyable class.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Development Economics
Course Department: Economics
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: As an Econ major at Middlebury, I chose this course to help meet requirements. However, I was very grateful that I decided to take this course because the material was extremely interesting because it focused on economies in developing countries. Focusing on case studies and readings to understand what works and what can be done, it was extremely educational. Our teachers were perfect for the role because they both have a background in the field rather than just studying it. Over the course of the semester, we were assessed with exams and a few presentations. We ended the semester with a capstone project with a comprehensive review of the CDiC's efforts in Kenya and Bangladesh.
Credit Transfer Issues: