An Awesome Experience! May 29, 2023

By A student (Environmental Studies, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/12/2023 to 05/12/2023 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 live on my own. I became much more willing to say "yes" to new experiences with new people and would not have chosen any other study abroad program looking back at my time in Denmark

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	All of my classes were extremely interesting and I enjoyed the incorporation of field studies into the course material
* 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)	The food stipend can be stretched through the end of the semester, but it is super expensive if you ever want to eat out.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$50

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	They encouraged us to practice Danish, but knew that we had a minimal vocabulary
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

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

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Ability to travel Classes Copenhagen culture
* What could be improved?	Housing Group work
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I had known how much of an emphasis on group work that the program would have. Many students would take classes pass/fail, whereas some would not, which made it difficult to find students willing to put in similar amounts of effort.

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 Urbanite A 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 Language and Culture
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	I really enjoyed the class and felt that it provided me with a lot of context on Danish society that I would not have otherwise gotten. We were assessed with oral exams, papers, presentations, and written exams.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues with transferring the credit!

Course Name/Rating:	Nordic Noir: Crime Fiction, TV Series, and Film
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was my favorite class I took while abroad. There is a decent amount of reading, but all of the books were page-turners and easy to get through. The instructor is a great professor, and would always liven up discussion. We had exams that were essentially short essays that you would have three or four days to complete.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues!

Course Name/Rating:	Environmental Economics
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was pretty straightforward. For an economics class, there is very minimal mathematics. The instructor is a knowledgeable professor and the assessments were always clear.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Sustainable Development in Northern Europe
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course was interesting and did a good job balancing all aspects of sustainability. Projects were always pretty open; you could take them in any direction you wanted, whether it be policy, education, architecture, agriculture, etc. The only negative was that field studies could be a bit dry for such an interesting topic.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues!

Course Name/Rating:	Psychology of Peak Performance
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was ok. There was less of a focus on theory, experiments, and case studies than a typical psychology class would have. It wasn't too difficult and had relatively interesting lessons.
Credit Transfer Issues: